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Web Design 103: Content Management

NB: You are advised to read Website Design 101 and 102 in this blog. Also, the requirement gathering phase on the “moving from programming to software development as well”

Many website designers have always struggled with the correct management of contents. Concluding the technology analysis gives you the platform to move into the designs and expectedly the use of various content that will give the interface and website usage the feel that users will appreciate.

This aspect is what display professionalism and the overall look and feel effect that distinguishes your website. The content of a website include every bit of information, image, video, widget and others that make the website.  Designing a very good website require detail and uttermost attention in managing the content.  Content define a website and the proper management is the true mark of professionalism.

Managing content starts from the layout of the web pages. The layout technically implies how the web pages are divided. It is very difficult to define this as website designers have shaped the layout in various ways as ingenuity hold sway in this aspect. It is ideal that relevant and standardized layout is defined in order to effectively manage the content.

The next content management aspect is the definition of the web theme. The web theme defines the uniform feature of the website through the reflection of the development purpose based on the continuity of design elements.  Your theme will guide the use of the contents including movies, colour usage, text font and size, graphics effect and other elements on the website.

I will like to talk about colour management. Effective management of colour is imperative for website design. The colour combination and the use of different shades of colour should be minded in the course of designing of websites. The use of colour in text, designs and background should be blended to give an excellent impression for users. It should also be noted that the use of movies and heavy images should be sparingly used as it affects the overall loading time and accessibility of websites.

I admit this article might not provide all the bits required for proficiency in content management. For further enlightenment on this particular article, you can contact through pelumiapantaku@gmail.com

Using IP Address to Combat Cyber Crime

Have you been wondering how PayPal, EBay, Google and other websites have been able to identify your location without asking? How does the network administrator in your office identify your system among the numerous ones available? Sometimes, we feel we are anonymous while browsing the internet because there is no physical monitor or no sense of any monitoring arrangement. The simple answer is there is no anonymous user on the web because every device and computers can be identified.

The fact is every device and computers on the internet have unique address which can be used to trace them. This is popularly qualified as IP address with some other technical terms like MAC address always mentioned when describing this unique identification number.  The source of scams or illegal and criminal activity on the internet can be detected through the IP address that often accompanies mails and other communication on the web. Discovering the IP address will be conducted through the Internet Service Provider (ISP) who most times holds the contact address or even residential address of the internet service used.

I will like to propose that using this means can be conducted by the implementation of systems where people can report suspected IP address. The reported IP address or identity of the alleged scammer can be put on a centralized cybercrime database (it must be developed also) with ISPs having access. The IP addresses and identities can then be tracked over a period of time thereby resulting in the overall arrest of the criminals.

I will admit that this process will require a lot of industrial support and collaboration. Evidence of the successful use of this means (Facebook and Pentagon) has shown that it is very viable and often lead to easy arrest of criminals. Also, it requires little technical knowledge as the ISPs do most of the work.

CYBER CRIME EXPLAINED

I was thinking about writing the first article on combating cybercrime when it dawned on me that a lot of misconception exists about what this type of crime implies. A lot of people have this vague idea about the actual meaning of cyber crime  and lack the understanding of cyber crime.

Crime can be viewed as any action that is regarded as illegal and punishable under the law of the state. Crime in essence can be viewed as a conduct which portends harm or negatively affect individuals, animals, society or the environment. Experience has shown that crime can be committed in error, deliberately or as a reflex reaction.

Cybercrime is a type of crime which involves the use of computers, internet/web and other technological implementations to conduct illegal activity. This type of crime takes different types of as the web is a wide virtual world where different types of transactions and interactions can be conducted. For the purpose of understanding, some of the types on crime that can be conducted on the web include;

• Spamming: Some of us are ignorant that sending unsolicited send of mail as part of bulk mailing list for commercial purpose is a crime. This practice exploit the mail address by collecting money from commercial firms for the number of mails sent. Some firms even sell CDs containing mail address and claim they are into e-marketing.

SELLING SOMEBODY ELSE’S MAIL ADDRESS IS A CRIME!

• Content Abuse: this crime represents the communication or transmission of contents that can offend or affect the state of mind of others. This can include racist images or videos, obscene images and other contents that fall into this category.
• Cyber Terrorism: The use of the web for terrorist attack is on as series of deliberated and calculated attempt at destroying the instrument of governance in governments are been targeted using sophisticated technological implementations. Some cases like illegal intrusion into technological infrastructure of government agencies have been recorded in the US and defacing of government related websites in Nigeria is another example.
• Cyber Fraud: This is the most prominent of the crime as various implementations have been deployed in using the web for swindling or deceptively collecting money from victims. This practice can take numerous forms like illegal account access, dishonest use of web interactions, misrepresentation of facts and even betrayal of trust in internet enabled relationships. This type of crime is so wide that it often dwarfs the effort of security agencies as it takes different dimensions. The prominent in developing nations like Nigeria is the popular practice called Yahoo Yahoo where victims are tricked to part with some money based on a juicy business offer or audacious inheritance offer.

This article cannot exhaust the crimes being perpetrated on the web. However, cyber crime represents every illegal or harmful use of the web as it relates to fellow human, animals, society or the environment. We will be exploiting the ways of combating this crime in subsequent posts.

Please follow @originaldgitz for serialization of this article and other technological flakes as required. We will also like you to join the group D-GITZ Media Friends to be part of the family.

Web design 102: Technological Analysis

HTML is the standardized web site design language. However, rapid technological development has made the language to take back stage as more focus is placed on web portal development with extensive use of sophisticated web development tools. As a web designer, you must conduct technological analysis before developing a website. This exercise is conducted to determine the most relevant and appropriate technology for the web.Technological analysis is very important for web design for following reasons;

1.       It allows you to determine the personnel that will give you the intended input in the development.

2.       It allows you to determine development budget as it will influence the hosting plan and other costs.

3.       The exercise allows your choices to be based on factual reasons

4.       Relevant softwares and implementation platforms can be factored at the development initiation and secured for the actual development.

Conducting this analysis in practical terms involve objective analysis of the functionalities desired in the website coupled with possible technologies that can be deployed for achieving them. You have to conduct an head-to-head analysis in various aspects like servers (wamp, apache, IIS and so on, programming languages (JSP, ASP.net, PHP and so on), image formats (PNG, GIF, JPEG and so on), database engines (MySQL, SQLserver and so on) and development environment (Visual studio, Dreamweaver, FrontPage and so on).

Having done this numerous times, I can boldly claim that the effort is worthwhile as the end result always bring the most appropriate technologies that will seamlessly integrate for optimum web functionality. However, conducting a technological analysis must be conducted without any form of sentiments or else the aim of conducting will be defeated. Also, interaction with other technologies must be considered while selecting the appropriate technologies.

I will be discussing Content layout and interface design in the next lesson. Please don’t miss it.

Combating Cyber Crime

Nigeria is prominent for cyber crime or scam popularly called Yahoo Yahoo (advanced now is Yahoo+). It always baffles me how we got to this level coupled with the sheer societal acknowledgement and uncontrolled manner in which these heinous crimes are perpetrated. As a professional, I always think this is one of the easiest crimes to forestall and requires not too sophisticated technological implementations before a criminal can be arrested.

This crime has created embarrassment for Nigeria nationals across the globe as major e-payment services have put the nation on the blacklist. Organisations like PayPal and EBay has totally stopped any transaction that relates to Nigeria. This scum is a major challenge in our society as little children even are acquainted with terms like maga, control number, sequence and so on. The Nigerian entertainment scene is another breeding ground for these criminals as their act and conquest are always reflected in songs and even movies. Stopping this is a major step for policing and crime prevention in Nigeria. Combating cyber crime is a major branding effort and signal to the world that the nation is serious about corruption.

Technologically, we can combat this crime. Ways of combating cybercrime coupled with early detection will be discussed in subsequent posts. The background to the discussion is that, your identity on the web can be detected effortlessly. The approach to be taken the security agencies with intricate analysis will be discussed.

STAY TUNED!

Sorry for the silence, it was due to commitments and loads of tasks to be executed. Follow us at @originaldgitz on twitter or join D-GITZ Media friends on Facebook.

Where are the IT Reporters?

Reading the Sketch newspaper when I was young is only meaningful from the back page. Sports news resides there and I am always eager to know the next move of Mary Onyali, Florence Omagbemi, Rashidi Yekini (RIP), Segun Toriola and the rest. Also, the Champions league (not easily accessible as it is today) and other sporting details always had me scamper for my Dad’s newspaper.

Now my new love which is Information Technology (IT) has got me reading the news papers once again. Also, listening to the radio and watching the television always brings a particular question to my mind;

WHERE IS THE TECHNOLOGY NEWS!

Stations like CNN, BBC, France24 and others have dedicated time and experts reporting about the numerous trends in technology. Some websites, bloggers and magazines are dedicated to this cause as well. No wonder, the level of awareness and deployment of technology is thriving in developed nations.

COUNTRIES LIKE NIGERIA ARE MERELY FEEDING ON THE CRUMBS FROM THESE NATIONS.

Sampling the broadcasting, journalism and reporting landscape of the Nigerian media have further deepened my concern as there is a colossal dearth of technological analysis and in depth discussion of technology. The most common technology reporting are announcement of product rollout, press conference and contract announcement. It is a pathetic trend and will haunt us for decades to come.

IF YOU DON’T REPORT, THERE WON’T BE SENSITISATION

The major challenge in IT development around this part of the world is we have not drummed this amazing field into the young children. The midget computer schools have sold wrong information and young citizens have no direct access in the print and electronic media. In order to drive technology development, I think it is highly imperative for the Nigerian nation to see technology journalism as a field to be broadened. Drive IT Home and pack IT in the garage.

WE NEED TO BRING IT TO PEOPLE’S HOMES!

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Web Design Lesson 1: Concept Development

The first step in web design is concept development. This process involve the bringing together of all the features and requirements for the websites. This will involve the client or the group of people contracting the web design. This aspect is usually neglected by web designers as they quickly pre-empt the features which a website should possess.

Another banana peel in this area is comparative analysis of the features which similar organization has on their website. Web designers should treat each project as a unique market. Every organization (as poor as they might be) have unique selling point or organization structure. Features like product, pricing, delivery format, human resources and others are different.

Bringing the concept of designing a website requires brainstorming and discussion with clients to determine their focus and expectation in a website. This will make you a professional and also allow you to be unique in the saturated web design market.

Furthermore, designing a concept require you discovering the focused market of the website. For example, an entertainment website normally targets young people thereby influencing features such as real time audio download, chat engine, musical chart, blog and so on.

UNDERSTANDING THE TARGET AUDIENCE WILL INFLUENCE EVERYTHING ABOUT THE DESIGN!

Another aspect in developing the concept is to understand the business environment of the organization. There is nothing bad in exploring the client’s competitors’ website to discover their flaws in order have a better design. Doing this will further increase your value as web designer because you will be more informed about the than the client expected.

Doing all these will ensure that the concept of the web site to be designed is based on concrete information and market based research. This will influence your design and ensure that you exceed the expectation of the website.  The next post will emphasize on another aspect.

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Designing a Website

Website traditionally represents the creation of an online presence for businesses, groups and individuals. The web has provided a massive opportunity for organizations to create marketing models that has championed colossal profits. Globalization and integration of markets has made the web the virtual reality of wealth creation. Ask Mack Zuckerberg and Larry Page how much money the web can create.

However, it is disheartening that web design is dominated by mediocrity or sheer lack of competence in Nigeria and some other parts of Africa. I see advertisements that portray web design as a touch and go profession. Many even boast of designing a web site in 2 hours while some promise to teach web design in one hour and teach how to make money with it in the second hour. This is evident in the quality and lack of professionalism in hosted Nigerian websites. A quick survey of University websites in Nigeria is evidence.

Web design professionals spend months and even years to learn the process of web design because it is the online office of any organization. It markets a firm or group of people even while sleeping. Poor design and concept development turn viewers off thereby limiting the amount of patronage that is to be enjoyed.

DESIGNING A WEBSITE IS A PROJECT!

Web site are no more designed but developed as dynamism is the order of the day on the web. A business website on the web these days has so many connections to the social media, blogs, e-mails and search engines. Assembling all these features require high level of planning and technical competence. The process of designing a website requires numerous activities which will be discussed in subsequent posts.

Please, comment on our posts because your comments are valuable to us. For further details, please contact pelumiapantaku@gmail.com or twitter using @originaldgitz

The Act of Programming

Programming has always been characterized with different arguments and perspectives. Some of the arguments include open source and patent programming, web/mobile and desktop programming, client-server and business tier programming and the choice of programming language. Away from all these controversies, new entrants into programming are usually confused by the best pattern of development in programming.

Most of programmers reachable in recent times are mere glorified code writers as they often exhibit narrow understanding of scenarios. Some have to re-write codes for a particular problem over and over again. Hence, the frustration of programmers that even leads to numerous prospective application development giants abandoning this lucrative aspect of information technology. Here is my perspective on effective development of programs.

Writing a program should start from pseudo coding. This aspect often neglected by programmers because it is elementary. This process requires drafting the steps required in solving a particular problem which the program is meant to solve (Even complex programs need this). This can be done using bullet point or detail outline of steps which the program will implement. Brainstorming is required at this level to also discover the factors and other vital components of the program.

Flowcharting is the next stage. This activity is old but very efficient as it allows you to transform the pseudo codes into implementation sequence. Flow chart will describe the flow of the program in order to achieve its goals. Other diagrams that can be developed include ERD (for databases), Data flow Diagram and UML.

For advanced programs, it is advisable to develop a use case that identifies the functionality and privileges of each user and entities associated with the application. The next phase is what I termed the object specification activity. This is where you determine the functions, construct, data types and other nuclear programming features which will be deployed. This phase requires objective reasoning on how the program will be developed. The flow chart should be core in this phase. The last activity is the actual coding which is what most programmers in this part of the world start first.

THINK FIRST BEFORE YOU ACT (CODE)!

This piece is my contribution to improving the human capacity in the Nigerian and global IT space. If you have learned something or you have any corrections, please leave your comments. My name is Pelumi Apantaku and my twitter handle is @Pelulomo_27