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Welcome to
to the first 2008 issue of ZooNews
issue of
ZooNews, from professional
Web site design company Zoonini
Web Services.
It's hard for me to fathom, but this year marks the 10th
anniversary of Zoonini's incarnation as a Web design firm.
(Prior to 1998, Zoonini Productions served as an independent
film and television production company.)
If there's one thing I've learned after a decade in the
Web design business, it's that there is a surprisingly large
number of unprofessional-looking business Web sites out there,
on both the design and content fronts. This still never fails
to dismay me, because my philosophy has always been: What's
the point of having a Web site unless it shows your company
in a professional light?
I'm not entirely sure why – perhaps because
the skills to build Web sites can seem deceptively simple
– but this phenomenon of unprofessional corporate Web sites
has been around since the Web's earliest days. Whether it's
the do-it-yourself entrepreneur looking to save some money,
or the proud dad happy to entrust his company's Web
site to a 12 year-old child, I'm always amazed at how little
things have changed.
Take the following email I received recently:
Hello
I am freelancer content writer and willing to work with
your organization on freelancing basis. I can send you my
relevant experience if you provide with an opportunity to
work with your reputed organization. I will provide you the
high quality content with desired schedules.
Admittedly, I had to chuckle a bit at this one. I mean,
how can I take a writing offer seriously from someone whose
English writing skills are so obviously not up to snuff?
So, for 2008, my motto remains: Professional
= Credible. Something to keep in mind the next
time you cast a critical eye at your own business Web
site!
For over 30 years, Lake Superior State University has compiled
a list of English words and phrases they'd like to see banned
from use. Among 2008's list – which also features "post
9/11", "it is what it is", and "X is
the new Y" – the technology term named most deserving
of banishment is webinar, meaning a seminar held via
the Web. Scott Lassiter of Houston, Texas calls it, "Yet
another non-word trying to worm its way into the English
language due to the Internet. It belongs in the same school
of non-thought that brought us e-anything and i-anything." Explore
more of 2008's
List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Misuse,
Overuse and General Uselessness.
Got a technology term you'd like
demystified in ZooNews?
Send it to questions@zoonini.com.
Meet Zoonini's latest friend. Over the holidays,
we took the opportunity to do a small revamp of Zoonini.com.
We added a section to better define our custom
Web design services.
Our new resources section suggests some ways that original
and stock photography can enliven Web sites, collects some
of our favourite search
engine optimization resources, and
offers several e-commerce
options for those wanting to sell
products or services directly via their sites. Would you
like to see something else added to Zoonini's Resources?
Let us know!
Speaking of the power of photography, the US Library
of Congress recently released to the public thousands
of fascinating, well annotated historical photographs via the Flickr photo-sharing
service. From iconic Rosie-the-Rivetter-style World
War II propaganda shots, to black-and-white sports images
taken in the early 20th century, this vast collection of
high-resolution photos is a veritable treasure trove. And
even better, most of the images have no known copyright restrictions,
and are free to use by anyone! Enjoy.
À la prochaine,
kp
aka Kathryn Presner |
