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The massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Chile Saturday morning, killing more than 300 people and causing widespread damages in many areas, has left devastating aftershocks in many areas of the country. Below are some dramatic pictures from Flickr that document this huge tragedy.

Santiago after the earthquake.

Original photo /a>

Santiago.

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Temuco, Chile (/a> is the capital of the Araucanía Region, Chile).

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Viña del Mar, Valparaíso Province.

Original photo /a>

Santiago.

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Santiago.

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Santiago.

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Conception.

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Temuco, Chile (/a> is the capital of the Araucanía Region, Chile).

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Academia de Bellas Artes, Santiago, Chile.

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Santiago.

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Divina Providencia.

Providencia, Santiago, Chile.

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Conception.

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Conception.

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Temuco, Chile (/a> is the capital of the Araucanía Region, Chile).

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Mariott Hotel, Santiago.

Original photo /a>
by /a>

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The massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Chile Saturday morning, killing more than 300 people and causing widespread damages in many areas, has left devastating aftershocks in many areas of the country. Below are some dramatic pictures from Flickr that document this huge tragedy.

Santiago after the earthquake.

Original photo /a>

Santiago.

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Temuco, Chile (/a> is the capital of the Araucanía Region, Chile).

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Viña del Mar, Valparaíso Province.

Original photo /a>

Santiago.

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Santiago.

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Santiago.

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Conception.

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Temuco, Chile (/a> is the capital of the Araucanía Region, Chile).

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Academia de Bellas Artes, Santiago, Chile.

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Santiago.

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Divina Providencia.

Providencia, Santiago, Chile.

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Conception.

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Conception.

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Temuco, Chile (/a> is the capital of the Araucanía Region, Chile).

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Mariott Hotel, Santiago.

Original photo /a>
by /a>

Continued here:
/a>

We’re getting more and more reports from readers who are seeing a “new” Google look-and-feel for its search results. This is a three column design that Google’s actually been testing for some time. That testing appears to be accelerating.

/a> is our story from last November that takes an in-depth look at the new user interface and the features it offers.

At the time, we wrote:

So who sees the changes? About 1% to 3% of Google users, who will be randomly selected. The test will probably run for about six weeks. If successful, expect to see the changes — altered to take in account test feedback — show up across Google soon after that.

That six week period has long come and passed — but the testing continues. Google tells me a variety of slight variations are live in the wild, still being shown to a randomly selected group of people. There is no expected launch date.

Thanks to /a>, I’ve ended up in the test group. I got a new Dell laptop two days ago. When I loaded it with Firefox and went to Google, I got the new UI. That means Google placed a cookie in Firefox to make it appear for me. My Internet Explorer and Chrome browsers on the laptop still show the “old” or “normal” look.

Below, a few screenshots showing what I currently see:

img src=”http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4072/4389609979_ef6ab6f261.jpg” alt=”Google New Look” width=”500″ height=”223″ />

Above, I’ve highlighted two changes from the screenshots we displayed in our November article. One is that Google now shows your location. Another is that rather than using a + box to let you open options, Google’s testing a chevron approach.

/a>

img src=”http://www.deondesigns.ca/blog/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/share_save_171_16.png” width=”171″ height=”16″ alt=”Share/Bookmark” />

We’re getting more and more reports from readers who are seeing a “new” Google look-and-feel for its search results. This is a three column design that Google’s actually been testing for some time. That testing appears to be accelerating.

/a> is our story from last November that takes an in-depth look at the new user interface and the features it offers.

At the time, we wrote:

So who sees the changes? About 1% to 3% of Google users, who will be randomly selected. The test will probably run for about six weeks. If successful, expect to see the changes — altered to take in account test feedback — show up across Google soon after that.

That six week period has long come and passed — but the testing continues. Google tells me a variety of slight variations are live in the wild, still being shown to a randomly selected group of people. There is no expected launch date.

Thanks to /a>, I’ve ended up in the test group. I got a new Dell laptop two days ago. When I loaded it with Firefox and went to Google, I got the new UI. That means Google placed a cookie in Firefox to make it appear for me. My Internet Explorer and Chrome browsers on the laptop still show the “old” or “normal” look.

Below, a few screenshots showing what I currently see:

img src=”http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4072/4389609979_ef6ab6f261.jpg” alt=”Google New Look” width=”500″ height=”223″ />

Above, I’ve highlighted two changes from the screenshots we displayed in our November article. One is that Google now shows your location. Another is that rather than using a + box to let you open options, Google’s testing a chevron approach.

/a>

img src=”http://www.deondesigns.ca/blog/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/share_save_171_16.png” width=”171″ height=”16″ alt=”Share/Bookmark”/>
More here:
/a>

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From /a> – The first waves of a tsunami from a massive earthquake in Chile have hit the Big Island of Hawaii, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

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From /a> – The first waves of a tsunami from a massive earthquake in Chile have hit the Big Island of Hawaii, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

Read the original here:
/a>

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I’ve been tracking trends and looking deeper into the scenarios that make my company the most money.  That’s why I wrote my previous articles regarding retainers, web cams and other such things that we do that keep our clients close to our sides.

So today I get this new customer’s mobile website built and launched.  Immediately, I get an email that is copied to my client and me from their previous web developer pointing out “problems” with my mobile design (never do this… it only makes you look like a douchebag).

First, I used a free WordPress template…  He pointed that out.  Next, the site didn’t look right on an iPhone… he pointed that out.  And lastly, he said he had the client’s best interest and put, for good measure, a link to the free WordPress template that I used in the email.

What he failed to realize is that I wasn’t done with the site.  I still had tons of plugins to install and lots of coding and design to finish.

The site was launched on a .mobi domain and the client wanted an alternative site to  send their visitors to if they were on a smart phone.  Simple enough.

So after he copies me and my client on this “Ryan Kovach is exposed” email, I wrote him back, copied my client and asked him this question:  If you are so good and had their best interest in mind “why does his site, that he designed for them, look like a Somoan Mountain Yak blew piss all over my computer screen and why does it have an Alexa ranking of 10,129,458?

Needless to say I didn’t get a response from him.

But what I did get was priceless.  The client called, agreed that he was a total gonad and then wanted to know what an Alexa ranking was.  I spent the next 30 minutes explaining Alexa, bookmarking sites, plugins, what a CMS is, what Google Analytics can tell a person, and on and on it went…

We laughed, we talked, we bonded and I educated an otherwise very technically limited person as to how lots of stuff works.

What I got out of it was a client who views me as a knowledgeable professional.  I am now trusted.  I am now valuable to her organization and so on.

Keep in mind this client paid very good money for me to set up a free WordPress template and turn it into a great mobile website.  But she wasn’t phased by that.  She admitted that she has no clue how to do any of that stuff and therefore whether it was a free template or not, she got what she wanted.  She also ended up learning something out of the whole ordeal.

I learned something too.  Clients want to be educated.  They want you to include them in the process. They actually get giddy when you tell them techy stuff that they didn’t already know.

Don’t ever let a chance to educate your clients go to waste.  Spend time with them.  Teach them.  They’ll never fully do what you do.  But they will appreciate what you do more once they see what all goes into the process.

FYI:  Now that the site is finished and after our ordeal today, the client, NOT ME, suggested that we work out some sort of retainer agreement so that she could have me by her side as needed.  SCORE!

Here is the site I built using the free WP template:  /a>

Take a look at it on your browser, then on your iPhone or Blackberry or whatever smart phone you use.

The plugin I used to make it mobile ready is /a>. I like that plugin and all of my clients wanting a mobile site love it too. I hope this article helps you slow down, explain your services, educate your clients and land more business. Until next time!

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I’ve been tracking trends and looking deeper into the scenarios that make my company the most money.  That’s why I wrote my previous articles regarding retainers, web cams and other such things that we do that keep our clients close to our sides.

So today I get this new customer’s mobile website built and launched.  Immediately, I get an email that is copied to my client and me from their previous web developer pointing out “problems” with my mobile design (never do this… it only makes you look like a douchebag).

First, I used a free WordPress template…  He pointed that out.  Next, the site didn’t look right on an iPhone… he pointed that out.  And lastly, he said he had the client’s best interest and put, for good measure, a link to the free WordPress template that I used in the email.

What he failed to realize is that I wasn’t done with the site.  I still had tons of plugins to install and lots of coding and design to finish.

The site was launched on a .mobi domain and the client wanted an alternative site to  send their visitors to if they were on a smart phone.  Simple enough.

So after he copies me and my client on this “Ryan Kovach is exposed” email, I wrote him back, copied my client and asked him this question:  If you are so good and had their best interest in mind “why does his site, that he designed for them, look like a Somoan Mountain Yak blew piss all over my computer screen and why does it have an Alexa ranking of 10,129,458?

Needless to say I didn’t get a response from him.

But what I did get was priceless.  The client called, agreed that he was a total gonad and then wanted to know what an Alexa ranking was.  I spent the next 30 minutes explaining Alexa, bookmarking sites, plugins, what a CMS is, what Google Analytics can tell a person, and on and on it went…

We laughed, we talked, we bonded and I educated an otherwise very technically limited person as to how lots of stuff works.

What I got out of it was a client who views me as a knowledgeable professional.  I am now trusted.  I am now valuable to her organization and so on.

Keep in mind this client paid very good money for me to set up a free WordPress template and turn it into a great mobile website.  But she wasn’t phased by that.  She admitted that she has no clue how to do any of that stuff and therefore whether it was a free template or not, she got what she wanted.  She also ended up learning something out of the whole ordeal.

I learned something too.  Clients want to be educated.  They want you to include them in the process. They actually get giddy when you tell them techy stuff that they didn’t already know.

Don’t ever let a chance to educate your clients go to waste.  Spend time with them.  Teach them.  They’ll never fully do what you do.  But they will appreciate what you do more once they see what all goes into the process.

FYI:  Now that the site is finished and after our ordeal today, the client, NOT ME, suggested that we work out some sort of retainer agreement so that she could have me by her side as needed.  SCORE!

Here is the site I built using the free WP template:  /a>

Take a look at it on your browser, then on your iPhone or Blackberry or whatever smart phone you use.

The plugin I used to make it mobile ready is /a>. I like that plugin and all of my clients wanting a mobile site love it too. I hope this article helps you slow down, explain your services, educate your clients and land more business. Until next time!

Read more:
/a>

For the past couple of months, Google has been telling the world that /a> is an increasingly important aspect of Web sites. The /a> site – which has the laudable goal of making Web browsing as fast as turning the pages of a magazine – has been featured in several posts on their Webmaster blog, and features links to various free tools that they, and others, have made available for the masses.

So, as someone responsible for a site, if you suspect that you may have page load issues, what’s your first stop? Where should you go to get an overall idea of your site performance, short of opening every page of your site while holding a stopwatch?

The first place that many of us will start is in our Google Webmaster Tools account. Log in, click on Labs, then Site Performance. There, you’ll see site performance data based on feedback from their crawlers.

img src=”http://searchenginewatch.com/_imgs/graphics/022510performance-thumb.gif” border=”0″ alt=”Performance Overview” width=”300″ height=”96″ />
click to enlarge

On the page you’ll also see a sample of 10 pages with the load times for each. Unfortunately, it doesn’t go any deeper than that. But at least you’ll be able to see at least a couple of bad performing pages to further investigate using other /a>.

/a>

img src=”http://www.deondesigns.ca/blog/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/share_save_171_16.png” width=”171″ height=”16″ alt=”Share/Bookmark” />

For the past couple of months, Google has been telling the world that /a> is an increasingly important aspect of Web sites. The /a> site – which has the laudable goal of making Web browsing as fast as turning the pages of a magazine – has been featured in several posts on their Webmaster blog, and features links to various free tools that they, and others, have made available for the masses.

So, as someone responsible for a site, if you suspect that you may have page load issues, what’s your first stop? Where should you go to get an overall idea of your site performance, short of opening every page of your site while holding a stopwatch?

The first place that many of us will start is in our Google Webmaster Tools account. Log in, click on Labs, then Site Performance. There, you’ll see site performance data based on feedback from their crawlers.

img src=”http://searchenginewatch.com/_imgs/graphics/022510performance-thumb.gif” border=”0″ alt=”Performance Overview” width=”300″ height=”96″ />
click to enlarge

On the page you’ll also see a sample of 10 pages with the load times for each. Unfortunately, it doesn’t go any deeper than that. But at least you’ll be able to see at least a couple of bad performing pages to further investigate using other /a>.

/a>

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Go here to see the original:
/a>

Looking to integrate your analytical data and tracking across your site, blog and now even your Facebook Fanpages? It appears that the UK’s WebDigi Dev team has figured out a pretty easy way to use Google Analytics on your Facebook Fan Page. With SEJ’s Facebook Page having over 4,000 users and lots of cool comments and voting going on, adding Google Analytics to track referrals or time on site will be quite awesome.

We launched our Facebook fan page earlier this month and as with all Facebook pages only Facebook Insights program is available to page administrators. Facebook Insights shows demographic details and interactions on your pages BUT limited to show information of fans only. It is far less sophisticated and comprehensive when compared to the free Google Analytics. One of the limitations of Facebook Fan pages is that you can only run limited Javascript on it and Google Analytics needs Javascript code included to correctly track visitors. We have successfully managed to get ALL functions of Google Analytics working on our Facebook fan page (including visitor statistics, traffic sources, visitor country, keyword searches with all other powerful reporting & maps overlays etc).

Credits to: /a>

img src=”http://www.deondesigns.ca/blog/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/share_save_171_16.png” width=”171″ height=”16″ alt=”Share/Bookmark” />

Looking to integrate your analytical data and tracking across your site, blog and now even your Facebook Fanpages? It appears that the UK’s WebDigi Dev team has figured out a pretty easy way to use Google Analytics on your Facebook Fan Page. With SEJ’s Facebook Page having over 4,000 users and lots of cool comments and voting going on, adding Google Analytics to track referrals or time on site will be quite awesome.

We launched our Facebook fan page earlier this month and as with all Facebook pages only Facebook Insights program is available to page administrators. Facebook Insights shows demographic details and interactions on your pages BUT limited to show information of fans only. It is far less sophisticated and comprehensive when compared to the free Google Analytics. One of the limitations of Facebook Fan pages is that you can only run limited Javascript on it and Google Analytics needs Javascript code included to correctly track visitors. We have successfully managed to get ALL functions of Google Analytics working on our Facebook fan page (including visitor statistics, traffic sources, visitor country, keyword searches with all other powerful reporting & maps overlays etc).

Credits to: /a>

img src=”http://www.deondesigns.ca/blog/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/share_save_171_16.png” width=”171″ height=”16″ alt=”Share/Bookmark”/>
Visit link:
/a>