Wiliam Blog Online Development Web Development | Wiliam Web Design Sydney Australia

Stop your site from being hacked, speed up your site - CDN on budget - cloudflare (0)

Josh Doolan | 30/04/2013

What is a CDN? The acronym itself it pretty self explanatory.... CONTENT DELIVERY NETWORK

UMBRACO 6 AND THE SERVICECONTEXT (0)

Simon Miller | 30/04/2013

One of the highlights for me with Umbraco 6 was the new feature of being able to access the Umbraco datastore from an external application that didn’t have direct access to an Umbraco Context.

tags: Web Development

jQuery 2.0, less is more (0)

Guy MacArthur | 22/04/2013

jQuery is where it is at.

tags: Web Development

Bootstrap and Responsive Design (0)

Peter Rizk | 16/04/2013

By default bootstrap can achieve this by adjusting column and gutter widths

tags: Web Development

What you are likely missing out on if your browser isn’t HTML5 compatible. (0)

Mark Greenwood | 16/04/2013

With many effects now being handled natively, interactive and dynamic elements respond more quickly and smoothly than ever before.

tags: Web Development

Enforcing a canonical domain in IIS for SEO performance (0)

Peter Rizk | 4/04/2013

The easiest way to resolve this is via the IIS url rewrite add on.

tags: Web Development

Using MVC routing for SEO Friendly URLs on Multilingual sites (0)

So Su | 22/03/2013

If the same content can be accessed by 2 URLs, select one as the main URL and redirect the other.

tags: Web Development

Is Firefox Still Relevant? (0)

Simon Miller | 18/03/2013

What I found interesting was that Mozilla was still developing.

tags: Web Development

LINQ is a very powerful tool (0)

Peter Rizk | 13/03/2013

The thing to note is this code has a very significant performance hit.

tags: Web Development

Allowing the browser on your phone to access the phone camera (0)

Robert Beerworth | 25/02/2013

Access your smartphone's camera through your browser.

tags: Web Development

Adaptive Design: the very impressive MVC Display Modes addition to MVC 4 (0)

Martin Abrahams | 21/02/2013

When you have a complex, transactional website with lots of data, a custom approach to adaptive design may well be needed.

tags: Web Development

Is your website flat or 3d? (0)

Leonardo Alvarez | 18/02/2013

WOW, web just got a bit more interesting!

tags: Tips & Tricks , Web Development

No. I don’t want your app. I want your (mobile) website. (0)

Robert Beerworth | 17/02/2013

Apps were great before we worked out this whole 'mobile web' thing. We're past working it out. And apps need to go.

tags: Web Design , Web Development , Mobile Web , User Testing

Simple coding keeps all projects clean and manageable (0)

Benjamin Tinker | 11/02/2013

The biggest concept for development is scalability and extension

tags: Web Development

Does adaptive design work for mobiles and tablets? (0)

Mark Greenwood | 11/02/2013

Adaptive design is an elegant solution to the problem of delivering content to multiple devices, however is it really a perfect solution?

tags: Web Development

Tips for easier mobile browser development (0)

Simon Miller | 1/02/2013

Whilst you can create entirely separate websites for this purpose, in most cases there is simply no real need.

tags: Mobile Web , Web Development

Asynchronously loaded localised resource strings for JavaScript. (0)

So Su | 1/02/2013

I've got all my translations in RESX files.

tags: Web Development

Introducing Facebook’s Graph Search (0)

Peter Nguyen | 18/01/2013

Pretty amazing stuff.

tags: Facebook , Web Development

Saucey NUnit - Front end unit testing (0)

Josh Doolan | 9/01/2013

Basically this little tool allows you to record all your browser interactions – and I mean all; clicks, text entry etc.

tags: Web Development , Tips & Tricks

Surprise and delight eCommerce users. Don’t just surprise them. (0)

Robert Beerworth | 9/01/2013

There are certain fundamentals in the design of your eCommerce website you just shouldn't mess with.

tags: e-commerce , Web Development

Umbraco as a data source (0)

James Diacono | 11/12/2012

I am continually blown away by the data type/property editors which have been written for data entry.

tags: Web Development , Umbraco

What platform is right for your next website project? (0)

Jason Deacon | 10/12/2012

Knowing your requirements and asking the right questions can make a serious difference... test the recommendation of your web developer against common sense.

tags: Web Development

Trillian IM - Windows 8 - Skype Broken (0)

Josh Doolan | 10/12/2012

Trillian , the IM client that enables you too link all your IM, Social and Email accounts is great! Only problem is, it's not yet ready for windows 8. Anyone who uses Trillian for IM and is running win8 – the Skype integration seems to be playing up (is for me anyway).

tags: Web Development , Facebook , Social Networking

Increasing model deserialization speed with JSON.net (0)

Peter Nguyen | 6/12/2012

It pays to shop around when it comes to coding...

tags: Web Development

Google Tag Manager - FINALLY! (0)

Josh Doolan | 4/12/2012

This is Google's new baby targeted at trying to keep every stakeholder in a website happy... from the web marketer to the web developer. (Much harder than it sounds...)

tags: Web Development , Google

What’s the difference between adaptive, responsive web design? (0)

Mark Greenwood | 3/12/2012

Using primarily HTML and CSS we can "fluidly" adjust the width of elements and even hide elements to fit the available space.

tags: CSS , Web Development

Umbraco Members Search (0)

Benjamin Tinker | 28/11/2012

Umbraco allows you create many dynamic Membership Types through their editor for your sites requirements.

tags: Web Development , Umbraco

Final to-do list for when you launch a new website (0)

Simon Miller | 26/11/2012

Here is a handy list of some of the things all developers should be aware of before handing over the keys to the client

tags: Web Development

Umbraco - UCommerce Razor store (0)

Josh Doolan | 26/11/2012

If you’re like me, and not a massive fan of XSLT, this is a breath of fresh air when it comes to templating a new site skin (particular an ecommerce site).

tags: Web Development , Umbraco , e-commerce

A Week of Web Design (0)

John Luo | 16/11/2012

I learnt of the diversity of knowledge required for success, the importance of backups and the productivity benefits that greater screen real estate can provide.

tags: Web Development

Creating Umbraco Custom Data Types (0)

Vince Scordino | 15/11/2012

Umbraco Custom Data Types are a super simple and effective way to bring increased functionality to your Umbraco project.

tags: Web Development

Enumerations, enums, and user friendly names. (0)

Kieran Harvey | 6/11/2012

I would like to display a user friendly description of an items status(enum).

tags: Web Development

The frozen river of output caching (0)

Jason Deacon | 23/10/2012

I liken output caching to a frozen river.

tags: Web Development

Website speed is king. Everything else is a pauper. (0)

Robert Beerworth | 8/10/2012

Nothing is more important.

tags: Technology , Web Design , Web Development , Common Sense

Relaying an HttpRequest in ASP.NET (0)

James Diacono | 28/09/2012

An extension method that does the heavy lifting when forwarding/proxying/tunnelling/mirroring an HTTP request in ASP.NET.

tags: Web Development

Relaying an HttpWebResponse in ASP.NET MVC (0)

James Diacono | 26/09/2012

How to easily forward (aka tunnel or proxy) HTTP responses through an MVC application, taking into account gzip/deflate compression and files.

tags: Web Development

Mobile website - Native App - COMBINED; frothing!! (0)

Josh Doolan | 20/09/2012

This morning I worked through their documentation, certified myself as an Apple Dev and BOOM my mobile web app was running on my IPhone.

tags: Web Development , Mobile Web

Simple static Inversion Of Control pattern (0)

Jason Deacon | 14/09/2012

Some good though simple examples of a static Inversion of Control implementation; commensurate to say, if this makes no sense, you're probably not a developer.

tags: Web Development

DOT.Net 4 – AppFabric GUI – Application Caching (0)

Josh Doolan | 7/09/2012

The AppFabric PowerShell is pretty sweet however if you are like me and prefer a GUI almost 100% of the time, check out

tags: Web Development

Understanding Google Sitelinks (0)

Matthew Bruce | 6/09/2012

Google sitelinks have been around for a few years, but it seems there is still a bit of mystery surrounding them, how they work and importantly, how to land them for your own site.

tags: SEO , Web Development , Online Trends

AJAX – Hooking it together. (0)

Benjamin Tinker | 30/08/2012

The preferred visual effect is when clicking a submit button you see a loading icon and then the page magically refreshes itself without ‘blinking’ that you get from traditional form posts.

tags: Web Development , jQuery

Preloading your application pools (0)

Peter Nguyen | 29/08/2012

Something that I’ve recently discovered, and is in fact built in to the upcoming IIS 8.0, is the ability to keep your application pools running in standby and warm.

tags: Web Development

Rotating HTML elements (by an arbitrary amount) cross browser (0)

Mark Greenwood | 28/08/2012

There are lots of articles about rotating objects, but for some reason none of them seem to have all the pitfalls.

tags: Web Development , Tips & Tricks

Cleaning up Custom Field Validator Code in an ASP.NET application. (0)

Kieran Harvey | 28/08/2012

Picking up a project that was already in full swing I was asked to fix up the shopping cart module for the site.

tags: Web Development

Overriding MVC unobtrusive client validation error placement (0)

Matthew Cox | 28/08/2012

The problem I encountered recently was that I had a field wrapped in 15 pieces of design flare and really needed to add the error class to an element several levels up the DOM hierarchy.

tags: Web Development

Australia Post API (0)

Simon Miller | 28/08/2012

It now appears that Australia Post offers a free REST API, and have done so for at least a year.

tags: Web Development

Namespaces in javascript (0)

James Diacono | 28/08/2012

This is a very exciting time for javascript – we’ve spent a long time writing javascript like this

tags: Web Development

Teamwork for developers (0)

Jason Deacon | 27/08/2012

Having multiple developers working at the same level on the same project is not as easy as it sounds. As website projects become larger and larger, you’ll invariably need a few developers on your project – setting the ground rules up-front is your best shot.

tags: Web Development

Microsoft AppFabric (0)

Josh Doolan | 24/08/2012

What is this appFabric stuff all about – well basically its’ an distributed in-memory caching tool - (well that is one aspect of it I am going to focus on today).

tags: Web Development

Custom error pages with HTTP status codes in Umbraco (0)

James Diacono | 17/08/2012

I’ve spent a bit of time the last couple of weeks exploring the caveats of using custom error pages in Umbraco.

tags: Umbraco , Web Development

Why scrum works – Agile development? (0)

Josh Doolan | 26/07/2012

Agile is one of a few approaches to application (and web) development. It works, though it can be a bit hard to get your head around if you’re not a developer.

tags: Web Development

How do I fit optimisation into web development projects? (0)

Jason Deacon | 20/07/2012

The pros and cons of optimising your website or application as you build it, versus after you've built it. My experience from who recent projects...

tags: Performance , Web Development

Price customisation on your website (0)

Robert Beerworth | 17/07/2012

Based on who you are and how you act can entirely vary the price you pay online... Well, on sophisticated websites anyway.

tags: Web Development , Web Strategy

Website performance: the most important thing a web developer should focus on. And how they should focus. (0)

Robert Beerworth | 18/06/2012

The website is beautifully architected. It looks beautiful. The content is amazing. The website is slow however. Really slow. Fail.

tags: Web Development , Performance

Should your company switch to Umbraco? (0)

Chris Hutchison | 7/06/2012

With so many CMS applications in several different languages available for free on the internet, it can be hard to work out what is best for you.

tags: Web Development , Umbraco

Dimmi launches (0)

Robert Beerworth | 6/06/2012

A revolution in how we find, compare and book restaurants in Australia has arrived.

tags: Web Design , Web Development , News

Is it really like Office Space? (0)

Simon Miller | 29/05/2012

When I tell new friends that I am a developer, and explain to them what that entails, I very quickly feel like Peter Gibbons from the movie Office Space.

tags: Web Development , Sydney Web Design

Highrise CRM – “If you have the means, I highly recommend it” (0)

Guy MacArthur | 28/05/2012

CRM, customer relationship management, systems come in many sizes. From the lightweight systems where a subset of their features are geared towards CRM, to systems whose sole purpose is CRM.

tags: Web Development

Want iOS users to keep your website on their home screen? (0)

Matthew Boniface | 21/05/2012

As an iPhone user a key thing I do, when I like a website enough, is to save it to my home screen.

tags: Web Design , Mobile Web , Web Development

.net Rounding (0)

Matthew Cox | 20/04/2012

I know Math.Round() has an overload that accepts and enum that specifies which type of rounding to use and I always assumed the default would be ‘symmetric arithmetic rounding’.

tags: Web Development

Umbraco Add-Ons (0)

Benjamin Tinker | 23/03/2012

One of the great things about Umbraco is its developer community and their contributions to the platform.

tags: Web Development , Umbraco

Create a REST layer for your WCF application (0)

Josh Doolan | 21/03/2012

WCF is pretty awesome

tags: Web Development

The Power of MVC Compels You! (0)

Simon Miller | 15/02/2012

Recently I've been delving into the wonderful world of MVC. MVC for the uninitiated stands for Model –View-Controller and is a modern design pattern in software design.

tags: Web Development

The Umbraco revolution (0)

Jason Deacon | 8/02/2012

Enterprise websites and applications built on Umbraco have just become a whole lot better thanks to the MVC-based Umbraco 5.

tags: Web Development

Better website images with Pixlr on Umbraco (0)

Matthew Boniface | 23/01/2012

Working with images is a common challenge for content editors - often editors want to work remotely from places they may not have image editors.

tags: Web Development , Umbraco

Web Browser compatibility (0)

Emmet Murray | 23/01/2012

As a front end dev, the two most important issues when delivering a client site are pixel perfect rendering of the site based on designs, and compatibility across all browsers and devices.

tags: Web Development

Umbraco – Utilising uComponents for simpler search expressions (0)

Benjamin Tinker | 6/01/2012

One of the good things I have come across while developing within the Umbraco environment was the uComponents add-on.

tags: Web Development

How The Web Will Look In 2012 (0)

James Rayers | 23/12/2011

As we come to the end of another year of amazing internet advancements we cast our eyes forward to what the web of 2012 might look like.

tags: Web Design , Web Development

MVC and its tight integration with JQuery (0)

Simon Miller | 22/12/2011

Microsoft MVC 3 has some really cool features.

tags: Web Development

Internet Explorer Developer Tools (0)

Mark Greenwood | 22/12/2011

Finally with the introduction of IE9 also came the developer toolbar already built in!

tags: Web Development

Umbraco: Retrieving common page URLs (0)

Matthew Boniface | 16/12/2011

On a current Umbraco CMS website project I found the need to create an effective method for looking up commonly used important pages without requiring their Umbraco PageIDs.

tags: Web Development

Mobile Marketing with Smartphones and HTML5 (0)

Chris Hutchison | 13/12/2011

While HTML 5 is still receiving a big NO literally, many are jumping at the chance to develop their own apps using the HTML5, Javascript and CSS3 tools to build web apps and mobile websites.

tags: Web Development

Umbraco Membership Provider (0)

Vince Scordino | 1/12/2011

Implementing the ability for front-end users to register as members on an Umbraco managed website is one of the easiest things you’ll need to do when working with Umbraco - everything is there for you!

tags: Web Development

Javascript framework conflicts (0)

Emmet Murray | 29/11/2011

Personally I primarily use JQuery as my javascript framework of choice, for everything. But on occasion there can be a need to use another framework on the same page as jQuery.

tags: Web Development

MVC render action to string - Email templating (0)

Josh Doolan | 18/11/2011

A lot our clients require managed email templates. Existing approaches involved tedious replacement tokens however a new approach that is possible in mvc; is to use strongly typed razor scripts that are then serialized to a string – which you then attach as your email body.

tags: Web Development

Umbraco and the Public Sector (0)

Chris Hutchison | 16/11/2011

When looking at software solutions for the public sector there are a few key points that are important to any bottom line. Provide better services for less money, a move to self service delivery methods, make access to data more open and harness the skills of the public sector. Umbraco can match these points and more.

tags: Web Development

Umbraco macro (0)

Matthew Boniface | 15/11/2011

A common task in Umbraco is to create a nan menu or site map. Writing the necessary code to traverse the nodes of the website can quickly become over complex and inflexible. Today I had to do write such a macro for the first time and did not find a straight forward example so thought it would be worth sharing what I came up with.

tags: Web Development

WebGL in HTML5 (0)

Jason Deacon | 4/11/2011

WebGL is an implementation of OpenGL ES 2.0 which is accessible through the HTML5 canvas element. It allows the display and interaction of 3D graphics using the users own video card for hardware acceleration.

tags: Web Development

Your API is bad and you should feel bad (0)

Simon Miller | 31/10/2011

A few months ago, TechCrunch reported on a survey undertaken with 100 developers. The topic of the survey was which external APIs were the most difficult to integrate into their projects. The winning by clear majority was Facebook. We’ve all worked with their API before and it can be a real headache. Specifically mentioned by the developers surveyed were the API’s never ending changes and poor documentation.

tags: Web Development

Incorporating site-wide meta tags into an Umbraco CMS website (SEO tip) (0)

Matthew Boniface | 31/10/2011

For search engine optimisation a common method is to use meta tags in the head element of each page. It’s obviously trivial to introduce a site-wide meta description and keywords but usually each page should have different content for these. This post is simply the way I have found to be successful to easily have meta description and keywords set in an Umbraco CMS for each page.

tags: Web Development

Umbraco’s isLast() / isNotLast() Methods (0)

Vince Scordino | 31/10/2011

In the past, it’s always been a case of iterating through a loop and setting a counter variable to determine the index or position an item or node is currently at. Since playing around with Umbraco this week, I’ve found some pretty useful methods along with some handy overloads to be able to set a CSS class for “first” or “last” or even generating some HTML

tags: Web Development

It’s not fixed until you’ve broken it at least twice (0)

Benjamin Tinker | 31/10/2011

As a developer it is important to ensure your code works and has been property tested prior to being given to a client. The trick to this is to try to break your code a few times by interacting with it before you can be sure it is safe.

tags: Web Development

Website optimization (0)

Mark Greenwood | 28/10/2011

How much unnecessary time are your customers waiting for your pages download? How does is it affecting your bottom line? It seems that these days users care more about load time than bells and whistles. Additionally, page load times are becoming more important to your seach engine rankings too.

tags: Web Development , CSS

TFS - Branching (0)

Josh Doolan | 28/10/2011

So you are at that point where your application is at a somewhat stable state and you think it is a good idea to start versioning your releases within sources control (which is a good idea).

tags: Web Development

Google Maps: Auto Zoom & Centre Your Map (0)

Vince Scordino | 14/10/2011

One of my favourite tasks as a web developer is working with the Google Maps API. On a recent project, I was assigned the duty of developing an events component whereby a range of upcoming events were presented to the user, as well as being plotted on a Google map.

tags: Web Development

The launch of Winkiwoo (0)

Robert Beerworth | 12/10/2011

We’re pretty excited to announce the launch of Winkiwoo, a Facebook application we’ve been developing for a client for the past few months.

tags: Web Development , Facebook applications

Have you cleared you cache? - Reduce unwanted caching - ASP.NET MVC VIEW HELPERS (0)

Josh Doolan | 11/10/2011

One of the most common things we have to suggest to clients when we are failing to find common ground on the looks and functionality of a developed site is: “Have you cleared your browser cache?”..familiar?

tags: Web Development

Ecommerce and simple wins for increasing customer confidence (0)

Simon Miller | 10/10/2011

I’ve built dozens of commerce-enabled websites since the early days of the Internet, and in that time I have learned a few things that, in my opinion and experience, provide for a better ecommerce website that gives your customer greater confidence in your service offering – and customer confidence is the main loyalty you need to gain.

tags: e-commerce , Web Development

Stopping form spam without compromising UX (0)

Matthew Boniface | 7/10/2011

Stopping spam on website forms can be very important for Wiliam’s clients, but they often do not want to compromise the user experience using a captcha. There are many alternatives that can be very effective against spam but invisible to the user!

tags: Web Development , User Experience

Impact of mobile technology on web development (0)

Emmet Murray | 7/10/2011

With the untimely death of Steve Jobs, and the recent release of the latest version, the iphone is even more at the forefront of everyones mind. In the web development industry, the introduction of the iphone (and smartphone technology as a whole) created a new “industry within the industry”.

tags: Web Development , Mobile Web

Drag and drop with touch (0)

Mark Greenwood | 7/10/2011

Need to make your latest jQuery based killer app that utilises HTML drag and drop work with a touch based interface? One way is to write your own events and to fire on touch, drag and release etc. Another is to let someone else do all the work for you!

tags: Web Development , jQuery

10 things to remember when building eCommerce (0)

Benjamin Tinker | 7/10/2011

Having developed a few eCommerce platforms in my time I have thought it would be good to come up with a listing of things to remember when implementing such systems on your website.

tags: Web Development , e-commerce

Women are behind eCommerce (0)

Kathleen Shrimpton | 4/10/2011

A recent SheSpot study reveals the impact of technology for Australian women on their purchase cycle.

tags: e-commerce , Web Development

The importance of a soft launch! (0)

Emmet Murray | 22/09/2011

For those who are unaware of what a website or web application soft launch is, it can be seen to help rollout new features, test or tweak a design (or possible redesign) allowing a design which users dislike to be quietly retired or augmented. Changes can also be made to increase the functionality of the website, debug unforseen UI issues and respond to user requests. At least that’s the definition according to the “gospel” that is Wikipedia.

tags: Web Development

Rebinding Nonobtrusive JavaScript Validation after AJAX postbacks (0)

Benjamin Tinker | 12/09/2011

Recently I was faced with the wonderful prospect in MVC 3 of building a form that consisted of multiple page tabs controlled by jQuery and multiple postbacks. They had to be able to work exclusive of each other and with their own sets of validation rules.

tags: Web Development

String Concatenation (0)

Matthew Boniface | 7/09/2011

This topic has been covered many times by many programmers but I really enjoy these sort of programming tips. Playing with strings can be like playing with fire if you don’t take care – simple oversights can lead to large memory hogging and wasted processing time. In this post I want to discuss the best way to handle string concatenation. Strings are immutable and, in Garbage Collection environments, concatenating too many can significantly increase memory usage and processing time. The solution? Well, when using the .net framework, we have StringBuilder.

tags: Web Development

Embracing Parallel LINQ (0)

Craig Lovegrove | 7/09/2011

It’s easy as a developer to forget that .net 3.5+ comes with some pretty helpful tools; one of the ones that elude most people is the use of Parallel LINQ. Parallel LINQ allows you to better utilise multicore processors on the machines hosting the application. It increases time efficiency massively in long algorithms when the loop contents are mutually exclusive to one another. It’s understandable to assume that it would be a lot of work to try and make use of the multiple cores, but thankfully Microsoft has made it incredibly easy.

tags: Web Development

MailChimp and Mail Groups (0)

Simon Miller | 7/09/2011

Long gone are the days where a developer would need to send bulk emails from his own website. Not only was this time consuming for the developer but it was fraught with possible points of failure – sending too many emails from the one address to the one host is an easy way to get your entire domain put on a spam blacklist.

tags: Web Development

A Preview of HTML 5 (0)

Chris Hutchison | 7/09/2011

With the emergence of HTML 5 web developers have been able to finally move on from version 4, which enjoyed more than a decade of popularity. With restrictions in different languages and browsers, developers and publishers sought a new foundation to enhance new techniques and to provide enhanced functionality. HTML 5 introduces and enhances a wide range of features including form controls, APIs, multimedia, structure, and semantics. Work began on HTML back in 2004 with major key players and a joint effort between the W3C HTML WG and the WHATWG, participating in the W3C effort with the four major browser vendors: Apple, Mozilla, Opera, and Microsoft, utilizing their many diverse interests and expertise.

tags: Web Development

Firefox Supports Colour Correction (0)

Mark Greenwood | 16/08/2011

Did you know that Firefox supports colour correction? Colour correction was introduced into Firefox 3, but was disabled by default. In Firefox 3.5 some issues were resolved and it is now enabled by default.

tags: Web Development

HTML5 Audio Element (0)

Matthew Boniface | 15/08/2011

The [fairly] new HTML5 spec has brought many favours to web developers – two of the most high profile additions to the HTML spec are the Audio and Video elements. They both have caught my attention because of the simplicity they have brought to introducing rich media to any website. For this post I will focus on the new Audio element.

tags: Web Development

Multithreading made easy with .NET 4.0 Parallel Extensions (0)

Jason Watmore | 15/08/2011

With the growing popularity of multi-core processors, there is an increasing expectation that applications are able to utilize this power. Up until recently, the task of writing a robust multithreaded application was daunting to say the least. But with the addition of Parallel Extensions in .NET 4.0, it's as simple as changing a couple of lines of code.

tags: Web Development

When to use HTML 5? (0)

Emmet Murray | 15/08/2011

HTML 5 is still in development, but developers are keen to implement it now. However, due to the lack of cross browser compatibility for html 5, and the large percentage of people who don’t use HTML5 compliant browsers, clients can be wary about developing a site in HTML5 and alienating alot of users/customers.

tags: Web Development

Adding a Faceboook ’Like’ button to an MVC 3 Razor application (0)

Craig Lovegrove | 15/08/2011

Adding the Like feature to a website enables users to quickly and easily share a page they like onto their profile on Facebook. This is massively beneficial for a company as facebook is a global advertising agency; if you manage to get one user to share a link to your site it will instantly be advertised to all of their friends around the world.

tags: Web Development , Facebook

Finally, a HTML5 spec for Web Developers! (0)

Vince Scordino | 12/08/2011

If you’re a front-end web developer, chances are you’ve never read the HTML5 spec (I don’t blame you). You see, the HTML5 spec was written for browser developers (not web), so the worst part of viewing it would be the attempt to translate such gibberish the actual spec dictates into words a normal human can understand. Have no fear, the W3C’s HTML Working Group (not to be confused with the WHATWG) has published a draft of a far more readable spec named “HTML5: Edition for Web Authors”.

tags: Web Development

Sub application within umbraco –managed in the umbraco CMS – Umbraco security integration (0)

Josh Doolan | 4/07/2011

Some neat tips for integrating an ASP.NET MVC 5 application into Umbraco.

tags: Web Development , Umbraco

Image animation performance HTML 5 canvas vs HTML 4 (0)

Mark Greenwood | 4/07/2011

In a recent project I had to animate a lot of images simultaneously (up to 700) and went looking for the best solution: HTML 5 + canvas or HTML 4 + css. It wasn't that easy to find anything on canvas and I soon found out why.

tags: Technology , Web Development , Web Design

Google CSE and Structured Data (0)

Simon Miller | 22/06/2011

Google Custom Search Engine (CSE) is a fantastic technology that enables any website, for the low price of $100 annually, to use the power of Google search technologies within your own website seamlessly.

tags: Web Development , Technology , Programming

Umbraco: Implementing security in Umbraco CMS Custom Sections (0)

Martin Abrahams | 17/06/2011

Security is not difficult to implement in the Umbraco CMS is you follow an easy method.

tags: Web Development , Umbraco

Using Umbraco in a load balanced environment (0)

Matthew Cox | 17/06/2011

Building seriously robust websites in Umbraco – via load balancing – is more glamorous than you might think.

tags: Web Development , Umbraco

Learning MVC3 with Razor? (0)

Benjamin Tinker | 17/06/2011

Always get a second opinion when sourcing code samples

tags: Web Development , Umbraco , MVC

Why optimising your website and making it mobile friendly is the way forward (0)

Leo Romano | 14/06/2011

As the trend goes, making your website readily available for mobile browsing can mean gains with the ever growing crowd of mobile surfers.

tags: Web Development , Web Design , Technology , Online Trends , Mobile Technology

5 Reasons I Bail from a Website (0)

Kriska Aviola | 10/06/2011

A few resons that would make users bail a website.

tags: Web Design , Web Development , Web Strategy , User Experience

Launching getawaylounge.com.au (0)

Natalie Ashes | 7/06/2011

Getaway lounge has officially launched last week. This exclusive travel deals site distinguishes itself from the other deal sites flooding the market as it focuses solely on travel deals.

tags: Technology , Web Design , Web Development , Business

10 things to consider before sending out your next email newsletter (0)

Eddie Gallagher | 6/06/2011

Here’s a quick list of 10 things that you should be thinking about before you send out your next newsletter:

tags: Email Marketing , Tips & Tricks , Web Development

Designing sign up forms (0)

Stuart Horton-Stephens | 18/05/2011

How many sign up forms do you get to and feel the need to close the window?

tags: Web Design , Web Development

Does the design matter? (0)

Adam Tedeschi | 18/05/2011

I recently found a youtube video that asked a series of internet users "Does the quality of an organisation's Web site impact your perception of that organisation?”

tags: Web Design , Web Development

Like it? Send it! (0)

Andrew O'Sullivan | 10/05/2011

Facebook Like has a new friend - The Send Button

tags: Web Development , Facebook , Facebook applications , Web 2.0 , User Experience

MVC3 ASP.NET - Introduction to Razor View Engine (0)

Gareth Kelly | 5/04/2011

The latest release of Microsoft’s ASP.Net MVC is now shipped with a brand new view engine called Razor.

tags: Web Development , Online Trends

Using HTML5 Local Storage for simulating web app functionality (1)

Toby Vervaart | 4/04/2011

HTML5 is picking up steam in the web development world as the new standard for interactivity

tags: Web Development , Online Trends

Creating RESTful Websites with meaningful URLs (0)

Christina Pope | 4/04/2011

REST is a big buzzword these days and creating RESTful sites is a requirement for a lot of new projects.

tags: Web Development , SEO , Programming , Online Trends

Standard Video Sizes (1)

Mark Greenwood | 4/04/2011

Hunting around for an answer to “what size should our videos be?”

tags: Online Trends , Online Video Marketing , Web Development

Understanding who is paying the bills (1)

Stuart Horton-Stephens | 25/03/2011

There is an old ‘agency world’ saying: ‘There’s no such thing as the perfect client so you may as well just get used to them’.

tags: Web Development , Web Design

MVC3 ASP.NET - Strongly Typed View Fundamentals –“ you get out what you put in” (0)

Josh Doolan | 14/03/2011

Strongly typed views are a really handy feature of the ASP.NET MVC framework.

tags: Web Development

Things to remember when you’re starting again (0)

Daniel Wright | 11/03/2011

It’s one of the immutable laws of the internet, eventually you will need to rebuild your website.

tags: Web Design , Web Development

Cross-browser Testing (1)

Andrew O'Sullivan | 2/03/2011

Cross-browser testing remains a reality to ensure your audience enjoys a consistent experience.

tags: Web Design , Web Development , Usability

Will it ever end? (0)

Daniel Wright | 15/02/2011

It can be hard when a large scale development project takes a long time to be realised and launched.

tags: Web Development

Advantages of using live chat on your website (1)

Natalie Ashes | 7/02/2011

If you have an e-commerce site the question of utilising live chat is inevitably going to be asked.

tags: Web Development , e-commerce

Form AFTER Function (0)

Stuart Horton-Stephens | 7/02/2011

There are many aspects of web design, and believe it or not its not really about ‘making things look pretty.’

tags: Web Design , Web Development

What you need from your web design company (0)

| 7/02/2011

Picking the right design / development company is essential to ensuring quality work is delivered.

tags: Web Development , Web Design

User Centred Design vs Usability Testing (2)

Peter Moloney | 7/02/2011

Usability experts in the past have argued that usability testing must be built into the design process and conducted at multiple points throughout the development cycle.

tags: Web Design , Web Development

Planning for success (0)

Adam Tedeschi | 4/02/2011

If you are building a new website, significantly changing your old website or just adding new functionality then good planning should be where you start.

tags: Web Development , Web Strategy

Placing cookies on mobile devices (0)

Natalie Ashes | 10/01/2011

With mobile browsing increasingly growing the need for sites to function properly in the mobile world is critical. This includes cookies used to store user preferences and identify users.

tags: Web Development , Mobile Web

Why a good Producer is important (0)

Adam Tedeschi | 7/01/2011

Building a good website isn’t easy. Buying a copy of Dreamweaver and a $9.95 hosting package isn’t going to cut it if you want a serious and successful site.

tags: Web Development

The rise of the mobile internet (0)

| 7/01/2011

Look up next time your on the train/bus and just see the number of people interacting with their mobile phones and hardly anyone reading the traditional print media.

tags: Web Design , Web Development , Technology

What makes a successful landing page? (0)

Eddie Gallagher | 7/01/2011

Where will the users go when they click the ad? Your current homepage seems like the ideal place, right? Getting them there, that’s the goal, isn’t it?

tags: Web Development , Web Design

Is a one page site right for you. (0)

Luke Gullifer | 5/01/2011

Often in life the simple things are the best. This can also be true in the digital world.

tags: Web Development

2011 Web Development Predictions (0)

Robert Beerworth | 4/01/2011

A good and brief article picking the trends in Web Development in 2011.

tags: Web Development , Web Strategy

The link between website scope, budget and timeline. (0)

| 25/11/2010

There are three key variables to a website project: scope; budget and; timeline. Understanding this will make your project run a lot smoother.

tags: Web Development

Becoming the web design Joneses. (0)

Stuart Horton-Stephens | 15/11/2010

So you’ve met with the client, discussed all possibilities of what their website can do, what they want it to do and why their online audience would want that.

tags: Web Development , Web Design

Using the .Any() linq extension (0)

Matthew Cox | 2/11/2010

Using the .Count() linq extension can be really bad practice.

tags: Web Development

The Cookie Monster Myth (0)

Andrew O'Sullivan | 29/10/2010

Cookies have a bad reputation, but without them there would be no Web 2.0.

tags: Web Development , Tips & Tricks

The web development cycle (1)

Luke Gullifer | 19/10/2010

What is the web development cycle for getting your idea into a web development reality?

tags: Web Development

What is a website? (0)

Daniel Wright | 19/10/2010

It sounds like a ridiculously simple question and yet I find myself regularly surprised by the number of times someone will not understand the potential of the web to address their business needs. If that really is true, then I think there’s definitely some value in revisiting what exactly a website is.

tags: Web Design , Web Development , Common Sense

The Importance of Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) Browser Testing (1)

Vince Scordino | 19/10/2010

Arguably one of the most difficult challenges facing web developers today is getting a beautiful and intuitive design to look exactly the same in every currently-used web browser (yes, this also includes Internet Explorer 6 guys).

tags: Web Development

You should start to get your head around HTML5 (0)

Robert Beerworth | 14/09/2010

It is fair to say that the slow transition from HTML4 to HTML5 has begun. It is slow and without a clear direction, though more and more glimmers of HTML5 are appearing. It’s time to get your head around it.

tags: Web Development , Online Trends , Programming , CSS , Web Strategy

Why Twitter’s URL shortener is cool and might be even cooler (1)

Robert Beerworth | 14/09/2010

Twitter’s URL shortener – t.co – will not only give incumbents such as bit.ly a real run for their money – it could mean much, much more for Twitter and its users.

tags: Web Development , Online Trends , Web Strategy

Should you host your own video or use a video hosting provider? (0)

Roslyn Zolandor | 14/09/2010

Having video on your website can be a great way to increase your exposure and conversation rates. So what are you options when it comes to putting video on your website? Either you serve the video directly from your website or you use one of the many video hosting providers such as YouTube to stream your video for you.

tags: Web Development , Online Trends , Web 2.0

A/B Split Testing your website, application or email (0)

Robert Beerworth | 20/08/2010

Don’t leave your message or form to chance. Let users make the decision for you.

tags: Web Development

Registering a new user on your website via their existing social network account (0)

Roslyn Zolandor | 18/08/2010

With an estimated 1.2 billon+ people registered on at least one social network it comes as no surprise that there is a service that leverages this by allowing you to register users on your website through their existing social network account. Janrain Engage provides a service that does just that.

tags: Web Development , Web 2.0 , Social Networking

Great corporate blogs (0)

Robert Beerworth | 16/08/2010

Some examples of great corporate blogs

tags: Web Development , WordPress

Using WordPress for your website (0)

Roslyn Zolandor | 11/08/2010

WordPress was initially developed for bloggers, because of this it has a strong blogging framework. However over the past few years with the growing community of followers and the continual development it has become a popular CMS for all kinds of websites such as ecommerce, portfolios, news/magazine and corporate sites to name a few.

tags: Web Development , Online Trends , WordPress

No Double Opt-In. No Email List (5)

Robert Beerworth | 16/07/2010

If you’re not collecting email addresses and building your email list via the double opt-in method, don’t expect to email your list anytime soon.

tags: Online Trends , Tips & Tricks , Web Development , Web Marketing

Make your online store competitive (0)

Daniel Wright | 16/07/2010

In the last few years Australian companies have really embraced e-commerce. If you’re planning your first entry into the highly competitive world of e-commerce, then you need to make sure that you’re going to be able to compete.

tags: Tips & Tricks , Web Development , Web Strategy , Online Marketing

Should I build my website in HTML5? (0)

Robert Beerworth | 13/07/2010

HTML5 is coming, though when do you pull the trigger? Turns out, it all depends on who you're pointing at.

tags: Web Development , Online Trends , Programming , CSS , Web Strategy , Tips & Tricks

Visual Studio 2010 Productivity Power Tools (0)

Stuart Manners | 11/06/2010

The guys over at Microsoft have released a set of extensions called Power Tools for Visual Studio 2010, which is aimed at improving developer productivity. Description of what’s included and free download can be found here.

tags: Web Development

Optimise your jQuery (0)

Benjamin Tinker | 10/06/2010

There are many jQuery plugins out there that allow for dropdown menus to work. Here is how I like to do it..

tags: Web Development

Better formatting in Visual Studio 2010 (0)

Simon Miller | 10/06/2010

By default Visual Studio’s formatting of code is not as elegant as it could be. I like to be pedantic about the layout of my code as it makes it more readable for me and other developers who have to work on the same projects that I do.

tags: Web Development

Looking forward to HTML 5! (0)

Solaris Ataya | 7/06/2010

Yet another development in the realm of HTML - the core markup language of the World Wide Web; with the revision of HTML and therefore subsequent recent release of HTML5, this new web standard is expected to reduce the need for Adobe Flash.

tags: Web Development

Why documentation matters (0)

Guy MacArthur | 4/06/2010

It’s easy to look at a website and think that it’s easy to build. The same can be said of almost anything. When you first look at a plot of land it looks simple enough to build upon..

tags: Web Development

Apple pushes HTML 5 (0)

Vince Scordino | 4/06/2010

After the recent launch of Apple’s iPad and the flaming they continually get for their lack of Adobe Flash support in their products, Apple has come back harder and stronger with a specially made page showcasing HTML5, CSS3 and it’s capabilities.

tags: Web Development

Reuse the code if it’s reusable (0)

Benjamin Tinker | 21/05/2010

Re-using code to become more efficient.

tags: Web Development

HTML 5 <!DOCTYPE> (0)

Wendy Wang | 21/05/2010

HTML5 is on its way. What is different?

tags: Web Development

Flash and AJAX in the Spotlight (0)

Andrew O'Sullivan | 21/05/2010

This week, a client asked me to implement a new Flash carousel on their website. You know the type – a series of “spotlight” images, with links to featured content on the site.

tags: Web Development

A Quick Look at Video in HTML5 (0)

Vince Scordino | 21/05/2010

A Quick Look at Video in HTML5 As the current HTML5 specification is continually drafted, the support for video compatibility on modern day browsers is ever increasing with the introduction of the < video > tag.

tags: Web Development

Creating Better Forms; an article for developers (0)

Simon Miller | 20/05/2010

Creating a form on a website is not a difficult thing to do with modern frameworks. Ensuring that the form is designed and functions correctly under all circumstances however is not..

tags: Web Development

Visualising the readiness of web browsers for HTML5 and CSS3 (0)

Robert Beerworth | 13/05/2010

Two separate clients asked me this week if we would be building their websites in HTML5...

tags: Web Development

Tips for working with Google Earth (0)

Simon Miller | 7/05/2010

As part of an exciting upcoming project here at Wiliam, we have been tasked to include Google Earth integration...

tags: Web Development

Let’s go .live() with jQuery (0)

Vince Scordino | 7/05/2010

So your client has requested some wacky jQuery to jazz up their feature page, and, well, there’s already a decent amount of JavaScript that isn’t really agreeing with Internet Explorer’s rendering engine right? In comes jQuery .live() to the rescue!

tags: Web Development

CSS Sprites (0)

Wendy Wang | 6/05/2010

CSS sprites can reduce load time and server requests. Learn why many high traffic websites use this technique.

tags: Web Development

Web Apps for iPad (0)

Wendy Wang | 27/04/2010

The iPad has a mature WebKit implementation. The WebKit now supports HTML5, such as local storage and web sockets, which are essential for desktop quality web applications. As iPhone and iPad don’t support Flash, the only solution is HTML5 video / SVG.

tags: Web Development

The right online tool makes all the difference (0)

Daniel Wright | 17/03/2010

One of the joys of working in the online space is the endless amount of opportunities that arise, and it is even more exciting when the opportunity looks like it will be the right tool for the job.

tags: Web Development , Clients

Taking Google Site Search beyond the standard search results (0)

Roslyn Zolandor | 15/03/2010

You can do more with Google Site Search than just the standard Google results you normally see. Here are 2 great ways you can customise your results by adding additional information such as images, ratings and allowing your users to refine their search

tags: Web Development , Search , SEO

Developers, Developers, Developers (0)

Stuart Horton-Stephens | 11/03/2010

In alot of web agencies there is a ‘larger than there ought to be’ gap in communication between developers and designers. Its something that has been happening since the dawn of web time when only Frontpage Express ruled the earth.

tags: Web Development , Web Design

ASP.net website gets a facelift (0)

Guy MacArthur | 11/03/2010

The ASP.net website, where I go for a lot of my .net web development needs, has been re-skinned.

tags: Web Development

Google’s PubSubHubbub (PuSH) - No that wasn’t a typo (0)

Wendy Wang | 8/03/2010

PubSubHubbub is a simple, open, server-to-server web-hook-based pubsub (publish/subscribe) protocol as an extension to Atom and RSS.

tags: Web Development

Web Mashup - A new breed of web application (0)

Wendy Wang | 2/03/2010

A web mashup is a web page or web application that uses or combines information from one or more sources and presents it in a completely new way as a service.

tags: Web Development

Designers Sanctuary vs Slicers Nightmare (0)

Vince Scordino | 22/02/2010

They’ve done it again haven’t they? You’ve just been briefed on a new project, had a peek at the designs and it’s drop shadow-ville! Never fear, jQuery is here.

tags: Web Development

When to call your web developer (0)

Simon Miller | 8/02/2010

A customer has just called you to inform you that your website is down. Before you panic and call your developer which may incur needless support fees, find out from your customer what they mean by ‘website is down'.

tags: Web Development

The release of HTML 5 (0)

Benjamin Tinker | 19/01/2010

Depending on who you ask, HTML 5 is either the next important step toward creating a more semantic web or a disaster that's going to trap the web in yet another set of incomplete tags and markup soup.

tags: Web Development

Tailored versus off-the-shelf CMS solutions (0)

Hamish Stead | 13/01/2010

Most people don’t think too much about the engine that runs their site - custom or 'off-the-shelf'?

tags: Web Development

12 Days of Christmas in Web Design and Development (0)

Daniel Wright | 14/12/2009

Here at Wiliam we’re blessed with great clients and really interesting projects. It’s made 2009 challenging and exciting year for all of us.

tags: Web Development , Web Design

Why does it look wrong on my computer? (0)

Daniel Nelson | 14/12/2009

The delivery date arrives and you start looking through your new website only to discover that the layout is all messed up.

tags: Web Development

A few tips to make a developers life easier (tech talk) (0)

Stuart Manners | 3/12/2009

A few very easy/quick win tips for developers.

tags: Web Development

What to do when your website’s failing (0)

Daniel Wright | 17/11/2009

These days most businesses understand the importance of having a web presence, and many are now realising how important it is to maintain that presence with regularly updated content and by engaging with their audiences more directly.

tags: Web Development

Custom Builds require Custom Maintenance (0)

Daniel Wright | 17/11/2009

Like most technologically driven industries, the web is full of projects that are quickly overtaken by new innovations and new opportunities for performance gains.

tags: Web Design , Web Development

Audio Comments on Blogs (0)

Wendy Wang | 17/11/2009

Using audio comments on your blog can allow people to record brief comments and post them instead of text. Interesting to see where blogging is going..

tags: Web 2.0 , Web Development

TurnTubeList – The YouTube DJ (0)

Vince Scordino | 12/11/2009

TurnTubeList works via YouTube’s API. It has some sharp AJAX to search YouTube videos without interrupting playback, along with some funky jQuery bells and whistles like sliders and keyboard shortcuts.

tags: Technology , Web Development

The food that makes the programmer (0)

Benjamin Tinker | 22/10/2009

Being a developer it is important to ensure the delicate balance of caffeine and carbohydrates is in alignment. The morning should start with at least 2 cups of coffee and some kind of fatty/greasy/sugary delectable to get you through the code warm up.

tags: Web Development , Programming

Website Deployment Checklist (0)

Simon Miller | 20/10/2009

So, you have approved your specification and design concepts. The development is progressing well and is nearing completion. After giving your final feedback, at some point soon, your site will need to ‘go live’ onto the Internet for all to see.

tags: Web Development , Management , Business

Myspace bucks the social networking trend... and tanks... (0)

Daniel Nelson | 20/10/2009

The growth of social networking sites over the past year has been significant, according to Nielson Australian users spent 1.6 Million hours on Facebook and Twitter in June 2009, this is a 100% increase from June last year! According to Hitwise Facebook’s market share has increased 101% and Twitter’s grew by 1516% in the past year! Myspace however with its poor usability and slow page load times has managed to lose more than half its market share.

tags: Online Trends , Website Accessibility , User Experience , Web Development

Web Services (0)

Stuart Manners | 15/10/2009

There are countless books, and online resources on how to develop a web service, and there are also some handy tips on how to create a good web service. However, there are few things that get missed, especially in the tips that I have come across in online resources.

tags: Web Development

iPhone Pages - Make Your Mobile Website (0)

Simon Miller | 10/09/2009

So you have engaged your web development company to design and build you your new corporate identity but have you considered how your site will look and function on a mobile device such as the iPhone, Android or a BlackBerry?

tags: iphone , Business , Web Design , Web Development , Online Trends , Mobile Web

Why you should use a bookmarking and sharing service on your website (0)

Roslyn Zolandor | 7/09/2009

AddThis is one of several bookmarking and sharing services you can use for your website. Basically instead of placing the icons on your website and linking to the ever-changing bookmarking and sharing service it does it for you. 10 advantages of using the AddThis service over doing it yourself.

tags: Web Development , Social Bookmarking , Web Strategy , Online Trends , SEO

ASP.NET 4.0 Web Form Enhancements (Part 2) (0)

Stuart Manners | 4/09/2009

Last week I talked about a couple of enhancements which will be part of the next instalment of ASP.NET, 4.0. This week I thought I’d write some more on the topic, but focus on some SEO enhancements.

tags: Web Development , Programming

Accessibility From A Developers Point Of View - Part 1 (0)

Simon Miller | 1/09/2009

Accessibility from a developers point of view part 1 - some elements that make up a triple A website

tags: Website Accessibility , Web Development , CSS

Australia’s Untapped eCommerce Market (0)

Emily Berry | 27/08/2009

Are you an existing retailer but afraid to take the leap into etailing? With ever increasing trends to buy online or even to research a potential purchase online it makes sense that businesses look to extend themselves into the online space.

tags: Web Development , Business , e-commerce

ASP.NET 4.0 Enhancements (0)

Stuart Manners | 26/08/2009

These days the majority of projects I’m involved in use ASP.NET 2.0, so I’ve been following closely what Microsoft is including in its next installment of its .NET Framework. Some of the new features and enhancements are going to be a nice touch, and quite rightly so.

tags: Web Development , Programming

How Much Code Do You Really Need To Know? (0)

Benjamin Tinker | 26/08/2009

As the internet continues to expand it has become more of a challenge for a developer to keep up with evolving code structures. In the beginning it was just a bit of HTML then came along Javascript. Before you knew we had all kinds of libraries joining the party ASP, PHP, Cold Fusion, Ruby, VB and so on.

tags: Web Development , Programming

Visual Studio Intellisense for jQuery (0)

Matthew Cox | 25/08/2009

Intellisense for javascript was one of the best new features to come with Visual Studio 2008, and now intellisense has come to jQuery.

tags: Web Development , Programming , Tips & Tricks , jQuery

Budget Or No Budget (0)

Daniel Nelson | 19/08/2009

In the web design game client regularly are in two minds as you whether to provide their tendering agencies with any indications of their budget. The logic falls into two camps: supply or don't supply a budget. We take a look at some pros and cons of these two trains of thought.

tags: Web Design , Web Development , Clients

Pay Once For It Now Or Pay Twice For It Later? (0)

Simon Miller | 18/08/2009

When considering the goals for the website you are engaging your web development company to build for you, one of the considerations, perhaps one of the biggest, is price.

tags: Web Development , SEO , Investment

Developing with Flash Frameworks (0)

Eddie Gallagher | 17/08/2009

Building websites in flash can be repetitive. Thankfully, there is a truly remarkable AS3 framework which does all this grunt work for you (and does it extremely well), and in less than 10 minutes!

tags: Web Design , Web Development , Flash Animation

All IE’s Aren’t Created Equally (0)

Guy MacArthur | 10/08/2009

As a developer one of my responsibilities while working on a site is to ensure that everything looks as it should on many different web browsers. When I say different browsers that includes different versions of browsers. Currently, there are 3 versions of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer that dominate browser usage worldwide. Those are IE 6, 7 and 8. And unfortunately, they like to show the same web sites slightly, and on occasion drastically, different.

tags: Web Development , Web Design , CSS , Tips & Tricks

Huh? My Website Looks Like Your Website! (0)

Vince Scordino | 7/08/2009

As described on Wikipedia, a website template is “a tool used to separate content from presentation in web design, and for mass-production of web documents” - basically, web templates can be used by any individual or organisation to setup a website.

tags: Web Design , Web Development

Quick User Personas – Understanding Your Audience. (0)

Adam Tedeschi | 6/08/2009

Good Information Design and User Experience are essential to build commercial and profitable websites. Even if you don’t have a huge budget you can still do a few simple personas to help you understand your audience and put a human face to a demographic.

tags: Web Design , Web Development , Information Architecture

Compliance Through Disclosure (1)

Wiliam | 5/08/2009

In the past few months so called “tax effective Managed Investment Schemes” (the MIS Sector) have been failing. Most notable were forestry product based Timbercorp and Great Southern.

tags: Web Design , Web Development , Business , Investment

Identifying Your Customers and Their Needs (0)

Emily Berry | 5/08/2009

Too often when our clients come to us we hear about disagreements between departments about who thinks what should be on your new website. While the needs of the different departments within your business should be carefully considered, don’t forget to pay attention to the most important and valuable part of your online audience - your customers.

tags: Web Design , Web Development , Usability

Corporate Compliance (0)

Wiliam | 28/07/2009

New contract regulations for B2C transactions, important notes to consider and how to make sure your business can comply.

tags: Business , CRM , Web Development , Media

Books Actually Do Contain Useful Information (0)

Benjamin Tinker | 22/07/2009

As I like reading books and find them a much more useful tool when learning than forums, blogs and God forbid Microsoft’s MSDN Library I took it upon myself to scour some of my favorite sites for a new book for skill improvement.

tags: Web Development , Programming

Preparing For Your Web Development Project (0)

Hamish Stead | 21/07/2009

Web projects are important, they can be your business’ primary global presence as well as an integral part of how that business functions. Advertising, CRM, sales and business performance can all be addressed with a good quality web site.

tags: Business , Web Development , Web Strategy

jQuery – Website Eye Candy (0)

Vince Scordino | 21/07/2009

In the fast-changing world of Web 2.0, a developer always joins forces with one of the many JavaScript libraries available. A couple of my favourite plug-ins include:

tags: jQuery , Web Development , Web Design

If you build it, they will come (0)

Daniel Wright | 16/07/2009

The simple truth these days is that building a great website might get some people to come, but if you’re going to take the task of building an online brand and reputation seriously, then you need to be willing to do a lot more than just build a website.

tags: Web Design , Web Development , Email Marketing , Online Marketing

WoW Is Good, But Is It Good Enough? (0)

Daniel Wright | 15/07/2009

It’s a common requirement from pretty much every client we see here at Wiliam that they want a website with a strong “wow” factor. In fact, it’s Wiliam’s ability to deliver the highest quality, cutting edge design that attracts a great number of our clients. It’s important to remember though, that a really good website needs something fundamentally stronger at the core than just a strong “wow”.

tags: Web Design , Web Development , Web Strategy

Content Managed Flash (0)

Adam Tedeschi | 13/07/2009

Flash technology has gone through many stages of popularity during its relatively short life.

tags: Usability , Web Development , Flash Animation

The CheckBox is dead. Long live the CheckBox! (0)

Guy MacArthur | 13/07/2009

One of the most hated dreaded slightly annoying controls featured in the asp.net arsenal is the CheckBox. Luckily however, there is a quick and lazy way of giving value back to your CheckBox.

tags: Programming , Issues , Web Development , Tips & Tricks

Importance of Specification Documents (0)

Stuart Manners | 10/07/2009

Too often I hear people asking "Why go to all the bother of writing up a functional specification document?" and "Wouldn’t it be cheaper and quicker to just start development?" Well from experience a site that has clear detailed specifications with little or no ambiguous information, allows for timelines to be estimated upon with more accuracy, makes development faster and meets expectations of an end product.

tags: Web Design , Web Development

Why developers and caffeine are a perfect combination (0)

Simon Miller | 10/07/2009

Caffeine is the most important thing to a developer. The spec can be a little unclear and the time constraints too tight. Their workstation can crash three times a day and not be able to open more than Notepad and Paint at the same time (the purest tools of a developer); but you can’t mess around with a developers desire – nay, requirement – for caffeine.

tags: Web Design , Web Development

What does your website do? (0)

Daniel Wright | 9/07/2009

It’s one of the most important and least asked questions when it comes to planning and building a new website. The knee-jerk reaction is of course that we all want our websites to ‘do’ everything. We want them to attract new business, build and maintain relationships within our professional communities, showcase our talents and achievements, and to read the minds of web users.

tags: Web Design , Web Development , Web Strategy

6 key points to consider when creating a website brief (0)

Daniel Nelson | 9/07/2009

Briefs and their cousins Request for Proposals (RFP) and Request for Tenders(RFT) are very important documents which organisations often agonise over for many weeks! I have listed some key points which are often overlooked.

tags: Web Design , Web Development , Business

Trapped by ‘All in one’ Solutions (0)

Benjamin Tinker | 7/07/2009

Starting out many years ago as a developer it was good fun trying to develop solutions that could be used across multiple websites. This was a great idea in the beginning. The challenge was to try and build some code that could be used over and over again for multiple clients thus streamlining the development process and faster project turn around.

tags: Web Development , Programming

3 Rules to creating great wireframes for your designers (0)

Roslyn Zolandor | 2/07/2009

When creating wireframes or a prototype for a project there are several things I need to keep in mind so that our designers can create an amazing design.

tags: Web Design , Web Development

IIS7 (0)

Matthew Cox | 2/07/2009

When I am developing web sites, I like my development environment to match, as closely as possible, the actual live environment on the server that will host the finished site. For this reason I prefer to use IIS for development and testing, over the inbuilt development server included with Visual Studio.

tags: Web Development , Programming

iPhone Application or iPhone Pages? (1)

Benjamin Christie | 29/06/2009

Recently, a senior Optus executive came out and said that one of the mobile carrier’s recent areas of growth in the Australian market is due to sales of the iPhone. I am sure the other carriers in the Australian market have also seen a similar trend. So the question many of our clients are asking us at present is “Should we build an iPhone Application?” There isn’t an easy answer to the question, instead it may even be answered with a second question which is “Should we develop iPhone specific pages for our site?”

tags: iphone , Web Design , Web Development , Mobile Web

SME compliance: investing in a dynamic website to manage new policies (0)

Wiliam | 29/06/2009

It may seem to be easier to ignore compliance issues. The opportunity cost of compliance can certainly equate to missed sales. On the other hand, it only takes one dissatisfied, or vindictive, customer or supplier to complain.

tags: Business , Web Development , Investment

Announcing the launch of CareerNav for students and their parents (0)

Alex Wilson | 26/06/2009

Do you remember when you were about to finish school? I’m sure you had multiple questions like; ‘where to from here?’, ‘what career should I choose?’ and most importantly, ‘how do I make money doing what I love?’. The newly launched CareerNav website now gives the answers many students and parents seek.

tags: Web Design , Web Development , Business

Most common errors to avoid when choosing a CMS (0)

Daniel Nelson | 25/06/2009

I spend a lot of time with clients discussing their Content Management System (CMS) requirements and needs. Regularly clients find CMS selection extremely daunting and find it hard to navigate through lists of possible functionality, features and workflows. Regularly I read through RFTs and RFPs where the brief allows only a paragraph each on business and user requirements and devotes 5 pages to CMS requirements complete with checklists and diagrams outlining CMS functionality must haves. Below I have listed some common mistakes that I see.

tags: Business , Web Development , Investment , Technology

Web Development in a School Environment (1)

| 28/05/2009

James Mitchell-Clark @ Wiliam work experience talks about web development in a school environment

tags: Web Design , Web Development

Quick Tips: Using Goals & Funnels for Optimising Conversions (0)

Patrick Wong | 28/05/2009

Wondering where your customers go after second thoughts during checkout process? Create a few goals in Google analytics for some insight on how to optimise your checkout process.

tags: Web Design , Web Development , Google

Increase your ROI when advertising on TV by integrating it successfully with your website (2)

Roslyn Zolandor | 27/02/2009

You can increase your return on investment (ROI) when running a television commercial by successfully integrating it with your website.

tags: Web Design , Web Development , Business , Web Strategy

Why Minimalist Web Design May Offer More (0)

Adam Tedeschi | 9/02/2009

Over the years the Internet has seen much advancement in available technologies. Widespread broadband availability has allowed for graphic intensive sites as well as rich media such as streaming videos. The wide range of options can make it difficult for web designers, developers and administrators to settle on one approach. It’s no surprise that numerous websites have become large, unwieldy collections of content, images, technologies and add-ons. While these features can have a positive impact when used effectively there are some notable advantages for using a minimalist design for your site.

tags: Web Design , Web Strategy , Online Marketing , Web Development

How Should Outbound Links Function (0)

Gillian Lindsay | 20/01/2009

There’s a good chance your website contains at least one outbound link. If so, you have probably debated whether or not this link should open in a new browser window. There are several logical reasons why this may seem like a good option

tags: Usability , Website Accessibility , Web Design , Web Development

Should You Consider Using Microsoft Silverlight (0)

Gillian Lindsay | 23/12/2008

In October, Microsoft released version 2.0 of Silverlight. This may leave you with a few questions. What is Silverlight, and do I need to invest in this technology?

tags: Technology , Online Trends , Web Development , Web 2.0

Why You Should Develop an Online Widget (0)

| 27/11/2008

You have probably heard the term Widget used more and more these days, but are you still left wondering what a widget is or why you should jump on the widget bandwagon?

tags: Technology , Web Design , Web Development , Business , Media , Viral Marketing , Web 2.0

The Importance of User Testing (0)

Patrick Wong | 30/10/2008

In most cases you will spend a great deal of time testing various technical aspects of your site before it is available to the public. You will ensure the navigation functions, forms submit correctly, and the site behaves correctly on all browsers. While this is an excellent start, this approach neglects a critical variable: your users. Do you know the types of users your site attracts? If so, do you understand how these users expect to interact with your site?

tags: Web Development , Web Design , Usability

Top Ten Reasons to Outsource (0)

Robert Beerworth | 27/10/2008

Given the current economic climate, companies are thinning their workforce. Yet the need to capture new customers through a dynamic web presence has never been greater. If you are looking for a way to do more with less then you should consider the benefits of outsourcing.

tags: Web Marketing , Web Strategy , Business , Web Development

Untapped Potential: Web Presence for Small Business (0)

| 24/09/2008

Are you among the majority of Australian small business owners who have no web presence at all? This post highlights several factors unique to the small business market and addresses the key myth surrounding online sales.

tags: Business , Web Development , Web Strategy

Refreshing Your Website Design (1)

| 17/09/2008

Have you reviewed your web site lately? If your site is at least a year old you may want to consider updating the design of your site. There are several reasons to consider an update:

tags: Business , Web Design , Web Development , CSS , Usability

Conversion Rate Optimization – How to increase Conversion Rate, Sales & Leads (0)

David Cheng | 20/06/2008

A recent meeting with Google Australia has revealed vital insights into the capabilities of Google Adwords in analysis and optimization. Websites for all businesses should be treated as an investment. Like any investment, its continuous maintenance & evaluation can help it grow and mature; with the ultimate aim to achieve 100% conversion rate.

tags: SEO , Web Development , Web Development , Web Design , Usability , Business

Conversion Rate Optimization – How to increase Conversion Rate, Sales & Leads (0)

David Cheng | 20/06/2008

A recent meeting with Google Australia has revealed vital insights into the capabilities of Google Adwords in analysis and optimization. Websites for all businesses should be treated as an investment. Like any investment, its continuous maintenance & evaluation can help it grow and mature; with the ultimate aim to achieve 100% conversion rate.

tags: SEO , Web Development , Web Development , Web Design , Usability , Business

The Tiered Approach: Who Social Networking campaigns reach – and who they don’t (0)

| 12/06/2008

Building social networking strategies is necessary for successful online marketing. However, as many companies are finding – one size doesn’t fit all.

tags: Facebook applications , Viral Marketing , Web Development

Brainstorming a Viral Flash Game (0)

Martin Wicyniak | 23/04/2008

Creating a viral flash game to inspire and attract players demands imagination, technological savvy, and spirit.

tags: Web Development , Viral Marketing , Web Design

Building A Website Marketing Plan (0)

| 23/04/2008

A website marketing plan is your roadmap to long-term success. It’s a highly detailed, well-researched document that sets goals, provides directions, and defines the website’s strategy over time.

tags: Web Design , Web Development , Melbourne Web Design , Business , Common Sense , Finance

Has Social Networking blurred the line between Blog and CMS systems? (2)

| 9/04/2008

We are starting to see a convergance between Content Management Systems such as Sitedock and Blog systems such as Wordpress driven by a need to leverage social networking to achieve a greater market share.

tags: Technology , Web Development , Web 2.0

Designing Google Gadget Ads (0)

Benjamin Christie | 7/04/2008

Google gadget ads are much like widgets and can include dizzying variety of content like video, animation, data feeds, maps, images, music and audio or JavaScript. They can be coded in plus they can be developed in Flash and HTML. Additionally, they can be built in any number of shapes, sizes, and formats.

tags: Web Development , Online Trends

Choosing a Content Management System (0)

Liza Seville | 17/03/2008

Nearly all professional websites employ a Content Management System (CMS) to manage their web content. A CMS can store, version, publish, organize, and control all the information published, so choosing the right one is important.

tags: Web Design , Web Development

e-Commerce strategies (0)

Sushiv Mathur | 17/03/2008

Electronic commerce, known as eCommerce, consists of the buying and selling of products or services over the Internet. It has exploded in popularity over recent years; almost all big retailers have an eCommerce presence. Due to its low headcount and overhead costs in comparison to physical shops, getting customers to do business via eCommerce is a financially advantageous preference.

tags: Web Development , Business , Technology

What is required to brief a web development company? (0)

| 17/03/2008

When engaging a web designer for your online presence, there is certain information you can gather that will help build success.

tags: Web Development , Issues , Clients

Wiliam’s dictionary of web design part one (2)

Cheb Dagher | 10/03/2008

In not so successfully trying to avoid the cliché that the web design industry can sometimes be a tsunami in the great ocean that is the World Wide Web – Wiliam is pleased to present an A-Z listing of popular web design buzzwords. We’ve searched high and low; even as far as under our desks and on our office dog – to come up with the most bizarre, over-used yet under-explained – and sometimes even confusing buzzwords used in the web industry.

tags: Web Design , Web Development , Technology , Common Sense

Website maintenance tips from Wiliam (2)

Cheb Dagher | 26/02/2008

So you've got your website designed, what now? Here are some website maintanance tips from WIliam to help keep your site current, fresh and informative.

tags: Web Design , Web Development , Sydney Web Design , Common Sense , Management

Choosing the Best Domain Name (0)

| 31/01/2008

Choosing the best domain is something that our clients constantly ask us about. Here at Wiliam we regularly work on both new product sites and new web start-ups so having the right domain name is essential. So, with that in mind, here are some recommendations and things you should consider before clicking the purchase button on your next domain name.

tags: Business , Web Design , Web Development

Get the Goss – With Fox8’s Gossip Girl Facebook Application (0)

| 19/11/2007

Ever since Facebook flung opened its doors to developers, the social networking portal has added over 7,000 applications. Introducing the latest kid on the Facebook Application Platform – The Gossip Girl Facebook Application.

tags: Web 2.0 , Viral Marketing , Web Development , Online Trends

Flog Your Blog on Facebook (0)

Robert Beerworth | 11/10/2007

One of the first Web 2.0 styled applications that has the capability to improve our social networking lives has arrived - The Blog RSS Feed Reader.

tags: Web 2.0 , Web Development , Viral Marketing

Top 5 Most Recommended Facebook Applications (1)

| 5/10/2007

More than 50 percent of Facebook users return to the site each day, providing unparalleled distribution potential for applications and the opportunity to build a business that is highly relevant to people’s lives. Undoubtly creating your own business branded Facebook Application is an extremely powerful online marketing commodity.

tags: Web 2.0 , Web Development

Election 2.0 (0)

| 4/10/2007

The massive growth of Web 2.0 has transformed the internet into a 2 way user generated phenomenon - and is now host to new wave of interactive election coverage.

tags: Web 2.0 , Web Development

.NET and Data Modeling (0)

| 3/10/2007

When a web development agency approaches a new website implementation on behalf of a client, they must bring a surprisingly wide set of expertise into play. Web site development is not just about programming or visual design

tags: Technology , Web Design , Web Development

Database Driven Web Site (0)

| 3/10/2007

Database development is a significant part of contemporary web design and development. Web sites that contain significant functionality – such as membership profiles and dynamic personalisation – often require data-design know-how.

tags: Web Development , Programming , Web Design , Melbourne Web Design , Melbourne

Top Five Tips for Choosing a Web Developer (2)

| 19/09/2007

There are several factors you need to consider when choosing the right web developer for you. Look at the web developer’s capability to construct the right web site in-line with your product, technical and artistic talents and coding skills that allow for search engine optimisation.

tags: Technology , Web Design , Web Development , SEO Melbourne , Search Engine Optimisation Melbourne , SEO

Wiliam and educational web development (0)

| 14/09/2007

Wiliam recently designed an educational platform to provide interactive learning for Skwirk Interactive Schooling. We combined our skill, knowledge and understanding of the importance of education and used it to build an innovative solution.

tags: Web 2.0 , Web Development , Clients

4 Things to Consider When Delivering Online Video Content (0)

| 15/08/2007

Online video content offers great opportunities for companies to deliver to users a rewarding and engaging experience. With the continual uptake of broadband users it is a known fact that online video streaming and online video viewing will continue to rise.

tags: Technology , Business , Web Development , Online Trends , Common Sense

10 tips to developing a successful intranet solution (0)

| 8/05/2007

The best strategies for developing an intranet solution become less and less clear the bigger the organisation becomes. The evitable intranet project that is correctly undergone by most large organisiations in an attempt to improve efficiency, is patched together in a scattered manner with different divisions creating their own areas and little coordination or experience.

tags: Web Development , Web 2.0 , Web Design , Technology , Melbourne Web Design , Melbourne

Design and Development of a Web 2.0 classic (0)

| 7/05/2007

Wiliam has just lauched it's new website, built using cutting edge Web 2.0 technology, combined with truly breathtaking designs.

tags: Technology , Web Design , Web Development , Clients , CSS , Programming , Web 2.0 , SEO Melbourne , Search Engine Optimisation Melbourne , SEO

Website design for a growing Chinese Audience (3)

| 7/05/2007

Similarly to many Asian countries, the Chinese audience loves highly interactive websites and web 2.0 functionality allowing them to be more involved in the website. Examples of such features and functionality include blogs, forums and the ability to rate products and send information to their friends.

tags: Web Design , Web Development , Web 2.0 , Online Trends , Viral Marketing

Best New Technology Gadget Guy (0)

| 4/05/2007

Gadget Guy wins Sun Microsystems IT Journalism Award for Best New Technology Title 2006

tags: Technology , Web Development , Business , Clients , CSS , Programming

web 2.0 Shifts Paradigm for CIOs (0)

Dominic Main | 3/05/2007

Beverly Head’s recent article in the Australian Financial Review investigates the impact that Web 2.0 orientated business interests and models will affect the IT infrastructure demands placed on chief information officers.

tags: Technology , Web Development , Programming

Gadgets and Sidebars (0)

| 11/04/2007

The new Vista Gadget and Sidebar technologies bundled with Microsoft Windows Vista are available to third party developers to build Gadget and Sidebar offering of their own.

tags: Technology , Web Development

Microsoft’s 3D Revolution (0)

| 4/04/2007

There are several technologies which work in concert behind the scenes to provide the eye catching enhancements to Microsoft based application and Web site interfaces.

tags: Technology , Web Development

Vista – user friendly technology (0)

| 2/04/2007

The new Microsoft Windows Vista graphical user interface (GUI) offers some significant advantages and improvements over previous versions of the operating system. Wizards for performing common tasks and configuring the desktop and its applications are more streamlined and intuitive, and application interfaces are generally better appointed and easier to work with.

tags: Technology , Programming , Web Development