New AceHighDesigns Store!

After a few months, we have decided to open up a new store for AceHighDesigns, your one stop for everything webdesign!

Get your apparell, including shirts, pants, hats, to anything you can think of.

We'd like to thank everyone who has been reading, and we hope to bring you the best information possible for years to come..

Check out our new store, at:

http://www.cafepress.com/AceHighDesigns

Thanks for reading!

Featured Article: What attracts me most about webdesign

My most recent article entails the reasons why I keep doing web design and what attracts me the most to continue doing it. Everyone has their story, and I have shared my experience about how I got started doing web design in previous articles, but after almost 8 years of doing web design, there is definitely times where I wonder why I keep going at it. There hast o be motivation, and in this article I share my reasons.

Feel free to comment on your reasons too! I would love to hear them.

Check out the article at:

http://www.acehighdesigns.webs.com/articles.htm

Thanks again for continuing to read my blog, you guys are great!

Featured Article: Jason's Top 5 Most LIked Websites

I dedicate A LOT of my time surfing the web. I think I am online most of the day everyday. It really does not matter what I am doing, I am always involved with the web somehow.

I have just created a new article called, "Jason's Top 5 Most Liked Websites", and it basically includes exactly what the title describes. Five of my most liked websites, a short review about them, why I like them, and why these five websites deserve recognition.

I encourage you to go check it out at my website:

http://www.acehighdesigns.webs.com/

Thanks for reading!

Interesting website: Hulu.com

I am a pretty big fan of television, and I try my best to watch a lot of it when I can... but there is always an episode that I tend to miss out on because I have other conflicts.

This bugged me for a long time because then the next episode would come along, and I would be lost in the season and would just stop watching the show. Well, thanks to today's technology, and webdesign in particular, we have the ability to go back to these shows and watch them!

The website is called Hulu and it is a website that houses episodes of television. Their database is stocked with episodes, and they are very quick to post new shows. I heard that they are ran by Google, but this has not been confirmed.

Check it out, I know you will like it:

http://www.hulu.com/

BannerSnack: A Banner Maker

Flash design can be a complex art for many people... you have to know code, a creative sense of mind, and a lot of technical expertise to make sure your banner comes out perfect. Most importantly, how you expected it to turn out.

I have personally experimented with flash design, and it is a lot of work. However, it has come to my attention that a website called "BannerSnack" is offering a way for someone to make a complex animated banner with ease! It uses flash technology, and looks just the way one would expect a banner to turn out.

Check out this easy-to-use program at the link below:

http://www.bannersnack.com/

Please comment on how you liked this program, I would love to hear your feedback!

The future of design and computers

This is more of a post about some things I found while searching one of my favorite video websites, YouTube. There has been a lot of talk about where computers and technology will be in the future. To me, I don't even think we can call these computers anymore because the technology is projected to do a full flip, and hardly recognizable anymore.

The first video is an "thought" of where technology will be in the year 2020.

Where computer's will be in the year 2020:



However, Microsoft has a much more sophisticated (and realistic) idea of where technology will be in just under 3-4 years!

Where computers WILL be in the next few years:



This is pretty scary! The technology looks advanced and very expensive. They project that these computers will be out in restaurants and other complexes in November of this year... wow.

I wonder what webdesign will look like?

Thanks for reading!

Featured Article: How the internet and webdesign is helping the recession today

It's an interesting topic, and most people (maybe not in the education industry) are feeling the wrath of the recession of jobs and the economy in general today. However, us webdesigners are feeding the community with nothing but good opportunity and praise.

This article defends that webdesign has grown to be one of the most valuable tools for businesses, as well as for unemployed persons today.

Go check the article out at my website:

http://acehighdesigns.webs.com/articles.htm

Enjoy!

Web Distortion: 20 Things to Check Before Going Live

One of the most difficult and stressful times I have is the moment right before I am about to release my website. I am somewhat of a perfectionist, and a lot of people think I might have OCD, because I literally go over thing a million times before I can even think about releasing something.

I know that there are others out there that have this problem (maybe not quite as OCD as myself) and so while surfing the latest in the webdesign industry, I came across a checklist that outlined 20 things to check before going live on any website.

Going live without a good first impression can be devastating to a website.. The cost you will have for not releasing with the best possible assets you can will be the deciding factor of whether you site succeeds or fails. It could be the deciding factor between getting a job or losing it.

Don't risk it! Check out Web Distortion's blog post about 20 things you should always check before going live on any website..

Here's the link:

http://blog.webdistortion.com/2008/03/20/a-website-checklist-20-things-to-check-before-going-live/

Good luck!

www.webdesign.fm: "10 ways to chase down your visitors"

Webdesign.fm wrote a pretty good article about the reality of blogging. It basically says straight out in the first sentence that your what you write DOES NOT MATTER. You could be thought of as the best writer in the world, but in reality there will always be someone that is better than you.

Writing blogs really isn't about your content, but your popularity and reputation in the online community. This blog feed gives 10 ways to chase down your visitors. It basically wants to stress the fact that you not only have to bring the best posts that you can to the table, but you also have to do other things as well. Examples really stress visiting your readers blogs, commenting on them, and getting as close to your visitor's as possible.

Here's the link:

http://www.webdesign.fm/10-ways-to-chase-down-your-visitors/

Really makes one think... is blogging about content, or is it about how popular the writer is?

Viget: 10 Things that make your developers go crazy

A recent post in the Viget suggested 10 things that make your developers go crazy. Personally, I found this post extremely interesting, and brought up a lot of good points.

For example, think of all the different changes webdesigner's make to designs to make them look and appear better on a daily basis. I know for the several websites that I worked on that had developers, there was so many times that I changed things without letting the developer know.

This post says that developers go crazy when we webdesigners changed things without them knowing. This can halt the functionality of their work, and is a pet peeve to many.

There are 9 other's I think you should read, I personally found them all pretty interesting..

Here's the link:

http://www.viget.com/inspire/stop-driving-your-developers-crazy#continue

Did you know?

I thought this was one of the most inspirational videos I have ever seen. It is related to Information Systems, which is my major and minor. Webdesign has a lot to do with information systems, because that is primarily what we do... we manage information and create the system, and in the end we really do solve business problems!

This video basically shows people how simple data can be changed into complex information. Without this information, our world would be in trouble, and we would suffer as a world because of it.

Watch the video below:

The good news about this economy

The economy is suffering, company's are downsizing, but webdesign is still on the up and up. Even though this economy is hurting right now, it is still important for companies to recognize that their responsibility to promote themselves via their website is still crucial to their success.

Information in companies are vital to be able to manage. Information systems does not suffer as much in a hard economy as other jobs. Information systems is not expendable. Part of information systems is organizing information to solve business problems. When companies are downsizing they look to people in Information Systems to make a downsize possible. In a way, computers to the work for the workers.

This is good news for us, but no one likes a poor economy. Let's hope it gets better soon.

Music Downloading: Have they stopped?

Over the last few years, news about online music downloading has been pretty frequent. Napster was the introduction to a whole new world of P2P music downloading, video downloading, and anything else you can pirate online.

However, I just ran into a friend the other day who lives in Iowa, and goes to University of Iowa. His campus is one of the biggest offenders, and he recently told me that the record company's have actually backed down from seeking people who download music, because they are actually losing money doing it.

Personally, I can see the reason why downloading music is not right. Like how we all build websites, imagine a person coming along and ripping the design out of your fingers. The infringement on my virtual property would make me pretty angry.

However, so many people do it, and there are other ways record company's can go about this other than skipping right to the legal stuff, that I think that they can do.

Just some food for thought.

Google Chrome

When will we finally see the day when the only browser is a single browser? I mean, I can see where people get the idea that different browsers fit certain people's needs, but browsers seriously have an effect on webdesign and being compliant in different languages.

I personally like Mozilla Firefox, but Google Chrome is now out (http://www.google.com/chrome) and Google is a great company. I am debating whether I try out Google Chrome, but I am afraid that if I do, I will find out that half my websites that I am building do not look right.

Every good webdesigner has their eye out for cross-browser browsing, and knows to make their design look good in any browser. I am hoping that one day we can put this all to an end and just make a universal browser language or something.

Thanks for continuing to read my blog!

Webdesign: A Neverending Story

I have been designing websites since I was 13. Something that I want to express to my fellow webdesigners, or people who may be interested in getting into webdesigns, is that your website is never done.

Every website has an infinite amount of information that could be placed on it, and even if you think that you have completed your webdesign, you are in for a surprise, because no one is ever truly finished.

It is somewhat of a relief but at the same time, it is very stressful to think about this. On one side, you can never expect to have a perfect webdesign, on the flip side no matter how much work you put into the design there is always more you could be doing.

Database articles pending!

I have several articles out pending on www.ezinearticles.com, in which I have given a description of below! When these articles get approved I will be sure to link them on this blog!

Personal opinions of the future of web-design...

Almost every day there is a new website out with a new design, with new content. Have you ever wondered how long society can go updating websites like this? I certainly have. So much that I have formed several opinions about the direction of web-design, and how we will handle this as a society in the years to come.

The Pros and Cons of Flash Websites...

I have experimented with a lot of programs to create websites, and have gotten into my own niche of which programs I prefer to use over others. One program that I have come across has been Macromedia (Adobe) Flash. As a stand-alone program, Flash works great and how it is said to work is pretty much exactly how it works in actuality. However, if you have ever used it yourself, you will probably agree with me that it is not best used in some situations! Read this article to find out my thoughts about why Flash is not the best program to use to create websites. Am I wrong? I would love to hear your feedback and experiences.

Some basic code to make your content more appealing using HTML...

Running a Fraternity Chapter website, I know what type of consequences that giving people the ability to post whatever they feel like can bring! My Chapter website, located at http://www.pse-isu.org/ has a back-end administration system to post to the website. Someone could potentially type a paragraph into a textbox, and whatever is typed in that textbox is fairly easy to automate onto the website. This textbox accepts HTML code in its final result. However, very few people I know even understand any HTML, which greatly affects the visual appeal to the website. Which brings up the main reason for introducing this article… learn some basic code to make your content more appealing!

Stay tuned!

Featured Article: The evolution of technology in my seven year experience of web

It's crazy how technology has evolved over the last few years. Going from basic to more advanced, I really never was expecting the internet to get so complex. In an article I recently have written, you will find personal experiences that I have seen change over the last few years.

Even though it is hard to keep up with the times, the best web-designers keep up with them anyways.

Read this article if you are curious to know my thoughts about how I have seen technology change in just the last seven years!

Here is the link, go check it out: http://www.acehighdesigns.webs.com/articles.htm

Featured Article: Networking Online

Have you ever wondered how to increase your web presence? Find the resources you need by following the systems that I use in order to increase my awareness online.

Networking is a large part of sealing the deal with your webdesign business. You will always have new customers simply by doing what you would normally do while browsing the web.

Something as small as becoming a part of your favorite hobby community website could bring you wonderful opportunities to pursue. Networking with something you enjoy doing, will likely bring you opportunities to further develop your favorite hobby!

In this article I share several techniques that I follow, as well as personal experiences that I have had in finding website opportunities. I truly find the wierdest opportunity in the most familiar places.

Go check it out on my website: http://www.acehighdesigns.webs.com/

iPhone, is it the future of design?

I have always wondered after seeing most of the current web technology about what happens next...

After reading a blog, something sparked my attention. Technology is constantly becoming more condensed, and more efficient. People are getting busier, but at the same time we are getting even more productive.

So what is next?

In my opinion, there is great opportunity lying in iPhones, in that people are browsing the web via iPhone's which require a much more condensed webpage.

The blog I was reading can be found at the following URL: http://www.viget.com/inspire/vigetcom-gets-iphone-ized#continue

Basically, we as webdesigners need to take this opportunity and run with it. Nothing on the web lasts for long, but those who do not keep up will soon fall far from the tree. You need to market yourself as an innovative webdesigner, one who is always on the front-end of webdesign technology.

I will definitely look further into this and see how I can take advantage of this growing trend.

Featured article: Increasing Web Traffic

There are some people who can design a website, and then never edit it again for as long as they have it. It is usually those people that ask me the question of why visitor's are not visiting their website. This is what I have discussed in my most recent pillar article on AceHighDesigns...

I encourage you all to go check it out..

It will provide insight into increasing the traffic of your website without doing much at all.

If you have a great idea for a website, I will promise you that this technique will get you the traffic you desire. With very little time commitment, this has never been so easy then with the new technology we have today with webdesign.

Go check it out at http://www.acehighdesigns.webs.com/

New virus on Facebook!?

In the webdesign world, we have certainly taken notice to the the strong social networking site, Facebook. I would have thought that a website like Facebook would be entirely innocent, however, this new virus, called "Koobface" has proved me wrong.

Basically, be careful of the links that you click!!

The virus was probably first implemented from a link in a post on Facebook that directs them to a website that "updates" your Flash player, in order to view a movie. If the user accepts this, and does not take the proper precaution, it can implement this same bug on that persons computer and will continue the Koobface wall posts.

Is this said to be harmful? Well, it intrudes your computer and your privacy... however, it doesn't seem like it is making any harmful trends on your computer right now.

What can we learn from this? Make sure when you build a website, that you can protect your users credentials, and don't ask for something like a credit card number or SSN if you can't make sure it's secure!

Facebook contains a lot of information about your personal situations and having that open to someone like a hacker is serious business.

Hopefully, Facebook clears this issue up soon.

Find out more information: http://crystalcoasttech.com/blog/koobface-virus-on-facebook

Featured Website: Pi Sigma Epsilon

Well, since I won't be making a formal portfolio on the website anymore, I still wanted to share one of my most active websites on the internet right now.

I am the Vice-President of Communications for my professional fraternity, Pi Sigma Epsilon. We are the Delta Omega Chapter, and have been around since 1992.

The Chapter never had a decent website, and I am glad that I was able to step in and begin work. Really, the website is one big experiment to me. It allows me to implement my ideas into live content, for real results.

This website implements databases, and has even taken the front page of Google under the search term, "Pi Sigma Epsilon", and the #1 result for "Pi Sigma Epsilon Delta Omega" or "PSE ISU". I am very proud.

It gets a lot of hits per month, and over 300 unique visitors.

Go check it out!! Comments welcome.

http://www.pse-isu.org/

Thanks for reading!

Webdesign: A job, or a hobby?

Over at Xemion.com, a webdesigner blog, they have a new post about the idea of webdesign being an actual career to people who are not familiar with what a webdesigner actually does. Obviously, webdesigning entails more to surfing the web, but does everyone else understand this?

This blog really hits the spot for me too. When I tell other people that I design websites, it doesn't mean I create websites through GeoCities, where almost anyone could create a simple webpage.

My knowledge extends to so much more than is perceived by others, and it angers a lot of us to think they really believe that.

Go check out the full post, it really is an epic to read...

http://www.xemion.com/blog/

Advertising on a website

I am currently taking a class for creating an e-business online. During that class we have learned that advertising is a great way to get money for your starter business. However, I have a few rules I give myself in regards to this.

Inside, I am really not a fan of advertising on a website. If there will ever be advertising on my websites it will usually be once in a page, and never more. I hate looking at advertisements, especially if they are hard to look at!

If you will use advertisements on your website, make sure that they are visually appealing, and do not overdue them! They will steer away audiences from your website. Also, make sure they relate to your content, not doing so will make a void in your page to draw attention to what is not important in your audience to understand.

Recommended Host: SiteGround

I recently found the website host provider "SiteGround", and have loved them ever since.

SiteGround is unique among the rest because they provide you with everything a person would need to make sure their website gets under way. They provide you with plenty of space, coding options like PHP, ASP, HTML, PERL, MySQL and pretty much limitless opportunity.

In addition, they give you use of an easy to use control panel to monitor your entire website.

An example site that I have running is: http://www.pse-isu.org/

Go check it out, it runs smooth!

Also, I have managed to get that website onto the front page of Google under the search term "Pi Sigma Epsilon", so I must be doing something right!

Here's their website: http://www.siteground.com

Have a great day!

My opinions about e-mail

Professionalism is a big aspect of my approach to designing websites. When I look for a provider to host my website I often search for one that provides an e-mail service.

To stress the importance that I find in this, take the following example.

You start up a website for a mortgage company called JRK Mortgage Inc. How credible would you find someone with an e-mail such as jrkroeg@gmail.com for this mortgage company?

The answer is not credible at all!! Therefore, it is in my honest opinion that if you are going to start up a website, make sure your e-mail is formatted professionally.

In place of a "GMail" account, instead use something like jrkroeg@jrkmortgage.com.

People will take you more seriously!

AceHighDesigns Direction

I have come to a conclusion that due to my time at school, and the additional projects that I have going on it is unrealistic for me to deliver custom webdesigns to my audience. Therefore, I will be temporarily converting this website to a Website Design Resource. The majority of the population has already been enticing themselves in the content that I have been creating to further help my fellow webdesigners, and so, not much will change!

I plan on keeping up to date with what I think a good webdesigner entails, and the resources you can all use to better yourself as a designer using tools that I would often use. Also, articles will be frequently posted to also interest you in other tools and techniques that you can use.

Keep checking back for further updates and news!

Thanks for reading!

Google Shopping Cart

Google has come out with a new program, somewhat like PayPal, but gets integrated into any website. I think this is an interesting concept, and I certainly plan on using it!

Imagine being able to provide your customers with a very sleek designed shopping cart for the products that you use. The cart is managed through a "pop-up" type syndication, and is very unobtrusive to the overall design of your website.

Go check it out @ www.checkout.google.com

I definitely think this is probably going to be huger than PayPal!

Acid testing on a website?

No, I am not talking about Acid the drug, but I am talking about the Acid the e-drug.

Apparently, there is a test called an "Acid Test" that tests internet browsers for compatibility.

The test will display a simple "Hello, World!" smiley face which will be displayed if the browser passes the test, or it will distort the smiley so much that it will be very noticeable that the test failed.

I stated in an earlier post that there needs to be some type of median between internet browsers so that not webdesigner's like us can be worry-free when designing websites.

In my opinion, there needs to be a stop put to having to redesign a website just because it doesn't display correctly in a certain browser. It is far too much work to create a website twice.

This might be our fix, and I hope it is.

There is a more detailed post about this located here: http://dustinbrewer.com/page/4/

I am really starting to like the content of the blogs in this guys posts, so keep checking back!!

The story of how I got started doing webdesign....

I value my childhood growing up because I was fortunate enough to be presented with a computer.

Therefore, I find it an important part of my webdesign story to tell my readers about how I got start doing webdesigns, and the interesting story of how I networked myself to New York creating websites for dancing companies.

My experience has been a great one, and I have had some really awesome experiences that I don't think many other people can say for themselves my age.

Overall, my webdesign abilities will last me a lifetime, and I look forward to my career ahead when I can demonstrate the talents that I have learned and implement them into an even more real situation.

Check out the article on my website www.acehighdesign.webs.com/ in the article section.

The Steps to Creating a Good Webdesign Business Transaction...

I have posted yet another article today about how you can make the transactions between your business and the customer a good one.

Developing a process to carry out the transactions of your company is one of the most important factors in ensuring that you stay on track and get paid doing it!

This is something that still stumps me on a daily basis, but this is my two cents. Be it the most efficient system or not, its a system that I try to stick to all the time!

Do you get paid all at once, after every so often, or after you complete content? Really it is up to you in the end, but it is important that you pick the option that motivates you to get the job done as quick as possible and get paid while doing it!

Check out the article on my website www.acehighdesign.webs.com/ in the article section.

The programs I use to create my webpages...

I have posted an article up reflecting the programs that I use to complete my webdesigns.

As an experienced webdesigner, I have come across a lot of programs and techniques to finish my webdesign. I am here to tell you about the routes that I took starting out and how I developed myself into where I am today.

Take it for what it is worth, and maybe this article won't tell you how to do your job better, but at least you will get a list of additional options for your webdesign career ahead of you.

If nothing else, at least give the programs I recommend a shot and see how you like them.

If you have something better than what I use, I would personally love to hear your comments about them!

Check out the article on my website www.acehighdesign.webs.com/ in the article section.

The importance of making your content credible...

I have just posted a new pillar article on my website regarding how to make your content credible, and the importance of it!

Managing a Business Fraternity website I have seen the responsibilities that come with the task. Not only do you need to act as the brand manager for a company as a webdesigner, but you also need to make the company look professional.

Every day we are confronted with situations where we have to post things for the public to view, and it is one of my biggest pet peeves when someone does not put their full effort to the situation.

Check out my website at http://www.acehighdesigns.webs.com/ in the articles section to check out this latest article!

Website color schemes...

The color scheme of your website is truly one of the most important factors in designing a website. You could havea really well laid out website but a horrible color scheme and it would not take long for your visitors to get up and leave your website because of it.

It is important to make sur ethat the right color scheme for your website is chosen. For example, if you were asked to design a website for McDonalds, would you choose purple and bright pink as the main colors of your design? Definitely not.

Instead, you should take time to research the company, organization, or person, to see the types of qualities they represent and the colors that would mesh well with them. Also, if they already have a logo, you should do your best to work around that logo to emphasize the color qualities in that logo to reflect that of your design.

I found another blogger that has gone into extreme detail about this topic, but being it so important I had to post my two cents into the issue... see his priceless information here: http://dustinbrewer.com/finding-inspiration-for-a-color-scheme/#more-105

Time Management Tip: Project2Manage

I was searching the web for ways to improve my time management skills, and stumbled across a website called Project2Manage (http://project2manage.com/).

Basically, it is a free website that helps you to keep your projects organized. You can have a workgroup of several memebers, with several different users. Within those workgroups you can manage the projects from anywhere and can create as many projects as you want.

Project2Manage also allows you to keep everyone up to date by making posts to a message board of your own. Additionally, you can create To-Do Lists that can be shared by anyone in your workgroup.

Something else I found out, and thought was quite interesting, is that you can create Milestones to stay on top of your work. I guess I didn't realize at first that the Milestones we are being assigned for one of my e-business classes (why I am also writing a blog) are actually used every day to get tasks done in a timely manner!

Facebook security...

There is a hot topic going on right now, and I need to bring it to my readers attention.

What started out as a website created by a webdesigner just like some of us reading this blog right now, has turned into a website filled with politics and A LOT of attention.

Most importantly, I am posting about Privacy Policies. A lot of websites don't even bother posting a Privacy Policy these days because not everyone handles guest information, and no one REALLY reads them.

However, the question is, should people be paying closer attention to the websites they utilize on a daily basis and post private information regularly on?

It only took one person that decided to read Facebook's updated Privacy Policy to find out that their information was being jeopardized. In a sense, they discovered their information could be used anywhere and given to anyone at Facebook's discretion.

After Facebook realized members were so appauled by this, they are now putting it to a member vote. I have a feeling members will be fairly one sided on this issue.

Considering Facebook is one of the most popular websites there is today, I think that Facebook will be careful in the future when they change their Privacy Policies.

Read more about this issue: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,501925,00.html

Time Management

Something I have been posting about a little bit lately is the management of time in your daily activities in order to maximize your efficiency.

Juggling my hobbies, interests, college, and fraternity is not an easy task! I have to make sure to do everything right and on time.

Something I have been doing lately is spreading out the tasks that I have to do for the day and spread them out while doing small pieces at a time.

This ensures that I do not get overly distracted or uninterested.

Additionally, the last internship that I had told me that for the next book I should read should be over time management because it will look really good in an interview when they ask me what the last book I read was.

This may be something you want to try to, but it crossed my mind and I thought I would post :).

Database Software

Since I have been getting better at designing websites, I have noticed that today there is a trend of using database software to make your website more involved. I am not sure how I could get some of the things that I get done on a daily basis with websites without the use of database software.

With the way integration works today, it is easily possible to make your website completely integrated. By integration, what I mean is, making your website work so that the person that runs the website needs to know very little html knowledge (if any at all).

The database software of choice is MySQL. I have heard through college courses and done my own research as well, and have found out that MySQL is one of the hottest trends of database software there is today. It is simple, and to the point, while making it easy for its users to understand.

This is what I have done for most of my Chapter's website, located at http://www.pse-isu.org/. As my Executive Board position nears its end (due to graduation next year) I need to be able to pass on the website responsibilities to someone new. In order to do this, it is my goal to make the website entirely integrated so that this can work smoothly (and I don't have to teach someone everything there is to know about HTML, PHP, and MySQL).

Jason's Highly Recommended: Utopia News Pro

In the past, I have gone through and used many systems that organize your announcements while managing a list of users to control that system. Something that is extremely important is the security of the announcement system. I don't want some John Doe posting spam, or God knows what, to my website. On the flip side, it is also important to have an announcement system for all types of websites.

In almost any website there is updates that need to be talked about with visitors. This helps create awareness and presence of new content on your website.

Out of all the programs I have used to accomplish this, the easiest and most efficient program has been Utopia News Pro. The downside to this program is that it has not been updated in quite some time, but it still gets the job done beautifully with little error.

Download: http://www.utopiasoftware.net/

The smallest things in stock photography...

Crestock.com is becoming one of my favorite sites these days, as I have read so many interesting blogs in just the last few days of me visiting.

Today it was this post: http://www.crestock.com/blog/photography/rejected-falling-at-the-first-hurdle-with-stock-photography-89.aspx

It discusses photography, and how even the slightest mistake in a photo (like leaving a logo, a picture, a card in a bundle of flowers) could easily cause a buyer to not purchase your photo. I don't look at this issue from the photographers view, but yet, it tells me that not all stock photos are legitimate and without mistake. Most all are user-submitted, and could still have flaws in them that you would not want to cause a potential liability for using.

The solution? Keep your eyes out!! Don't rush into using one picture and make sure to cover your back!

The importance of networking in webdesign...

Out of all the advice that I could give to someone about webdesign, I think there is one piece of advice I would not want to miss giving out.

NETWORK!!

No website will get to any level of success without utilizing your networks (even if its online networking). Networking is the easiest task, all you really need to do is talk to people. Get involved in online forums and discussion boards and just begin to talk with people, check out their websites and make comments on them.

I was able to network myself into several job opportunities when I was only about 16 years old to New York City (half way across the nation) designing websites for New York Dance Companies (in all honesty, the least likely spot I though I would be designing websites for).

It has its benefits, and its so easy!

Jason's Highly Recommended: EasyPHPCalendar

I want to start making posts on this blog regarding some of the highly recommended programs and scripts I use on my websites to make them successful.

This will be the first of these kinds of posts, but first and foremost -- I think it is one of the best.

EasyPHPCalendar, which can be found at: http://www.easyphpcalendar.com/, is a program that allows you to include a calendar that can be sorted, and easily administered by a number of users. You can place it on your website fairly simply with a single like of PHP code, and if you have a bit more advanced knowledge using HTML and PHP, you can modify the open source code to match the design of your website.

I have put this to use on my Chapter's website @ http://www.pse-isu.org, and it has thus far, been a great success.

#1 "thing" not to do when building a website....

http://www.josiahcole.com/2007/02/14/a-webmasters-19-commandments/

I found this blog post somewhat comical after reading it. It lists the top 19 things that a webdesigner should not do when building a website.

The number one "thing"? Don't resize your browser window.

Seriously, though, think about this for a second. When would it ever be necessary to have to resize your browser window in order to build your website? It is really never ever necessary.

I won't give away the other 18, but they are all somewhat ironically funny.

Go check out this blog post!

"Whitespace" ... the new design?

Some websites I have been to can be very clustered, and are hard to read. Did you know that there is actually articles out there that explain the importance of having "whitespace" in your website?

It is the truth, and here's where you can read more: http://www.alistapart.com/articles/whitespace

The article goes into detail about why having a clustered website is not appealing to your readers and "whitespace" provides elegance, and shows care for your website. With the use of whitespace, it explains that your website is much better off!!

Find out why!

The Aggravation of Web Browsers

I am sure other webdesigners out there can share my anger at this problem, but there really needs to be some kind of median for how different websites are displayed in web browsers.

At this moment, there is so many differences between different web browsers, that you may expect a webpage to be shown one way, and it will come out as being entirely different!!

The reason I bring this up right now is that the website I maintain for my Business Fraternity, http://www.pse-isu.org/, is having some problems! Some of its pages are being crushed to the side of the website using Internet Explorer, and then perfectly the way I want it to be shown through Mozilla Firefox.

Both these browsers are used all the time, but it drives me crazy trying to figure out why some code is not working the way it is supposed to!

In the end, I have to agree more with Mozilla Firefox, but Internet Exploerer is still one of the (if not the most) most used browsers existent today.

HotScripts ... saving a world of time!

Over the years, I have found that there is a vast amount of webdesign reference sites to refer to for some of the most innovative tasks. I would like to share with my readers one of these websites that I have been using for many years now, and it has never stopped updating its content.

The website I use is called HotScripts, located at: http://www.hotscripts.com/

I find this website most useful because it contains scripts for tasks that someone such as myself would not be able to complete. My knowledge with PHP and MySQL is limited to the point that I understand the code, but it is far beyond me to create my own programs. This website offers free solutions for your website for almost anything you need.

Some of the most popular addons they have are the news system's and the online calendars. The scripts are hosted via your website, but they provide the source code to run them.

I encourage everyone to go find the website that interests them, and feel free to share with the rest of us!

BloggerForum Shut Down Due To Spam.....

It seemed to me like most all Blogs, whether you agree or not, are affiliated with "spam" or excess advertising that sometimes does not come wanted. After visiting a blogger forums website today to check up on what is going on in the world of blogs, I was confronted with the following message:
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Posting suspended

Posting has been suspended because of the amount of spam.

Folks, the real problems started when we passed 78% as the visitors here from India.

To hell with being politically correct at this point. Virtually all of our spam comes from India and China. There was never a problem before we hit a tipping point and most visitors started coming here for ways to make money.

There are many members from India who are productive and we value their contributions. However, that is just the way it is.

There is really no way to fight spammers who want to take the time to join, confirm their email address, manually enter the captcha symbols, and then manually post spam with 2 minute delays between posts. We put a higher value on human time then they do.

We will be back when and if a cure for this problem is found.

- http://www.bloggerforum.com/

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This is pretty ground breaking because it confronts an issue we all deal with on a daily basis. SPAM!!

Spam is extremely difficult to avoid, I get over 100 spam messages in my main e-mail account per day. Even more interesting is the fact that they shut down the website due to spam coming from a specified location. They tracked the spam coming from India and China! They claim they won't be coming back until a solution is found.

Could this become a new issue? Will websites be able to/or could they block users in certain locations from posting feedback?

Staying Up to Date

After browsing around the internet, I found out that Adobe has already released its fourth Creative Suite Package, which now contains the old Macromedia software as well.

Time really flies! When I first came to college, and when I last bought my Adobe software to use, it was four years ago and it was only the first Creative Suite. This tells me that Adobe has released a new package every year since. The question is, do these packages really make a difference?

If you have any input as to whether these packages show a drastic difference from the first, I encourage you to comment on this blog post, I would love to hear your feedback.

I like to stay up to date, but yet I am still a broke college kid!!

Blast from the Past

It is amazing with the networks that someone can create by doing webdesign.

When I was younger, and still learning a lot about webdesign, I played around on a chatroom network that used to host online radio stations with live DJ's with real prizes, and more. I joined up with one of these stations to do webdesign for them, which hasn't been around for the last 4 years of my college career. I was just recently approached by the old owner of the radio station about bringing the radio station's website back up.

The task will be somewhat entertaining because the integration of the website was worked on by myself and another much more experienced programmer.

I think it is good to become involved with other knowledgeable programmers in order to better yourself as a webdesigner. Learning from the best, is usually the motto I follow.

If this project ends up happening, I will keep this blog updated with the latest.

New content being uploaded this weekend!

I just wanted to post an update to my blog to let my visitor's know to keep checking back on my website for updates! There will be a lot of content being added in order to really kick Ace High Designs back on track to success!

Stay tuned for my portfolio, and service information so that you can see how I have represented myself on the internet! Ace High Designs can get you at that starting spot that will get your company to where it wants to go. Why make things harder on yourself? Get good deals for hiring professionals to do the work for you!

Complication of Web Maintenance

One of the hardest parts about webdesign is the maintenance of the job.

For some people, sitting behind a computer all day long can be an easy task. For others, however, it is extremely difficult. Distractions like friends, and a hectic work schedule can prevent someone from being motivated enough to dedicate away more of their day to designing websites.

Personally, I see myself as a fairly motivated individual but these problems have come my way quite often and they are not easy to get over.

Procrastination. Unfortunately, it is the word that haunts my life, but for someone who always gets things done despite time constraints, I've never known it to be any other way.

I have always told myself that I work best under pressure and through procrastination. I am not sure whether or not I am correct, but some people have asked me the following question a few times in the past:

"You say you work best under pressure, but are you doing the best job you can do?"

I usually do not have a response for this question, but if there is one thing I know I need to correct in the near future, it will be the habit of procrastination.

Continue checking back this blog for more updates on my procrastination habits, and possible solutions for getting your website updated frequently and often, and implementing better time management solutions into your workload.

Introduction to My Blog!

Hello everyone, and welcome to my blog! I will be posting periodically throughout this websites existence in order to bring relevant issues that would appeal to my visitors. I can not promise that readers will be interested in every post I make, but I can promise that you will be able to find interesting posts about today's web technology, coding languages, and tips for maintaining that competitive edge to your website!

I encourage you all to continue checking back, as I know there will be many more interesting posts in the future!

First post

This is my blog.