Pixelwave Website Design Weblog

Family website and fairy gifts go Live

info@pixelwave.co.uk (Alan Cole) — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 10:26:00 +0000

I've been busy tying up loose ends before heading off to the Isle of Man on holiday, but I have also managed to release the Family Genealogy website I've been working on. It is a private site so I won't link to it here, but these are the initial comments from my client upon seeing the site:

Well - I am impressed. Anyone that knows can tell you that's no mean feat!

Its an excellent piece of work and even my blond Sister should find it intuitive.

I've also integrated a simple Fairy Gift Shop using an order fulfillment system to Fairies World. As usual there is a list of other things for me to do associated with Fairies World, but those will have to wait until I get back from holiday. In the meantime my recent additions to the site such as ths gift shop, weblogs, video and audio podcasts, photo galleries and content manegment systems will enable the site owner to add new content simply and easily while I am away. Fairies World will therefore continue to grow and develop, and when I am back I'll be able to work on new features for the site whilst the site owner continues to concentrate on adding new content for its visitors.

Family Genealogy Website

info@pixelwave.co.uk (Alan Cole) — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 09:40:00 +0000

I'm currently working on a family website comprising integrated forums and photo galleries. The website will allow family members to keep in touch with each other, discuss genealogy issues and of course share and discuss photos.

The website is accessible to family members only and I must admit, now that I've been working on it, the concept has grown on me. It seems like a great way to keep in touch and keep an extended family up to date with all the latest news. I'm even tempted to set up a similar site for my family.

Podcasting

info@pixelwave.co.uk (Alan Cole) — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 05:25:00 +0000

Work continues on Fairies World and this week I have been getting to grips with podcasting. The idea was to publish audio clips on the Fairies World website and as a RSS feed so that it was available as a podcast. The owners of Fairies World were new to podcasting as was I, but we wanted to give this a go.

Of course, enthusiasm soon got the better of us and before even starting we decided to try our hand at video podcasting rather than just plain old audio podcasting. We had a couple of small movie clips, so the scene was set.

I wanted to keep the admin task of adding new podcastable media to the website simple so decided to set up a podcast category within the Fairies World weblog. The next stage was to upload the relevant media file to that weblog entry and install a plugin or two that would apply the relevant enclosures to the RSS feed. This was relatively easy thanks to the PodPress plugin for WordPress. However, I had all kinds of problems getting the embedded media players to work from this plugin so in the end decided the best plan of action was to upload two files for each media clip. One in mp4 format that would be included in the RSS feed and was compatible with Apple iTunes and one in flv format that was embedded into the webpage and available for online streaming. This made the admin a little more complex than intended but it does make the clips available both on the website and via a podcast.

It all seems to be working OK now and I of course enjoyed the challenge of learning a new technique. Once you know what a podcast is and how they work then it is quite simple really. You can use this link to view the podcast with iTunes or you can subscribe to the podcast using your preferred podcast program by copying this link into your podcast program. The weblog with the streaming flash movies can be seen here.

Website Development

info@pixelwave.co.uk (Alan Cole) — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 07:11:00 +0000

I've been so busy of late that I have barely had time to update the news section here, so this is just a quick round-up of the main projects I've been working on.

The most complex project I'm currently working on is the development of a website for a large group of activity providers in the Brecon Beacons. The idea behind the site will be to promote events and activities in the area by providing a one-stop shop listing all of the up and coming events and providing details on the businesses providing these events and related services. The site must of course be easy to navigate despite containing potentially thousands of events. The website also has to cater for the providers, allowing them to register, login and submit their profiles and events, and there will also be a third level of access allowing the administrators to manage the members accounts and listings.

The whole site also has to be organised by both categories and by geographic location. Quite a complex site, but I'm enjoying the challange.

I've also been busy working on Fairies World website (and its sister sites). A new image gallery has recently been added to the sites, I've been optimising various aspects of the site to increase its income from various affiliations and have been continuing with the constant stream of minor updates and page additions. Fairies World also now how a new Latest News Weblog and various RSS newsfeeds for people to subscribe to. Plans are also afoot to add newsletter subscription services, more online games and many other new features including a podcast service.

Of course, in between these projects I have been keeping up with other minor updates to various websites and have been kept busy with new enquiries. It is good to be busy.

Historic Weather Data Added To Website

info@pixelwave.co.uk (Alan Cole) — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 04:50:00 +0000

Forces-of-Nature website is a website aimed at the UK windsurf, kitesurf and surf community. It has a West Wales bias and earlier this year Pixelwave Web Design added a live weather station to the site.

The weather station located just behind the beach at Ynyslas beams live information to a data-logger which is connected to a PC. The PC stores and proceses the data then uploads the information to a website every minute. As part of the continuing development of the Forces-of-Nature website, Pixelwave Web Design have just finished adding a feature that allows members to view historic data from the weather station.

The historic data is presented on a month by month basis, providing a list thats shows the average and extremes for each day, along with a link to the 24 hour graph for that day. e.g.:

Average temperature 2.4 °C
Average humidity 77 %
Average dewpoint -1.3 °C
Average barometer 1007.6 mb
Average windspeed 7.5 kts
Average gustspeed 7.5 kts
Average direction 339 ° (NNW)
Rainfall for month 1.6 mm
Rainfall for year 89.0 mm
-----------------------------------------------------------
Maximum rain per minute 0.2 mm on day 01 at time 23:56
Maximum temperature 5.3 °C on day 01 at time 15:02
Minimum temperature 0.2 °C on day 01 at time 21:55
Minimum pressure 1003.1 mb on day 01 at time 23:57
Maximum pressure 1010.0 mb on day 00 at time 00:17
Maximum windspeed 22.0 kts from 278° on day 01 at time 23:51
Maximum gust speed 28.0 kts from 277° on day 01 at time 23:49
Maximum humidity 92 % on day 01 at time 22:38
Minimum humidity 58 % on day 01 at time 18:10
Maximum heat index 5.3 °C on day 01 at time 15:02
Rain for the day :1.6 mm

Theres also the averages and extremes for the entire month.

The community at Forces-of-Nature seem to like the new addition to the site.

Photo Gallery Website for Forces-of-Nature

info@pixelwave.co.uk (Alan Cole) — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 09:50:00 +0000

I've been setting up several photo gallery websites recently using the excellent opensource software Coppermine. One of the latest websites to get the Pixelwave Design photo gallery treatment is Forces-of-Nature.

Regular readers of this weblog will know that Forces-of-Nature is my own website that provides many features for the UK windsurfing, kitesurfing and surf communities. In addition to the lively forums, personal session logs, weather information, classifieds and other sections it now has a windsurf, kitesurf and surf photo gallery allowing members to upload and share their photos. In addition to galleries dedicated to the various sports that the website caters for there are also albums for seascapes, landscapes and other Forces-of-Nature related topics.

Photo galleries such as these are a great addition to any website, allowing visitor contributions, and fresh content to be added regularly. Search Engine Optimisation of the system is good and the fact that new photos can be added all the time means that visitors are encouraged to revisit your website regularly.

For more information on adding such a feature to your website please contact pixelwave web design

Woodland Group Website Released

info@pixelwave.co.uk (Alan Cole) — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 09:36:00 +0000

I'm pleased to announce the release of the Nanteos Woodland Group's new website.

Designed and produced by Pixelwave Web Design their new website outlines the history of the Woodland Group, showcases some of their products and provides information on some of the Woodland projects they manage.

The website has been built with accessibility, conformity and seach engine optimisation in mind. It is a simple brochure style website without any bells and whistles.

Clothing shop added to website

info@pixelwave.co.uk (Alan Cole) — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 05:49:00 +0000

After many years of thinking about the idea and several requests from members of my Forces-of-Nature website I have now added a clothing shop for windsurfers and kitesurfers.

Forces-of-Nature is a website run by Pixelwave Web Design aimed at the uk community of windsurfers, kitesurfers, surfers and other beach-based sports. It has numerous features such as detailed UK beach guides, personal diaries allowing members to record their sports sessions, free classifieds, lively forums and much more. Over the years the site has developed into a community driven site with a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. Many members of the website meet up at various beaches at the weekends to indulge in their favourite sports and wanted a way to support Forces-of-Nature. I have therefore now integrated the website with that of a T-shirt fulfillment agency allowing website visitors to purchase items of clothing designed for windsurfers and kitesurfers.

The process is fairly straight forward and seems to be working well, so if you have a website aimed at a certain group of people or would simply like to sell merchandise through your website then I would certainly recommend investigating such a scheme.

Wedding Weblog

info@pixelwave.co.uk (Alan Cole) — Mon, 06 Mar 2006 12:52:00 +0000

My brother is getting married later this year so I have just built him and his fiancee a weblog. This will allow them to keep people informed of their wedding plans, post photos of the wedding and generally keep in contact with their friends and family.

The weblog provides them with an easy to use web-based administration interface so that they can add news stories, new pages and new sections to the website, upload and manage images and create links to their favourite websites.

Of course, once the wedding is over they can continue to use the weblog to post information and family news about any subject they wish. No doubt, once they get the bug they'll be blogging like mad. I only hope they leave it alone during their honeymoon!

Weblogs are a great way to create your own online web-presence, giving you complete control over the content and allowing you to add to it at will. They are cheaper than you might expect to set up, are optimised for search engine rankings and can even be used to make some money through affiliate advertising schemes. Take a look at Eloise and Brad Online, and for further information on obtaining your own personalised weblog contact Pixelwave Web Design.

Website Template Purchases

info@pixelwave.co.uk (Alan Cole) — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 11:44:00 +0000

Pixelwave Web Design have been offering website templates for sale for a while now. The service is offered via an affiliate template scheme providing op quality website templates. Recently several potential buyers have contacted me asking if they could pay by cheque rather than use the automated online payment facility. I have of course been happy to help and have bought the website template on their behalf and sent it to them via e-mail or on a CD.

Although I make very little from such sales I tend to find that going that extra mile and putting my clients first pays dividends in the end. It also gives me an insight into the people purchasing the templates and allows me to be a little nosey as I can see the website they create from the template.

Photo Gallery for Outdoor Shop

info@pixelwave.co.uk (Alan Cole) — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 08:33:00 +0000

I've just finished adding a new photo gallery system to the website of Escape Outdoors the system is based on the opensource software Coppermine photo Gallery and allows the staff of Escape Outdoors to add new categories, new galleries and new photo albums and of course upload and manipulate the photos stored within the galleries. Visitors to the site will be able to upload images ready for approval by the administrators. They can also post comments on the photos within thw albums and rank their favourites.

The gallery has been designed to compliment the existing look and feel of the Escape Outdoors website. Russ, the owner of Escape Outdoors is over the moon with his new photo galleries and has been frantically adding new albums and photos.

Recent Updates

info@pixelwave.co.uk (Alan Cole) — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 07:39:00 +0000

Summer seems to be well and truly upon us and the nice weather seems to have encouraged many webmasters to update their websites. I've been doing quite a bit of work on various Pixelwave Design websites this week.

Forces-of-Nature has had its classified adverts section revamped and is currently getting a new photo gallery system.
Escape Outdoors website is also getting a new photo gallery system and has had a few other minor changes implemented.
I've made a few small changes to the eCommerce system for the Palaeontological Association.
I have also been to visit Kite Valley Cottages to take some photos of their new annexe improvements ready fro some website updates in the near future.
Business is booming for Kite Surf Wales and their website is generating lots of enquiries so a few tweaks have been made to their website too.

Hopefully I'll be able to get out and enjoy the weather over the weekend though.

Social Bookmarking

info@pixelwave.co.uk (Alan Cole) — Tue, 06 Jun 2006 08:20:00 +0000

Social bookmarking has been around for a while now but has been coming of age recently. For those who don't know, social bookmarking services are websites that allow users to create and share lists of their favourite websites. The links are generally organised using 'tags' and are often rated. Originally seen as simply a place to store your bookmarks online so that they were accessible from any computer, they are now being seen as a possible alternative to search engines.

You can of course still keep your bookmarks private if you wish, but sharing them is the norm and it is this sharing that allows social bookmarking sites to compete with search engines.

There are a number of advantages:

Human editors vs Robots: Sites are categorised through the use of tags which are applied by real human editors who have read and hopefully understood the websites content. This should lead to a more accurate listing than the traditional search engine method of using algorithms based on the keywords from within the web-pages content.
Human ranking vs algorithms: The websites within a social bookmarking site are ranked by real human users. This can be both in the form of giving the site a ranking and also by the number of members who have actually bookmarked the site. This is in contrast to many search engine based ranking systems which really heavily on link popularity to determine a websites ranking within their search results. Search engine results will therefore rank those sites that have lots of other sites linking to them regardless of the real usefulness of the website. Social Bookmarking ranks are based on websites that people actually bookmark.

Certain disadvantages also exist due to the fact that their is no real control over the tagging process, so for example a website tagged for windsurfing and surfing may not be listed under a search for coastal sports despite the fact that it is clearly relevant for such a search. Many social bookmarking systems such as Ma.gnolia.com get around this to a certain extent by allowing members to create groups of bookmarks based around certain topics. Members can join such groups and add their favourite related bookmarks to it.

It will be a long time before social bookmarking becomes widely used and by then the systems will no doubt become abused by people trying to get their sites listed above others, but they can be useful both for finding the information you are seeking and also for sharing your favourite sites with the other members of the social bookmarking community.

Some widely used social bookmarking services:

Ma.gnolia is my favourite due to its clean, fresh design and layout and its ease of use.

Website Traffic Stats

info@pixelwave.co.uk (Alan Cole) — Mon, 05 Jun 2006 08:27:00 +0000

As a webmaster, or owner of a website you will know that promoting your website and getting good traffic to your site is one of the most important aspects governing the success of your website. But what is good traffic?

Do you know how many visitors your site receives?
do you know how they found your site?
do you know where they came from?
do you know which pages they look at?

The answers to these questions and other questions like them can all be easily answered. They can also provide vital information that will help you tweak your websites content and organisation improving the flow of traffic to and through your site and ultimately improving the effectiveness of your website.

All hosting accounts provided by Pixelwave Web Design offer website statistics packages that allow you to view numerous characteristics of the traffic visiting your website. These tools can be invaluable in assessing the effectiveness of your website, analysing marketing and promotion strategies and developing future improvements. In addition to this Pixelwave Design is now offering website analysis based on Google Analytics. Google Analytics (previously known as Urchin) provides a unique graphical overview of what is actually happening on your site providing you with in-depth knowledge about your website’s traffic patterns. Not only can you discover the number of visitors and which pages these visitors looked at but you can see which search engines they used to find your site, which phrases they use to find your site, where in the world they were located and many other statistics allowing you to make sense of the traffic your website receives.

Google Analytics is the market leader in website traffic analysis and provides you with detailed information in an easy to understand format. If you would like help adding Google Analytics to your website feel free to contact Pixelwave Web Design.

Photo and Video work

info@pixelwave.co.uk (Alan Cole) — Mon, 15 May 2006 08:06:00 +0000

As you can tell from this website my main line of work is website design, maintenance, hosting and Search Engine Optimisation. However, clients tend to call on me for all sorts of help and advice for anything remotely connected with websites or computers in general. I can't always help them, but I do my best. Recently I had a local artist contact me asking me to transfer some photos from her digital camera to CD's so that she could distribute them to various galleries. She was in quite a hurry but I was of course pleased to help. The task itself was simple so I went the extra mile by adjusting the colour balance and levels etc within photoshop and balanced the lighting across the photos as they weren't taken in studio conditions. It makes a change from coding and is of course another contact that may lead to more work in the future.

I've also had a small video related project recently. A client if mine had a DVD produced but wanted to get access to the individual clips on the DVD. The company that produced the DVD wouldn't give her the clips even though they were hers in the first place so I was given the task of extracting the clips from the DVD and re-encoding them into a useable format. Nothing too difficult, but as with any video work fairly time consuming. Once again though it made a change from coding and gave the video card in my computer a bit of a work-out.