Comparison Chart On phpBB, MyBB, MyProBB, vBulletin

Comparison Chart On bbPress, FusionBB, Invision Power, and Vanilla

About phpBB

Summary

PhpBB is designed for the average user in mind. This platform can handle a descent amount of traffic and is pretty easy to customize and there are many templates to choose from. I would recommend phpBB for someone who is looking for a free solution that is both functional and customizable.

Screenshots

Example Forums

• Mozilla Add-ons Forum
• South Park Studios
• Skyrim Forums

About MyBB

Summary

MyBB is another platform that is free, functional, and customizable. MyBB has a large support community and is easy to use. I would recommend this platform to someone who is looking for something a little different than phpBB.

Screenshots

Example Forums

• NCAA BBS
• Yu-Gi-Oh Cardmaker
• Messenger Plus Live

About MyProBB

Summary

MyProBB is similar to MyBB but offers a few additional features and support. If you like MyBB and are looking for something a little more this would be a solid option. I would not recommend this for someone who is just looking for a good platform because of the cost and limited abilities.

Screenshots

Example Forums

• MyProBB Web Forum

About vBulletin

Summary

VBulletin is a platform that is designed for large forums. This platform is used by millions of sites and can meet any can be used for pretty much anything. I would highly recommend vBulletin for any size forum in pretty much any situation as long as you are willing/able to purchase it.

Screenshots

Example Forums

• Anime Appeal
• Digital Point
• Bike Forums

About bbPress

Summary

BbPress was brought to us by WordPress and is a great option for someone looking for a fast forum. By default bbPress does not come with much but this increases the load time and performance of the forum. There is also a plug-in for pretty much anything you would want to add, just be careful not to add to many plug-ins because it will affect the performance.

Screenshots

Example Forums

• WordPress
• Singletrack
• Dropbox

About FusionBB

Summary

FusionBB is a great forum platform and can met the demands of a large community. If you are willing to pay for your forum this would be my recommendation. Yes it is a little pricy but the features and support you get will easy make up for the price.

Screenshots

Example Forums

• FusionBB Forums
• Classic Camp Stoves
• Basketball U

About InvisionPower

Summary

InvisionPower is another great paid forum platform. InvisionPower also offer several other products and if you are using them this would be a great choice. If you are not using any other products by InvisionPower I would use fusionBB.

Screenshots

Example Forums

• IPS Community
• Official eMule-Board
• GameMaker Community

About Vanilla

Summary

Vanilla forums is another great free option. If you are looking for something different than the standard phpBB forum platform this is a great option. But if you are just looking for the most functional free forum platform I would still go with phpBB.

Screenshots

Example Forums

• Vanilla Forums
• Flatpress
• Big Green Egg

Ever heard of HostHero? No? Well, in case you are looking for some affordable cloud-based hosting, it’s time to get to know them. Here’s a Q&A session I did with the company founder cum VP recently – it’s a great interview (thanks again Rahim!) and it’s a must read for shoppers who are looking for similar service.

Hello Rahim, thanks for being with us today. Let’s start with some introduction. What can you tell us about yourself and your company HostHero.

Hi Jerry, thanks for setting this up. My name is Rahim K, and I am a co-founder and the VP of Business Development for HostHero, thus responsible for our vast affiliate network, partner relations, and any marketing initiatives we pursue.

HostHero is a privately owned web hosting provider located in Toronto, Canada. From the beginning, our goal has always been to provide a fast, secure, reliable web hosting solution, with affordable rates. We take pride in offering 24/7 in-house support – no outsourcing – and have heard time and time again that this is a feature that sets us apart. Essentially, we’re confident that we can deliver the best all-round hosting solution, with a backbone built on cloud infrastructure that intersects with elements of IaaS (infrastructure as a service) at a fraction of what our competitors can offer. It’s true cloud hosting, at shared hosting rates.

Click here for more on HostHero hosting features.

Hmmm, cloud hosting at shared hosting rates, that sounds interesting. So, who should be using HostHero? Please briefly describe HostHero’s targeted audiences.

Anyone really – that’s the beauty of cPanel.

Whether you are starting your SMB, building a social networking site, or looking to host your own blog/photo/video sharing site, we have a solution that works for you. We have free site-builders with one-click installers (literally), thousands of templates, and a support system that will take you as far as you want to go. At the same time, more experienced users have the added functionality cPanel brings to the table, at their full disposal.

According to the company website, HostHero Hosting is based on clustered cloud computing. How this is done? Can you tell us more about the technology behind HostHero’s operations?

Sure! As I was saying earlier, our servers are built for performance, speed, reliability and efficiency. We have 5 data centers across North America, one in Dallas, one in Seattle, one in Washington D.C, and two in Toronto, Canada (one downtown, and one uptown). Through all of these facilities, we are able to deliver to our clients access to dual-hex core servers that are configured optimally for shared computing. Through closely monitored load-balancing initiatives, and the magic of CloudLinux technology, we have devised a hosting “ecosystem” that gives our users rock solid stability at very low costs.

We looked at the recent surge of cloud computing and how it blended into web hosting, and concluded that there was still a leap or bound to be made; and that’s what we’ve done! Taken existing technologies that are present in shared-resource computing (in this case storage and hosting), and exploited them to the advantage of our clients… for an exceptionally low cost.

Cool. Can you further elaborate on the advantages of cluster computing/cloud hosting – from a user’s view-point?

For starters, HostHero users are now able to obtain what’s considered to be the latest and greatest storage and server solutions, at very cost-effective rates. Cluster computing has rapidly grown into a commercially viable alternative for all companies, not just the ones willing to spend the big dollars. As we grow, we expect to continually educate the marketplace on exactly how feasible cloud hosting can be.

Scalability is probably the next most important benefit to clients; websites can expand at exponential rates and the resources will always remain available. Hard drives or processors for example can be added or swapped seamlessly, never affecting the existing work flow. Further to that point, clients can be sure that there is practically 100% efficiency with resource consumption – all free resources such as RAM, bandwidth, and HD space to name a few, are available when needed. On top of that, the Cloud is designed to compensate should one server experience any set backs, delivering to clients a much greater redundancy than they would ordinarily receive at such a low cost. Prior to Cloud Hosting, hosting clients would need to spend on probably a few dedicated servers to achieve this sort of redundancy.

The list of benefits is long, but I’m sure you get the idea. It’s inexpensive, extremely reliable, extremely scalable, and above all it gives ANY of our clients access to the fastest and most secure hardware available with complete peace of mind.

You mention cloud hosting is for anyone – does your ‘anyone’ include heavy CMS users? For example if I am a Drupal user, would it be very complicated to install (and manage) my Drupal websites on HostHero??

Absolutely Jerry, in fact a large bulk of our clients are CMS and blog users. We encouage them through our one-click installers for hundreds of templates including Drupal, WordPress, Joomla, PHPFox, to name a few. HostHero makes installation and management remarkably easy through tools such as the previously mentioned cPanel, and an array of other features. We also offer free site-migration and transfer, and coupled with our outstanding level of service this makes setup and management practically seamless for users.

Isolating Drupal for a moment, I can confidently say our end-to-end hosting solution is designed to host Drupal users optimally. Our servers are configured to exceed the minimum Drupal requirements, and we always maintain the latest features and security as per Drupal standards.

Till date, there are still some unsolved security issues with cloud/cluster computing. Should your customers be concerned with this?

HostHero has been designed not only for flexibility and scalability, but also for security and performance…the best of both worlds. Unlike a standard shared server, where everything is kept on one server, our cloud maintains each component – HTTP (website), MySQL (database), IMAP/SMTP (email) – on its own hardware. If you also consider the fact that we employ Cisco DDos protection hardware firewalls and custom CSF software firewalls, you’ll realize how important security is to us.

Oh, and did I mention that all of our clients data is secured and protected by RAID10 technology? If ever a drive failure occurs, we simply swap in a drive in real-time and no interruption is experienced by our clients – which further backs up my earlier point that our cloud offers FULL redundancy.

"I wish to try out HostHero but I am too lazy/ too dumb/ too busy/ I am no good in tech/ etc etc". What would you tell these potential clients? Does HostHero provide any help when it comes to website migration?

Great question Jerry! We try and go above and beyond here at HostHero, and that includes helping prospective clients join our cloud. As I’ve previously mentioned, we offer free site migration and transfer with real-time support. That’s how we go beyond the norm, by literally doing the work for you! Whether you are an SMB or a blog/CMS user, HostHero has a solution built for you. Regardless of your technical saavy, whether you’re an expert or a novice web admin, through cPanel’s control planel your website can be managed with the utmost ease. It’s no secret what cPanel brings to the table: a highly automated, simple yet reliable tool that works to its full potential on our servers. Whether you want to deploy fully functional video streaming using our built in FFmpeg modules, or explore some of the site-builders with HUNDREDS of templates, having cPanel at your finger tips gives our users simple point-and-click usability.

It takes only minutes now, literally, without and HTML or coding background to get a website up and running with HostHero.

Web hosting is a competitive (but far from being saturated I believe) industry and I know a few cloud hosting providers who offer similar services as HostHero have gone out of business. What are your immediate plans for HostHero to win the market? Where do you see HostHero in the next 2 years?

For the time being, we’re going to be focusing on maintaining the bolstering growth rate we’ve been witnessing. That means more promotions and more incentives for our clients and prospective clients – a happy client is a loyal client.

As we look a little further down the road, HostHero is poising itself to DOMINATE the hosting market as one of the first and only cost-efficient cloud shared hosting solutions availabe. Our goal has always been to educate our clients and prospective clients on how attainable cloud hosting can be, and with more giants (like Amazon and Cisco) emerging with cloud hosting solutions, we anticipate an opportunity for clients to take advantage of our low-cost shared cloud hosting plans. We are the first company that can offer cloud webhosting at shared hosting prices; where can you get cloud hosting at only 3.95 per month?

We wan to capture those customers who think they need to get shared hosting, and educate people on how attainable cloud hosting can be. Look at our Cloud VPS plan for example; nowhere can you find such a powerful hosting plan, with all the shared-computing benefits you expect in a cloud environment, for such affordable rates. Its a true one-of-a-kind solution.

That’s all for my questions, thanks again for being with us today. Before we end, is there anything you would like to add?

The pleasure was all mine Jerry, and thank you very much for taking the time for HostHero today. As a thank you, I would love to offer all of your users a special 25% discount off of ALL HostHero hosting plans. Just use the promo code “WHSR” at here.

Cheers!

About SiteServing Hosting

SiteServing is a privately held web hosting company that was started in 2000. SiteServing was built to service our customers and their requirements. You can visit SiteServing at http://www.siteserving.com/

Having not heard of SiteServing before, I decided to give them a shot back around eight months ago. They aren’t newcomers in the business, but they haven’t really been overly aggressive in the marketing before either. Having been around since 2000, they have proven to know what their doing (just by age alone). Below, are just some of my findings and opinions about this web hosting company.

My experience with SiteServing hosting

What can I say; SiteServing has everything any Webmaster will never need. From three different shared hosting plans, in around five locations, to every virtualization type known to man (or at least at the moment). SiteServing has all the accoutrements of an experienced team, and none of the short fallings (at least that I’ve been able to see so far).

What’s the pricing like?

The pricing for SiteServing is very reasonable; they have certainly done their research and it shows. SiteServing is extremely well priced and their initial shared hosting offering goes for as little as $2.95/mo, and that’s actually very hard to beat (no matter where you look).

From a visitors perspective, SiteServing has everything in one easy-to-use location, from their extensive 700+ knowledgebase articles, to their 364+ video tutorials, they generally have everything you need to get started. Even some of the other hosting providers have no where near this level of documentation or user assistance guides. That’s just some of the items that make SiteServing standout for me and for probably any first time visitor.

So, what’s good about SiteServing?

Fact: SiteServing has been around for over 10 years. Frankly, I’ve never heard much about them, until fairly recently. It seems that something within that company changed, and sounds, looks and feels like someone experienced has shown up. In fact, if you review everything you’ll notice quickly that they are extremely well documented, and everything is meticulously groomed to perfection. I was browsing their site and see that they have won numerous awards from industry review organizations such as PC Pro, WebHostDir, and many others. This really makes me realize that SiteServing might be that hidden gem that you’ve never found. This was the case for me at least.

99.99% Uptime Guarantee

While uptime guarantees vary, very few hosting providers have dared place 99.99% uptime guarantees on their website, due to the possibility of outages. This is certainly another quality marker of the SiteServing system, if you take a look into what 99.99% actually means, and that’s literally less than 52.56 minutes per year! That simply goes to show that SiteServing really has high expectations, showing customers, like me, that not only are they providing quality service, but they are putting money where their mouth is, literally.

Shared hosting plans and affordable plans

It seems that there are some web hosting providers such as SiteServing that are saying “enough” with the “unlimited everything” approach to web hosting, and actually starting to offer something that is real. As you see nowadays most hosting providers don’t actually provide true unlimited resources, SiteServing has decided to end with the fiasco and provide true resources for true money.

What makes SiteServing better than the rest, is that they are affordable, clean, crisp and by the looks of it, a highly motivated company. SiteServing isn’t your fly-by-night operation, nor is it the run of the mill web hosting provider, they are a serious player that has invested heavily into their presence – I can tell this from just looking at their website. What that means to customers, is that you get to enjoy all the extras they provide, while they do all the heavy lifting.

One-Click web App Installations

If you take a look at the SiteServing control panel, you’ll quickly notice a couple of things. The first being that SiteServing offers not one, but two auto installers, the first is called Fantastico and the second is called Softaculous. Both have huge pluses, and a wide selection of one-click installable scripts. For example, ever wanted to install WordPress, Joomla, Mambo, Drupal, or anything else, quickly? Well, with SiteServing you can, in one click – literally. All this goes to show that SiteServing is dedicated to creating a better experience for the customer, it certainly is for me.

So what might go wrong with SiteServing?

So far, having been hosted with them eight months, I can’t say that I’ve actually had any issues with them so far. The Server is fast, the uptime is strong, and the whole system feels solid.

The only thing that I can say about them that is negative (dependent on the way you look at it) is that they are a name that hasn’t been as widely spread as others. However, you have to remember that it doesn’t mean anything, it’s just rare to see such a highly optimized, and built company that hasn’t been pushed into the limelight. My guess is that they have not paid for reviews and top spots like I suspect other hosting companies do. I know some pay to have their top spot. I also know from experience that a top spot means nothing. I have plenty of horror stories from previous hosts, and all from the most popular web hosting companies.

Conclusion: Is SiteServing hosting a go or a stay?

If you’re searching for a web hosting provider that has everything under one roof, and has the vast amount of documentation, then SiteServing is a go. Having fairly priced hosting and over a decade (from what I’ve researched) of experience, SiteServing isn’t a company that is going away anytime soon. I’m just going to rate SiteServing an A and surely going to (and have) recommend them to all my friends, co-workers and family.

Send Me Your Hosting Review!

Have something to say about this web host? Like it or hate it – send us your comment (min. 250 words) today at jerry [a] webhostingsecretrevealed.com. I’m paying $10 for each published review!

As you can see from the screen-cap, iPage is now selling $2.95/mo for 2- and 3-year plans ($3.50/mo for 1-year plan). In summary, that’s about 63% discount from the original price $7.95/mo. Get more details, visit iPage online: http://www.ipage.com; or check out my iPage review.

About HostHero

Based in Toronto, Canada, HostHero offers something unusual, cPanel cloud hosting, at a very attractive price tag (after discount $3.95/mo). HostHero is a new hosting company based in Toronto, Canada. offering a new type of hosting plan – cPanel cloud hosting.

cPanel Cloud Hosting?

HostHero hosting works exactly like normal shared hosting from a user’s preceptive, but the technology behind the operation is totally different. HostHero hosting operation is based on clustered cloud computing controlled by load balancers.

Plus Points On HostHero

Some key advantages with this type of hosting include:

Better stability, as your site is now hosted on load-balanced servers. In the event that a server fails within the cloud, the load balancers will automatically detect the failure and send traffic to the fastest available server. This means even when a web server is down, your site will continue to load.

Faster performance with multiple servers loading your site content.

And, best of all, no extra technical knowledge required as it comes with cPanel control panel.

Some Key Hosting Features

Click here for more on HostHero hosting features.

HostHero Discount Coupon

At this time of writing, HostHero is running a special promotion. Apply promo code ‘HeroToday’ and you’ll save 15% on your hosting bill on any 1-, 2-, or 3-year billing cycle. Also, do learn more about the company in this HostHero Interview.

It might take a little patience and effort to create a new website from scratch, test it on an Android-based Web server and then upload it to the Internet where it can go live. Here are ten of the best Web development apps that can help get any project finished while on the move.

(Courtesy of l i l o n d r a and incredibleguy)

KWS Web Server

Some Android owners are surprised when they find out they can actually serve files from their smartphone or tablet. The KWS Web Server app makes this easy. This server might not work well for serving large numbers of files for the World Wide Web, but it does a good job for testing and local Web applications.

View Web Source

Web developers often need to look at code at the browser level, but those who rely on most Android Web browsers do not have the “view source” option available to them. Users type in the address of any Web page and save it for future use by copying it to the clipboard of their device.

ConnectBot SSH

Many people would never even think about running an SSH client on a mobile phone, but this app makes the impossible come true. File transfer between a device and a Web server is easy with this app. Developers can also use it to manipulate files on a remote server, run programs and navigate the server’s file structure.

AndFTP

Move files between the Internet and Android devices with ease using this app. FTP, SFTP and similar protocols are supported on phones and tablets. This app also acts as a full-service file manager for the device and the Web server. Delete, move and copy files with ease; create folders and set permissions.

WordPress for Android

Many developers work with WordPress, a popular open source Web software product used for blogging and CMS. This app gives users many of the same options available to desktop users. Comment moderation, content creation, user management and statistics are just a few of the functions accessible from a mobile device.

Joooid

Joomla! is a popular Web-based CMS system that is often used to manage professional and commercial websites. The Jooid editor for Joomla! enables mobile users to create posts and edit HTML. With this app, users can even add images, maps and other goodies from their mobile phone.

Courtesy of growdigital)

Webmaster’s HTML Editor Lite

Developers will enjoy having an HTML editor onboard their tablet or smartphone so they can create Web pages in CSS, HTML, JavaScript and PHP. This powerful editor highlights code and completes tags. Handy shortcut buttons also help speed the webmaster’s job.

Drupal Editor for Android

Web developers that use the Drupal content management system will love having access to creative and administrative functions from their cell phones.

JavaScript Programming Reference

Make it easy to lookup functions and syntax while mobile. This handy JavaScript app lists official documentation so developers can quickly and accurately craft their code from the palm of their hand. After downloading this app, developers look for other reference apps for PHP, HTML, CSS and more. They will work especially for those who choose to use the HTML editor listed below.

Analytix

When developers need to stay on top of their websites while away from the office, what do they do? They choose the Analytix client for Google Analytics. This app retrieves the information from Google and presents it in an easy-to read format that is optimized for mobile screens. Now webmasters can stay in touch with their websites all day, every day.. By monitoring site performance with Analytix, developers can quickly identify problems with Web pages and their content and take steps to correct them.

Summary

Android phones and tablets extend webmasters’ reach through the use of exciting apps available for download from the Android Market. Armed with these apps, Web developers can get their work done from almost anywhere. Meanwhile, developers should keep their eyes open for more apps that can make their work easy.

This is a guest article by Ruben Corbo, a writer for the website Cell Phone Expert where you can compare plans on different cell phones.

HTML5 is gaining more popularity and starting to evolutionise the entire web interface. Even some web developers quoted that HTM5 elements and visual effects are comparable to Flash. The new scripting style is easy to understand and capabilities to enhance the web interface is limitless. So how interesting is this HTML5 anyway?

This article is intended to give readers an insight on what you should know about the HTML5 and most importantly some tips & tricks on creating lightweight, attractive, and interactive HTML5 pages.

1. Basic in HTML5

Before we begin any further of this topic in HTML5, it will be good to check your current browser first. As many of the browsers are still in the development mode (enhancement to accomodate the HTML5), some features mentioned here may not be supportable.

Here’s a quick tips to check your browser compatibility.

To understand further the limitation of certain browser, you may refer to here.

2. Text Effects – Adding shadow and advance text effect in HTML5

Basic shadow effect on text

This is the simplest one string code that transform your ordinary headline into a cool-looking text. Never underestimate the shadow effect. To create this similar looking effect requires web designer to go through multiple steps of image editing in Photoshop. And now all it takes is just one line of code. The shadow distance, color can be changed to your heart content.

Coding sample

#shadow h1 {
text-shadow: 0px 1px 1px rgba(0,0,0,.2);
}

Text on advance fire-like effect

The next tip is to show you on how the HTML5 coding can be tweaked into a even cooler-looking text. If you experiment enough, or find other examples, the possibilities of customizing the effects are endless. Note: this example is not created by any image editing software. Just plain codes in HTML5.

Coding sample

#fire h1 {
text-align: center;
margin: 200px auto;
font-family: "League-Gothic", Courier;
font-size: 200px; text-transform: uppercase;
color: #fff;
text-shadow: 0 0 20px #fefcc9, 10px -10px 30px #feec85, -20px -20px 40px #ffae34, 20px -40px 50px #ec760c, -20px -60px 60px #cd4606, 0 -80px 70px #973716, 10px -90px 80px #451b0e;
}

Other great example: http://mudcu.be/labs/HTML5Rocks/Text-Effects.html#spaceage

3. Rounded corner in HTML5

Styling the webpage layout in HTML5 has never been so easy since the introduction of css. And now you can even have a rounded corners of your layout elements! Imagine this; no more slicing background image, no more messy picture fragments. This will bring many cheers to the web designers out there.

Coding sample

div {
border: 2px solid #434343;
padding: 10px;
background: #e3e3e3;
-moz-border-radius: 10px;
-webkit-border-radius: 10px;
width: 500px;
}

Note: Moz means Mozilla, and webkit is for Safari and Chrome.

Other great example: http://fjd1.com/roundcorner.html

4. Scalable Vector Graphic (SVG) in HTML5

Scalable Vector Graphic or commonly known as (SVG) is a 2-Dimension vector graphics which is defined in XML text files. In another words, because their DNA is based on XML text file, they can be created or editable on the web platform. Which also means, there can be scale easily, and search engines are able to read and understand the image.

Sample code

<svg id="svg-area" width="838" height="140" viewBox="0 0 2000 380">
<rect x="100" y="20" rx="25" width="100" height="335" fill="#FAEBD7" stroke="purple" stroke-width="2" />
<rect x="-50" y="300" width="300" height="75" fill="none" stroke="#4B0082" stro ke-width="4" transform="rotate(-30)" />

<path d="M 950,200 h -150 a 150,150 0 1,0 150,-150 z" fill="red" stroke="blue" stroke-width="5" />
<path d="M 925,175 v -150 a 150,150 0 0,0 -150,150 z" fill="yellow" stroke="blue" stroke-width="5" />
<path d="M 1450,350 l 50,-25
a 25,25 -30 0,1 50,-25 l 50,-25
a 25,50 -30 0,1 50,-25 l 50,-25
a 25,75 -30 0,1 50,-25 l 50,-25
a 25,100 -30 0,1 50,-25 l 50,-25"
fill="none" stroke="red" stroke-width="5" />
</svg>

Other great examples:

• http://codinginparadise.org/projects/svgweb/samples/demo.html?name=photos&svg.render.forceflash=false
• http://playground.html5rocks.com/#inline_svg

5. Embedding movie file in HTML5

Here’s another interesting part to showcase the capabilities of HTML5. Many of the video online are usually presented to webuser in the form of Flash. Until recently, embedding video in HTML5 slowly gaining momentum (YouTube is good example) and Flash is slowly losing its attractiveness. Why is that so? Mobile users. If you want your video to be able to play in both iPhone and Android phones, HTML5 is the way to move forward.

To embed the video, you’ll need to know there currently 3 formats supported by different browsers; .mp4 (H.264+AAC), .ogg (Theora + Vorbis), .webm (VP8 + Vorbis)

Sample code

<video width="560" height="340" controls>
<source src="path/to/myvideo.mp4" type=’video/mp4; codecs="avc1.42E01E, mp4a.40.2"’>
<source src="path/to/myvideo.ogv" type=’video/ogg; codecs="theora, vorbis"’>
</video>

Other great example : http://studio.html5rocks.com/#PiP

6. Slide Presentation in HTML5

Powerpoint has been a synonym name associate with slide presentation. But why confine yourself with a offline presentation where you can create slides meant for web audience? HTML5 has come to the rescue in creating much powerful presentation slides, complete with transition and navigation menu. The best part is, you can even apply 3D transform to your presentation.

Sample code

pre {
transition: all 1s ease-inout;
}

pre:hover {
background-color: #F2F5FE;
border-color: black;
}

div {
transform: rotate3d(1,1,0, 45deg);
}

Other great examples:

• http://www.script-tutorials.com/creating-an-attractive-presentation-with-html5/
• http://www.html5rocks.com/en/features/presentation

7. Editable Content in HTML5

Static text is so old-school in the age where flexibility and dynamic rule the world. In HTML5, you can define a text area made it editable by the web user without text editor.

Sampel code

<p contenteditable="true">This content is editable!</p>

Other great example: http://html5demos.com/contenteditable

8. Interactive Web Canvas in HTML5

Besides SVG in HTML5, canvas is the next best thing that ever happened to the web. Canvas allows rendering of 2 dimension shapes that bring interactivity to a whole level without the help from Flash.

Nevertheless, the simple coding in HTML5 that creates amazing animation interaction is worth to mentioned in here.

Other great examples:

• http://www.bestfreewebresources.com/2010/09/10-best-html5-canvas-applications.html
• http://addyosmani.com/blog/13-incredibly-fresh-new-canvas-demos/

9. Drag and Drop in HTML5

Drag and drop (sometimes known as DnD) is another cool feature that available to HTML5. A great example would be implementation by Google in their Gmail. If you’re using any of the HTML5 supportable browsers, you can simply drag a file from your computer and drop onto the compose message window. It will be automatically add in as an attachment. How cool is that?

Sample code (native DnD)

document.addEventListener(‘dragstart’, function(event) {
event.dataTransfer.setData(‘text’, ‘Customized text’);
event.dataTransfer.effectAllowed = ‘copy’;
}, false);

Other great example: http://www.html5rocks.com/en/tutorials/dnd/basics/

10. Pure CSS Data Chart in HTML5

Before HTML5, it is also impossible to create a presentable chart by just using coding in HTML. Furthermore, changing the data value and to reflect in the chart is no simple task. Again, HTML5 to the rescue. Together with CSS, you can create an absolutely beautiful chart which put Microsoft Excel to shame. The codes are simple, and all you need to do is spending time to customize the perfect color and effect for your chart.

Other great example : http://cssglobe.com/post/1272/pure-css-data-chart

Tutorial on creating the HTML5 chart using jQuery plugin, go to: http://www.catswhocode.com/blog/how-to-easily-create-charts-using-jquery-and-html5

More Learning Resources On HTML5

Just got started in HTML5 and need some newbie crash course? Well, Udemy has the best in it. Taught by Robin Nixon, author of Learning PHP, MySQL, and JavaScript, the course covers pretty much everything a newbie need to know in HTML5, including basic HTML coding, HTML5 canvas for drawing, geolocation, local storage, as well as HTML5 audio and video.

 Check out Udemy’s HTML5 Beginners Crash Course

The vast majority of SEO discussions focus on how to rank well in Google (http://www.google.com), and with good reason. Google is unquestionably the king of search, and there is a good chance things will stay that way for quite some time. That said, Bing (http://www.bing.com) is having a strong impact on the industry, and it can no longer be ignored by anybody who takes SEO seriously.

Now that Bing controls the Yahoo! search results as well, it means that they control at least 30 percent of the search market. In other words, nearly a third of people are now looking at Bing’s search results, not Google’s. Therefore, if you properly optimize your site to deal with both Google and Bing, you could see almost a 50 percent increase in your traffic over focusing just on Google.

Fortunately, you don’t have to completely overhaul your SEO efforts in order to rank well in Bing. Most of the factors that improve a site’s rankings are the same in both search engines. That said, there are some important differences that you can’t ignore if you want to capture as much search traffic as possible.

Editorial Links

The first important difference is the relevance of editorial links. An editorial link is a link from within the content of an article. Many SEO experts have already pointed out that Google now places a stronger emphasis on these types of links than other types of links such as Blogrolls, comments, link directories, and similar links. But Bing places an even stronger emphasis on these types of links.

This doesn’t mean that other links don’t matter, but it does mean that if you want to rank well in Bing, you better have a strategy for getting contextual links. This isn’t going to happen by spamming the Internet with comment links or buying links in the sidebar. You’ll need to write guest posts, use link baiting techniques, and find other ways to attract links from the content of articles.

One easy way you can increase your number of editorial links is to start an article marketing campaign. This can be as simple as writing some short (300-500 words) articles and including your links within the body. Be careful though – you won’t improve your ranking with Bing if you just throw your link in the article over and over again. Your article needs to make sense, and your links should be worked in naturally in a way that doesn’t interrupt the flow of the article or make it sound contrived.

Press Release

Press releases are another great way to get editorial links. If your company or website is doing something newsworthy (like launching a new product, donating to a charity, or hosting an event), then write about it in a press release and include a link back to your website. If you have the budget available, there are a number of good press release distribution services out there (like PRWeb.com) that will send out your release for you. You can also distribute your press release manually if money is an issue. A good press release can get picked up by thousands of other websites and news sources, which can result in a ton of good editorial links pointing back to your website.

Do Not Buy Links

Whatever you do, though, do not buy links from link brokers or other websites that sell links in bulk. Bing (and other search engines) frowns upon this practice and will actually punish you for purchasing links with a worse ranking. The best kinds of links to get are organic links that you acquire naturally using effective link-building strategies like the ones we just talked about. If you suddenly acquire 100 new links overnight, Bing will get suspicious and could penalize you.

Domain Name

Another factor that seems to have relevance is the domain name. While having the keyword in your domain matters a lot for Google, it matters even more for Bing. There is some debate about whether an exact match domain is more important than a good brand name, and this will depend as much on your own business strategy as anything else. Nevertheless, realizing that this factor is even more important for results in Bing is an important thing to keep in mind while you make this decision.

Content Freshness

Finally, Bing seems to have a stronger emphasis on content. A page can rank well in Google even if there is almost no content on the page. This doesn’t appear to be the case with Bing. The search engine prefers to rank pages that have a lot of content on them. Even if a page has a large number of high quality links pointing toward it, Bing may refuse to rank it well if it doesn’t have very much content on it.

It’s a good idea to add fresh, unique content to your website on a regular basis anyway, in order to attract visitors and give them a reason to keep coming back to your website, and if this will help your Bing rankings too then that’s just icing on the cake. If you find that you have trouble creating your own content, you can find ghostwriters and freelance bloggers on job auction sites like Guru.com and Elance.com that will create content for you at an affordable rate.

As with Google, the most important ranking factor for Google is links. While the domain name and the amount of content on the page are both important, the difference in links is the most important factor that will improve your rankings in Microsoft’s search engine.

About The Author: Sarah Tharp

Sarah Tharp is the Social Media Manager for Brain Host. Brain Host is an industry-leading web hosting company that offers superior shared hosting packages, 99.9% server uptime, and 24/7 US-based customer support. For more information about Brain Host, please visit http://www.brainhost.com.

SEO is one of the biggest buzz words (actually, it’s an acronym) in marketing right now, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. It is also one of the most ambiguous. With the complexity of the algorithms Google and other search engines use to determine search engine rankings, it is no wonder so many are at a loss for where to start. Sometimes, though, it’s not just about doing what’s right; it’s also about avoiding what’s wrong. Let’s explore what tasks should be kept on the do not do list.

Do not pay $4.99 for 500 links. Or $5.99 or even $6.99! In other words, be leery of companies that promise you spectacular results for dirt cheap. They implement the shadiest techniques and are more likely to get your site penalized than number one rankings. If you want to rank well you will need to make an investment. Find a company that will be transparent about their process, analytical in reporting, and responsive in communications. Or, hone up on the best practices and perform the basics on your own.

Do not think Google is the only search engine. While Google is the biggest and probably most well-known search engine in the U.S., it isn’t the only one. Both Yahoo and Bing are hovering around 15% of the online searches each (source). A lot of the techniques will be the same to rank well across search engine algorithms, but it is a good idea to take note of differences between the major three players (Google, Yahoo, & Bing).

Do not optimize for SEO. Optimize for users. The ultimate point of your website is not for search engine spiders to deem your site worthy, it’s for consumers to find you, learn about you, and ultimately become an advocate (whether that is purchasing goods, services, or supporting your cause). If you rank #1 but your visitors aren’t enjoying or revisiting your site, would you really consider it a success? Probably not. You’ll need to find the sweet spot between providing information to your visitors and writing it in a way that search engines find it relevant.

Do not limit SEO to a one-time task. Content is constantly being added to the Internet, new websites are being published, and search engines are tweaking their algorithms to provide better results to their visitors. In light of this, if you want to see steady results from your SEO efforts, it needs to an ongoing part of your strategy. Just like if you want to be a professional athlete; you don’t buy the sports gear, practice for a day and think you have what it takes to be on top. You invest time and money in to practicing and learning the techniques necessary to succeed. The same goes with SEO.

Do not use SEO as your sole online marketing technique. SEO is not the end all be all of online marketing. While it is important, there are also several other online channels you can use to increase traffic to your site and convert visitors into customers (PPC, social media, banner ads, email marketing, etc.)

Do not think you will jump to #1 over night. If it were possible to jump the ranks like that you would be just as likely to be jousted from your #1 position the next day. Like I stated in #4, positive and quality SEO results will take time. SEO efforts require a long term investment.

Do not steal your competitors’ info. Also known as “scraping” a site, not only is it unethical, it is very likely Google will penalize you for this practice and mark your site as spam. Take pride in your understanding of your target audience and tailor your content to fit them to a T.

Do not add keywords just to have them. It used to be a common strategy to write very keyword dense content, most of the time well past the point of comprehension. Not only is this a turn off for your visitors, search engine algorithms are onto this and will penalize you. Please refer back to #3 – don’t write for spiders, write for people!

Do not think all links are created equal. “SEO Gurus” often strive to get as many links as possible without worry about the quality of the link. A link is a link, right? Wrong. The fact is that quality does matter in building links. Spend time retrieving quality links, not just volume.

Have you seen any other SEO no-no’s being committed? Have any other advice to relay regarding SEO don’ts? I’d love to hear from you!

Any business shopping around for a web hosting solution will no doubt come across terms such as shared hosting, virtual private hosting (VPS), managed hosting and, the latest to enter the lexicon, cloud hosting. Often the holy grail is purported to be, if you can afford it, dedicated hosting, but what exactly are the reasons for choosing a dedicated hosting solution and is it the right fit for you?

What is Dedicated Hosting

Dedicated hosting refers to a scenario in which a website (or unified set of websites) is hosted on its own distinct physical server and therefore does not share any of its hardware or software with any other organisation’s websites. The server itself will usually be leased from a hosting provider and will be physically housed in a data center.

As with shared hosting (and VPS) dedicate hosting packages can be self managed or can include varying elements of managed hosting; from providing control panels which allow the client to request automated maintenance tasks, to having support engineers on call 24/7.

Benefits of dedicated web hosting

Data Center Location

All web sites which live on servers housed in data centers will benefit from the security and ambient conditions (cooling, humidity controls etc) that these data centers offer but there are a number of further benefits that dedicated servers offer in comparison to the varieties of shared servers.

Uptime & Security

Arguably the primary reason for choosing a dedicated server solution is to ensure the uptime and strong performance of your site in the face of demands from high traffic volumes and resource heavy site activity (e.g., from transactions and large databases)

Dedicated hosting packages will usually include redundancy options for hardware and software so that any failures on the server will not result in lost uptime.  However, the initial risk of failure is also reduced because your website(s) is not sharing resource with others.  As a consequence, the threats that these other sites may present to your site are negated. These threats could originate from, malware, hackers, bad coding or even general maintenance on those sites causing contamination or damage to the underlying server set-up on which yours is based.  Many dedicated hosting providers will therefore go as far as guaranteeing 100% uptime in their packages.

Performance

In general, hosting your website in a data center, whether it’s through colocation or leased server space, will allow you to benefit from the economies of scale that the data center can offer on, amongst other things, high bandwidth.  To deploy the same resources within your organisation, for the sole use of your organisation, may be prohibitively costly.

However, the fact that your website(s) will have an entire server to itself also means that it gets to employ all of the resources that that server has to offer without having to compete with the demand from other sites. In contrast to sites located on shared servers, it will have its own CPUs and can utilize all of the server’s bandwidth, so that the speed and performance of the site is optimized.

What’s more your site will have access to the server’s full disk space which is ideal for content rich and, in particular, expanding dynamic websites.

Privacy

If your site is likely to obtain or use sensitive or personal data such as bank account details then a dedicated hosting platform will be able to introduce further levels of security. All hosting solutions should have security measures in place to protect against data leaks from your site but by hosting on a physically separate server you are introducing a significant additional barriers.

Bespoke Optimization

A major attraction of dedicated hosting for websites with very particular requirements is that it can allow the client and host to completely configure the set up to achieve a bespoke and fully optimized platform.  You can choose, not only the hardware specification you want, but also the software configurations you require to run the site as effectively as possible, including the operating system, database and other applications (whilst also taking advantage of root access to the server).  Contrastingly, on shared hosting, you would usually need to choose an existing predefined hardware and/or software package (although, of course such packages are available for dedicated server solutions if desired).

Scaleability

As mentioned above, dedicated servers will often provide the resource headroom to allow a website to function effectively in the event of any fluctuations in the demands being put upon it (e.g., from spikes in traffic or transactions).  In addition however, the fact that dedicated server packages usually involve the leasing of a server means that you and your host can respond effectively when there is a further need for these resource to be upgraded without having to purchase an entirely new server, as you would if colocating.  What’s more, you aren’t inhibited by the presence of other sites on the server if you need to make changes to hardware to, for example, increase bandwidth or upgrade the RAM or CPUs.

Wrapping Up…

For the above reasons dedicated servers are most often recommended to businesses running ecommerce websites or sites with high volumes of traffic so that they can take advantage of the high levels of both performance and security that dedicated hosting offers. However, it is worth remembering that under the specifications, packages, flexibility and support that each provider offers will vary from one to the next so it is always worth doing your homework and shopping around for a solution that fits you best.

About The Author: Stuart Mitchell

Stuart Mitchell is a freelance writer working on behalf of companies such as Interoute
and writes on a variety of technologies from internet security to dedicated hosting and unified communications.

UnderArmour

As a frequent online clothing shopper, I love the ability to realistically see the change in apparel colors. It adds confidence in my color selection as I chose which one to purchase. I also love the subtle details in the background image; it adds to the design but doesn’t distract from the main focus.

Visit UnderArmour online.

Columbia

There are so many things I love about this site – the cool color palette complement the products perfectly, the textures add both insight into the product as well as add to the design, and the images fit in well with their target audience.

Visit Columbia online.

Diamond in the Rough

The big pictures on this site highlight the exquisite detail of the jewelry.

Visit Diamond in the Rough online.

Cabelas

I may be a little partial to this site as it brings me back to a childhood of hunting, fishing and outdoor adventures with my dad, but overall I think this is a great site. They have organized their plethora of products into an easy navigation and use a simple layout to not distract.

Visit Cabelas online.

Converse

There are three things about this site that stand out to me – the very unique above the fold layout, the “filter by” color wheel, and the design your own shoe. I don’t know how many times I have wanted a certain color of shoes and I’ve had to wade through every color to find what I’m looking for. The design your own shoe plays very well to their target audience.

Visit Converse online.

Bonfire Snowboarding

The interactivity potential of this site is great. The blog and multimedia layout is very unique and easy to follow. I don’t think this tactic would work for every site – but it does for this one.

Visit Bonfire Snowboarding online.

Coast

As an upscale clothing company, Coast has effectively designed their site to appeal to their market. It’s all about the clothes and the elegant shopping experience – the simply layout and emphasis on photography fits well.

Visit Coast online.

River Island

River Island is banking that pictures really are worth 1,000 words, and I think it’s working for them. From the first glance of their homepage you know exactly what type of clothing you are going to find on their site.

Visit River Island online.

Innovative Baby

Mother’s everywhere will have a hard time resisting the images on this site; just look at those sweet little tights!

Visit Innovative Baby online.

Abercrombie & Fitch

Abercrombie is known for their risqué advertising and in-store promotions – their website is no different. The provocative imagery is iconic of the brand and is exactly what their advocates are looking for in their marketing.

Visit Abercrombie & Fitch online.

Hollister

I hesitated adding Hollister to this list being as it is so similar to Abercrombie, but the textures on this site are too great to not highlight.

Visit Hollister online.

One+Only Custom Headboards

Colors, textures, and fun – without going overboard.

Visit One+Only Custom Headboards online.

RideFourEver

This site is a great example of how to use bright colors without looking like you design your site in 1997.

Visit RideFourEver online.

Dominos

With the recent rebranding of the company, the website has received a face lift as well. My favorite part? The tracker! You get to know exactly where your pizza is at in the cooking stage and when it should arrive on your doorstep. Genius!

Visit Dominos online.

Da Vinci Gourmet

The colors on this site screams gourmet. One unique tool this site has integrated into their site is a recipe finder so not only do you learn how to make yummy drinks, it provides links to their products to make sure you get all of the flavors you need.

Visit Da Vinci Gourmet online.

4^th Street Cookie

The images on this site are mouth watering! I love the little images in the drop down navigation as well.

Visit 4^th Street Cookie online.

Keedo

You’ve probably noticed by now that I am a fan of textures. This site uses subtle textures and little details to embellish the site.

Visit Keedo online.

Shoe Guru

There is little confusion about what this site is selling with the prominent pictures of shoes all over the site. The product layout is unique and very focused.

Visit Shoe Guru online.

Nestliving

This is a very modern website for a company that sells modern furniture.

Visit Nestliving online.

Apple

The apple website might be one of my favorite websites. Bold product images, simple descriptions and very personable copy. The steps to customizing your technology are incredibly straightforward to facilitate a positive shopping experience.

Visit Apple online.

Rifle Paper Co.

A DIYer’s dream site! Very easy to navigate and find exactly what you are looking for.

Visit Rifle Paper Co. online.

iStockphoto

Probably not a big surprise, but this site does photos well.

Visit iStockphoto online.

Am I missing any great sites that inspired your design? Or maybe your site is jaw droppingly good – post a link for all to see.

According to dictionary.com, typography is the art or process of printing with type. Bringing the definition up to speed with the digital world – typography is the art or process of using typefaces to communicate (not just in print). In times past typography was most closely associated with newspapers, books, and other informative sources. As graphic design expanded, so did the possibilities of typography; it has evolved into not only a means of simply creating lines of text, but into an artistic expression and communication tool.

Just like color, typography is a crucial design element that can evoke emotions, portray images, and stimulate responses: everything from happiness to anger or athleticism to elegance. It is of the utmost importance to embrace typography to ensure clear communication.

Let’s review the basics.

Leading

The space between lines of text and will contribute the most to the readability of your text

Measure

The width of your text. To long can create confusion and be visually distracting while too short creates more line breaks and can decrease the readability of your text.

Text Alignment

The standard for alignment will vary depending on your medium and intended voice. Usually websites use a flush right while newspapers are more likely to use a justified alignment.

Font

With thousands of fonts available and the ability to create your own font, the options are endless. Consider the intended purpose of your design and find a suitable font. Different fonts evoke different emotions so they should be taken into careful contemplation. For example, Victorian cursive fonts usually associate well with elegance while simple lined fonts usually associate with a modern feel.

Color

Like font, color is important in creating the right tone of voice. Hues of red can indicated warning, excitement, passion, or energy while shades of purple indicate wisdom, sophistication, or celebration (more color meanings can be found here).

Keep in mind that what I outlined are general rules and what I listed as “bad” may be exactly what you need to use in order to communicate your point to your audience. For example, if you are communicate something regarding a crowded space it might be better to decrease your leading. Typography is a fluid art form and rules can be bent (or even broken) if your message will be better received.

As you strive to master the art of typography, it is helpful to have a toolbox of resources to help you. Jacob at Six Revisions has created a great list of tools that will help you take your typography to the next level! What other tidbits of information have you picked up about typography? I’d love to hear your insight!