QoftheWeek - What's Most Confusing About Website Builds

This week I'm wondering what confuses you most when it comes to having a website built (or rebuilt)? Is there a term, a phrase, or technology that you find confusing or maybe even a little scary? Please let me know what it is in the comment section.

Besides compiling all the answers as usual, I will also try to explain the confusing material.

Results from the last QoftheWeek: Have you ever used a DIY website builder? Well, believe it or not, this is the first question that we had NO answers for. Maybe those platforms are not as popular as the commercials would have us believe. Here's the link to that question, if you'd like to answer in now.

Have You Heard of Google Spaces?

Today Google announced their new social app, “Spaces.” I'm usually not one to jump right out there and download the latest, 'greatest' app. But, this one seems to me to be very useful.

The idea behind this new app is to give you a place to communicate with your groups. You can share links, videos, photos, and messages. I've already created groups (or Spaces as Google calls them) for my softball team, biking team, and employee-client groups.

I have to say, so far I like it.

TheNextWeb has a post with info on how to get started with Spaces. Aside from the poor editing, the article is pretty good.  The author doesn't seem as sold on Spaces as I am though.

How do you see yourself using this kind of social app?

QoftheWeek - Ever use a DIY Website Builder?

This week I'd like to know if you have ever used a do-it-yourself website builder like Wix or SquareSpace?  If so, are / were you happy with the site?  Did it perform well for you?

Please feel free to elaborate on your experience with a comment.  Whether your experience was good or bad, I'd like to hear why you felt that way.

Results from last week's question:
I did not get very many responses to the question.  There were a two people who said that they do believe color has an effect on productivity and mood. And I got a lot of 'like' clicks on the question. But, no one told me the color of their workspace and how it effected them.

If you would like to respond to last weeks question, please feel free.  The questions are really never closed.

QoftheWeek - Color Effects

Well, I did say in the first QoftheWeek (Question of the Week) post that I probably would not
actually get around to having one question each week...

But, here is the second question in this series: Do you believe the colors in your work space make a difference on how you work? (If so, what is the color of your primary work space)?

I have read many times that the color of your work space (or any space) can effect the way you feel and your productivity.  For example, red is supposed to make you feel more aggressive, blue more calm, orange more social.  I would like to find out how many people really feel the color of their work space actually influences their mood/productivity.

As a reference:

• Red accelerates the heart rate, giving you a jolt of energy. Your eye is instantly drawn to red, and it promotes physical activity and emotion.
• Orange is a social color, encouraging interaction. It works well in meeting rooms or other social spaces, though it might not be the most productivity-inducing shade.
• Yellow stimulates creativity and optimism. If you’re a designer or creative professional, this could be your workspace accent color.
• Green behaves almost as a neutral for the human brain. It is calming, and also causes zero eye strain over long periods of time.
• Blue is the most universally productive color. Calming and stable, it helps most people focus on intensive tasks.
• Purple stimulates problem solving, despite not being a very popular color in workspace decor.
• Rainbows make us happy, creative, energetic, productive unicorns. (Okay, fine, that last one is not backed up by science.)

Please provide your answers in the comments section.

Results from April 20 Question:
Q: "What was the last app you used on your phone or tablet that WAS NOT a social media app?"

Results:
60% of the responses were 'business apps.'  The most common business app was Basecamp.  Other popular apps: TimeTrack (or other time tracking apps), cloud storage apps like Dropbox and Google Drive, and email apps. Skype for business was also mentioned.

32% used their phone / tabled for sports apps with the ESPN app taking the majority share of responses.

The final 8% was a mix of 'utility' apps.  These included the camera and apps to customize pictures, Wi-Fi phone apps and other communication apps like Skype (used for family/friend communication), apps for maps and directions, and apps for watching TV and listening to music.

My Thoughts:
Honestly, I thought the TV / video / music apps would take the number one spot!  And I was surprised that sports apps took a whole 32%!  Finally, where was Slack?  I keep reading about how Slack has taken off.  But it was not mentioned even once (and Skype was).  My only guess there is that people consider Slack a social app and not a business / communications app.

May Special

In May we are offering 25% off the quoted price for all mobile applications.*

How it works:

1) contact us for a quote. Tell us about your mobile application idea – DO NOT tell us that you know about this special.

2) We will send you a quote for your review.

3) If you would like to proceed with your project, give us the promo code MAY2016 and we will take 25% off the quoted price we sent you. (If you don't remember the code, it's really not a big deal. Just tell us about this post and where you saw it).

Did you get a quote on your project earlier this year? You are not left out! Contact us about a quote we provided you January – April 2016 and we will extend this offer to you as well!

Contact us by phone at 407-259-2856 use the sales extension.

Or online at http:www.freelanceitsolutions.com/pages/contact_us.phphttp:www.freelanceitsolutions.com/pages/contact_us.php

*To take advantage of this offer, you must contract for your application in May, 2016. This offer is good for all quotes provided January through May, 2016. This offer is not good for projects in progress or already completed – sorry.

Question of the Week (Something New)

I spend a lot of time online looking at statistics... how often do people access sites on their
phone vs. a computer, % of sales online vs. brick-and-mortar, how many people drive red cars... blah, blah, blah.

Now, out of curiosity, I'm going to start something new, the QoftheW - "Question of the Week." (I might not actually get one out once a week). Please use the comment area to answer the question, if you want. You can make your answer as long or as short as you want.  Give it a little humor or be very serious.  Tell me why your are answering the way you are, or don't.  The whole thing is up to you and is meant to be fun, while also gathering a little data.

The week after each question is asked, I will post the results (if appropriate) for each question that I've posted across several social media sites and through email.

This weeks question: "What was the last app you used on your phone or tablet that WAS NOT a social media app (like Facebook, Twitter, etc.)?"

Google Ranks Secure Sites Higher

Recently Google announced that they have begun giving preference to sites that use the HTTPS protocol – this is the secure version of the more common, HTTP. Google is doing this because the process of obtaining the security certificate to use HTTPS (an SSL Certificate, more on that later) involves some research and vetting of the company / person applying for it. (Although maybe it's because, secretly they invest in companies that supply the certs – where are all the conspiracy theorists*??)

This HTTP / HTTPS / SSL stuff might be causing some confusion. So, here is something that will help … at least I hope it helps.

HTTP and HTTPS, What are They?

HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. It handles the formatting and transmission of data between the Web server and your browser. HTTPS is a secure version of HTTP – that's what the “S” means. This version of HTTP encrypts the data moving between your browser and the server.

What is SSL

SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer. This is a protocol that creates a unique key and uses it to encrypt and 'de-encrypt' information being sent between two computers. The encryption code is shared between only the sending and receiving machines, making it very hard for a third party (machine) to figure out what is being sent back and forth. This is why websites that gather and send payment information often implement SSL. (In some states, the use of SSL is required for sites that collect credit/debit card info, Social Security Numbers, or child information).

An SSL Certificate is a digital signature that says, “this owner and/or domain have been checked out.” Installing an SSL Certificate on your website is what gives you the “S” in HTTPS. Note that the HTTPS protocol can be forced on a website without a valid SSL Certificate. But, the major browsers will popup a nice big warning letting you know they can not verify the security. If you really trust the site, you can bypass this warning. But make sure you really trust it before entering any personal info!!

Getting a Certificate

You can purchase a Certificate directly from a company like Network Solutions, DigiCert or RapidSSL. But, I highly recommend that you ask your developer or hosting company for help. They may charge a little to get everything set up. But, this charge will be less painful than trying to get this all together yourself! Also, many hosting companies offer a service with includes the purchase of the certificate, installation of the certificate on your domain, and the changes that are required to go from the HTTP to the HTTPS protocol.

There are three different types of SSL Certificates. They involve different levels of research/investigation into your business and domain (none are intrusive and this research takes place behind the scenes, except for a few emails you might receive).

First is the Extended Validation Certificate. It checks the right of the applicant to use the domain that will be protected and the certifying company conducts a thorough and detailed vetting of the organization represented by the site.

Next is the Organization Validation Certificate. The authorizing company will check the right of the applicant to use the specific domain name and will also check into the organization represented by the domain or the company that owns the domain. This check is not as thorough as the check for the Extended Validation Certificate.

Finally, there is the Domain Validation Certificate. With this type of certificate, the applicant is checked to make sure they have the right to use the domain covered by the certificate.

All this information is available to your visitor / buyer when they click on the Secure Site Seal. **I highly recommend that you have your developer put this seal and link (provided by the authorization company) on your site in prominent locations, such as the home page, cart and checkout pages, or form pages that collect personal information or information about children.** If you are on a site where you are asked for any of this kind of information, you may want to click on the seal to see what kind of certificate the domain has.

Why So Many Different Prices?

Prices can very greatly for SSL Certificates. Factors effecting price:

• the issuing company for the certificate.
• what level of compensation you want if the data is stolen during transmission.
• what the certification covers – a single domain, the domain and its sub-domains, or multiple domains.
• the number of years you purchase the certificate for (most certification companies now allow you to purchase for multiple years).

Another things that may increase the price is the cost charged by your developer / host provider to install the certificate for you. If working with your developer / host provider, I recommend you ask for an itemized list including the cost of the certificate type, plus the cost of the 'add on' features, and the cost of their services and assistance.

Some Final Notes

Watch your site - when your certificate is installed and takes effect, there may be links to other pages, sites and images that are broken. Also, make sure your developer / host company sets up your site to automatically go to HTTPS even if someone types or uses a link that still has the HTTP protocol specified.

It is worth remembering that with the cost of an SSL Certificate, you are not only providing assurance to your visitors, you are protecting yourself / your business, and you are helping your Google search rankings!

It is my hope that this post helps you understand HTTPS and SSL. If you have questions, please feel free to comment here or ask questions on Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter, or any other social media site you came here from.  You may also ask questions using the contact form on our website.

*This line is a joke, please no comments about it.