Here's a good list of things to check through this year regarding your career, your web presence, your social network(s), and even your desk. And if you missed it, check your web site's copyright year!
I think it is time for some spring cleaning around here. Stay tuned. We're going to be updating a few things around here.
An article on Twitter's growth stats flatlining Ben Parr caught my attention. According to one Twitter stat, the number of unique visitors per month has dropped to a measly 1.45% growth. That is in December, Twitter got approximately 22.81 million uniques, down from 22.48 million the prior month.
Parr lists a few interesting reasons as to why it could be that Twitter has flatlined, but I think he missed one; Twitter has been overexposed in the media.
Forget Comscore & Quantcast numbers, we need to ask E-Poll guys to include "Twitter" when they do their next "Overexposed Celebrities" poll.
Is this really a big deal? Is this the end of Twitter?
No, not really. Kind of like the housing market bubble, when the media caught Twitter-mania, it artificially inflated the monthly usage stats. Now that everyone and their mother knows about Twitter, and it's fallen of mainstream media's new cycle (hey, they got Palin and McGwire to talk about now) I think the stats are simply slipping back to a baseline usage and growth.
Facebook by comparison grew almost 3% according to Compete, that is 1.5% or so more than Twitter.
Hey, how about that? IS that a big deal?
I guess to some (geeks) but not to me. Look, consider the fact that Facebook usage between July and August actually shrank, while Twitter's usage grew, no one I knew was calling out the demise of Facebook.
http://siteanalytics.compete.com/twitter.com+facebook.com/
Along with Snuggies and the ShamWow, Twitter has gotten a little too much attention this past summer. But when the dust settles, Twitter is going to continue to grow steadily.
Louis Lazaris wrote this great article making a strong case against using those vertical navbars on your website. The above image shows eye tracking diagrams of users visiting various websites, and just like banner ads, you can see how the eye naturally avoids reading into those areas. They're not even look at your vertical navbars! Note the last screen capture on the right is a Google search results page with no vertical navbars.
Like Lazaris explains, there are exceptions to the rule, but generally speaking, your primary form of navigation should be horizontal, with three to five elements to choose form. Less is more, if you want your website visitors to click through as well as digest the content you are providing, you need to get in the habit of teasing them and not just try to force everything front and center.
Are there exceptions? Absolutely. Vertical navbars are okay for simple lists or calls to action, contextualized as a secondary navigation. And as Lazaris points out, sometimes the exception is simply, "a client who insists on it."
Why do designers still use vertical navbars? Most of the time is just an indicator of a novice designer that is lacking some fundamentals. We shouldn't see the use of vertical navbars as site's primary navigation if you except your website to be considered professional designed... unless of course, you really know what you're doing.
Here's a case made by Paddy Donnelly of changing your blog post design and layout every time you publish..a post. I can hear a collective web developer groan but I think he makes a great point.
At least clients that can afford this level of detail, such as those clients that publish "blogzines" for commercial purposes, should really consider this approach. If magazine designs know they have change layouts page by page to keep their readers interested, what makes online magazines think this is different when they visit online version of an article? No much beyond the limitations of the medium. And certainly nothing says you have to keep the same layout/design template.
Was out getting ideas for Africa Rural Connect and a couple of other projects and I happen to come across these guys, Kickstarter.com. One of the things I like is their use simple and clear "calls to action" within each of these projects. (Thanks Todd!)
As a blogger, I spend most of my time writing. But it’s time spent reading that’s most satisfying. Here’s a short (and by no means a complete) list of 10 articles that encapsulate the art of the startup. Most were published during 2009, and I found them educational and full of practical tips that we’ve applied to our business. They’ve also helped me think differently about startups and entrepreneurship. Hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did.
“What Startups Are Really Like” by Paul Graham: This has to be the single best essay I read during 2009. Every entrepreneur should begin the startup journey with this essay. It bottles every essence of entrepreneurship and startups, and is chock-full of practical advise and tips that are applicable to anyone who dares to dream.
“Milestones to Startup Success” by Sean Ellis: Ellis explains the need for minimum viable product, aka MVP, and then outlines how startups can go up his startup pyramid to find success.
“Myth: Entrepreneurship Will Make You Rich” by Eric Ries: “One of the unfortunate side effects of all the publicity and hype surrounding startups is the idea that entrepreneurship is a guaranteed path to fame and riches. It isn’t,” Ries writes in this no-holds-barred essay about the challenges and pitfalls of being a startup founder.
“What Is the Minimum Viable Product?” by Venture Hacks: A great audio conversation on the Venturehacks blog including a slide show.
“The Power of Continuous Improvement” by Mike Speiser: In a guest post for us, Mike talks about the importance of metrics, feedback and how they can drive continuous improvement. Mike’s rules have found eager takers among our team.
“Getting Comfortable With People Who Make You Uncomfortable” by Mike Speiser: In this article, Mike addresses the need for people who challenge conventional wisdom and make everyone around them uncomfortable — which is why every company needs them.
“The Funnel Principle: Software & Making Money” by Tony Wright: It’s good to build great products, but in order to build great companies one needs to have more — a clear path of monetization, an attention magnet, and in general excellence at things beyond product development.
“Does Every Startup Need a Steve Jobs?” by Andrew Chen: A dissection of how insanely great products are built by combining desirability, feasibility and viability. Read this post after reading Wright’s “Funnel Principle.”
10: “Startup Killer: The Cost of Customer Acquisition” by David Skok: A definitive essay on startup business models, the perils of overoptimism, and the importance of cost of customer acquisitions. Skok is a 3-time entrepreneur with a lifetime of experience.
Bonus links:
Self-serving: “What Every Entrepreneur Can Learn From Derek Jeter” and “What Makes DJ Tick.”
Every startup guy should listen to Jobs’ speech before embarking on their journey.
Pretty good, quick collection of articles on what it's like to be an Entrepreneur. Read it, sleep on it, and read it again. Bottom line, startups are hard. You want to be sure this is what you want to do.
Pay attention to the part where it says, "developers are not mind readers." That's a good one.
My favorite type of entrepreneurs. Yes, you can make a profit and help the world become a little better place for everyone. Yes, you can. It's very possible. Check these folks out for inspiration.
Pretty awesome collection of lists covering entrepreneurs from every sector and industry you can think of. If you can't find passionate risk-takers here, I don't know where else you should look.
