Why are you using Web 2.0 technologies?

I've been working on a project lately where there are elements of Web 2.0 (specifically Ajax stuff)  that keep being raised, almost without thought for form or function.

The end result is that I've forced the client in question to seriously consider why they want to do something, and what the benefit to the end user is. Of course, this adds caution to future thinking!

Read more...

Posted 21 July 2006 11:51am by gareth knight with 0 comments

The 12 fundamentals of e-commerce

We are often asked about the fundamentals of e-commerce: how do you build an online retail store, what do customers need to see, what does Google look for, how can you increase conversion rates?

I have compiled a list of the 12 fundamentals that you can put in place to enhance an existing online store or plan a new one...

Read more...

Posted 18 July 2006 14:14pm by Chris Lake with 0 comments

Diggnation – Digg relaunches and widens potential appeal

If you’re a user of Digg, you should know that it recently redesigned and relaunched its website. This in itself is not that interesting since we always knew that was coming soon – however, what is interesting is that new categories have been added which make the site more useful to a wider audience.

Read more...

Posted 17 July 2006 13:11pm by gareth knight with 0 comments

Will the geeks really rule the world?

Paul Graham, one of the founders of web incubator Y Combinator, says we’re not in a bubble, and he’s right. There’s way too much talk about this mythical bubble. It ain’t a bubble, folks.

However, I think Paul is wide of the mark on a number of his assertions made when interviewed by Ian Delaney, who is currently writing a book on Web 2.0. Paul says he has spotted “a social trend that will last”, namely: “the startup world will increasingly be ruled by technical people rather than business people”.

God forbid!

I’m amazed that a savvy investor would think that way. Paul is a hacker himself of course, and a successful entrepreneur to boot, so I could be wildly out on this one. It just seems… wrong… on… so… many… levels…

Read more...

Posted 13 July 2006 20:50pm by Chris Lake with 1 comment

Free Web 2.0 software doesn’t mean better…

TechCrunch posts a heads up on ActiveCollab, a new open source alternative to popular online project management tool Basecamp, by Web 2.0 poster children 37Signals, and talks about the possible threat to current monopoly and current business model if the software is of high quality.

Read more...

Posted 13 July 2006 12:03pm by gareth knight with 0 comments

Is Fjax the best use of Flash ever?

When the big tech brands like Amazon start using Ajax to improve their user interface you know the tipping point has been reached. So how long will it be before the great and good embrace Fjax, aka ‘Ajax 2.0’?

Read more...

Posted 26 June 2006 16:16pm by Chris Lake with 1 comment