Understanding the Basics of Copyright Laws
Do you remember the first time you logged on the internet? Most likely, since the moment you went online the World Wide Web, you never stopped using it until today. The World Wide Web is a resource as deep as a deep, blue ocean, or more accurately, the far and wide intergalactic space. The internet helped me and others make our schoolwork, research, career, and life in general, much more easier.
Most people immediately assume that any web content is public property. It’s easy to copy images, articles, fonts or videos off the net. But if you don’t have the permission from the owner, you are illegally stealing and this could lead you to many legal troubles.
Whether you are a blogger, a web designer, a writer or a simple internet user, it is important to understand the underlying internet copyright laws to avoid getting into legal trouble, or, to prevent yourself from becoming a victim of infringement and plagiarism.
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1stWebDesigner’s Life #2 – High Exposure Job & Darker Than Dark
I hope you liked our very first strip about flash banners and introducing our characters. We’ve got a lot of cool names suggestions, and one that our team really enjoyed is “Webster”, by Laurel G. We have some other cool variations (like Coddy Webber) but we’re still open to more suggestions if you have a better idea :)
Today we’ll be talking about 2 funny situations that I think you may have experienced. So let’s go through them.
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Web Design Using Grids: Tools and Inspiration
When I started this web designing thing all my work just didn’t look “professional”. It was pretty, nice colors, nice fonts, nice bevel/emboss effects…but something was annoying and I didn’t know what.
Then I found out.
Grids are one of the smallest differences between good and great design. It is quite easy to find a way to realign aspects of the design that give it a completely different look. Of course we have also other spacing adjustments but when you put things inside grids everything tends to look much better.
Today we’ll find out together why they make such a difference, who is doing it right, and which tools you can use to have a better grid.
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How the Web Industry is Changing STEM’s Perception
It’s hard to take a look at the career path options of recent years and not clearly see which have had the most influence. The society we live in is in a rapidly progressing state, with a focus on technology as a means for that advancement. Because of this, it is those career choices that have shaped the world we live in and will continue to do so in the future. These influential careers can all be classified under the collective category of STEM. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, these being the subject matters that comprise STEM.
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12 Best iPad Applications for Designers
Everyone in the cyberworld knows the news about Steve Jobs having resigned as CEO of Apple. He will be missed, for he surely left a legacy, making Apple one of the best brands of the century. The iPad is one of the last innovations he introduced to the world.
The iPad was initially met with much skepticism and mocking, but now there is no doubt that this is one of the best, most ingenius gadgets of the 21st century. It’s handy and lightweight, thus it’s so easy to carry around anywhere. This makes us, as designers, more efficient and maybe more creative with our work.
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6 Secret Techniques You Can Use To Become A Great Headline Writer
Bob Stone, one of the best known copywriters once said, “Your first 15 words count more than the 15,000 words that follow!”
A great headline is similar to the trailer before the movie. It whets the appetite and gives the reader a taste of what is to come. The purpose of a headline is to compel the reader to continue on to the next step (read your copy).
Ever glance over at the magazines strategically placed in front of you while you are waiting to check out at the supermarket? The first thing you will notice is the headline. Cosmopolitan, Star and many other worldwide magazines use headlines on their covers to lure consumers to buy their issues.
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Setup Surveys and Capture Data with Google Forms
Are you looking to learn more about your website visitors? If so, Google has your back. Google Docs is an excellent free online tool that allows you to create forms (surveys) for the purpose of capturing data from your online community. Google Docs allows you to create very professional looking forms, with over 60 different themes to choose from. You can customize the questions you want to ask and the answer choices you want visitors to choose from. Once the form is setup you can easily embed the form in your website or e-mail it out to a list. Feedback is captured automatically and reports can be charted and graphed for accurate analysis. Sound good so far? Let’s dig into how the process works.
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Top 5 Ways to Increase Your Website’s Conversion Rate
A beautiful website with fantastic design and colorful displays is wonderful, but if you are not making a profit, your hard work will be in vain. How can you convert your website visitors into profits? There are many ways you can increase your conversions, but it’s important to know where to start.
Before we discuss the top 5 ways to increase conversions, you must understand what action you want your visitors to take. Are you leading them to opt in to your list? Buy a product? Become a Facebook fan? The goal of website conversions is to lead your visitors to an intended action, so it’s important to know what that action is. Once you know, you can target your strategy to that end.
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Introduction to Defensive Web Design
There are several types of design and every web designer decides for himself which approach he takes, but today we take a look at a particular one of them, called Defensive web design. What does it mean? The defensive design is also called contingency design and refers to the idea that the interface has to be designed in such a way that potential failures will not force the user away from your webpage, but will keep him there.
The contingency design can contribute a lot to your success, because all designers know there is not a product without flaws, therefore getting the best out of these flaws will help you keep your visitors close. Contingency design is familiar to a context that happens a lot in the stores. When the client goes and asks for something that is not in stock, he will not get rejected. The shop assistant will most of the time recommend another product. The defensive design does the same thing: takes the client’s mind away from the problem and helps him with information or makes him try again.
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