What's all this about then?

Everything "cool" these days seems to be prefixed with an "i".

So what does someone who's been using Windows since version 3.1 make of all this?

As they saying goes: if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!

I purchased my first iPod - a Nano -  back in October 2005, and fell in love. I have since added a Touch and a Shuffle to the lineup. Let me tell you: the Touch has been an experience! More on that later.

As far as the bigger ticket items are concerned, I was fortunate enough to win an iMac at a conference last year (thanks guys!) That was a real bonus - being able to try out a Mac without having for put my hand in my pocket!

It seems that more and more people are switching from PC to Mac - so we all must be having similar issues. Like not being able to maximise a window. And plenty of other stuff. So I thought I'd post some experiences and observations here. Feel free to add yours in the comments too, and maybe together we'll figure out all these "i" things!

Don't Let Email Sit in Your Inbox Unpunished

If you're anything like me, you receive a lot of email. Some days I feel like the only thing I've done all day is deal with email! Given the amount of other things that must be done in business, it's easy to just put it in the "too hard basket" - but that can also be very dangerous.

I read this article on email and customer service about 6 months ago but while I was looking at some goals for 2008 I thought it was worth revisiting. So how do you stack up in those figures? If I'm not careful I tend to find myself amongst the 70% who fail to respond within 24 hours. Definately something I'll be fixing for 2008. A good tactic is mentioned in Mike's first point:

Automatically respond to all emails received: People will be more willing to wait for a reply if their initial communication has been acknowledged. Include a commitment to act on the issue and when you will respond fully.

I think people will generally understand if you can't address the issue immediately - but it's important to acknowledge the email and set an expectation of when you will be able to do so. It also ties in to something I wrote back in 2004 about controlling your email (instead of the other way around!) - it's as relevant now as then. So, my top tips:

1. Choose when to check your email - don't let your computer decide for you


2. As you're going through your messages, fire up your diary (or whatever time management tool you use) and mark a time to actually attend to the task or issue


3. Respond to each email as soon as you read it (even if it's only a brief response) - and at that point you can let the other person know when you'll attend to is as well

Of course, if it's an emergency you may need to deal with it straight away and all the above advice is null and void, but we don't live in a perfect world, do we?

Originally posted at almostanything.com.au

The Death of Netscape

Announced recently was the end of the production line for Netscape Navigator. I haven't used it in years, but I do remember how much better Netscape 3 was than IE3.

Netscape probably started it's decline when IE4 was released - a far superior browser at the time. Netscape never really recovered, nor reinvented themselves to create a case to change back. And it's probably fair to say that Firefox helped to make Netscape obsolete as well.

Like sands through the hourglass...

The Email Standards Project

Many years ago the Web Standards Project (or WASP) fought the fine fight to pressure browser manufacturers into complying with some sort of standard version of HTML. Prior to that we almost had to build separate sites for Netscape and Internet Explorer - it was horrible.

We have come so far with browsers, but unfortunately most email clients are, well, a long way behind. If you have ever tested an HTML email in a few different clients you'll know the frustration.
Yesterday's launch of the Email Standards Project hopes to remedy this situation. Some people love it, some hate it, but HTML email is here to stay. And if we could have the proper standards support in email clients then it's probably fair to say that a lot of those opposed would change their mind.

We have a long way to go, but at least now we have a vehicle!

Using Radio Buttons to Combat Form Spam

There has been a lot of talk lately (and rightly so) about the disadvantages of using captcha to stop comment spam.

I'm not a big fan. They're often hard to read even for someone with reasonably normal vision.

"Is that a zero or the letter O?"

"Upper case C or lower case c?"

Others have suggested some sort of simple logic question, like asking "What's 1+1" and having the user enter a '2' in a text box.

That might be better, but it also requires some thought.

So I noticed that on Slideshare they prefix a captcha device with the question, "Are you human?"

And it got me thinking, can bots deal with radio buttons? Can we ask a question like this?

[syntax,human_form.htm,html4strict]



I must admit I haven't done any research, but I'm thinking:

1. If a bot doesn't understand radio buttons it will skip the question and fail


2. If it does understand radio buttons, it will probably choose the first option and fail


3. It's an extremely simple question for a human to answer and should be completely accessible.

Point 2 is probably the most contentious. I'm making a big assumption there.

Has anyone else tried this? Can anyone spot any obvious disadvantages?

Really Bad Powerpoint

I was at a meeting recently where a teacher gave a presentation about some stuff the school was involved in. And, of course, she used Powerpoint.

Very badly.

I'm sure you have all seen it. Several paragraphs of text per slide. Cheesy animations (and different animations for each block of text). The "handouts" get handed to you as the presentation commences, so you and up reading the handouts during the presentation. And then you feel a little guilty, so you start listening to the presentation, only to find it contains exactly what's on the handouts anyway - nothing more.

Yikes - if this is what teachers do then I'm really sorry for my kids.

It reminded my of an eBook by Seth Godin called Really Bad Powerpoint. (Links to a PDF file.) Well worth a read if you ever have to give a presentation.

And then today I read a comparison between the presentation styles of Uncle Steve and Uncle Bill. (Jobs and Gates if you're not sure.) Which reminded me of Seth's eBook again - especially if you look at the comparisons between the 2 sets of slides used in the example.

Now, I know public speaking is hard - and I'm trying not to be too critical of the teacher here. But please! Put some more thought into your presentations!!!

A Blatent Grab At A Freebie

Well, day one of Web Directions South 07 is over. And they announced that they would be giving away some prizes to anyone who blogged about it overnight.

I've had a few beers and am not in the right frame of mind to write anything deep and meaningful - I'm just submitting this post on the odd chance I might get a freebie tomorrow!

Well, you never know...