1. People use Twitter all over the world. I wonder if other countries will have access to the archive? If not, they should start archiving now if this type of data interests them.
2. How will people feel about the government archiving their tweets? I don’t have a problem with it but I don’t put anything online that I wouldn’t mind being put on the front page of the New York Times.
3. People give away more about themselves than they realize. It’s time for adults to grow up and learn how what they say today might come back and haunt them tomorrow.

Notwithstanding anything else in this Agreement, Device Data may not be provided or disclosed to a third-party without Apple’s prior written consent. Accordingly, the use of third-party software in Your Application to collect and send Device Data to a third-party for processing or analysis is expressly prohibited.

On a mobile phone, targeted advertising is important (making the ads more relevant to the user). If the information is not being passed on, third-party advertisers cannot target the ads. This does not mean developers cannot make money. The worse case scenario is that they use iAds to generate income. iAds is Apple’s upcoming mobile ad network. Apple is allowing companies to embed interactive ads within their applications and will be charging 40% of the revenue for the privilege (yes, that is a high percentage). I wonder how their core audience will enjoy interactive ads in their applications when many use ad blockers in their browsers while surfing the internet. An interesting question: will ad blockers, on an Apple mobile device, be approved? Most likely not. The point is, there are options for developers to make money by either selling their applications or using iAds if ad companies will not be able to survive on Apple devices. There is no reason to go on rants or freak out if you are an application developer. If you are an ad company focusing on mobile devices, well, there is cause for concern but perhaps this is a sign to focus efforts in another direction.

Google wants to buy AdMobs, a company focusing on mobile advertising for multiple mobile devices. As I said earlier, I believe Apple is trying to hinder the growth of other mobile devices or at least keep their lead in mobile devices. Ironically, AdMobs works on Apple devices. With the new change, this could potentially hinder Google from profiting from Apple (if Google succeeds in purchasing AdMobs).

Let’s delve a bit deeper for a minute. I’ll use myself as an example. Right now, I’m playing We Rule on my iPhone (only application I use actually). It’s a cute little game and I would have paid for it if it were not free. When you play the game you have to create an account on the Plus+ network. You can manage your games, your profile, etc. Currently, if I move to another device, I cannot play We Rule on my new phone. Imagine a cross-platform world where, if I see a cool new phone, I decide to switch phones. If the company developing We Rule made the game cross-platform, I could install it on my new device, not lose any of the data (because their Plus+ network could store it). As a consumer, I’m happy. The developer’s of We Rule would be happy because they retained me as a player and they (theoretically) would not lose anything because a cross-platform ad company like AdMobs would continue to show me ads in the game. Or, if I purchased the game in cross-platform world, I could re-activate it on my new device. This makes it more like the computer experience consumers are used to. Not good for Apple because it makes it easier for their customers (who are not hard-core fans) to leave. Of course, this goes for all mobile device companies but with Apple having a lead and the iPhone being their best-selling device, they are current the ones with the most to lose.

The advertising change also hinders upcoming mobile ad companies from thriving. Currently, Apple’s mobile devices are the money makers so of course mobile ad companies would love to thrive on their devices. Fortunately for them, developers are slowly embracing other devices but one cannot fault them for wanting to develop where there is the most financial gain.

It will be interesting to see how Apple’s decisions play out over the upcoming months and how the competition (and users) responds to their decisions.

**Disclaimer: I have an iPhone but I am not a heavy application user. I’m a gamer and I tend to play games on the PC or consoles (I do own a Mac). Personally, I’d prefer to buy the application than go the free route, receiving targeted advertising. This change, or any of the changes Apple is making lately, really does not impact me very much.**

Jobs is once again pitting Apple’s complete product design mastery against the rest of the industry, except this time he thinks he will prevail. Whether it is his repeated moves to keep Adobe’s Flash off the iPhone or his growing rift with Google over Android, Jobs is making the iPhone and iPad a relatively closed system that Apple can control. All apps need to be approved by Apple, the ads shown on the apps will also start to go through Apple, and no matter how hard Adobe tries to open up the iPhone to its Flash developers Apple will keep blocking all its efforts.

You can do anything that you wanna do…

Let me be clear…it’s Apple’s system and they can make it closed if they want to. This approach did not work with Microsoft, so I would think they would have the same outcome if they become too big. However, Jobs is in a unique position. He is leading a company and might not be around to clean up the mess if it does not work long-term.

The odd and perplexing thing about this: most people prefer diversity. For example, most people would prefer to have multiple ways to earn income. How many people have multiple cars? Multiple gaming platforms? Do you eat and drink the same thing everyday? Using this thought trend, why would developers want to invest in only one platform when the “real” money (as in being bought out) comes with having multiple platform applications? True, you will have applications like Tweetie being purchased by Twitter but what are the odds of a company purchasing something like We Rule unless friends can play across multiple mobile phones? Can they be purchased? Sure they can, but they’d be more valuable if they created cross-platform games. Currently developers are flocking to the iPhone because their applications sell the best.

That is why I think this has more to do with Android than Adobe per se. Android phones are eating away at iPhone’s market share. As the phones get better, the more threat competing phones become. Flash is coming to Android phones, giving developers more options to create apps and a more web like experience for Android users. Perhaps Adobe is getting slammed by Apple because Apple’s competition is embracing Flash. Adobe does not make the bulk of their revenue from Flash development.

On the flip side, Apple’s biggest selling product is the iPhone. It could potentially hurt Apple long-term that Adobe makes products that aid developers in making applications for multiple platforms. Right now most of the applications on the iPhone are iPhone (iPad or iTouch) only unless. This will keep many people on Apple’s technology because they have become attached to the applications. The minute the door opens for easy cross-platform development, Apple’s market share drops.

Steve Jobs shut the door.

In the end…

Going against the grain of human nature is not wise. Hopefully their target audience will remain faithful to give Apple the foundation it needs to survive. Unfortunately, what goes up must come down. Rarely do companies stay at the top for long. AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo, even Google has competition as far as traffic (Facebook). Developers do not embrace programming for Macs and that trend might continue with Apple’s mobile devices. In the beginning there weren’t alternatives for developers. Now there are. It is understandable why Apple is doing this: they are appealing to their target audience, who does not mind lagging technology. Think about how long it took for copy/paste to make it to the iPhone. The recently released iPad does not have a camera, but the competition coming out shortly does. Companies should only concern themselves with creating quality products for their target audience. Apple is doing exactly that.

Unfortunately, while Apple is locking down their devices the competition is opening theirs up. If their competition combine forces, they are strong enough to block Apple from being able to keep their market share.

Homer is a designer that can work with a client from the beginning to the end of a project. He codes, he does graphic design, and he understands common problems many sites have and knows how to resolve them. Seemed like a knowledgeable person to seek answers from. I got up the nerve to ask Homer for an interview and he was kind to accept. Last week, we had a great discussion. What did I ask?

• His thoughts on using templates. Are they evil or are there valid uses for using them? Besides my own experiences, there was a debate in the community about it as well. Ironically, Scrivs mentioned the template debate in his article yesterday.
• Should designers know how to code? We discussed showing live code to clients as mentioned on 24 Ways and the pros and cons of using that approach.
• Is Flash dying? With the iPad coming out without Flash compatibility, will designers move away from using Flash?
• What payment terms do you think is fair for the client and the designer so that, in the event the project does not make it to completion, neither party loses out?
• Is a designer’s web site a reflection of their skill and talent? What about portfolios that do not properly show the designer’s talents?

Side note: I miss creative portfolios like Dave Werner’s. I couldn’t think of the link when I was talking to Homer but I wish I had because I would have loved to know his thoughts on Dave’s portfolio.

• Do you think there is a disconnect in the pairing of clients and designers? Rarely does a designer have full reign to “design” on a project.
• In his opinion, did he think most designers could resolve problems like reducing exit and bounce rates or spreading traffic through the site instead of focusing on the front page?
• How closely should the client watch over a project? Homer gives examples on how he communicates with clients.
• Is mobile (and the upcoming iPad) compatibility something that a client should expect when a design is done?

We had an in-depth discussion. Without further ado: right-click/save as (1hr 01m)

Thanks Homer!

Depending on the situation, that’s stupid logic. Yes, I said stupid.

Do you want this to happen to you?

The couple down the street owns a house. They have a daughter. Normal family, they did not use computers much and definitely did not use geolocation based services. Probably seemed like an average day but it all went wrong when someone decided to rob their house. Unfortunately, the daughter broke the routine and came home early from school. They only beat her “a little bit” to shut her up. The couple divorced…that day life as they knew it changed.

Let’s look at the logic again: if Marty checks in using a geolocation based service, that doesn’t mean the house is empty. Does Marty really want someone breaking into the house when his wife and or child is at home? If something happened to anyone in his family, would he be able to forgive himself for using a service that was unnecessary?

While I’m at it, let’s break down the other stupid logic: not knowing someone’s address. We’ll step away from the fact that there are services that, for under $10, you can find out just about anything you want to know that is public record. If you are a homeowner your property records are public record. Bingo, a thief has your address, for minimal effort, without the homeowner putting it online. Someone living in an apartment or living in some else’s home has an added layer of security but that does not mean the information cannot be found. That same $10 or less service provides address/phone number information because somewhere along the way, the person gave up their private information on something considered public record or to a party that sells the information. Happens to the best of us.

Other considerations

I have found that people have an unrealistic image of thieves. I have seen many comments describing thieves as violent, unintelligent people. This is an extremely naïve point of view. Once these services become mainstream, everyone uses them. That includes criminals and those with deviant behaviors. I read an article about a drug dealer who used Twitter and you would never know; reading the person’s tweets, the “job” being tweeted about was dealing drugs. Thieves go where the money is and will adapt to use technology to make their job easier, just like any other profession. Think of the time saved staking out a place if the homeowner conveniently checks in with a geolocation service.

Also consider the kids growing up today are computer savvy. A small percentage of these kids are the thieves of tomorrow.

Possible solutions

The only way to fix a problem is to first, admit there is a (potential) problem. Geolocation based services are security risks – plain and simple. For many using these services as home owners, the homeowners insurance will NOT protect them if someone robs them. As stated in most policies, it is the home onwers responbility to use due diligence to protect the house. Just like adding an alarm will bring the insurance premium down, I can see using these services raising premiums through the roof.

But there ARE good uses for geolocation based services. For example, my friend Bill took a trip and checked in all through the road trip. In the event something happened to him, people would have an idea where to look. SXSW (or events like that) is another example where knowing where your friends are comes in handy. Let us find some solutions where we can have our fun (geolocation based services) and no one gets hurt or robbed.

1) A way to opt-out an address: Give people a way to make sure their home address never shows up, even if someone checks in at their place. The problem is, due to there being multiple services; the person would have to go to multiple services to opt out.

2) Restrict check-ins to commercial locations only: This might be the smartest move for long-term privacy protection. Perhaps tying in with Google Maps there would be a way to easily know if a place is commercial or residential.

3) Children: The argument of “know what your child is doing” falls apart when the device the child is using is a cell phone. Children cannot be expected to have the wisdom of an adult. To protect children perhaps the time has come to add parental controls. There have been enough cases on children meeting up with people they thought were kids but were actually adults. If the child is using a geolocation based service, they don’t have to “meet up”…the other person just has to “show up” at that place.

4) The only residential addresses that show up are those attached to an account where the owner of the account opts-in that the address shows up publicly.

5) Keep the geolocation service private, within their own community. Not a member and a friend of the person? You cannot see the updates.

In the end…

I have no doubt that if the conversation about protecting privacy begins, the smart minds of the community will find a solution for the services to thrive and for everyone’s safety. Instead of being afraid to talk about it, let us look the problem in the eye and resolve it.

You know…before something bad happens.

The iPad is perfect for her. It does exactly what she needs. It will let her watch movies and listen to music and read books on long flights. It will make using a computer fun instead of an annoying chore.

But it also won’t allow her to install umpteen news and weather gadgets that start-up on boot and slow her computer to a crawl. It won’t suddenly forget how to talk to a network, or get so confused by all of the software installs and uninstalls that you finally have to break down and reinstall the system from scratch. In other words, my mother’s next computer is going to be an iPad, and I dream of the day when I can finally throw off the oppressive chains of being the one guy in the family who knows how to actually keep a computer working.

Translation: He’s getting his Mom an iPad because it’s more convenient for him. He will no longer have the burden of being the one to fix the family computers.

When I read that I cringed. Actually, I thought, “What an ungrateful asshole” and I left it alone. Seeing more responses like his and remembering pain from disloyalty I went through, I decided to write about the ungrateful disrespecting behavior I’ve noticed lately. And before you tell me, “Tyme, he probably didn’t mean it that way…”

Research: Am I the only one?

I wanted to know how others felt about the article. I asked people their opinion about the article without stating my thoughts. First, I asked my kids. My daughter’s jaw dropped and my son gave his WTF eyebrow arch when they got to “oppressive chains” part. Then I asked them what they thought about it. They both said they didn’t have to worry about having to fix my computer because I build my own computers. Besides that, they thought the point of giving a gift is giving the person what is TRULY best for the receiver, not what is convenient for the giver.

Next, I moved on to my friends, who said they would never put something like that in writing about their Moms. It’s a disrespect and a sign of disloyalty. They would be afraid their mothers would read it and it would hurt her feelings. By this point I became curious about the disconnect and wanted to push the boundaries further.

Armed with my iPhone, I asked some ghetto kids (maybe 15-20 in age) how they felt about the article. Yes, they looked at me kind of funny but I told them it was research. Similar reactions. They did not fix family computers but they understood what it was like to be the only one in the family that could fix cars, fix things around the house, understand technology…the parallels are the same (actually, fixing cars is worse than fixing a computer). They knew what it was like to have people always come to them, when they could handle it themselves even if it meant paying for it. However, they all said if their mothers needed something, they had no problem. Some shared stories on hard how their Moms had it being single parents or how much their parents sacrificed for them. They might not be the best kids (they admit that) but if their parents need something, they get it, inconvenient or not.

Since I wanted to go to the mall, I decided to hit the suburbs and ask around there. Different target group. Recharged the iPhone and went to work. This time I asked kids, some with their parents, to read the article and express their thoughts. Let’s just say the parents weren’t pleased at being “a burden” but the kids had the same attitude expressed in the article. The parents would joke, “I can’t wait until I am released from the oppressive chains of having to be a limo service for you” or something like that but the WTF look was on their face. One father said to his son, “Nice to know how loyal you are.” The kid didn’t get it…too busy complaining (bragging?) about being the tech whiz in the house.

The last test group: older mothers. Still in the suburbs, I went to a different mall – where the more mature crowd hangs out. I always feel undressed going there. Anyway, I looked for wedding rings, prayed they had some kids, and did the same thing. These women were more than happy to talk. See, parents are wise and they know when their kids feel they are a burden. Many hate to ask. Reading the article they expressed their disdain in knowing all the sacrifices they made and all the hard work they put into trying to raise their children right…and that’s the result? It’s a pain in the ass to fix the computer? It was a pain in the ass to save for their college education – why not pay that money back? Or the contribution to the weddings. Free babysitting. They had a nice long list too but one thing was very clear: it would hurt them if their child bought them an iPad not because it was the best option for her, instead it was the easiest way of getting out of fixing computers.

Another interesting tidbit: some of the mothers were not computer savvy, but some were slowly learning. The ones more advanced said the iPad was too limiting. They can’t video Skype with their grandchildren because the iPad does not have a camera. Picture sharing isn’t as easy either. They prefer reading paper bound books, for the experience, and adding the books to their libraries. Some like playing games on Facebook. Their point: as they learned to do more on the internet, they do not want to be confined.

More examples…

I had my experience with ungratefulness and disloyalty which cause me to open my eyes and question how I was treating the people in my life and how they were treating me.

I had a friend, let’s name him Andy who, at the time, I’d known three or four years. Platonic friendship, we went through a lot together as life tends to throw hurdles when we least expect it. He went through some hard times, it seemed one bad thing after another. I knew he wasn’t doing the best he could, I knew he had the potential to be more than he was, I knew he lied to try to hide he wasn’t doing the best he could, I hoped that one day he would sincerely want to do better. I also knew, from experience, he was at the “screw up” age – the prime age to screw up, get it over with, and move on to a better life. Better to screw up earlier than later in life when the price is higher. I tried to be a loyal friend. No matter what was going on he didn’t have to question whether, if he needed me, if I would help him out. There were two instances when I said, “I can’t do this” because, frankly, I would have been an idiot to do it…anyone would have.

Andy met a girl and after a month or so, felt she was “The One”. Sort of, because he didn’t treat this girl very well initially. I warned him he’d lose this girl if he kept it up. I guess he lost the girl then did what guys typically do, he wanted her back. Which, of course, leads to the “making it up to her, jumping through hoops” stage. During this time I noticed my friendship with Andy changed dramatically, even mentioned it to the guy I was dating. I became the person he spoke to only if a problem arose. I didn’t understand why, wondered what I’d done…until recently. While gaming with friends, the guys were casually talking about the things guys do jumping through hoops for women that, in the end, were a waste of time. During that conversation, I saw very clearly what happened between Andy and I. He must have told the girl some of the times I helped him out, instead of being grateful he had a friend who had his back, she became jealous (maybe hurt he lied to her) and I got the shaft. A woman Andy knew for a couple of months wiped out and was more important than the three to four years of loyalty I consistently showed. If I was the girl, my response would have been, “Andy, I’m glad you have a friend that supports you. I’d like to meet her one day. But, we need to deal with our problems as a couple…” Given that she benefited by my actions and I tried to help HER out by telling HIM to straighten up (literally, I put my foot down but, behind my back (and hers), he still did what he promised he would not do – so much for really liking that girl, right?), I didn’t take the realization very well. My heart broke like glass. Especially since that opened my eyes to other betrayals that fit together like pieces to a puzzle. For some reason Andy holds on to screwed up people and let’s go those who are truly loyal.

Look around the internet and you will see people reveal things that will make you wonder what type of person they are. People who, literally, love technology more than their spouses. People who aren’t trying to “network” with people because they feel they legitimately have something in common; instead, they attract because of what they feel they can gain from the people they are attempting to connect to (without giving something in return, of course). An alarming amount of people openly complain about their jobs yet, if they lost the job, would be broke (we will not get into they could change their job). It’s odd how people do not appreciate what they have, seek more, and slide into unsavory behaviors treating people in a way they most likely would not want to be treated themselves.

Not long after that, my Mom passed away.

My Mom and her computers

I had a different perspective about Mom and computers. I wanted her to experience everything the internet had to offer, if she wanted to. I got her top of the line computers. I taught her how to use them. Did I occasionally have to fix her computer? Sure. Did she learn how to fix many of those issues herself (and how to avoid them)? Over time, she did, because I taught her. The benefit? I had the pleasure of her interacting on the forums with me and in comments. My readers were able to learn from her, interact with her and have fun with her. She watched my online business and sites change and evolve. I laughed with her every day, even when she was sick. Before she died, the image of her I have: smiling. Saying she loved me. I can still feel my lips on her face and I remember how her hands felt in mine.

I’m grateful that, not once, did I feel the “oppressive chains” of fixing her computer.

And I’m especially proud I was loyal, grateful, and appreciative until the end. I’m glad I didn’t become selfish and opt not to get her top of the line computers because it would have been an inconvenience to me. Do people go overboard asking for free help with their computers? No doubt, but I do not like it when people place their parents in that category, considering how much our parents sacrificed to help us be the people we are today. In most cases, if they could do better, they would. Educate them instead of punishing them.

Check yourself

Take a look at the people in your life. Are you treating them the way they deserve to be treated or are you treating them what is convenient for you? Are you showing your appreciation to the people in your life? Are you becoming selfish and ungrateful to those who have earned your loyalty? Do you have your priorities straight?

Get it together.

One more rant about the article…

And you know what? There are millions upon millions of people just like her out there. They outnumber us. And they finally have a chance to become productive, self-sufficient computer users instead of constantly asking family members to fix their computers or, even worse, keeping the Geek Squad in business.

• Parents do not outnumber kids. How did that happen since parents die off at a fast rate? Look at the census numbers. Ages 0-64 beats 65+.
• Youth outnumbers older adults. The kids coming up today start being power users at a young age.
• The iPad is NOT being marketed as a computer but you can sync a computer to it.

• By purchasing the download edition of the game, I do not have to physically pick up the game or have it delivered.
• I have to download the game, and there is no guarantee how long it will take to download it. To me, that balances out physically picking it up.
• I’d start downloading the game at 12:01am.
• Worst case scenario: it takes all night to download but when I get up in the morning (or sometime in the morning), I’m in Mass Effect 2 happily playing the game.

That’s not what is happening.

What really happens?

I was pleasantly surprised when I found out I could pre-load the game. Meaning, I could download the game early. Whomever thought of this was brilliant. I cannot play the game early but the downloads were spread over a couple of days versus madness on launch day. A good number of people have already downloaded the game and were troubleshooting issues because they had downloaded the files.

The game does not unlock at midnight. According to the countdown counters on their site, the regular edition unlocks at around 1pm EST and the DDE (which costs $10 more than the regular edition) unlocks around 5pm EST. I looked at the page perplexed because that makes no sense. The people who paid more, one would think, would have quicker access to the game. One of the selling points for the DDE could have been more items and access to the game four hours earlier. I have no doubts that people more people would have purchased the DDE if only for early access. Perplexed, I looked on the Stream site to see if there was a way to upgrade my account to a premium account to receive games early. Nope.

Essentially, people who spent more money on the game are penalized for doing so. By 5pm EST I could have had the game delivered and received it. Not.

I usually buy games from EB Games/GameStop and for the most part, I usually have the game on launch day. It ships, overnight delivery, the day before. Not Mass Effect 2. It ships on the launch day so customers wouldn’t receive the game until the 27th. Why? Because of the midnight launch. They prefer people come into the store.

It’s only a couple of hours…

This is true, it is only a four-hour difference. And let’s be honest, what are the odds after tomorrow I’m going to care about the four-hour difference? I’ll happily be playing Mass Effect 2, right?

I’ll remember the next time I want to order a game.

I understand that they wanted to stagger the number of people logging in to decrease loads on the server. I understand that companies providing digital downloads have to come second to retailers. What I do not understand is why people who paid more for the game have to wait four hours to play it?

The publisher sets the release times, not Steam. The publisher set the times this way to encourage people to come into the store so they can sell more retail copies. As it is now, if this is their normal practice one would have to weigh if the extra items in-game (which might be downloadable content, who knows?) is not only worth the extra cost but the extra wait.

Why does this matter?

Many companies are happy to get a sale. What I’m seeing here are retailers trying to dictate how the product sold. Regardless of whether there is a midnight launch or not, ship the game so the customer receives it at launch. The customer is paying the extra shipping. Instead, they opened hours early (or stayed open late) to have people come to the store and buy the game. I’d love to see the cost difference – which is more, people ordering and processing the shipped games or having stores open longer to sell games?

On the digital side, taking a back seat to retailers, they’ll restrict the number of installs, delay the release times, etc. which hinders the customer. Yes, they have to battle piracy but let’s remember, the game leaked early. The people who legitimately purchased the game didn’t leak it because they do not have it yet! In either case the sale is no longer good enough.

The end result…

Even though there were different times stated on the game page, both editions opened up at 1pm EST. As I am writing this, the game is decrypting (about 51% complete). There were many responses in the Steam forums about the different launch times, confusion about whether the DDE actually unlocked four hours after the regular edition. Gamers are emotional about their games so I was surprised that no one from Stream responded in the forums. A simple explanation pinned to the top of the forums would have stopped a lot of the bitter angry (and confused) feelings people had.

Will I order from Steam again? Yes, because 1pm EST unlock is reasonable to me. However, I really miss the convenience and ease of pre-ordering and you just get the game, no questions, no hassle. Those were the good old days.

And with that, I’m outta here cause my game finished downloading. Deuce!

No Variety

I went to ThemeForest and browsed their WordPress templates. The designs look somewhat different but many have a similar feature: The Slider. There are different variants of The Slider but the basic principle is the same: the focal point are rotating graphics leading to other content by clicking on the graphic. How The Slider works depends on how it was designed. Most have a gradual transition between images. I saw some that had up to five different transition styles. I would not have known this if it were not advertised as such because I wouldn’t have stuck around that long to watch the images whiz by.

Another common trait of these designs: they heavily rely on graphics (whether The Slider is there or not). If you browse the themes, you’ll notice, due to the placement of the images, your eye is drawn to to images, not the content. This is a wonderful theme trait for food blogs, who are usually using their own pictures. For most bloggers, they are using royalty-free images. Looking at this objectively, they are making photos that are not theirs the focal points of the site, not their words.

Which is why I have a problem with my current design.

Me TOO!

When it comes to designs, I either use a pre-made template or I hire a designer. I recommend against hiring a designer unless you have firm plans on what you want to do. I have had many designs done over the years but I never step into that process until I am sure of what I want. It makes it easier for everyone involved. Until that point, I rely on pre-made templates.

The problem occurs when the designers all do the same thing. They notice someone did something cool and copy that cool thing. This results in an over-abundance of the cool thing and nothing else, leaving little variety for the end-user. This is what I’m experiencing now. I am looking for a design that uses my words as the focal point, not graphics. This theme has The Slider. I don’t use it. I tried “the cool thing”, I don’t like it. I am having a hard time finding a premium design that does this. I know a few but I don’t like their default look. They aren’t pretty or eye catching like The Slider designs. Why is that?

Bad Business

Being a good designer is only part of the pieces needed to have a successful web design business. The major part: the ability to make good business decisions. There is a market for quality non-graphic intensive designs simply because the copycat behavior dried up their availability. Wise designers will design for both (and any other markets that arise). Most designers, unfortunately, are so busy copying what is cool they miss the bigger opportunities.

This is one of the major pitfalls I’ve been discussing about the design community for quite some time (and blogging, don’t even bother mentioning that one). People are so busy copying current trends no one is focused on future trends. The community plateaus, until someone with a passion decides to do something different…then everyone copies that. Rinse and repeat. This can happen in any community but I noticed it with design and blogging because I had to deal with the repercussions of the copycat behavior.

Until then, maybe if I throw the idea out there to create designs that don’t rely on graphics being the focal point, people will make a few so that consumers have options other than The Slider.

Written by: Tyme White | Follow Tyme on Twitter | Be Friends on Facebook

Yes, I have a very sexy Paladin wearing tangas and thigh highs. When I approach my enemies, you know to kill them, they aren’t shaking with fear. They are drooling over my uber sexy toon, perfectly willing to die by the hand of Ms. Sexy.

They didn’t create this gear for women. They did it for men. So men would stay glued to their computers playing their sexy Blood Elves. The horrible thing: I like it. /hangs head

I love my sexy toons. I wish I could make a Shaman a Blood Elf. I wish my Druid was a Blood Elf. I wish I could change my Undead to a Blood Elf. If I could give my toons a slightly darker skin tone I would be in gaming heaven. Interesting that the male Blood Elf is anything but sexy. He’s feminine with hair styles that would look better on women.

Unfortunately in real life, most women don’t come close to being this visually appealing. A large percentage of women are very insecure about their looks, being judged by males that don’t come close to looking as good as the expectation they have for females. From what I am told by males, a good portion of the “pretty ones” have messed up personalities. Just like there is more to my toon than looks (is she an efficient killing machine?) there is more to a person than their looks. Sometimes we forget that.

You didn’t laugh or smirk reading that, did you? Tsk, tsk….