Tips to Provide the Best Website Experience, Page 17 of 25

Facebook's new Instant Articles mobile app -- a news publishing app that many say will change journalism as we know it -- has stirred quite a commotion as people try to grasp what Facebook has created, why Facebook has created it, and what it means for everyone else.

So What Is It?

Essentially, Facebook saw a way to improve the experience of reading news stories, and they crafted a mobile app around three steps:

1. Sign deals with major publishers
2. Host articles from those publishers directly on Facebook's servers instead of linking to the websites of the publishers
3. Using their new Instant Articles mobile app, place the self-hosted articles into the news feeds of Facebook users so that the load time on a news story when you click is instantaneous -- no more clicking on a popular news story and waiting several moments for the your phone's browser to appear, find the link, and load another website's page

So what does it all mean? Is this earth-shaking or not a big deal? Who will it affect, and how?

The End of Paywalls

One clear effect of the Instant Articles mobile app is, eventually, an end to the "subscription only" articles (i.e. paywalls) -- at least the poor performing ones that don't have enough demand behind them to compete with Instant Articles.

As Science20.com notes: "The smart money will tell you that Instant Articles will soon grow beyond iPhone-only access and the nine mega-companies already signed up. Unprofitable paywalls will become obsolete as the world’s major media players shift their areas of strategic importance."

Will This Be Bad or Good for the News Industry?

Many people are concerned that publishing companies are giving this much concentrated power to Facebook. Concerned pundits wonder:

1. If nine major publishers have already signed on to Instant Articles -- which will undoubtedly exert pressure on everyone else to sign up too so that they don't miss out on the massive Facebook traffic -- will Facebook eventually accumulate so many publishers that it becomes the most powerful news arbiter in the world?
2. Do we really want that?
3. Facebook is offering lucrative ad deals (70% of ad profits, total control over design, branding, and analytics) and other incentives (auto-play on videos, interactive maps, and zoom-in capability on images) for publishers to jump on board. Will Facebook eventually reduce these ad percentages and bully traffic-dependent publishers to accept terrible terms in the future?
4. Will outsourcing the hosting of articles (i.e. publishers giving their content to Facebook to host on their servers) -- and having Facebook's parameters become the context that defines the success or failure of a news story -- damage editorial standards and journalistic integrity? In other words, instead of having a large newsroom team working to maintain journalistic standards, it could eventually devolved into one person doing everything simply because they "know how to make stuff go viral on Facebook Instant Articles."

When you Google "how will Facebook Instant Articles change news" and skim through the many opinion pieces on what it means for journalism, there's a general consensus that, over time, Instant Articles could have a negative effect on the quality of journalism -- especially if the rest of the publishing world jumps on board with Instant Articles.

Vox.com summarized it well: "Skeptics believe that news organizations need the kind of control they get from running their own website. In their view, running their own websites fosters a stronger bond between readers and publishers and gives publishers more opportunity to innovate."

What Does This All Mean for Me?

These questions are great cocktail party topics, but unless you're in the news industry, it's a little harder to discern the relevance for your bottom-line.

It's effect on businesses can be summed up in one sentence: there will be more pressure than ever on content creators.

From that angle, the Instant Articles app might be frustrating news. Creating interesting, engaging content that breaks through the massive noise in our over-saturated media world is hard enough. Now your hand-made marketing content has to compete with professional news content that loads instantly and features incredibly interactive features. Users browsing through their news feed might be more tempted to click on the flashy Instant Article instead of your post below it.

What Does This Mean For Your Website Development?

To compete with Instant Articles, content creators will focus more intensely on making visually oriented content such as videos, images, infographics, memes, etc. that can be pushed easily to Facebook whenever a new article is posted to the business website. For that reason -- besides having high quality post content -- having a robust business website that supports a wide variety ofblog and social media features will give you a better chance of producing quality content that has visual or interactive appeal.

Contact us to learn more about how the latest social media trends will affect your business website development and discover how our talented team of engineers, analysts, and designers can turn your website into a wellspring of top-notch social media content.

Every business is small when it is first starting out. Even the massive conglomerates that exist today were at one point tiny enterprises. However, unlike those businesses of the past, today's business owner has a major advantage. He or she may use the website development process to grow a business and simultaneously make it appear larger than it is.

Natural Advantages To Appearing Larger

There is something quaint about operating a small business, but this does not mean it doesn't have disadvantages. In fact, virtually all small business owners intend to grow their business into something larger. This is because appearing like (or being) a large company has some advantages.

Just appearing as a company of respectable size often translates to a stronger reputation and respect. Potential customers surmise that a company that has grown to a reasonable size is trustworthy. They also often throw off the notion that a company is a "fly by night" operation once it has reached a certain size.

Every company has suppliers that sell them the goods which they resell to their customers. Suppliers charge prices based on a number of factors. One such factor is what kind of relationship they have with their customer. A small business frequently absorbs higher prices until it can prove that it is trustworthy to come through with its payments. Appearing as a larger business may work to the advantage of the purchaser of goods. It can help start to establish that trust that might not otherwise take hold.

A business that appears larger has a greater chance of being more involved in local community events. Taking root in one's community and being involved is a leading indicator of business success. Companies that do make their mark in their local community can count on good publicity from these moves. They frequently see an uptick in customer loyalty as well.

How To Create The Image

Even a company running on a shoestring budget can appear larger with proper work put into their website. The design of the website is the critical element as explained here by marketingdonut.co.uk,

The design of your website should reflect your business image and brand identity. A cheap, do-it-yourself approach is unlikely to give a good impression. But complex design and technologies are only worthwhile if these suit your image and help your website fulfill your goals. Above all, your customers must be able to find what they need quickly - via clearly laid-out information and straightforward navigation.

Essentially it is about hitting the sweet spot in terms of complexity. A modest yet engaging website is the goal.

Include Professional Staff Photos

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. Online they are worth even more. Simply adding photos of the staff can help bolster one's image on the Internet. They give a human face to the company and help outsiders start to make their judgments of that company.

Do not just place any old casual photo on the website. When selecting these photos for publication, it is best to make sure that they are of the utmost quality.

Always Include Plenty Of Means Of Communication

One mistake frequently made by those who are creating their first business website is to not include contact information. Businesses that want to look established need to provide multiple streams of communication. At a bare minimum, they must providing professional business e-mail options to their visitors.

Showing outsiders that you are eager to hear from them helps with strengthen one's image even more. Though it is difficult to manage, having a twenty-four hour available phone line is ideal.

Contact us for more of the latest information on how to enhance appearance in a small business.  

Agile development, contrasted with traditional development, is a responsive, generalized approach to software development. Agile is responsive because each development team has members available to respond to situations as they arise, at any stage of development. Because team members work on all aspects of the software development, they develop high proficiency in working projects together. The most common form of agile development is called scrum, a Rugby term which adequately describes the software teamwork.

Teamwork

Whether watching American football, soccer, basketball or hockey, team sports usually have heroes. Scoring, blocking, tackling, running, people excel in these areas as individuals, as specialists. When looking at the Rugby scrum, the most important part of the scrum is not the individuals involved, but the sum of their actions. 8 players (in a 3-4-1 row pattern) interlock heads with 8 players of the opposite team. Even though each player has a unique role, "the ideal engagement of a pack into a scrum is a simultaneous movement in the hit, shunt and drive. It is the instantaneous force exerted that makes the difference not the sum of all the forces over time." (Wikipedia)

As in rugby, scrum development requires the "instantaneous force" of all the players on each problem to swiftly and accurately develop software, overcome bugs, train users, and continue development. Software development has traditionally been more of a specialist's game: code is designed by a hand-picked team, another team writes it, another team tests it, and another team implements it into the business. The specialization of teams creates less teamwork and rigid development times and processes.

Just like a scrum in rugby is designed to instantaneously react to situations, a scrum development team can develop with fluidity, responding to new design challenges, bugs, training, or whatever needs the product owner has.

Roles

In a rugby team, the scrum is a self-contained unit with defined roles but one purpose, and each role can change depending on play. Similarly, in agile development, a scrum team has multiple roles in each development. Because of the multiple roles and their ability to shift depending on needs, each member of a scrum development team is just that: a team member. The only specialized roles are the Product Owner, and the Scrum Master. The Product Owner takes the role of final decisions about the product, speaks with investors, and decides whether to continue development and/or ship a product. The Scrum Master works with relationships in the team to negotiate roadblocks, develop team culture, and facilitate communication.

Out of Scrum

While a line of scrimmage in American football has a goal of getting the ball over the 10 yard line, there are no similar goals of a Rugby scrum. The goal of scrum is to get the ball out. Sometimes scrums will try and keep the ball in the scrum for certain reasons, but if they take too long, this is a penalty offense.

In agile development, the same principle applies. Scrum works in iterations, where each independent aspect of a product is developed in short increments. The goal of agile development is not to develop the best product ever, it is to produce a usable product or section of a product which can be further developed and tested on the field, coming back to an iteration when the software needs further development or patches.

A rugby team's goal is to keep the ball, get it out of scrum and into play. An agile development team's goal is to develop a usable program in a matter of weeks, do final testing to approval and ship it to the company for field testing.

When looking for an agile development team who uses scrum, you have to see the same type of cross-specialization, team unity, and special focus on each task that you see of a rugby team on the field. An agile development team must be able to produce the product, and get it out of scrum and into your hands. To discover how scrum development can aid you on your project, contact Contensive and ask about our development processes. 

For some businesses, choosing between a custom-built website or an open source solution is a dilemma. Others see it as an easy decision since open source is free, offers lots of functionality, and is often backed by a large following of talented developers who maintain and improve the code.

Open source solutions come in the form of content management systems (CMS) that allow the non-technical person to build a website and publish content. They offer a vast array of add-ons that add extra functionality to your website, and an enormous selection of website templates and themes.

All of this sounds good, and it is, for some users. Open source may be the right choice for small businesses whose requirements are readily met by the software. However, if your needs require extensive rework of the open source CMS or if you aren't interested in a website that uses the same building blocks as many other websites found on the Internet, then you are better off with a website that's custom-made.

A custom-built website doesn't necessarily mean you won't enjoy the benefits of a content management system because they can be custom-built as well. However, there is more to this choice besides whether an open source solution happens to perfectly meet your requirements. Here are two other considerations:

The Cost Of Implementation And Maintenance

Although many open source content management systems are built with the non-coder in mind, a learning curve is nevertheless required to become proficient with them. Implementation and maintenance is often a bumpy road requiring a fair amount of troubleshooting. Plenty of help is available online provided you are willing to ask questions in forums and do the research. All of this takes time. Whether it's yours or an employee's, this time equates to money. Alternatively, you can hire the services of someone who specializes in the open source CMS of your website.

The open source community does an excellent job of ironing out bugs and improving the code. However, they time their releases of these improvements according to their schedule, not yours. The nature of these improvements are based on the aggregate needs of everyone using the CMS. Sometimes the improvements may have little relevance to your needs and may even make things more difficult. Improvements specific to your needs will require the services of a specialist.

Custom-built websites also cost money to build and maintain. Depending on your circumstances, this may cost more or perhaps less than using an open source CMS. The circumstances for a custom-built website costing less are many. For example, you could be paying for the services of a specialist to build and manage your open source based website. Many of these professionals don't come cheap.

The Problem Of Security

According to opensource.org:

Open source software is software that can be freely used, changed, and shared (in modified or unmodified form) by anyone.

The software that runs your website is freely available to anyone, including hackers. The best open source content management systems are often very popular precisely because they're the best. This popularity incentivizes hackers to study them because they provide more targets of opportunity. Specific open source content management systems also form the basis of many hacking communities that freely share techniques and hacking software. All of this collective knowledge exists for one purpose: to hack into websites just like yours.

Some people mistakenly believe there is safety in numbers, that it's unlikely that hackers will single out their websites. This isn't necessarily true because hackers often employ software that tirelessly searches for the online "foot prints" of popular content management systems. They will find your website as surely as spammers will find your email inbox.

There are numerous ways that hackers can break into a website. They can exploit weaknesses in the CMS, the theme, or the weaknesses of one of your add-ons. A popular technique among hackers is the use of software that makes repeated attempts at guessing your login passwords. This method is called the brute force attack but it is a bit of a misnomer, because these algorithms often incorporate the use of lists and intelligent codified strategies.

Custom business website development doesn't make use of software that is freely available to the public. Potential hackers aren't armed with the "blueprints" of your website. Because of this, they aren't out there looking for your website's foot prints because they have no idea what to look for. In your case, there really is safety in numbers. Your website is just one out of millions, and on top of that, the vast majority of hackers are looking elsewhere: for websites using open source content management systems.

At Contensive, our talented team of engineers, analysts and designers develop secure custom business websites. We stand 100% behind our product with complete life-cycle support and user training. Contact us to learn more.

Mobile traffic is on the rise and according to Cisco, by 2019 it will be ten times what it was in 2014. There is also a parallel trend in app usage which grew 76% in 2014 where shopping apps led the way. The reason behind this growth is that mobile devices are an integral part of people's lives. Unlike the PC or laptop, users carry them on their person throughout the day. When the mobile user needs information or desires a product, he or she doesn't have to wait until they are at a desktop computer but can act immediately.

The mobile device has also liberated the consumer from the need to be at a specific location (either a desktop computer or the store) to buy something. This barrier to the act of purchasing is important because going out of one's way to buy something is highly inconvenient for people with little time.

To benefit more fully from mobile consumers, your store should be mobile responsive. However, a sizeable percentage of these consumers make their purchases through shopping apps. To reach this consumer segment, application development is necessary. Beyond tapping into this additional consumer channel, a mobile application can benefit your ecommerce store in other ways:

Smart Phone Inbuilt Devices

Your mobile application can integrate with smart phone features such as its GPS which provides information on the consumer's location. If the consumer wishes to buy from one of your physical stores, the app can direct the person to a store that's closest to their current location. The app can also make use of the microphone to facilitate ordering or interacting with your ecommerce store. Because mobile users are on-the-go, their hands aren't always free to type or click links.

Push Notifications

An app can send messages to the user without the app being open. If you have time sensitive discounts and specials, the push notification will alert the user. Push notifications can also be combined with the user's GPS to notify him of a special at a nearby physical store. Another use is notifications of changes in order and shipping status of purchased items. Care must be taken not to overuse push notifications because they will be quickly perceived as an intrusive form of spam.

Brand Loyalty

Mobile apps come into their own when used to retain customer loyalty. Keeping repeat customers requires increasing their level of engagement with your business. This is best accomplished with applications because people spend more time with their apps than online with mobile websites. These longer sessions mean more opportunity to strengthen relationships and to get your marketing message across.

Loyalty is further strengthened by offering exclusive coupons, discounts, and extra services designed just for the app user. Wish lists can be created within the app by the customer that contains items that the customer would like to see on sale. The app then notifies the customer when a discount is available for an item on the list.

Internet Connection

Mobile Internet connectivity is spotty at times. This is less disruptive for the user of a shopping app than it is for the visitor to your online store. The app user can still browse product offerings and make use of much of the app's functionality. Internet connectivity is required for updated information on products which means that the user may find a sudden change in an item's availability once the connection is reestablished.

Speed

A downloaded app isn't reliant on an Internet connection or the speed of the server hosting your site. This means the app will be noticeably quicker than the online store which translates to a better user experience.

If you want to increase your mobile conversions by using a shopping application that complements your ecommerce store, contact us. We can build it and make it happen.

Sometimes, the terms make decisions easy. Would you rather develop your app or website with a process called "agile," or "fixed scope?" The answer should be clear, and that's before we've even begun to describe exactly what the two terms mean. So allow us to explain just that, before arguing just why agile development is a more transparent, cost-effective and ultimately beneficial app or website development process for your company.

Fixed Scope Development

Anytime you hear a programmer or software engineer mention fixed scope or fixed bid development, they're talking about the traditional approach to developing apps and websites. When approached by a customer, the development firm comes up with a very specific plan that includes several steps, from coming up with a strategy all the way to testing. A strict budget is attached to that plan, including a timeline for the various steps.

In other words, fixed scope development is about as linear as you could imagine. Each step takes place after the one before it, with little to no interaction between the various processes. Within the development firm, strict, standardized roles are assigned to the various steps. The customer may receive progress updates, but will in most cases not have input into the software until the final, feedback stage.

Agile Development

On the other hand, a definition of the term agile software development begins where you'd expect it to: with flexibility. According to Webopedia, the term stands for

an alternative to traditional project management where emphasis is placed on empowering people to collaborate and make team decisions in addition to continuous planning, continuous testing and continuous integration.

Flowing from this definition, the concept places importance on individuals and interactions over technical processes, working software over comprehensive documentation, customer collaboration over contract negotiation and responding to change over sticking to a plan.

In other words, agile development is a more people-oriented, adaptive approach to developing software, apps and websites. That's why when compared to fixed scope development, there are several

Advantages of Agile Development.

As you may have inferred from the paragraphs above, flexibility makes agile development a desirable alternative to its fixed scope counterpart. Because planning, testing and integration are continuous instead of linear, the app or website can be adjusted at any point in the process. In fixed scope development, there may not be enough time for a major change once a problem or bug is discovered in the testing phase. The flexibility of agile development improves the final product considerably.

But flexibility isn't the only advantage of this process. Agile's emphasis on people over processes also leads to increased collaboration, both within the development company and with the customer. The team roles are not defined nearly as strictly as they are in fixed scope, as analysts and usability testers can freely interact with and offer feedback to planners and software engineers as the latter work on the project. In fact, AgileMethodology.org states that there are only three roles in the entirety of the process.

Of course, collaboration extends to the customer (you) as well. Because of its flexibility, agile development allows customers to offer continuous feedback, allowing to adjust the app or website throughout the process. We recognize that a major website overhaul or new app can be a significant project, both in terms of budget and price. That's why we want you to have as much input into the project as possible, allowing you to offer feedback and change direction as needed.

Because ultimately, agile development is about transparency. If you decide to go with an agile firm like us, you will gain much more insight into the development process than you would from our fixed scope counterparts. For more information on the process and how we can help your business, contact us.

Thinking about making an app? Awesome! Developing an app challenges your mind in numerous ways, can be very attractive on your resume, and of course, can be very enjoyable. On top of all of that, a successful app can be very lucrative. App development is definitely a challenge, though. It takes a certain type of perspective and a lot of commitment. It also requires a few different materials. Here are a few things that you will need, both physical and personal, if you plan to develop an app in the near future.

Hardware

Before you begin developing an app, you'll need to gather a few pieces of hardware that are necessary to the process. Luckily, this list is relatively short and doesn't include anything strange that most people don't have. The main requirement is a computer. A laptop is a great way to code on the go, but a desktop will do just fine. The computer will need to be new enough to run the development software, but most computers from the last five to ten years would be able to handle that. You'll also need an internet connection through which to download the software and do any research necessary. Again, most people already posses all of the hardware necessary to develop apps. It's also helpful to have a device that you can use to test your app on as you develop. This could easily be your own phone or tablet, and isn't even required, because some coding software comes with an emulator, which means your computer can pretend to be any device you want to code for.

Software

One of the most important tools in development, especially app development, is environment software. This software is where you will actually write the code. The software also compiles the code, which means it turns it into numbers the processor on the device can understand, and runs the application on a device you connect, or a software emulator that you can set up. Environment software can include a number of other helpful things, such as debugging tools, and help and tutorial databases. One of the industry's most popular environment software is call Eclipse. Eclipse is open source, which means that anyone in the community can help build and update it. In this case, it also means that it is free. Eclipse has all of the tools listed here, including the emulator which can take the place of a device if you don't have one, and help you test and debug for all of the devices you want to support.

Knowledge

App development can be thrilling, but it's certainly not easy. It takes a lot of knowledge and experience, but if you don't have that yet, don't worry. Everybody has to start somewhere. There are a number of free resources online you can use to start learning. A lot of developers like W3Schools. It tends to be a good place for beginners to start. There's also a forum called Stack Overflow. This is one of the most popular places for programmers to come together to help each other with coding problems. They also seem to be pretty friendly to beginners. Obviously, these are not the only online options for beginners. Don't be afraid to do your own search for tools that will work for you. Also, you might try your library or bookstore. Some people find it easier to learn out of a book rather than a website.

State of Mind

This is a little different from the other things on the list. This isn't something you can buy, or find on the internet. Coding apps takes an enormous amount of time. The simplest of apps might take an experienced coder between 10 and 100 hours. If you haven't coded anything before, you can multiply that by 10. Apps that are somewhat complex require either a team of developers or several years. This is not meant to discourage you, but rather to encourage you. You definitely have what you need to see the project all the way through to the end. What you don't already have, you can find, and it's worth it, not only when the app is finished, but all the way along the journey. However, it can be very easy to become discouraged by a bad day or a particularly tough problem if you're not ready for it. Before you jump in, make sure you mentally prepare yourself for the challenge, and you'll be just fine.

Developing an app is definitely a challenge. It takes a huge number of hours and even more work. There will be ups and downs, but in the end, you'll have a little more money, a slightly shinier resume, and a happiness that no one can take away. Can't get it quite right, or have a need that you can't fill on your own? Contact us! We can help build any app you need, no matter the type or complexity.

The number of mobile devices has now surpassed the number of people on the planet. Smartphones are more ubiquitous than trees with nearly 90 percent of consumers owning a mobile phone and 30 percent owning a tablet.

Smartphone users, or Millennials as they’re called, are projected to have a purchasing power of $2.45 trillion by 2015.

While it’s still uncertain what will happen over the next 12 months, here are the top 7 plausible mobile development trends predicted for this year.

1) The Rise of The Wearables

Mobile tech will enter a brand new phase, and completely revolutionize the user experience. Technology like Google Glass and Apple Watch will do away with hand held mobile phones, and make them accessories you can wear on your body.

The former works is as functional as a computer, except you wear the screen like a pair of glasses. While the former still gives the price tag jitters, expect competitors to offer a cheaper version of the technology. Apple Watch is soon ready to launch with an affordable price tag that makes the average consumer happy.

2) Brands Will Drop The Sell-Buy Model

“Companies selling products to consumers is coming an end” according to Heather Cox, the chief client experience officer at Citi.

She believes brands will move away from the traditional sales funnel, in favor of a lifecycle subscription with customers. To align with this, marketers are using customer data to target consumers with products and services that will help them in the moment. For instance, banks will interact and report how much free cash you have at the dawn of a new day, or offer you loyalty points to spend at the moment in a store or event.

3) Mobile Payments Will Grow Locally

From national retail chains to neighborhood stores, users will be able to make low volume purchases with their phones rather than their credit cards. Leading the mobile payment trend is Apple Pay, offering a service that represents 90 percent of card purchase volume in the US and can be used at 220,000 outlets.

6) Mobile Payments Will Go Global

"Move over mobile payments — it’s all about global mobile payments now," said Nataly Kelly, vice president of marketing for Smartling. As global tourism surges due to emerging middle-class in markets such as Asia, app developers and mobile marketers will need to develop software that supports international currencies for people who travel abroad. This need will move mobile payments towards an a functionality at the international level.

5) Vehicles Will Become More "Mobile"

Trends aren't just limited to portable wearables; they're also finding a way to integrate into our cars. Traffic-aware GPS will evolve to providing in-vehicle Wi Fi and enhanced location services. Windshields will also offer guidance, location coordinates, and overlays.

6) Health and Nutrition Monitoring On Mobiles and Wearables

Smartphones and wearable devices will generate real-time data regarding your individual body and health. Apps can track blood glucose levels following meals, sleep quality indicated by REM cycles, and how many calories you’ve eaten in a day. There will also be smart armbands for workout related notifications and data recording.

7) A Cut back on data fishing apps

As users become more attached to their smartphones, they’re preferring their privacy. Developers will need to cut back on apps whose sole purpose is to collect consumer data.

One example is a flashlight app that taps into a user’s geolocation, accessing their camera and calendars. This trend will push developers to differentiate their app in a forest of competition by providing better security and privacy than their competitors. It will also force mobile marketers to use less interruptive strategies in favor of more customer orientated marketing.

Expect to see these trends evolve and dynamic competition speed up the race. No matter what trends develop this year, the smartphone is undoubtedly the platform to invest in.

Which trend do you think will deliver the most for businesses? Contact us and let us know