Insight Article

2008 Web Predictions December 1st, 2007

1. Social networking glut gets cleaned up.

The pretenders will be separated from the contenders when some social networking sites deliver ROI, and many others do not. This saturated marketplace will contract, but the sites that remain will have staying power.

Insight Article

Five Myths about Content Strategy November 1st, 2007

Consider an upscale boutique for women’s shoes in New York City. In order to attract the right clientele, the boutique needs to build a good reputation and provide a pleasant (or cool, or funky, or exclusive) shopping experience. Thousands of dollars may be spent on interior designers, stylists, and architects who will perfect the boutique’s appearance. Thousands more may be spent on marketing and advertising to attract the crowds. After all this investment in the brand and the infrastructure, the most critical consideration remains. The shop must provide access to incredible shoes – shoes that cannot be found elsewhere. If the boutique does not have shoes the savvy shoppers are seeking, customers will leave empty handed. After all, the shoppers have no shortage of stores to visit and ways to spend their money.

Insight Article

The Rise of Search as Navigation October 1st, 2007

Arthur C. Clarke isn’t credited with creating the first search engine; that honor goes to a student at McGill University during the infancy of the Internet. Clarke, however, certainly had a handle on what we’re still looking for in his HAL 9000 creation—perhaps the most famous example of artificial intelligence of its era. If you’ll pardon the quick trip back in movie history, HAL 9000 was the spaceship Discovery’s paranoid central computer that attempted to kill the crew in the movie classic 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Insight Article

Why most Web sites fail… and how yours can be different October 1st, 2007

Seven common mistakes of corporate Web sites

Considering how important the Web is to most businesses, and how much time, effort, and money most companies spend on their Web channel, it is amazing that so many corporate Web sites serve their sponsoring organizations so poorly. The Internet has been an important tool for business communication for almost a decade, and many corporate Web sites are on their fourth or fifth incarnation, yet most fail to deliver measurable business results. Here now, in no particular order, are the seven common mistakes made by corporate Web sites:

Insight Article

Strategy Tips for Presidential Campaign Web sites June 1st, 2007

Since the late 1990s, political campaign Web sites have lagged behind entertainment, eCommerce, and other Web uses, particularly in the areas of usability and interaction. Indeed, until only a few years ago, campaign Web sites were in a stage of Web site infancy—the electronic brochure. They featured text addressing platform issues, touted accomplishments, and perhaps included a donation process and chat and forum technology. Of marginal importance in a candidate’s strategy for victory, campaign Web sites were not expected to craft a strong image, build a support base, or raise funds.

Insight Article

The Business Case for Web Standards-Based Development April 1st, 2007

When companies create the software behind their Web sites and Web applications, they often fail to develop a proper architecture for the user interface (UI) layer. Many in the software and Web development industries consider the UI layer pitfalls from the 1990s as the norm; they do not realize that a more progressive, structured, and thought-out UI layer is not only possible, but will interact much more effectively with backend software. Simplified connections between the UI and backend software layers are one of the primary benefits of a properly-architected UI layer—one developed using Web standards-based techniques that separate content and structure from presentation and behavior. This article will first introduce persistent UI pitfalls of the 1990s, then outline the benefits of Web standards-based Web site development.

Insight Article

Making CMS Work: Models for Content Governance March 1st, 2007

Why do beautifully architected, well-designed Web sites, especially those with content management systems (CMS), so often fall into disrepair within a year of their launch? CMS projects are enticing and sales pitches are full of promises. A CMS is designed to empower different groups and agents within the organization to manage their own content, remove IT bottlenecks, streamline and formalize workflows, and give business units complete control over what content appears online. So what goes wrong?

Insight Article

ROI from your Mobile Content Deployment: Seven Factors February 1st, 2007

The “mobile Web,” or more appropriately any Web site as viewed on a small screen, is a frequent topic of conversation with our clients. Fueled in part by device consolidation and increasing mobile Web speeds, U.S. mobile Web usage is at twenty percent of mobile users ¹ and climbing, particularly among younger consumers. Content providers, grasping the potential of a mobile audience, are understandably eager to disseminate their text, images, and interactive and multimedia content to this emerging market