If you own or design websites, you should consider including a copyright notice, disclaimer, terms of use statement, privacy policy and a cookies policy. These don’t have to be separate pages but can often be combined. For example, it is common to combine a disclaimer with the terms of use.

The copyright notice
A copyright notice is a declaration of ownership which is intended to assist with cases of copyright infringement.

A copyright notice used to be a prerequisite to copyright protection. This is no longer the case in many places, including the United States.

A Copyright Notice may cover the following:

• Ownership
• License
• Permissions
• Infringment
• Enforcement

The Disclaimer Notice
The primary purpose of a website disclaimer is to limit or attempt to limit the liabilities that a website owner or publisher may suffer arising out of the website. Examples of the kinds of liability that we publishers must contend with include libel/defamation, copyright infringement and breach of privacy.

Most legal systems strictly control the effects of limitations and exclusions of liability. For this reason you should get local legal advice.

A Disclaimer or Terms of Use Statement may cover the following:

• No warranties
• Limitations of liability
• Trademarks and Copyrights
• Internet E-mail
• Third Party Links
• Jurisdiction
• Exceptions and Overrides
• Reasonableness
• Unenforceable Provisions
• Submissions

The Privacy Statement
Many if not most websites collect personal information. Personal information may be collected by simple means such as a website form or through more sophisticated means such as tracking cookies. Some kinds of websites collect and process large amounts of personal information.

EU data protection law and US data privacy law (and similar laws in other jurisdictions) protect individuals from the misues of their personal information. These laws regulate the collection of data, the storage of data, the use of data, the cross-border transfer of data and the disposal of data

The purpose of a website privacy statement is to help website owners with these the disclosure requirements of data protection and data privacy laws.

A Privacy Statement may contain any or all of the following:

• Personal Information Collection
• Using Personal Information
• Security of Collected Data
• Data Transfer and Transmission
• Other WebSites
• Contact Information
• Procedures For Removing Data

Cookies Policy
In some legal systems website operators are subject to a legal obligation to provide information to users about the use of cookies. The purpose of a cookies policy is to satisfy these obligations.

A Cookies Policy may contain the following sections:

• About Cookies
• Their Use
• Third Party Cookies
• Refusal
• Contents
• Expiration Time

I’ve tried to be as complete as possible. Most websites, including this one, do not have statements that exhaustively cover each of the points above, though they may touch on them. However, the presence of a copyright statement, a privacy policy and a disclaimer of some sort are essential if you want your website to look professional. Feel free to use my Privacy Policy and Terms of Use as models from which to craft your own policy statements.

The WebSite of the future is already here. WebSites are like clothes. Consumers and web designers need to realize that. I don’t know about you, but I don’t get my clothes from a tailor. Tailor made clothes are for rich people. I buy my clothes off the rack. I don’t have a problem with that, either. It’s easy, I have a choice of prices, they’re easy to maintain (I can’t iron to save my life and I don’t have to) and they look great.

In theory, I do have another option, though. I can make my own clothes. I remember, when I was about 10 my mom got herself a sewing machine. She had a great time with it. She made herself all kinds of clothes. Well, dresses and skirts, mostly. And, they looked great! But, mom was an exceptional woman. Sewing clothes was fun for her. Along with raising a family, she also went to the public library and got 5 sci-fi books every week. She used to read them while she was knitting or doing needle point. As I said, mom was exceptional. I’m not. In fact, much like ironing, I just can’t sew. Once, while sewing a patch on the knee of my jeans, I sewed the leg together. My arm was in it, so I don’t know how I did that. But, I did. I’m great with a scissors (the secret is to rest it on a flat surface as you cut, so your hand is stable) but my stitches always bring Frankenstein to mind. So, in theory, I could make my own clothes. But, they’d look horrible.

Today, custom websites are expensive. Whether it’s a particular look that’s needed or special functionality doesn’t matter. Custom websites are pricey. Don’t expect that to change, either. In the year 2020, custom websites will only be for the very wealthy (read businesses) and there will be fewer of them. Let me re-phrase that. Custom websites will be a lower percentage of the total websites in 2020 than they are today. Why do I think that? Because, by then, people will understand that “off the rack” is just fine. Today, if you say the word “template” web designers and consumers who imagine themselves to be clever and in-the-know (like tire kickers at a car dealership) turn their noses up. The fact is, everything is made up of parts and I haven’t seen a particularly remarkable web page design in, well, ever. I have seen some wonderful interface elements, to be sure. But, page layout is just that. Layout.

One of the most popular platforms today is WordPress. You’re looking at an example of it, now. It’s an application that stores information, such as this text, in a database and displays it in a template. The Home page is one template. This article page is another template. You can apply themes, which change the look of all the templates on the site. People love WordPress, even though it is essentially a template, albeit one on steroids.

Another thing people like is Flash websites. You don’t see a lot of them in the wild today. However, you do see a lot of Flash advertisements. Why? Because people like animation. They like seein’ stuff move. When I show clients sample websites, they always like the Flash sites the best. The fact they’re tougher to update than an HTML or CMS based site is why people steer clear of them. But, in the last couple years, a new option has emerged: XML Flash WebSites. These let you control the modules and content of the Flash site through XML. There are programs (scripts) available that let you update the XML files in a web browser, so no need for FTP. MyFlashXML.com is a company that sells some very amazing XML Flash templates. Part of why they’re so interesting and unique is the use of a relatively new technology, PaperVision3D (See an example or their blog.) I think we are going to see a lot of this kind of stuff in the future. It may not be full websites but widgets that find their way into WordPress’ descendants.

In 2020, much of the work web designers do will be modifying and setting up these templates. Do-it-yourselfers and hobbyists will have better options available to them, but unless they are exceptional people, they will still have a very hard time making a professional looking website, because the bar will have been raised.

As I said previously, There are a couple of ways to go when you go with web hosting.  The true do-it-yourselfer might want to think about installing you’re own web server and hosting your website yourself.  However, most of you will take a more orthodox end-user route and host your website with somebody else.

You can find companies that will host your site for free. Traditionally, the primary drawback to free hosting is you have to upload your files individually or in small group. This is impractical for a website of any size or complexity. The second drawback is the hosting company will get the revenue from any ads they place on your site – and there will usually be ads. But, look around. You never know what you’ll find out there. Great deals appear and disappear like the morning dew. If you know of any good deals, please leave a Comment and let us know!

With the recent surge in popularity of WordPress, there are a number of hosting companies offering special deals on WordPress hosting. This is great for the hosting company because they usually charge about the same as for their cheapest shared hosting, but they give you a lot less. But, if you just want a WordPress blog without a lot of setup issues that sort of deal may be right for you.

One word of caution when choosing a host, some hosts bombard you with confusing advertising and equally confusing sign-up pages. Read everything very carefully. I’ll say that again: Read everything very carefully. Don’t buy anything you don’t understand. You can always buy it later. I guarantee that. Also, consider your particular situation. As an example, when you buy a domain and your domain is your name, unless you’re John Smith, you probably don’t need to buy yourname.org and yourname.net, too. Though, whoever you buy your domain from will probably suggest you snap those up, too.

There are lots of other issues to be aware of when choosing a hosting company. Assuming you are going with shared or virtual hosting (if you can afford dedicated hosting you can afford a webmaster) you won’t have control over the versions of MySQL or PHP they are running. Some of the big name guys won’t even tell you what versions they run until after you sign up. And, if you use a WordPress hosting plan or install WordPress from c-panel, for instance, you don’t have control over the version of that, either. That can cause you a lot of headaches when you try to install certain plugins.

In the next installment, I’ll outline the steps required to buy a domain, setup a hosting account, create a database, setup your email and FTP.

Part II in a series of Step-By-Step Instructions for the web do-it-yourselfer .

There are a couple of ways to go when you go with web hosting. The true web do-it-yourselfer should think about installing you’re own web server and hosting your website yourself. The fact of the matter is hosting a site is easier than creating one. It is also easier than dealing with a hosting company, in my opinion. You probably already have what you need: a computer and a broadband connection. Obviously, you don’t want to use a laptop if you carry it around to different places since your website won’t be available while it is in transit. All you need are a few FREE programs. I’ll walk you through the steps below.

1. The Web Server. It’s just a program. If you have windows, you can install Microsoft’s IIS (Internet Information Services). You already have it! Just go to Control Panel ==> Programs (Add/Remove Programs on XP) ==> Windows Components ==> Internet Information Services (slightly different in XP).

If you don’t want to use IIS, use Apache. Apache is the original web server and also the world’s most popular. It is officially called the “HTTP Server” and is available from apache.org. Just install it like any other program. Accept the defaults the first time through.

Just copy the files that comprise your website to the appropriate directory, called the “web root”. For IIS, look for a directory in the root of your C drive. If you used Apache the web root is C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Apache2.2\htdocs.

If you don’t have a database or server side scripting, you are done! Just punch a hole in your firewall for httpd.exe and anyone can access you website by using this URL: http://NNN.NNN.NNN.NNN:80 where all those N’s are your external IP address.

Cool, huh? You have your website hosted and you didn’t spend a dime! But, typing that IP address is a drag and, if you have DSL, it will change fairly frequently. Cable IP addresses change far less frequently, but they sometimes change, too. Fortunately, there is a company called No-IP that will let you choose a DNS name and associate your changing IP address with that name for FREE! Is that cool or what? Moreover, if you already own a domain name, No-IP will provide the same service for $25 per year.

Now, it’s time to party like it’s 1999 because your website is 10 years behind the times. What do you do when your visitor fills out a contact form? Email it to yourself and hand enter it into Excel? That’s crazy. Besides, re-entering data introduces the possibility of error. That’s a bad thing. Or, what if you want a modern CMS like Joomla! or a WordPress blog? In that case you will need a MySQL database and PHP, a scripting language used to access the data.

2. The Database. Now, download and install MySQL. Again, it is just a program like any other. Install it and follow the instructions to configure it.

3. The Scripting Language. Next, download and install PHP. This is a little trickier because PHP has so many optional components. For starters, just install the MySQL and MySQLi components. Add other optional components as they are needed. Once PHP is installed, you will have to stop then start your web server, since it is the web server that executes the PHP code.

to be cont’d.

Whether you want to make a website for yourself or have a professional do it for you, here are the steps involved in creating a web presence from scratch. The steps involved using a CMS system like WordPress, Joomla! or Drupal are somewhat different. That post will be coming, soon.

1. In writing, state the purpose of the site in one sentence. The “in one sentence” part may sound trite, but it truly helps you get an idea into focus. Focus is a good thing, especially when dealing with the niche market of the internet.
2. Write down all the functions you will require to accomplish that. Be general.
3. Write down other features you’d like. For example, you might want to sell advertising space. This would be a good place to mention any “value added” features you plan to add. Value added is content or services you give away free on your website. I’m a big believer in that and will be writing posts about it in the near future.
4. Determine the layout.
5. Determine the design. By that, I mean the basic look and feel of your new website. A color scheme is a good place to start. From the start you will have had an idea what the general feel or mood should be – precision corporate, hand-drawn pastel bunnies, busty babes and space monsters. Use that to choose font colors, font faces (serif/sans-serif), placement of graphics.
6. If your site is complicated, like a dating site, you need to determine every page you’ll need and how they flow together. That is, what links there are and where they go and how the pages open (same window or tab, new window, etc.).
7. The next step is choosing graphics (images and icons – most sites have both).
8. Prepare the images for the web. Most likely, the image you choose won’t be the right size (in pixels) or size (in KB) and it will have to be modified. If you intend to use a fancy font, at this point in time, you still have to create an image file of the words.
9. Write the static content. Write your About page, disclaimer, privacy policy, etc. If your website includes a storefront, you’ll also need to come up with a catalog (including product shots), shipping and return policies, invoices and statements and more.
10. Construct and test the site. Fix the errors and test it again.

Congratulations! Your site is finished and looking awesome. Now, you need to put it someplace where people can get to it (hosting). Then, you just need to promote it. Until you do, you’re invisible.

to be cont’d.

Talent. Art. Bewilderment. Frustration.

The talent to create beautiful works of art is a gift. The desire to do this for the web, a medium where artists paint with light, is irresistible. The result can be beautiful and uplifting or bewildering and frustrating. This is where the Zen of Web Design comes into play.

Know there will be challenges. Without challenges there is no growth.

Know you are not alone. Many have already taken the path and many more will follow.

Keep moving, forwards then backwards a little, then forward, again.

What is Web Accessibility?

Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can use the Web. More specifically, Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web, and that they can contribute to the Web. Web accessibility also benefits others, including older people with changing abilities due to aging.

Web accessibility encompasses all disabilities that affect access to the Web, including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, and neurological disabilities. The document “How People with Disabilities Use the Web” describes how different disabilities affect Web use and includes scenarios of people with disabilities using the Web.

Millions of people have disabilities that affect their use of the Web. Currently most Web sites and Web software have accessibility barriers that make it difficult or impossible for many people with disabilities to use the Web. As more accessible Web sites and software become available, people with disabilities are able to use and contribute to the Web more effectively.

Web accessibility also benefits people without disabilities. For example, a key principle of Web accessibility is designing Web sites and software that are flexible to meet different user needs, preferences, and situations. This flexibility also benefits people without disabilities in certain situations, such as people using a slow Internet connection, people with “temporary disabilities” such as a broken arm, and people with changing abilities due to aging. The document “Developing a Web Accessibility Business Case for Your Organization” describes many different benefits of Web accessibility, including benefits for organizations.

via Introduction to Web Accessibility.

If you don’t think your website is successful enough, you can do these simple methods yourself or have someone else do it for you. Here’s what one firm offers. Notice the first thing they’d do is set you up with a blog. That’s really great advice. People do read blogs. You’re reading one right now. Thank you for doing that, by the way.

Social Media Marketing

We will help you to get setup with a decent publishing platform along with great content that’s suitable for social media websites. If you do well on them, social media sites can potentially send you thousands of visitors, plus sites that do well on social networks gain lots of organic links which help with SEO.

What’s Involved?

If we are taking care of your social media the 1st thing we will do is get you setup with a blog or articles category. Once you are all setup we will post interesting, bizarre and quirky articles to it on a regular basis that will naturally do well on social sites such as:

* Twitter
* Stumbleupon
* Reddit
* Facebook
* Propeller

To name a few, these sites will without any doubt send you many visitors, if one of our pieces of content is really successful it can sometimes receive over 100,000 uniques. Our most popular piece ever has had over 350,000 unique visitors and currently in July 2009 it is still less then 8 months old.

If you don’t think your website is successful enough, you can try to pay for success. Here’s what a firm that offers link building services has to say about them.

We will find and secure relevant links for your site with the focus on quality. Securing good quality links is an essential part of almost any SEO campaign.

What’s Involved?

To secure links for your site we may use any of the following:

* Niche directory submission
* Web directory submission
* Article submission
* Press release
* Linkbait
* Social media

However we approach every site differently and we try to come up with creative ways to secure links. In some cases we have been able to secure University and even Government links for our clients.

The Rewards?

A successful link building campaign can lead to sustainable search engine rankings, targeted traffic and lots of sales. We have the experience and the contacts to make it happen.

If you don’t think your website is successful enough, you can try to pay for success. Here’s what a firm that offers linkbaiting and website optimization.

Linkbaiting Services

We will come up with quality relevant content for your site designed specifically to attract links. We have access to some amazing writers and we have the contacts to get your content out there.

What’s Involved?

One of our writers will take a look at your website and come up with a relevant piece of content for your blog or news page. The type of content we produce varies, but it could be any of the following or a mash up:
* News
* Guide / Tutorial
* Interesting Story
* Pictures
* Videos
* Statistics

We can come up with linkbait style articles for any kind of website and they are generally very well-received by everyone involved.

The Rewards?

If a linkbait article is really successful it will receive hundreds of organic links and go on receiving them for months or even years. Getting organic links to your site is a great way to build up authority with the search engines.

 

Website Optimisation

We will optimise your website in a way that is going to get you the most targeted search engine traffic. We have a good understanding of how search engines crawl websites and we can use this to your advantage.

What’s Involved?

This may involve us working with you on any of the following:

• Meta-tagging
• Re-writing your URLs
• Image optimisation
• Internal link architecture
• Copywriting
• Web usability
• Branding

In some cases we have had to restructure an entire website or in others we have had to add hundreds of pages of extra content.

The Rewards?

Good website optimisation will dramatically improve your chances of getting targeted traffic and business from the search engines. For most websites it is essential for SEO success.