Emoticons are those small two to five character icons that use letters and symbols from the keyboard to create faces, hearts, or other recognizable shapes in order to convey how the author feels about what they are saying.

The most commonly used emoticons are fairly easy to identify.

and XD are used to express pleasure
and :`( are used for sadness
is used to point out jokes or inside references
<3 and @`~,~~ are used for romance

However, beyond general impressions, the meanings and use of the various emoticons has never been codified.

may show mirth, but it does not indicate …

Repetition can be a very good thing for Google.  It can also be a very bad thing.  It depends on what you are repeating and where you are repeating it.

As I discussed previously, anything that is worth saying once is worth saying again.  Google looks to see which words and phrases re-appear on the same page, and uses this to determine what the page is about.

Google also looks to see which words and phrases re-appear on multiple pages.  It uses this form of repetition to identify duplicate content, which it will then omit from its indexing.

This is actually …

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending a lecture on game design led by James Ernst, founder of the award winning Cheapass Games. Though there are certainly differences between game and website design, the similarities were telling.

Have a Process

James Ernst, like Marissa Berger, holds that one of the most important rules for practical design, is to make sure that you adhere to a process.

Selecting Your Audience

If you do not know who you want to use your product, you’re going to have a hard time evaluating if it appeals to their interests …

Your web site is a valuable tool in making the sale. Information is a valuable tool in making the sale.

Where your web site fits into your sales cycle determines how to present information.

Information makes the sale

Let’s say you own a restaurant. People visit your web site to see what’s on the menu and what it costs. They also want to get a look at the photos, to see if your place suits their plans—be it for a business lunch, a family after-church-brunch, or a romantic dinner. Your web site falls at the …

Sound can be a touchy subject online.

Remember many people will have multiple web browsers open at once, or while playing music of their own, and that catchy jingle that is perfect for your site can cause your visitors no end of consternation while then are engaged in other activities.

Earache My Eye

It is very rare that you can guarantee that your audience will give your site their undivided attention. Any sound that starts up on its own will most likely be considered audio SPAM.

It is better “netiquette” to let visitors chose to turn your chosen soundtrack on. …