A new client, apropos of nothing, interjected, “Why do committees usually produce crappy design?” That client is not a designer, so it was an insightful question and difficult to answer in concise talking points. We do not intend to enshrine designers, but there seems to be something intangible at play in their best work. Something […]
Policy change: sharing links on Facebook
Social-media managers, webmasters, and others must remain aware of industry’s changing practices. Here we discuss a big change in how sharing links works when it comes to Facebook pages. Until now, it has been easy for users of Hootsuite and other social-sharing tools to link to a web page and completely customize (even replace) the […]
Using SVG graphics in WordPress
Scalable, crisp vector art for websites Dec. 8 2018 Update: WordPress 5.0 doesn’t require a plugin just to import SVG graphics into the media library. When inserted via the Customizer interface (e.g., for a header image), SVG graphics no longer cause errors or dead-ends at the cropping stage. After inserting an SVG image, it might […]
Punctuation in Publishing Online
Here we present the bare-bones beginning of an in-house style guide. Add to it as your needs and curiosity require, and always refer to authoritative sources when adding or modifying an item. Note: keystrokes often differ between Windows and OS X systems. Times of day Use the periods in p.m. and a.m. times of day. […]
How Often Do You Update WordPress Plugins & Themes?
We offer to teach most of our website clients using WordPress to update its plugins and themes themselves. It’s typically not a difficult chore, but it is yet another recurring task on a manager’s or entrepreneur’s to-do list. For that reason, we’re hardly surprised when someone asks, “Can you handle it for us?” WordPress is […]
About Web Sites for Lawyers, Law Firms, Paralegal Practices
When any new client chooses us to develop their web site, it an honor and a responsibility. The observations here concern web sites for law firms, in particular. We approach each law firm, paralegal practice, or independent legal professional’s web presence from the ground up, with an understanding of their “business personality,” objectives, and motivation. […]
A Host for Every Web Site
Building a new web site or major re-design? The way your web developer sets up a server for developing a new site may depend on how you want the site hosted in the long term. Because of that, be prepared to choose among web hosting options early in the development process. Web hosting explained Every […]
What’s In a Nameserver? DNS Lesson Learned.
Domain name servers The web domains we know use them: a domain name server routes internet traffic for www.ExternalDesign.com to the web server whose IP address is 104.199.120.117 (or something). DNS maps the names we humans use to the numbers that identify a specific destination or resource. Every web browser’s new HTTP request, for every […]
All about “Managed WordPress Hosting”
We offer high-performance web hosting at reasonable prices. These servers are specially designed to make WordPress web sites shine. Security, performance, and some routine tasks are handled — that’s why it’s called “managed WordPress hosting.” We didn’t develop your site? No problem! When we accept you into one of our hosting plans, we can give […]
No Place Like Home Pages — None Needed?
Once upon a time, when the World Wide Web had barely outgrown its blinking, “NEW”-shouting, and “Under Construction” infancy, there were splash screens. From Splash Screens to Home Pages A splash screen was a showy entrance to a web site or to a section of a web site. It was a way for the site […]
