Mays Web Design

Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google has revealed to The Guardian newspaper that the internet faces its biggest ever threat to its core principles of openness and freedom.

Sergey said the threat to the freedom of the internet came from a number of sources, including governmental restrictions and tighter regulations on how people access the internet and communicate.

He also blames new laws preventing piracy and software regulations that make up so-called “Walled Gardens” by companies such as Apple and Facebook which place further restrictions on an internet that was initially open to all and free from restrictive policies.

Sergey admits that he is “more worried than I have been in the past” and says that there are “very powerful forces that have lined up against the open internet on all sides and around the world.”

His comments come just 2 weeks after the UK announced that a new piece of legislation would allow intelligence agencies to access and monitor emails and internet activity of any UK citizen that it judges may pose a risk to security, this could be members of a political party or activist group.

Sergey also admits that he was wrong about China’s ability to censor the web. Sergey is widely believed to have been the driving force behind Google’s decision to temporarily pull out of China back in 2005 and said then that no country would be able to successfully restrict the internet for long, but now he has changed his mind saying; “I thought there was no way to put the genie back in the bottle, but now it seems in certain areas the genie has been put back in the bottle.”

He is equally critical of Facebook, calling their rules “restrictive” and accusing them of stifling innovation. Google launched their own rival to Facebook, Google+ in 2011 which already has 800 million members worldwide.

With countries such as China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Russia each trying to restrict the internet in their own ways and the US and the UK using it to spy on its own citizens, the internet is being attacked on all sides and is perhaps a victim of its own success? Restricting the internet may be an almost impossible task faced by some countries, but re-establishing the trust of users whose details end up in the hands of the government could be just as challenging for the founders & web developer's of Google.

Web design in Sussex is facing a new challenge with the launch of Apple’s new iPad Retina. Criticism of the iPad argues that some web designers will now focus purely on producing crisp, sharp images which will look great on the new Retina display-optimised apps but which will take up huge download time on ordinary networks.

The latest Apple iPad has a “resolutionary” Retina display which has a 2048 x 1536 resolution, 3.1 million pixels and 44% greater colour saturation which leads to an enviably razor sharp, flawlessly crisp and crystal clear 9.7 inch image. With other tablets sure to follow suit, does this mean that web designers will now focus purely on image content to the detriment of other users without this technology?

Have you got a New Year’s Resolution yet? Or have you already broken the ones you set on January 1^st? Chances are that most people’s resolutions are to do with their weight or general health, but what about the health of your business? Making some business resolutions that are easier to keep than that subscription to the gym could be the wisest move you ever made.

Improving your site’s SEO ranking could have major results for your business and help you to make 2012 the year when your business starts to really take-off. Google is the new High Street and if you want to make your website stand out then you need to do some virtual window dressing. Here are 10 simple SEO tips that you could have on your New Year Resolutions List.

Even if you just put a few of these tips into practice, your site could benefit hugely and ratings will improve. So make some resolutions that you can keep this year, because having a healthy business will also pay off in other ways too!

Have you got a New Year’s Resolution yet? Or have you already broken the ones you set on January 1^st? Chances are that most people’s resolutions are to do with their weight or general health, but what about the health of your business? Making some business resolutions that are easier to keep than that subscription to the gym could be the wisest move you ever made.

Improving your website design could have major results for your business and help you to make 2012 the year when your business starts to really take-off. Google is the new High Street and if you want to make your website stand out then you need to do some virtual window dressing. Here are 10 simple web design tips that you could have on your New Year Resolutions List.

• Branding – Don’t rely on clipart or Google images, get a professional to design you a brand and place it prominently on your site (usually at the top). That brand will be the first thing customers notice and you want them to recognise it and the message behind it.
• De-clutter– Keep your site simple, slick and smart. Consistency is key here so make sure that colours flow through and typefaces stay the same. Headings should all be the same height along with images.
• Social Network It – If you haven’t done so already, then get yourself a Facebook or Google+ page (or preferably both!). It’s a great way to interact with customers. Make sure you include the social network widgets somewhere prominent on your site to make it easy for visitors to ‘Like’ your company.
• Blog – Google loves fresh content and the best way to do this is to offer a blog full of interesting and relevant information about your company, your products, tips and advice, etc
• Easy Navigation – Your site should be easy to use so make sure that menus and navigation links are obvious. Include a site map at the bottom too. Your site should be as user-friendly as possible. You can test this by asking someone to find a certain page or piece of information and see how long it takes them to do so.
• Easy Fit – Try to ensure that your pages fit onto one screen. We realise this is not always possible, but important pages like your homepage should be contained within a screen shot without the need for scrolling down.
• Change Fonts – A hard to read font will put visitors off. Verdana is the most popular font and just making this change could see the length of time visitors stay on your site doubling.
• Understanding the Blurb – The content of your site should be SEO friendly, unique and easy to read. Use plain English and say what you have to in as few words as possible. A good copywriter will be able to provide this service for you.
• Low-Tech – Make sure your site is compatible. Not everyone has the latest pc and high-speed broadband, so if your site takes an age to load they will quickly lose interest. Keep flash animations and other wizardry to a minimum.
• Close those pop-up windows – Pop-up windows are annoying. Pages should be loaded directly onto the last page viewed and they should not open in a separate window. These days many people have pop-up blockers so you could find your pages blocked by your customer’s pc.

Even if you just put a few of these tips into practice, your site could benefit hugely and ratings will improve. So make some resolutions that you can keep this year, because having a healthy business will also pay off in other ways too!