UPDATE: Since posting this article Google has updated their terms of service for the Google Chrome product. Still not entirely consumer friendly it is *much* better than the original and even carries a Google apology along with the terms of service amendment.
Is it just me or does that new model car on the road make the model only 1 year older look like it has aged decades? You know the feeling. You put down a massive amount of money on a new car and 1 year later the new model comes out. Your car looks completely outdated at that point. I suppose we can chalk the sensation up to good design.
Speaking of which…..I hopped on the Google Chrome bandwagon as soon as it was released. Switching back to Firefox 3.0 gave me that old car sensation. Is Google onto something? I wouldn’t say that they have completely changed the landscape but they have created something very useful.
Pros –
- Javascript heavy web apps load a heck of a lot faster. Noticeably faster. I mean *really* fast.
- The minimalist design is worth mentioning. The amount of screen real estate available for websites is increased without sacrificing necessary browser features.
- Desktop shortcuts for your favorite web applications: Similar to Mozilla’s Prism offering you are able to create desktop shortcuts for any web app that you frequent. Handy.
- The name….Google Chrome. While I may not have tricked out my car, I have tricked out my internet experience.
Cons –
- Third party cookie support…ugh. This is the biggest con for me and something that everyone should be paying attention to. Google Chrome allows for third party cookie support out of the box. You are then required to turn this feature off in the options menu if you so desire. My opinion: By default, all browsers should disable third party cookies thereby creating an opt-in solution vs. an opt-out solution.
<sarcasm> I wonder if this has anything to do with DoubleClick? </sarcasm>
- Privacy. Google Chrome has the potential to leak massive amounts of information about you….the internet user. While nothing catastrophic in the way of an overflow or other attack has been discovered, the potential is there.
- As per usual, the Google terms of service is not very consumer friendly.
A well designed site increases conversion rates and ultimately affects sales. That’s nothing new. I’ve just spent some time perusing through the Yahoo! Design Pattern Library. Based on their experience Yahoo! has made a number of key recommendations available regarding how to design important elements of a website. This is not just a reference library. This is an enormous source of information for how to pick the right design complete with case studies and even a stencil kit. Oh yeah…and all of the code is available including CSS files that can be referenced from the Yahoo! servers.
Why is this so important? I’ll spell it out for you:
- Site visitors demand ease of use. A site that is easy to use is more likely to increase sales. That’s a no-brainer at this point.
- Search engines demand ease of use. The equation is a simple one: A well designed site attracts more visitors…which attracts more links…which attracts a higher ranking in the search engines. And that’s just one example of a key benefit regarding a well designed site.
If you are struggling with the design of a site or the conversion rate of a particular feature than this is the place for you. Run….don’t walk….to the nearest browser tab and pull up this link.
UPDATE: Since writing this post a watchful and attentive reader (Michael of CloudSherpas.com) has pointed out that PicLens has been re-branded and launched as Cool Iris. I find myself using Cool Iris almost exclusively for image searches via Google images or Yahoo photos. Extremely useful and worth everyone’s time.
A picture is worth a thousand words. Right? Well, along that same line of thought several visual search engines have been developed. Here is a quick rundown:
- Kartoo: This is the best visual search engine for determining relationships of sites based on your search term. They group similar listings in folders and show the interconnected web that we weave….presumably through a link popularity algorithm.
- Quintura: This site is visual only in the sense that related search terms are displayed in a large column on the left hand side.
- Searchme: Coverflow for your search results. ‘Nuff said.
Overall, I prefer Searchme as a visual search engine. The interface is clean and the results are comparable to Google. We all love eye candy and Searchme delivers in this area.
One thing to note about visual search engines would be their SEO/SEM implications. If visual search catches on (I wouldn’t be surprised to see this feature in Gng sometime soon) than not only will your current SEO/SEM efforts contribute to your success but the visual layout will also be an important factor. An interesting mix of SEO and user interface design efforts will be required to rocket you to the top and……more importantly……capture those eyeballs with a click.
(but you already knew that)
What I really like about Seth’s blog posts, books and public talks is his ability to boil things down to the most simple terms.
You should read his most recent post on B2B marketing. Twice.
The challenge for B2B marketers is still how to most effectively use the internet to their advantage. I’m still seeing far too many corporations struggle with how to engage their prospective clients online. Sure, sure….you can do some basic things.
- Publish a white paper.
- Hold webinars for new product releases.
- Make sure your email marketing habits are consistent.
But at the end of the day I can easily argue that B2C marketers have mastered the “art of the close” online.
The Microsoft Office team has done a fantastic job in recent years. Their launch of Office 2007 is biggest benchmark for their success. Install rates are high and so is customer satisfaction (wish the Microsoft Vista team could say the same).
With the success of Microsoft Office comes that awkward stage in technology when some of us are using Docx files and others are using the tried and true Doc file. What’s the difference? Docx files are generated by Office 2007 and Doc files are generated by older versions. This isn’t an issue unless you are still running an older version in which case you cannot open Docx files with a handy double-click of the mouse.
Here are your options:
1. Install the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for 2007 File Formats. Here are the instructions from Microsoft. Good luck with that.
2. Using an online converter. There are plenty of them out there. Here is an example Google search. One that pops to my mind is Zamzar. Clean interface. Quick conversions. Move on with your life.
So, while we sit in technology limbo with half of us using Office 2007 and half of us using an older version of Microsoft Office we will have to deal with file compatibility issues. Make your life easier and use one of the options detailed above if you find yourself in a jam.
