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The SitePoint Tribune #469                     Copyright (c) 2009
October 29, 2009                                   PLEASE FORWARD
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News, Rants and Case Studies for Web Design Professionals
by Brendon Sinclair

Read the HTML version of this newsletter, with graphics, at: 
http://www.sitepoint.com/newsletter/viewissue.php?id=2&issue=469

Note: This newsletter is supported solely by advertisers like the
one below. We stand 100% behind every ad that we run. If you ever
have a problem with a company that advertises here please contact
us and we will try to get it resolved.

INTRODUCTION  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Are you amazed like me that we're approaching the end of another
year? Well, it may have caught you off guard, but there's still
time to prepare Christmas salutations and gifts for your
clients. 

We'll kick this issue off by looking at Christmas cards, with a
few tips on how to maximize your corporate mail-out. With a
little thought, it can have a much better impact than ever
before.

Imagine buying your clients a trailer load of cattle dung for
Christmas! Well, now you can -- without offending anybody in the
process. We'll look at how you can buy Christmas gifts that
really improve the lives of others, rather than opting for the
token bottle of wine.

Spend all day on Twitter? Nor do I -- we have businesses to
grow, and lives to live. Ever experience the feeling you're
missing out on the big news, though? We'll look at a web site
that brings the Twitter talk of the day to you, so you don't
miss a beat.

Speaking of Twitter, we'll also take a moment to visit a
terrific web site that lets you see tweets in a new light. You'd
never have thought 140 characters of text could look so good!

Finally, a reminder to those in the area that the Affiliate
Convention [1] takes place December 3-4 in Los Angeles,
California. Any publisher or affiliate can attend for free, and
SitePoint's own Matt Mickiewicz is speaking on two panels at the
event. Check out the web site now for a chance to win free
airfare and hotel accommodation.

I trust you'll enjoy this issue of the Tribune.

Miles Burke
tribune@sitepoint.com 



[1] <http://affiliateconvention.com/>



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IN THIS ISSUE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 - Introduction
 - Christmas Cheer Retro Style
 - Opening a Can of Worms for Christmas
 - Finger on the Twitter Pulse
 - A Visual Feast of Tweets
 - Latest Tutorials
 - Hot Discussions
 - New Blogs


CHRISTMAS CHEER RETRO STYLE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

If you've only just started to think about sending corporate
Christmas cards, I'd encourage you to get a move on! Every year,
the postal service becomes busier, as do the printers -- so you
should avoid sending those cards at the last minute.

While the trend seems to be heading towards the more
environmentally friendly electronic cards, the old-school paper
version still has its merits. So, if you do opt for this form,
here are a few tips:

 - It's best to steer clear of cards with overtly religious
messages. By all means, be proud of your faith, but I'd exercise
some caution to avoid any possible offense.

 - Buy charity cards. Unless you design and print your own
unique brand, choose cards that benefit those less fortunate
than us. It helps to reinforce the true Christmas spirit.

 - Bear in mind that the seasons differ across the world. For
example, while the northern hemisphere freezes, southern
countries are experiencing the height of summer in late
December. It's no biggie, but this may influence the type of
cards you send, depending on your client base. Then again, it
could be quite a novelty for Europeans to receive a surfing
Santa card.

 - Keep business promotion subtle. If you do create your own
printed card, stick with non-commercial images. For example, an
image of a santa hat on top of your best-selling product
devalues the intention of the card, and looks more like junk
mail (if with a Christmas theme). Sure, add your logo, but make
it small and put it on the back.

 - Choose cards made from recycled paper stock to minimize the
impact Christmas has on the environment.

 - Always sign the cards. Printed signatures look impersonal and
imply that the card's a hollow gesture. Have your whole team sign
them if you're a small company, otherwise choose the most
appropriate people.

You should be well-armed now to spread some Christmas cheer!


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OPENING A CAN OF WORMS FOR CHRISTMAS - - - - - - - - - - -

Still on the subject of Christmas -- you might be a business
that traditionally buys Christmas gifts for your regular
clients. Have you ever struggled to come up with a gift that's
unique year after year? Perhaps you might like to consider
giving a gift with a difference. Around the world, many
charities offer a range of gifts that can be purchased online to
benefit people living in third-world countries.

It works like this: instead of buying a conventional corporate
gift for your client, you spend a similar amount on an item that
genuinely benefits those less privileged than us.

For example, you could spend as little as $12 on some manure.
That's right -- organic manure enables poor communities to
transform waste into agricultural power for greater crop yields.
Or what about a can of worms? It's an ideal way to help farmers
cultivate their land, as the worms produce fertilizer.

Oxfam America Unwrapped [1] has a range of gifts like these to
help third-world communities overcome poverty, and similar
programs exist in other parts of the world. You can access your
local Oxfam site here [2]. If you have any UK-based clients,
another option is Send a Cow Gifts [3], a registered charity in
the UK, but it's worth checking whether your favorite charity
operates a similar online scheme.

So why not give a memorable Christmas gift to your clients? Be
it a tree, goat, or latrine, you'll be helping real families
with this donation, and your clients will love the thought.
There's no better way to share Christmas.



[1] <http://www.oxfamamericaunwrapped.com>
[2] <http://www.oxfam.org/>
[3] <http://www.sendacowgifts.org.uk>


FINGER ON THE TWITTER PULSE  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It seems many people are turning to social media, particularly
Twitter [1], to obtain their real-time news feeds. We're now
reading trending tags and looking at what links are being posted
on the service; and we're watching those hot stories being
tweeted, and retweeted, and retweeted again.

If your life is like mine, it's very likely you lack a spare
hour to kill every day keeping up with what's hot on Twitter.
Well, along comes this great solution, if with an slightly odd
name: twitt(url)y  [2]is a service that collates and spiders all
the links posted on Twitter, and ranks them in a top 100 list.

I find it's a far handier way to see what the talk of the social
web is, than trawling through hundreds of tweets. Check it out --
I hope you find it useful!



[1] <http://twittercom>
[2] <http://twitturly.com>


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A VISUAL FEAST OF TWEETS  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Speaking of Twitter, if you've ever wanted to see a full-screen
visualization of your favorite topic or keyword in real time,
you'll want to check out visibletweets.com [1]. It's a project
of SitePoint author and web extraordinaire, Cameron Adams.

Serving up a variety of animation styles, the site renders
simple text tweets into entertaining Flash-based typography. For
example, take a look at this creative rotation animation of the
phrase, "SitePoint Tribune," [2] or this nifty tag cloud
animation using the keyword, "SitePoint." [3]

The output is ideally suited for large screens, too. I saw the
early version of Visible Tweets on a massive screen at a web
conference, and it looked awesome. Next time you're planning an
event featuring a Twitter stream, visibletweets.com may be your
best solution!



[1] <http://www.visibletweets.com>
[2] <http://visibletweets.com/#query=%22SitePoint%20Tribune%22&amp;animation=2>
[3] <http://visibletweets.com/#query=SitePoint&amp;animation=3>


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Thanks so much for reading this issue of the SitePoint Tribune.

Miles Burke
tribune@sitepoint.com 
Editor, SitePoint Tribune






LATEST TUTORIALS  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Coming Clean on Comic Sans: An Interview with Mark Boulton
by Matthew Magain

Designer, speaker, and author, Mark Boulton spoke to SitePoint
      recently while in Sydney for Web Directions South. In this
interview,
      Mark speaks on matters typographical, and clarifies that
rumor about
      Comic Sans.

http://articles.sitepoint.com/article/interview-mark-boulton


Spice up your Firefox Extensions with a Dash of HTML
by James Edwards

Want your Firefox extension to stand out from the crowd? Wish
      extensions were as easy to style as web pages? In this
article, James
      shows us how to give an extension that extra bit of flair
by mixing HTML
      right into an XUL document.

http://articles.sitepoint.com/article/firefox-extensions-with-html


Type Talk with Simon Pascal Klein
by Raena Jackson Armitage

Raena caught up with Simon Pascal Klein-designer, speaker and
      self-confessed rampant typophile-to talk about his
upcoming appearance
      at Edge of the Web 2009.

http://articles.sitepoint.com/article/interview-simon-pascal-klein


HOT DISCUSSIONS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

effect of dedicated IP on SEO?
<http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=643932>

Tips to increases crawl rate
<http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=643978>

What Did You Learn from Your Last Design?
<http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=643820>

Tags in blogs, and SEO
<http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=643455>

How do you find topic to blog about?
<http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=642653>


NEW BLOGS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Web Design Blog: PIXEL PERFECT

"Live Like You Mean It" Logo Is Dead
http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2009/10/29/live-like-you-mean-it-logo-is-dead/

Elements Of Design: Texture  (3 comments)
http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2009/10/28/elements-of-design-texture/

How To Quickly & Easily Remove A Background In Photoshop  (14
comments)
http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2009/10/26/how-to-quickly-easily-remove-a-background-in-photoshop/


Search Engine Marketing Blog: KEY WORDS - SEARCH ENGINE THEORY

Are Competitors Hijacking Your Trademarks in AdWords?  (1
comment)
http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2009/10/29/competitors-hijack-trademark-keywords/


Web Pro Business Blog: STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

Brainstorming: Making Sense and Taking Action  (1 comment)
http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2009/10/28/brainstorm-evaluation/

Brainstorming: The Cubing and Webbing Methods  (1 comment)
http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2009/10/27/cubing-webbing-methods-brainstorming/

Brainstorming: A Guide to Breaking Through Your Barriers  (1
comment)
http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2009/10/26/brainstorming-guide/

4 Steps to Dealing with Everyday Stress  (15 comments)
http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2009/10/23/how-to-deal-with-stress/


Usability Blog: USABILITY 2.0

New GMail System Helps Prevent Email Embarrassment  (8 comments)
http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2009/10/28/gmail-prevents-email-embarrassment/

10 Fantastic Spam Filtering Solutions  (5 comments)
http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2009/10/26/spam-filtering-solutions/


Web Tech Blog: TECHNICALLY SPEAKING

Hack Attack: Two Events that All You Mashup Masters Won’t Want
to Miss
http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2009/10/27/hack-attack-two-events-that-all-you-mashup-masters-won%e2%80%99t-want-to-miss/

Build Your Own Dev Server with VirtualBox    (27 comments)
http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2009/10/27/build-your-own-dev-server-with-virtualbox/

Have You Reached Email Account Overload?  (15 comments)
http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2009/10/26/email-account-overload/


News & Trends Blog: INDUSTRY NEWS FOR WEB PROFESSIONALS

What is a Browser? Google Explains...  (10 comments)
http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2009/10/27/google-explains-browsers/

Windows 7 Launch Marred by Software Pirates  (22 comments)
http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2009/10/23/windows-7-pirated/


Podcast Blog: THE SITEPOINT PODCAST

SitePoint Podcast #33: Team Opera at WDS09
http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2009/10/23/podcast-33-team-opera-wds09/




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