NetForge Solutions

The Beauty of WordPress

admin — Fri, 06 May 2011 19:43:39 +0000

     Welcome to the 21st century, home of the opinionated public. Nowadays it seems like everyone has something to say, but unfortunately many of us cannot find a good outlet to speak through. The most increasing method of opinion sharing has come in the form of blogging websites. Blogs are a great way to share your own personal thoughts with people who are likely to have similar interests. Starting your own blog, however, usually seems like an impossible task, especially for those who are less technologically inclined. Well, even those who are not graced by the gods of technology can start and maintain a blogging website through a program called WordPress. Created in 2003 by Matt Mullenberg and Mike Little, WordPress has become a staple item in the website community.
    WordPress was founded on the concept of a simple way for people to start up their own blogging websites. What has kept WordPress ahead of their competitors is the ability of a user to pick and choose plug-ins to download, therefore customizing their website. Having that customization allows users to create a website that is as unique as the thoughts that will fill the site. The latest versions of WordPress allow users to have multiple pages on their site. The use of multiple pages grants users the ability to give biographical information, suggestions to other sites, or even a completely separate section to their site, further customizing the blog.
    Most WordPress users enjoy the constantly updating program. Since 2003, WordPress has been updated 13 times, adding such modifications as new templates, better editing and image uploading, the ability to track changes made to any posts, and most recently, the ability to see when an admin is on so your comments and updates can be tracked instantaneously. WordPress is continually evolving to best suit the needs of its 32.5 million users. To help better please it’s users, WordPress offers 24 hour technical support, over 50 different language options, and compatibility on all major Internet systems. For all of those who have suffered the mid-blog crash or unexpected system shut down, WordPress continuously saves your work, that way none of your information will ever be lost.
    While WordPress can be enjoyed by all types of users, the best recommendation would be to see a website professional to best handle your site. Expert web programmers can maximize your websites opportunities by combining their in-depth technological knowledge with the numerous capabilities WordPress offers. An established web programmer will have already used many of the WordPress plug-ins and can save you tons of time looking for the best way to customize your site. Going to the experts provides an extra amount of technical help, advice and even ways to expand your site that will garner more Internet attention. If you are looking to have your site make a big splash in a quick way, an expert in the web programming industry will be able to provide that for you quicker than you could yourself.
    So for all of you opinion-givers, over-thinkers, and two-cent-throwers, now is your chance to have your opinions heard. A quick stop by WordPress.com can have your website up in no time, while having some professional help can have your website booming just as quickly. If you can’t hold back those strong opinions any longer, start your website today and let the ideas fly.

Written by: Chris Siretz

Using Google Maps API Premier

admin — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 16:56:51 +0000

Google Maps API allows developers to make use of 350,000 developers to help you create mapping applications for browsers like chrome and Firefox and you can still use the applications for various mobile phones. With version 3 of Googgle Maps API Premier, you can write one JavaScript application for multiple mobile phone platforms like IPhone and Droid and desktop browsers. Take a look that Google's video here for more information. Save time and money while creating apps that can be used by more of your visitors.

Most of our customers have a need to convey maps and directions to their customers on multiple platforms. Google Maps API allows you to reach more customers with minimal effort. Give you website clients broader mobile reach by using this API.

Get Your Website Mobile-Ready

admin — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 23:02:49 +0000

With more than half of cell phones able to access the Internet. You have to ask the question, is my site mobile ready. There are different degrees of mobile ready websites. Some of them look like regular websites, but their layout and font and content are mobile phone friendly. Others take technology to a new level, reading the type of device your using and delivering a format compatible to your mobile phone. Your browser's user agent tells the server what type of cell phone you're using and the server sends back the format you need. You don't need to have a .mobi URL. As a matter of fact it's preferable not to use .mobi. Instead, you can use your own domain and have your server check browser formats for you. With a little planning you can have a website that's friendly for most resolutions out there, extending your reach to more possible visitors and recurring increasing traffic because your customers can enjoy your site. The video below shows some tips to consider to help make your website more mobile friendly. If you have any questions feel free to contact us here at netforge. We can help you with a fully functional mobile-ready website.

Website Workshops On Staten Island

admin — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 18:00:49 +0000

NetForge Solutions is offering hands on workshops on website improvement. Workshops are free to all of our customers. We offer some free workshops to non-customers too. This is a great way to learn how to promote your business or services online. We believe in showing you low cost and free methods of getting your website known. Some of the workshops we hold include:

Freshening Website Content
Social Networking Online
Email Marketing
SEO for Website Owners
The Benefit of Open Source Solutions
Search Engine Marketing

We hold workshops and seminars in Staten Island, New York City and Northern New Jersey on demand as needed. Please call us to find a workshop near you. Netforge Solutions also offers private lessons for groups of 5 or more. Contact Us for more information.

Adding Statcounter to your WordPress Site

admin — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 19:03:10 +0000

At Netforgeweb.com we install statistical plugins and Google Analysis for our customers. Some people also like to ad Statcounter . We like Statcounter because it offers certain features that you don't get easily with other website statistics packages. Some of the items worth looking at are there:

recent came from
recent visitor activity
lookup IP address
mapping
time on site charting

There are many more features that may be interesting to you. Statcounter features are easy to use and self explanatory.Go to Statcounter.com for more info. I have posted a video tutorial on how to install Statcounter on your WordPress website. It's just a silent presentation, but it offers a simple way to install Statcounter on your site without messing things up. Using this method you don't have to go into the code to change anything, so it's an easy way for laymen to get started. We believe that if you add Google Analytics, Google Webmaster Tools, Wassup with Vstats and Statcounter you will have a pretty comprehensive system for website analysis. The best part is all of this is free. You may want to add some paid analytics services later on, but this is a great way to start with no cash outlay. What you do with the data is another story and we'll save that for an upcoming blog. Play around with these statistics and I think you'll learn allot about your website visitors. Feel free to comment or ask questions.

Color Palette For Your Website

admin — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 18:40:06 +0000

I see lot's of issues with balanced color combinations on websites. To some people color coordination comes easy to others it doesn't. That's OK. There are tools to help you. First find your logo. Use Photoshop or Gimp or equivalent graphics software that can get you the hex codes for the colors you are using in your logo. Then you can go to a website like www.colourlovers.com and use their tools to help you match you logo to complimentary colors that will go well with your logo. You can go to their homepage, Click create and ad your hex code or RGB to find colors that compliment your logo. You can experiment with different color combinations that will go well together using different color theories. After you find the combinations you like you can send them to your web designer or work with them to design a well balanced website. Colourlovers.com also shows trends in branding, looks websites etc. You may get some new ideas and concepts in web design. That's our tip for the day on color. I hope you find it useful.

Optimizing Graphics For A Faster Website

admin — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 05:29:52 +0000

It's nice to create a great looking website, but we feel it's important to create an efficient website to. No one likes to wait a long time for a webpage to load. If your website loads slowly one of the things causing it could be graphics that haven't been optimized. If your pictures and logos are taking up a lot of disk space, you might be albe to change the format or density of the files and make them smaller so that your webpage loads quicker. Optimizing your graphics means making the files smaller without degrading the quality of the artwork. This video can help you with the basics. There are many more tutorials on the details of graphics optimization. Since this article is just to let website owners know what can be done to speed up a website this video will do. we're here if you need us.

Web Design In The Fold

admin — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 04:00:55 +0000

Newer website marketing techniques are trending towards keeping most of the content "in the fold". In the fold means positioning most of your message and style within the screen of the average user. Most consumers don't like to scroll up and down the page. We try to design with this in mind. When creating the layout of a landing page we try to keep the most important part of the message within the view of the average computer screen. You can't design an effective website without knowing what type of screen the average user is viewing to see your website. Once you know you can build an effective website to take advantage of the equipment in use. More than 75% of users don't scroll below the fold of the homepage. If your message is below the fold three quarters of your visitors may never see your message.

In the last few years computer screen resolutions have changed quite a bit. Starting with the small netbook type computer on to standard laptops and desktop computer screens, stretching out to the wider flat screens that have come out lately. for the purpose of this article we will leave smart phones out of the equation. Due to the wide variety of screen resolutions out there, we recommend the use of Google analytics or similar search engine or statistical tools to help you find what your consumers are using to view your website. when using Analytics you can also see where on the screen your visitors are going. It will tell you what percentage of viewers are scrolling below the fold. I think you will be shocked at how many people only look at what is visible on the screen. I hope this article helps you in your web design endeavors. Let us know if we can help.

Now that you've viewed the video. Keep those screen resolutions in mind. I would install Google Analytics and see if your consumers are within these parameters. Trends change and as time goes by the data you find using Google Analytics will tell you how you should lay out your web design to offer the best display for your users. If you have any questions on this feel free to contact us.

The Color Wheel For Website Design

admin — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 03:04:25 +0000

The right color combinations can accent and compliment a website. The wrong color combinations can send consumers to your competition. Many soon to be website owners don't have a color combination in mind, leaving the web designer to decide the color scheme for their business. The color wheel is a basic website design tool that can help you decide what color combinations you would like to represent your business. A color wheel can be used to coordinate new themes for a different product lines. It can also be used to coordinate the colors in stock pictures to the design of your site. Carefully planned colorcombinations can set a mood, whether it's for buying, contemplating, learning etc. Color can set the tone of your website so you may not always want to leave the decision to your web designer, unless you trust them. There are some web designers out there that could use a lesson or too from the color wheel, but we'll save that for another blog article. For now watch the video and enjoy.

Tasteful Web Design – When Less Is More

admin — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 02:25:33 +0000

Take a stroll through your local web design sites. What do you see. I see sites that scream look at me, like cheap harlot in a skimpy red dress. I see others that cling to a time period that they loved, like some people latch on to an outdated hairstyle hoping that it will come back into fashion. Did you ever look down and see someone wearing an outfit and wonder if they put it on in the dark or were they just color blind? Sometimes I wonder if half of the web designers ever heard of the term "Less Is More". We believe in tastefully subtle that are effective. A website shouldn't scream so loud you can't hear what is being said. A website shouldn't blaringly hurt your eyes and senses with effects. Your goal when designing a website should be captivating your audience with information that will interest them. The design of the site should reflect the mood of the business. It should be upbeat and interesting but it shouldn't normally be a party unless you're selling party supplies.

Top 5 Signs of a Badly Overdone Website

You fall asleep waiting for the FLASH to load
You get nauseous from all the motion on the website
The colors start to burn your retinas
The sound is so loud your ears bleed and you can't turn it off
You recognize the music from a bad porn movie

Now that I got my rant out of the way, I thought it was important to state that subtle usually gets more conversions than loud. Subtle and smart design works best. graphic design should lead the eye towards the conversion point. For those of you not in marketing, what you want is a website that the consumer goes to. the first glance should give the consumer the information they were looking for with some kind of bait to take them to the page that let's them fill out lead information or purchase something. The landing page of a website shouldn't mesmerize them or make them run. Mesmerizing is better than running if you have to make a choice.

One of the services we offer is analytics of your website. we can monitor where people go on your website, how much time they spend at each page. Where they stay and where they leave. You can compare a new site to an old site and you can modify them and watch the results. We also build websites that can be modified to change with the needs of the consumer. Today websites need to be built with the consumer in mind. They don't have to look like they were built by someone on a bad acid trip to get the consumer's attention. We can prove it to you with facts, statistics and tasteful design and marketing. give us a call for an interview. We will customize a look that reflects your business. Contact Us

P.S. If I insulted anyone's web design, sorry, feel free to vent.