1. Be Consistent: Personally, this has been a biggie for me. Being inconsistent with my development strategy has been a downfall that lingered my potential for some time until I sat down and created a consistent plan for developing my empire. I consider consistency the number one factor in terms of failure and success and I GUARANTEE if you are not consistent, you WILL NOT succeed.
2. Success Does Not Happen Overnight: Too many spammers and shady con artists have created an impression that the internet is a ‘get rich
3. Determination: Always have a goal for your business. One important thing I learned is to define a mission and vision for your company. This does not have to be a long paragraph of what you wish to accomplish in life, but simply something that describes what you wish to achieve for both yourself, your company, and your clients. This, I believe, will be a great motivator and reduce your chances of dropping out of whatever business you are in.
4. Finish what you start! Another issue for me has been getting excited about an opportunity, starting it, and then after a while that excitement died down and I was left with no results, time and money gone to waste, and no ROI. Don’t let this happen to you!

These four short points are what I see in the web development business as the keys to being successful. Perhaps I haven not listed every single aspect of being a winner as a web developer; however, I do believe being consistent, determined, and punctual in addressing your goals and wants will give you an edge over the other 90% of developers who struggle yet fail (sadly).

Now that I finally found the time and analyze things through, I feel the reason why I haven’t been posting is not because I am overloaded with work (although I am) and it is not because I don’t have a purpose or sense of direction (I do, somewhat). The real reason is probably because I lost that feeling of putting effort into sharing my ideas and experiences with others as well as being motivated by my own blog.

Blogs are supposed to motivate not just the readers, but the writers as well, and for some reason that’s kinda slipped a bit. I definitely don’t intend on shutting it down because I {heart} my blog, but somehow I want to do a reboot on here and get back to posting not once a month, but once a day.

Any suggestions?

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

© Copyright Kent M. Keith 1968, renewed 2001

1. Define your site’s goal and mission: Ask the question, what is this site supposed to give to the visitor? What benefit will the visitor receive? And most importantly, why should they go here rather than a competitor’s site?
2. Analyze your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT Analysis for all you schoolkids)
   
   • Strengths: Figure out what you have that your competitor’s don’t. This could be as simple as an easier-to-remember domain name, better design, etc.
   • Weaknesses: What do other sites have that you don’t? This will not only help you see where you can improve, but also, how to turn these weaknesses into strengths.
   • Opportunities: What kind of opportunities are coming at your site? There may not be very many, but anything from advertising, getting reviews, etc..
   • Threats: How can competitor’s sites threaten you? Sure they already have traffic and loyal visitors, but how can they seriously hurt your performance?
3. Identify Marketing Opportunities: How can you “get your foot in the door”? For this step look at what specific audience you can target that your competitor is not targeting very well. You can start by targeting a certain age group, a demographic, a culture, or even target certain countries only. The second part is to position yourself so your site clearly answers number one of this entire process when a visitor goes to your site. Because as everyone should know by now, first impressions as usually last impressions.
4. Implement your marketing strategy and use resources: In this step actually go out and get your word out there. The best way to do it is to follow the, what marketer’s call, 4P’s:
   • Product or Service: Position your websites service or products to make the customer’s you are targeting want it. The best way people will return to your site is if they see a need in your service. Therefore, create value in your site.
   • Price: If you’re selling products or offering memberships or paid services, consider your price carefully. It may be beneficial to lower your initial prices to compete against the competition. But then again, you don’t want to become the Wal-Mart of web design, so take that into play as well.
   • Place: This is key. In the real world, you want to create a service in a location where it is readily accessible. In the virtual world, you want to create a site that is also readily accessible. Therefore, downtime, long loading, server hardware are important. Imagine you follow the above steps and you make it to the front page of Digg and you’re on a shared server. There’s a good chance you’ve just pissed off a lot of visitors when your site went down.
   • Promotion: Decide where and how you want to advertise in conjunction with what you’re promoting in the other three P’s above. If its a blog, you can use reviews, banners, blog networks, etc.
5. Evaluate your Performance: If you thought the above four things would turn you into a successful entrepreneur, I’ve got great news. It may, but there’s a fairly high chance that’s not going to happen the first time. So it is vital to track your site and target market and see how you can improve your sites performance as the process rolls by. For many, this process is never ending as websites continuously struggle to increase market-share, develop a strong foundation in their area of expertise, and broaden their horizons.

So that’s basically the plan. If this method works in the real world, I don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t work with the internet world as well.

Prior to the new administration, the robots.txt file which defines which parts of the site search engines can index, was almost 2400 lines. (See it here).

The new robots.txt file says:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /includes/

See the new robots.txt file here. Pretty interesting, huh?

Opinions aside, lets examine some facts about Windows versus Linux. After All, there must be something that made the huge Redmond company capture more than 90% of the computer market in the world.

Linux

Advantages

• Open Source – This is the fundamental difference between Linux and Microsoft. The advantages of this are too numerous to even start listing. It is however, the backbone to the majority of the rest of the advantages of Linux listed below.
• Stability – I think everyone agrees with this one. In my experience with Linux and Windows, once Linux is started, it runs. Not to say that Windows doesn’t, but in hosting environments, I find that I would prefer Linux.
• Cost – Linux is free. The distros, as well as the majority of 3rd party software can be acquired legally at no cost.
• Support – Linux is supported by the online community of tech savvy users ready to help you out.
• Power Management – Depending on what you run and what you do on your machine or server, this may not always be the case, but in general, Linux requires less energy to operate.

Disadvantages

• Expertise – The argument that “you can find anything for Linux online” is great, but that is only for the 10-15% of users that are tech-savvy and know how to get their way around the Internet. You’d be surprised how many people don’t know what a forum is. This is not to say that Linux is harder than Windows, it’s simply a different system that people need to take the time to learn.
• GUI – This case has been made against Linux many times and I’m glad to mention that the Open Source community is improving its GUI, in fact, some distributions have very well improved their GUI that I would even prefer it over Windows, but the fact remains is it just lacks something that makes it as appealing as a Windows GUI.
• 3rd Party Software – Simply said, not every software developer supports Linux. One prime example that would appeal to most of our readers is the Adobe Creative Suite. Many other large applications are also not supported under Linux by the developers. These days however, Linux users try their best to remove that barrier by installing virtualization software imitating the Windows platform. However, no matter what virtualization software you run, if the application is not designed for Linux, it will never work to its full potential.
• Program Installation/Uninstallation – Windows boasts its crafty standardized application install process and it has every right to do so. Although some distributions of Linux are taking steps to make the installation process easier, in comparison to Windows, it still has a long way to go in order to satisfy the typical consumer.

Windows

Advantages

• GUI – Ever since this was added in Windows X.XX, its not a wonder why Microsoft’s market share began to dominate the market. The Windows GUI has set a standard for every other OS and revolutionized the computer world.
• Software Installation – Although this may be argued against some Linux distro’s, it is fairly simple to install your software. Pop in the cd, hit run setup, go through a couple of steps and you’re done. Linux on the other hand, requires a bit more knowledge about it’s installation system and isn’t always as user friendly as I sometimes want it to be.
• Multimedia – Windows has always pushed for making its products a family pack where consumers can create videos, organize pictures, listen to music, and of course get professional with all of these items. It took Steve Jobs over at Apple to come along and finally create some competition with Microsoft. And bear in mind, Jobs had some prior experience working with Gates. Linux these days is getting closer to ‘the ultimate experience’ but in regards to gaming and certain multimedia software, you’re better off running a Windows emulator.
• Market Share – Windows at one point or another controls at least 85% of the OS market and therefore software developers, hardware designers all focus on putting their piece of work where the big guys are for a simple reason. Money. This is the reason why Linux will always win the argument that it’s cheaper – simply because no software developer wants to develop where they won’t make a lot of money.
• Support – You’d be surprised how many people don’t know what a forum is. Quite frankly, if you’re a Linux user and had a problem, you’d probably get an answer to your problem much quicker than any Microsoft support representative would be able to solve one. However, most people assume that if they’ve got a problem, the only methods of fixing it is calling 1-800-MICROSOFT or calling Geek Squad. With Linux, there are not many phone numbers out there that may be able to solve your problem.
• Installation Size – While most consider it a disadvantage, I consider it an advantage. The Windows installation is about 3-4GB and if it were not for that, we’d still be stuck with 30GB hard drives. Now we have 500GB, 1TB+ hard drives, so why all the fuss? Unless you’re a complete nerd, you have no reason to argue that ‘Linux can fit on a thumb drive and Windows can’t’..

Disadvantages

• The Domino Effect – Whether you agree or disagree, one, two, or three problems with your PC will cause the logon screen to load 40 seconds instead of the 5-8 from a clean install. I’ve installed Windows at least a dozen of times and after several years I simply need to wipe everything clean and reinstall Windows. Compatibility issues, driver errors, viruses, all slow down Windows to the point it becomes frustrating and unbearable.
• Viruses – This one is a ‘duh’. Spammers obviously want to target the larger audience and therefore Windows is the fall guy. As Linux and Apple gain more appreciation, so will the number of exploits they will receive.
• Licensing – The whole WGA, Genuine Advantage, DRM, etc are more of a hassle than a safety measure. Microsoft and Windows software developers have plagued users with registrations, monthly license checks, and other validatioin techniques that are supposed to prove that you didn’t grab the software from a torrent. The bad news is I haven’t seen any piece of software that had not been successfully cracked. Why does Microsoft need to spend all of that hassle with WGA instead of just placing a shiny sticker with fancy numbering on the dvd and call it good?
• Goals – While most companies tend to follow the road of being the best and the greatest, Microsoft seems to have dropped out of being the best and simply being the greatest. In late news, the giant has focused more on simply trying to beat its competitors. This kind of thinking ultimately leads to failure and has been costing Microsoft more and more in the last several years. The company should seriously learn from Apple. Although I’m not a Mac fan, I do appreciate the massive comeback they’ve made, not by saying everyone else sucks, but by developing products that are somewhat truly latest and greatest.
• Google ‘why Windows sucks’

In conclusion, my professor does have a point. There is other software and other Operating Systems besides Windows in this world that work just as well or even better than Windows. Having worked with both Linux and Windows, I will say this. Linux is by far much better than Windows for the workplace. It’s reliability, performance, and support are everything I would want from an OS. Especially with web hosting, I don’t even understand how webmasters can even stand Windows Server 2003.

That being said, I would never not yet trade in my Windows desktop for its music, video, and gaming capabilities. And that’s all that matters to Americans, right?

Now that this hype about the new year has gone down a bit, I have sat down and decided to make some measurable goals for myself in 2009 and try something different. So here’s a brief list of what I’ll do different this year.

1. Cut down on domain names - I’ve never labelled myself as an active domainer, but whenever I get a great idea or see a domain name too good to pass by, I usually acquire it. Over the course of several years I have created a domain portfolio of over 50 domain names. With this number and the recent ICANN prices my goal is to sell off any domains that will not be very beneficial in the long run and develop the ones that I have planned.
2. Develop my personal websites – This goes more in as part II of number 1 on this list, but will be something difficult to do. As the story has usually gone by, I would start working on a website in my free time and another client would pop out of nowhere with their project. So this year I will now be outsourcing much more of my work to my amigos.
3. Blog more – It has been fairly noticeable that throughout November and December I have had almost no productive posts and it has been very hard to know that you’re slacking off on blogging and losing visitors, yet not having the time to post something serious. My goal this year is to change all of this.
4. Refine my skills – Recently Lynda.com provided our college with free accounts and this has made me excited on learning some new and interesting software such as Adobe Flex(r) as I do think it will be the next big thing in the future – or at least something close to it.
5. Finish college faster - With the economy going into a slump, it has been my idea to add an extra class on top of the ones I’m already taking. This will allow me to graduate two quarters faster. Doing this gives me several benefits. Finishing college faster will:
   • Allow me to focus on web design full time
   • Give me an earlier opportunity to possibly look for a good job if needed.
   • No more college costs to think about
   • …and the biggie I’m hoping for is… FREE Time.
6. A few personal resolutions – get into a bit of shape physically and be more active with family, church, etc.

So that’s my short list of big things I will be focusing on. Hopefully I follow through with all of them, but if not, I’ll still be making the effort.

• In regards to AlloraWeb:
  • Our company’s performance has grew immensely! This entire year has been full of projects up until the last days of the year. As with most companies, there have been some peaks and valley’s particularly in the Spring (April, May) where we had very few projects and peak number of clients in the Summer months (June, July). We’ll see how this upcoming year will perform for us.
  • While before we would focus mostly on business and corporate work, this last quarter it has been an interesting experience getting into the arcade network. One client I will highlight is Mark Broad, the owner of ArcadePreHacks.com. This project has been both challenging for us, yet has been a great learning experience for myself as well as our coders. It was our pleasure to give this site a completely new design as well as do loads of backend work to make the website perform well for it’s 40,000+ members.
  • In addition, I have met some very talented and dedicated freelancers who helped us develop some of our projects. It is not always that you find a freelancer that not only has the skill, but also the talent to do the job. In particular these last several months of the year, I’ve enjoyed working with Akram, a very talented graphic designer and coder. I’ll be able to showcase his work with the release of an upcoming website we are developing. No further announcements until the site is released, but I can’t wait to make the announcement.
• On March 18, I wrote Askllora.com’s famous “Hello World” post and over the course of 9 months I’ve published 70 posts which I consider quite an accompishment taking into account all the clients and projects I deal with as well as time required for educational needs. This upcoming 2009 I hope to get a higher post count, however my goal will be to write quality posts and not ramble about miscellaneous things simply for the sake of more posts.
• In my personal life, I’ve greatly enjoyed my time with family and friends and have gone on numerous vacations to see my close ones. Other travels have taken me outside the country to Canada which I completely adore due to how beautiful it is. I don’t, for even one second deny that here in the US we have some extremely gorgeous places, but simply driving in Canada was a blast – aside from their low speed limits.
• This year also marked my third year of college, hence I am now a junior and also enjoy that. College has been a blast as well meeting new people and learning new things. This also means I have less than two years left of spending money on *cough* college related activities.

This year has been full of fun, excitement, and a whole lot of action. Although it is impossible to describe this past year in its full glory I’m sure everyone has something they can relate to and discuss. The several things I listed above were just a few brief things that came to mind and  decided to share. Not everything however can be shared online :d, but nonetheless I share my moments of happiness with those who I love and have fun. I hope you do too.

Happy New Year!

I’m not someone who tries to force my beliefs on others, but I can say that looking back on this past year, only with help from above has it been possible for the things to happen this year tha have happened.

Whether you celebrate Christmas on December 25th, January 7th, or don’t celebrate it at all, I would like everyone to look back at their year of life that will never be relived and think about all the blessings that you’ve had this year and thank God for them all.

Merry Christmas!

For now though, I would like to wish everyone a happy and joyous Thanksgiving so remember to give thanks to God for everything including the fact that you’re still alive, well, and have a chance to finally see another post!

For those who are working on Thaksgiving, shame on you!