Now that I’m close to finishing the design on my eCommerce site, I guess I’m getting a case of eCommerce Angst.

I mean, if multi-million dollar companies are using fixed width designs instead of flexible designs, what do they know that I don’t? It’s not like they’re worried about browser compatibility–I cannot even access many such sites on my older computers that still have older, 640×480 resolution monitors! My design is flexible, and should work on older computers (works on my 12 year old computer) as well as newer machines.

It’s a real head scratcher.

At any rate, I’ve done more work on my site today, including completing the stylesheet, which may still be subject to change! While I’ve been coding the site, I’ve just been defining styles internally. But, today I moved to an external stylesheet and recoded to reflect that. This way, I’ll be able to make changes across all the completed pages more easily. Assuming, of course, that such changes would be covered in the stylesheet!

I don’t have what I would consider to be a complete CSS layout, but it’s moving in that direction. Someday, probably. For now, I just need to get the site done! So, I’m using CSS where it’s most needed, and can always come back later and tweak the site some more if need be. The most likely case will be that I won’t touch the design of the site again until it becomes a necessity again!

Popularity: 6% [?]

Ann of A Nice Place in the Sun awarded me the Best Kept Secret Award back on September 20th.

The Best Kept Secret Award was created by Bobbarama to award “a blogger with great style and wit and warmth who hasn’t been discovered yet.”

Thanks Ann!

Now, I need to pass this award on to three to five bloggers who also number among the Best Kept Secrets in the blogosphere. This has been a tough one…

Of course, I immediately think of my blog sparring partner, Joanne, but as fast as her Technorati Authority Rank has been growing, I believe she no longer qualifies as a secret. Instead, I will give her the coveted Breakout Blogger Award:

This was also created by Bobbarama to cast “a spotlight on bloggers who are just beginning to draw lotsa attention.”

Now, onto the Best Kept Secret Awards…

Chris Bloczynski - He’s got a lot of great posts (slow over the last week or so though), but his Technorati Authority Ranking doesn’t reflect that.

Erina Hart - She’s only had her blog for two months, but is making a serious splash in the blogosphere. Check out her latest work of fiction: “Sex and the Campus” part 1 and part 2. Maybe PG-13 right now, but not sure where she’s reading with part 3. Just a bit of warning for parents and younger readers, lest the title wasn’t warning enough. Anyway, stop by and encourage her to start sending queries and submitting work to publications!

Alex Yang - His blog shows a lot of potential, especially if he were to get more direction and feedback (and install a comment-spam-blocker).

Congratulations to the winners! The four of you should now proceed to Bobbarama’s instructions on re-awarding.

Popularity: 7% [?]

I’ve spent most of the day on Saturday (and just finished for the night about ten minutes ago) working on my eCommerce site (see “Related Posts” below for earlier posts).

The current site is a design disaster. Different pages updated at different times, where I changed designs (though slightly) from time to time, intending that ALL pages would be with the new design, which never happened. So, the result is a hodge-podge of pages where even the logo may vary from page to page. Not good.

A few years ago, I developed a new design that I intended to use for all of my related web sites. I have an eCommerce site currently running with this design, and had plans for the main eCommerce site to eventually have that same design.

Well, I have had to learn to embrace change.

Not change for change’s sake, mind you, but to accomplish my design and function goals with the site. The original design was created to look good at resolutions of 640×480 and 800×600, the popular resolutions at the time I created the design, which should give you some indication as to the age of the design.

Being a fixed design, it looks small on monitors with greater resolutions. As I looked at a number of other web sites, I see that many are using fixed designs, many of which are still for 800×600, but centered on the page so that it doesn’t look so small as when left-justified.

But, I wanted a flexible design. Along the way, I relearned why I did the original design at a fixed size rather than a liquid design. With trial and error, plus some helpful advice from people on a listserv I’m on, I was able to create a liquid design that met my criteria.

First, it has to be readable at a 640×480 resolution. Granted, that’s reportedly less than 1% of users these days, but a sale is a sale! I don’t want to lose out on a customer because the web site was too difficult for them to read! I accomplished this by setting a minimum width for the main table, plus using a graphic at a fixed size to force that width in browsers that don’t recognize the minimum width parameter.

It also has to look good at higher resolutions. By using a liquid design, the page resizes nicely to fit the user’s screen. I used a combination of fixed and percentage widths to control the liquidity such that some elements on the page remain consistent while others flex easily. At most sizes, it looks great! Now, some people with super high resolutions may find some of the text stretched on long lines, but I think it should be fine for most people.

Why continue to worry about the low resolution users and not the super high resolution users? Well, the low resolution users cannot make their resolutions higher but a super high resolution user can always resize their browser window should the text prove too difficult to read. So, even though it may require some user intervention in some cases, overall, people should find the site easy to read and navigate.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am also trying to make the site more feminine. One part of that was rounded corners. Finally, I mastered the HTML art of rounded corners! Doing this, and then tweaking the design based on feedback, meant that I had to make changes to my original graphics. In the end, I wound up with some graphics that were completely different than what I started with. For example, I had to give up ovals in favor of rounded boxes.

The rounded boxes look good, but I kind of miss the ovals. Maybe I will give them a second look, since the new design I wound up with doesn’t necessarily require rounded boxes. You see, the ovals didn’t work when I started tweaking the graphics, but when I arrived at the end result, that’s no longer necessarily the case. Sometimes, things come full circle. I will have to give the ovals a second look, but not right now!

Though initially hesitant to do so, I also changed my colors somewhat. I nearly completely eliminated the feminine “pink,” which was actually a shade of red, but appears bright pink on newer monitors. I added some darker colors, still related to my color scheme. I was reluctant at first, but it adds a good contrast and I think it works out well. I guess you could really say that I expanded my colors!

The header and footer are done differently than in the original design too.

I think the end result is something that is still recognizable as an update of the original design, but also something new. It accomplishes my goals of flexibility and functionality, as well as maintaining a strong sense of the original design.

I’m not done tweaking yet! I have to take a second look at the ovals, plus probably do some more tweaking and solicit more feedback.

But, after I’m finished with this design (and completely finished with this eCommerce site), I think I will update my other related sites to this same layout. It’s been a long road (I’ve actually been working on this eCommerce site for YEARS), but I’m happy with the way its turning out.

Embrace change! Within reason, of course.

Related Posts:

• “Finally” (20070902)
• “Closer…” (20070919)
• “Are You a Woman?” (20070922)

Popularity: 6% [?]

After completing his Seven P’s, with which I originally tagged him, Lewis created his own P challenge: P Antonyms, where you describe yourself by listing 7 words (beginning with the letter P) that describe the opposite of what you are. And, then he tagged me with that.

So, here we go. And, remember to Mind Your P’s!

My P Antonyms

Paedophage - I do not eat children. I’m also not a paedophile, but I’m going with unusual words here; just wanted to explain its absence!

Palamate - I do not have webbed feet.

Palfrenier - I am not about to be married, nor am I just married. Also, I do not take care of horses.

Palingman - I’ve bought fish, but never sold them.

Pantoglot - I only speak English and some Latin. Would like to learn Spanish, Russian and Mandarin.

Pelasgic - I pretty much like to stay in one place.

Prosateur - Not yet anyway. Maybe someday!

Now, who should I tag? Lewis tagged Joanne, so I can’t tag her too. Okay, here we go:

Debo Hobo

Phil McDonnell

JD

Ann - Another attempt at distraction…

Erina - Ha! Joanne will have to think up someone else!

Popularity: 24% [?]

Slow Saturday afternoon? Here are some short videos for your entertainment:

Be careful who you let edit your wedding video.

This one’s interesting, with one story with two perspectives running backwards and forwards.

Watch as Shifty’s clever escape goes awry.

Finally, there is Mac vs. PC: South Park Style.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Thursday, I was tagged by Joanne with this meme and Friday I was tagged again by Jon. I guess that means I have to come up with TWO tips and, since Jon already stole** one of them before I blogged it, that means I need to think up THREE tips!

The idea here is to mark your five favorite tips with an asterisk (obviously, one of those five will be Jon’s) and then add one of your own. Or, in my case, add TWO.

  1. Look, read, and learn.
  2. Be, EXCELLENT to each other.
  3. Don’t let money change ya!
  4. Always reply to your comments.
  5. Blog about what you know & love.
  6. Don’t use filthy language-buy a dictionary.
  7. Blog about something educational.
 *8. Be yourself; others will follow.
  9. Don’t have too many blogs that will become a chore to maintain.
 10. Keep it simple, user-friendly, interesting and organized!
 11. Keep the blog simple and sweet!!!
 12. Share with others your thoughts and don’t be shy!
 13. Never ask for link exchange. Blog hop to increase traffic.
 14. Don’t clutter your blog with ads all over the place. IT’S IRRITATING.
 15. Don’t comment for the sake of commenting. Some looked too fake and its a big turn off!
*16. Share something interesting and you will gain more readers.
 17. Show that we care to all bloggers, treat each other as friends.
 18. Pictures say a million words. Keep them coming!
 19. Blogging should be fun or you’ll get tired of it pretty soon.
*20. Don’t think people will come to your blog if you’re not willing to pay a visit to them.
 21. Everyone loves read short posting and best, illustrated with a picture.
 22. Try not to publish more than 5 posts in one blog a day. Even if it’s from feed reader, it’s quite hard to digest and catch up reading everything.
 23. Blog: the other window to peek into people’s life, minus the trouble. Keep a certain level of privacy to yourself.
*24. Never tell your readers that you are going on vacation. That’s basically telling them to not visit your blog for a week. Instead, write several posts, and take advantage of the timestamp feature.
 25. Try and write with people in mind that are “somewhat similar to you”. Allow your audience to identify with your blog and feel “at home”.
 26. The key to a good article is a good introduction. A joke, a question or a picture does wonders.
 27. If you are looking to earn an income blogging read StevePavlina.com and Problogger.net, you will be amazed at what you can learn.
 28. Write for yourself first. Remember that it takes time, effort, patience…and above all, daring.
*29. Use Google Alerts for immediate alerts of news and/or blog posts about topics you specify, clip those that interest you into Google Notebook (it also copies the URLS for reference).
30. Be attentive to your blog, viewing it as a reader would; be adventurous and don’t be afraid to stray a little off-topic; finally, get your audience involved with your blog, so that it’s more than a one-way conversation.
31. Get your posts noticed by taking advantage of viral tags to link to specific posts rather than your blog in general.

I want to see tips from:

Michael Kwan - Hopefully he’ll offer something other than “Be a frequent guest blogger on JohnChow.com.” And, check out his “5 Tips to Improve Your Writing Ability.” Did I already link to that? Well, if I did, it’s worth a second read.

David - He comments here frequently. I think he’s just asking to be tagged. Besides, he needs a break from posting chapters of the Art of War for Business.

Ann - I still have to accept an award and complete a meme she tagged me with, so I’ll distract her from my procrastination by tagging her with this meme. And be sure to tune in to her blog next Friday.

Sabrina - She’s left a few comments around here, which can only led to entrapment into memes like this. Visit her blog to learn how to win a Gameboy Advance SP.

Joanne - If I can get tagged twice on this one, so can you. I’m not completely uncertain you weren’t responsible for the double tag anyway. And, please do it before you go off to join the circus.

**Except for the Google Notebook part which I wouldn’t have thought of.

Popularity: 7% [?]

I’m generally not a big fan of memes, but I saw this post on Erina’s blog and it hit home. Plus, I need to tag Joanne again.

Anyway, as Erina wrote, the point here is to identify your most common writing mistake and then tag five other bloggers to do the same.

My most frequent writing mistake is the run-on sentence. I am one of the few people that actually enjoyed breaking down* sentences on the chalkboard. Still, I end up with run-on sentences, because I just keep going and going…

It is surprising, too, how many people think they know how to use English correctly. Not just know, but know. Or, know know, as some might say. This despite the fact that they are completely wrong. At my “day job” I had plenty of such situations. Having taken a fair number of English and writing classes, plus being an aspiring writer, I was pretty good with words and grammar. And, in that day job, I had to type other people’s work. I used to try to help them, by pointing out what was wrong with their writing. Mind you, since these were business people, I thought I was doing them a favor, helping them not look foolish to their customers.

I quickly learned not to try to help people. People were convinced they were right, and wanted things left as they were. One time, the person was insistent they were right; that person had been an English major, after all! So, I had to type it as they had insisted. That, of course, despite the fact that person was 100% wrong. I consulted a grammar guide as well as three freelance writers just to confirm that I wasn’t wrong. I wasn’t!

For a good while, reading and typing bad writing ruined my own. It kind of oozes in, and you have to fight it off, sometimes not as successfully as others.

But, I have digressed… So, now to tag five other bloggers:

Chris
Chris
Doug
Joanne
Lewis

*The actual term for this has slipped my mind. Hopefully, I’ll remember before I complete this post. If I don’t, you’ll be reading this.

Popularity: 25% [?]

Sometimes, it seems like there is this growing consensus that competition is bad. We should all get along and cooperate and no one should have to lose and get their feelings hurt. There are schools now where, especially for younger children, games are played where everyone wins, no matter who scored more points. (Never mind that some children do keep score, and know whether they won or lost–kids aren’t always as stupid as adults are prone to believe.)

That is simply not reality and I believe that failing to teach children reality does more harm than good. How will you prepare them how to handle real failure if they’ve never experienced defeat?

Competition can be good. It teaches important lessons and how to win and how to lose.

I think the problem is people believing that all competition is bad, and failing to recognize that there are two types of competition. The only options people frequently see are competition or cooperation. They see cooperation as good, so competition must be bad.

In fact, only one type of competition is bad, and that is destructive competition. Destructive competition exists in many forms. If two countries go to war over competing claims to a resource, that is destructive competition. If two businesses undermine each other’s products or services with false claims or sabotage, that is destructive competition. If two people slander each other in the media, that’s destructive competition. Look no further than most political races to see an example of destructive competition, where candidates tear each other down.

With destructive competition, while there may ultimately be a victor, victory has come at a high price and people will have suffered (or died) as a result.

The other form of competition is constructive competition. Under constructive competition, businesses compete by building better products or by providing better service or offering a better price than their competitors. While this may sometimes result in the losing competitor going out of business, more frequently the result is a variety of products and services in the marketplace, with continual improvement. In this constructive competition, the victor benefits with higher sales or higher profits, the losers may still benefit with sales and profits plus learning important lessons for their next product or service, and consumers win with lower prices, higher quality products and/or a wider selection of products, enabling them to find one that best suits their needs.

With constructive competition, people compete, whether in sports or careers or blog sparring. And, in this competition, people improve themselves, they improve their skills, they learn important lessons from the competition. There are even examples where people have helped their competitors.

There is such an example in the sports world that I have been trying for a couple months to find. I know I read it in a book I have, but I cannot remember which one, and it hasn’t been in any of the ones I thought it was in. The example was of a record-holding athlete. Another athlete was trying to beat the record, and called the record-holder for advice. And, the record-holder gave him advice–helpful advice, not misleading tips. Now, that is constructive competition at its finest!

Constructive competition can even be better than cooperation! Competition is built into our very nature and, when used constructively, can be a better tool for success and motivation than a cooperative effort.

So, let’s discard this notion that all competition is bad! The next time someone tells you how awful it is for people to compete, let them know there are two types of competition: constructive and destructive. Let’s teach our kids how to compete constructively, while discouraging them from competing destructively! And, keep score, so that children can learn reality!

Constructive competition, good. Cooperation, meh.

Believe. Act. Achieve!

Popularity: 8% [?]

Is it wrong to hear someone else’s bad news and feel all warm and fuzzy inside? I think that it is, which is why I won’t link to the blog sharing the bad news. It is so, so wrong. Bad. Bad. Bad. Bad. I feel so guilty, yet the warm and fuzzy feeling remains. I’m a bad, bad person.

KIDS: you should not find comfort in the tribulations of others.

Disclaimer: There was no physical injury or death involved in this bad news, so I guess I’m not that bad. Still, it is so wrong.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Let’s focus today on the neglected opportunity.

How many times have you missed an opportunity because you weren’t prepared? Perhaps it wasn’t until later that the thought occurred to you: “I should have said…” or “I should have done…” Maybe you didn’t have a business card with you. Or, related to the first point, you just didn’t have the right words to say?

Sometimes we make excuses. Well, if I wasn’t with such and such, then I would have definitely… Or, if I wasn’t running late…

The truth is that, for many people, being in “marketing mode” just isn’t their standard operating procedure. People don’t think to sell themselves. So, they miss opportunities.

Ever wonder why some people are successful and others aren’t? It’s not necessarily that they’re smarter or more pleasant to be around, but that they were better at seizing opportunities that presented themselves.

It can be difficult. Days, weeks, even months may go by and no opportunities present themselves. People grow so accustomed to not having opportunities that, when an opportunity does finally present itself, they mistake it for a mirage–they can hardly believe such an opportunity would come to them! And, so they dismiss it. They ignore it. They pass it by simply because they don’t believe it’s true.

Such an attitude may even grow to the point where people fail to notice opportunities that are presented to them. We see this kind of thing happening in situation comedies, where a character wishes for some type of opportunity which finally arises and is clearly visible to the viewer, but the character completely misses it, often brushing aside the very character that is prepared to give them what they want. It’s funny on TV, but sad when it happens in real life. And, it happens far too often.

That’s part of the reason to have a positive outlook–negativity can blind you to such opportunities. Some people feel optimism is a way of setting themselves up for disappointment, but it can also clear the mind to better notice opportunities. Pessimism focuses the mind on obstacles and challenges, so you are more likely to see those than to see opportunities. This isn’t wacky New Age mumbo-jumbo; this is just common sense psychology. Remember in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, when Luke enters the cave that is strong in the dark side of the Force, Yoda cautions him that he will find what he takes with him. Such is the way of walking through the cave of life too: you will find what you carry with you. If your mind carries thoughts of obstacles, that is what it will be most likely to take notice of. If your mind carries thoughts of opportunities, that is what it will find most easy to spot. Be open to opportunities!

It is also the reason to be always prepared to market yourself. Whether you are selling a product or a service, be prepared. Perhaps you’re single and looking for a mate, be prepared. Maybe you’d like a new job–be prepared!

Many of us have multiple self-marketing needs. Perhaps you need to sell a service and find a mate. Maybe you need to promote your blog and find a new job. Whatever your needs, make a list of them. For each one, develop and memorize a tagline or soundbyte to market it. Then, be prepared to expand on it. If you have a short amount of time, you’ve got a short tagline or soundbyte to get across quickly. If you have more time, you can discuss the matter in greater detail. That gives you multiple methods of seizing an opportunity.

Believe. Act. Achieve!

Popularity: 5% [?]