Radial Web Newsletter: August 2012

Welcome to the summer edition of the Radial Web Newsletter! Many people are on vacation this time of the year, getting in what they can before September rolls around. Business usually slows during the month of August, and we are taking advantage of this by focusing on new marketing strategies and researching new technologies.

 

Designing Websites for Tablets

In the early days of website design, it was important to test all web pages in the two main browsers, Internet Explorer and Netscape. Each browser had its specific way of rendering certain objects, and pages needed to be individually tested. As the web evolved, Netscape died and was reincarnated as Mozilla Firefox. Google Chrome was born, and Safari became a factor with the rebirth of Apple. When creating and testing new web pages, it is important to test in Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome, and preferably even Safari (especially if the pages being designed are for Mac users).

Granted it is cumbersome to test web pages in so many browsers. However, testing has recently become an even more involving process, with mobile devices and tablets becoming new browsing environments. Users are increasingly visiting web pages from their smartphones, which are providing larger and larger screens. The tablet market, with Ipad and Android Operating Systems, as well as a few others, has recently exploded, with a very significant population visiting websites on these new browsing devices.

For mobile devices such as smartphones, it is best to create a mobile friendly website version, as we have discussed in previous email newsletters. As far as tablets, these try to render websites similar to computer browsers, and although the result is usually satisfactory, some nuances and kinks may be present. It is therefore important to test all new websites on a tablet to ensure that it renders properly. In order to stay up to date with technology, we are in midst of purchasing new tablets in order to be able to test websites on these devices as well. We feel this is an important step to help us maintain a standard of keeping up to date.
 

WordPress Abuse

Our company has taken over many websites that are using the WordPress engine for simple informational websites. The reason those websites were originally setup in WordPress was to take advantage of the Content Management System (CMS) that WordPress provides. The CMS allows the website text and content to be edited directly through the website administration panel in a password-protected web page. However, this is often overkill, and it leaves the customer confused and unable to properly maintain their website. WordPress is an extremely useful and intuitive tool -- but only if used properly for its intended purpose as a blog engine.

Stay tuned on the Radial Blog for an in-depth analysis of this in the coming weeks.

Featured Website: Interior Foliage (www.interiorfoliage.com)

Interior Foliage Design is a Long Island City-based urban landscaping and natural design firm. Clients include Chanel, DVF, Hugo Boss, IAC, NBC Universal and more. From interior design with flowers and plants, to exterior rooftop design and installation, Interior Foliage is a full service design-build company. They also offer same day corporate gifts, including popular kosher dessert gift baskets.

The Interior Foliage website is a cutting-edge, custom shopping cart website, with an intuitive checkout process and administration section. The website also has a special mobile version that is optimized for online ordering. This strong website presence provides Interior Foliage the tools to maintain a competitive edge over their competitors.