After creating a blog of your own, comes a series of tasks that would help you popularize it. Known as blog customization, it’s basically implementing some ideas into your blog. This post will discuss those ideas. So let’s get started:

• A page on you – As the author of the blog, you need to take care of the fact that your readers get to know you. Add an ‘about me’ page wherein you will provide information about yourself, what you do, what you like and so on. But present all these info in an interesting manner, otherwise nobody will be interested to know about you. Your ‘about’ page should be interactive and inviting so that people feel like reading more of what your write. Don’t forget to create a ‘contact’ page along with it, where people can get in touch with you easily if they wish to.
• Put the default template away – and bring in a template that goes with your blog. It has to be relevant with the theme of your blog.
• Customize the ’404 error’ page – so that visitors get something nice to look at when they land on an article that you have already deleted. Put a link to your blog’s home page in the ’404 error’ page so that visitors get something to read.
• Optimize your blog and put a ‘search’ button – In addition to blog customization, optimization of the blog is necessary because it will give your blog a prominent position in search engines. Having a search function in your blog will help visitors look for something specific. Also, create relevant and crisp meta tags for every blog of yours with appropriate title, description and keywords.
• Allow your readers to comment – Your blog reflects what you think of something particular. Give a chance to your readers to put across their opinions on the matter you wrote about by keeping a ‘comment’ option at the end of your blog. This will help you build two way traffic.
• Choose a copyright type and put it up on your blog – As your blog becomes popular, other people may want to use your write-ups. Go for a copyright protection and allow or prohibit (whichever you want to) others to use your content.
• Place a plug-in for related content – If you want readers to be hooked on to your blog, put a plug-in to what you have written elsewhere.
• Use Google Analytics – Yes, there is some web development to be done in order to make your blog successful. By using Google Analytics, you will be able to keep track of your visitor count, trace the sources they are coming from and do a lot more. Studying the analysis will let you know what people like to read and you can create your future blogs accordingly.
• Put your blog on various search engines – Not all web-users use the same search engine. You need to be on every popular search engine out there to increase your visitors.
• RSS Feed – The best service to opt for is Feedburner. It will keep you informed about your RSS feeds.
• Have a sitemap – Let your readers navigate with ease on your blog by using a sitemap. If you use an XML sitemap, it will augment your visibility in search engines because it’s easy for search engine bots to crawl an XML sitemap.
• Sign up for Technorati – It is a great community for bloggers like you. You can claim your blog so as to allow your fellow Technorati users to read your writings and link back.
• Sign up for StumbleUpon -  StumbleUpon needs no introduction. If you can index your blog’s home page in StumbleUpon, users will land on it and if they like what they see, they will probably share it with their near and dear ones.
• Submit your RSS feeds to various RSS directories – This would let you easily inform a lot of people about your latest writing.
• Index your blog into different blog directories – Some top directories are BlogDup, BlogCatalog and MyBlogLog. Search the net and you will find several other weblog directories.
• Use social media to let everyone know about your latest blog – Share the link to your blog in various social networks and also in the information box of YouTube when you upload a video.
• If you are part of a forum, spread the word about your new writing there – Post your blog’s URL in your signature and talk to other members in the forum. Do not try to spam. If your comments are interesting, other members will come to your blog.
• Visit other weblogs and comment – Needless to say, you should leave your Blog URL in the comments you make. A good idea would be to visit and comment on blogs that are relevant to what you have written about. This way, other visitors will be interested to visit your blog.
• Sign up for Google AdSense – If your blog garners success, you can make money from it by using Google AdSense. It will provide you with links relevant to your content.
• Install widgets – This is also a part of your blog customization. You can promote your blog better with widgets.
• Have an option for linkback – Most of the people who read blogs have blogs of their own. If another blog owner likes your blog, he may share your link on his own blog. This would be a nice linkback to look forward to.
• Submit your write-ups in various social bookmarking websites – If you can do that, you may get points from readers and the higher the number of points, the better it’s for you. Some top sites are Del.icio.us, Digg and Reddit.

Now that you are geared up with these ideas, blog customization will be easy for you.

Care to share your thoughts? We are all ears!

Almost all professionals in the world, at some point of time in their career, have to face the problem of continuing someone else’s work. The field of web design is no exception and needless to say, not everyone feels very comfortable taking up a task that was started earlier by someone else. This is because everyone has their own unique style of working and this unique style can mess things up a great deal in an ongoing project.

To steer clear from such messes and to encourage teamwork, you need to consider some aspects. You’ll find them below

• Before you begin the coding process, re-think your logic:  Create flow-charts and and write some codes on paper before starting the coding. This will eliminate a lot of complexity and save you considerable time.
• Alleviate the structuring of the page – by using main containers that have a representative ID. This makes the structure appear clear and helps anyone who might later want to add or remove anything.
• Get the indentation right – Indentation shows you the points of opening and closing for all the elements that are used in the coding. Do not stick to a particular side of the screen, figure out a better indentation for your web programming.
• Your comments should be demonstrative – Pay attention to the comments you write. Offering brief, relevant and precise comments will help you document the code better and clear any doubts that anybody reading the codes might have.
• Be careful with comments – When you are writing comments, write ONLY what’s relevant. Avoid writing notes in the comment for your future use, do not blame other coders in your comment and refrain from writing anything vague. If you are supposed to write comments, do it ASAP. Do not leave it for future. In your comment – provide author specifications, state the functionality of a methodology in detail and state in brief any change that has been made to the coding.
• Use small functions – While you add functionality to a particular application, break large functions into small ones. This eliminates confusions.
• Describe the use of functions through their names – Name the functions in such a way that what they do can be known from their name. Some web programming services have their own naming standards. A descriptive name can save you from a lot of time and effort in the future.
• When you are implementing changes, be careful – When you are to add, remove or modify something, be sure not to tamper with the way the coding is organized. Respect the standards that are followed in the coding procedure.
• Do not mix coding languages indiscriminately – Otherwise you will create interruptions in the structural flow and also create confusion.
• If you have imported files, summarize them – If you have several style sheets, it is advisable to summarize them into 1 or 2 as it would free your web programming from clutter, save a lot of space and loading time as well. Imported files can affect your application’s performance.

Lastly, keep in mind the fact that convenience isn’t always the best option for your web programming company. Maintaining standards is important and you have to create codes in an easily understandable way for someone who may work on it in the future.

If you are a graphic designer, you must have a great online portfolio to showcase your designs and increase the possibility of getting regular projects. Your online portfolio helps you promote your skills and attracts clients all over the world. However, designing an online portfolio is not an easy job. As a graphic design artist, you have to show your creative style and also make the portfolio site user-friendly.

Here are some helpful online portfolio designing tips for you.

1. Design a Simple Site and Go Straight to the Point- You should design a simple portfolio site to convey your message effectively. Don’t write long descriptive sentences on the homepage of your portfolio. Keep the introduction content brief and tell your clients what you do as a designer.
2. Have a Unique Design- When a client visits your site, he checks your portfolio design to get an idea of your efficiency as a graphic designer. You must design a unique layout to impress your clients. Don’t follow any web design trend. Show your creativity and add a personal touch to your portfolio.
3. Highlight Your Expertise- As a versatile graphic designer, you may design website layouts, logos and brochures, but when you are designing your portfolio, you must highlight your strongest skill. If you are an expert in logo design, then highlight your logo designing skills to prove your expertise.
4. Less, but Quality Designs- You may have designed dozens of brochures and website layouts, but don’t post all your designs in your portfolio. Your employers won’t count the numbers of design samples, they will evaluate your designing skills. Upload only the best designs to impress your potential employers.
5. Don’t Clutter the “Design Gallery” Page- You have to offer your design samples in an organized way to help viewers check them. If you post 30 design samples in one page, it will tire the viewers’ eyes. You should design multiple galleries and categorize them to offer a better experience to your viewers. For instance, you can create 3 separate galleries on logo design, depending upon the design trend you followed in those designs.
6. Place Most Impressive Designs at the Beginning and at the End- In your design gallery, all designs can’t be equally good. Make sure that you place the best design samples at the top. This way, you can hide your not-so-good designs and still impress your viewers.
7. Pay Attention to Usability- When you design your portfolio; give attention to usability as well. Your website maybe beautiful but if your viewers can’t find the menu bar, they will leave your site. Maintain a balance between design elements and navigation to help your audience surf your site comfortably.
8. Decide Your Target Clients- You need to know your target clients to design an effective portfolio. For instance, if you want to target high profile multinational companies, design a professional looking portfolio to grab their attention.
9. Post Your Contact Details- You should design a separate contact page and give all your contact information to help your clients contact you anytime. Write your email address, phone number and social media links, so that you never miss any project due to lack of communication.
10. Regularly Update Your Portfolio- Whenever you design something new, post it on your portfolio and remove the old designs. This way, your potential clients will realize that you are an active and busy designer.
11. Post Client Testimonials- Someone who comes to your site to hire you, will always read the testimonials first to make a decision. You should post some client testimonials on your homepage to convince your future clients.
12. Design an “About Me” Page- You should design an “about me” page in your portfolio site. In this page, write about your educational qualification, your experience as a designer and give your clients strong reasons to hire you. However, don’t make the “about me” page too long and never share any personal information. Your potential employers don’t want to know every detail of your life.

If you are designing your online portfolio for the first time, these tips can be useful to you.

Google Panda updates have reinforced the belief ‘content is king’. However, the importance of content has forced designers to rethink the role of web design. To clear the confusion, in this article, we will discuss the role of web and graphic design in affecting user experience. To know more, read on.

Design Creates the First Impression

Studies have proved the fact that visitors form an opinion about a site within few seconds. This initial opinion is critical because it determines further activities of visitors. In most cases, visitors use design as the yardstick to evaluate the site. If the design is impressive, they stick to the site and vice versa. This means that in creating the initial impression, design plays a more important role than content.

Design Elicits the Desired Reaction from Visitors

Design also affects reaction of visitors towards the website. With interesting call-to-action buttons, you can compel visitors to act and thus, increase conversations. Of course, you can request users to act via content also. However, most people would agree that as compared to a call-to-action statement hidden in the content, call-to-action buttons are more effective.

It Affects Content Consumption

Many people will be surprised to know that design can even affect the way users interpret the content. The typography rules play an important role in affecting the experience that visitors have, while absorbing information. Furthermore, using informative videos and graphics can reinforce their understanding of the content, thus creating a positive impression.

We do not have any doubts about the fact that visitors usually look for good information in the Internet. However, at the same time, presentation of the content is also important. For example, if you set a serious article in comic fonts, it will definitely distract the readers. Even if the content is of high quality, users will feel confused.

Modifying User Reaction

In the Internet, one can come across millions of sites that deliver the same information. To stand out amongst similar sites, one needs to use web designs intelligently. You should modify designs to present content in an attractive manner.

YouTube serves as a good example of how videos can evoke user reaction. Millions of videos get uploaded on YouTube everyday. Content, of course, determines popularity of videos. Along with it, factors, such as how encouraged visitors feel or how smoothly they share the videos contribute to their popularity.

With explosion of information on Internet, the importance of web design has become more critical than ever. Web design allows experts to modify user reaction and offer visitors a unique experience. Additionally, you can encourage them to react towards the web content in a meaningful way. The basic point is to pay equal importance to content and design.