History is important as it is through time that achievements have been made and by analyzing past work we can improve how we perceive web content. By passing on and recording all important data we can preserve our digital knowledge and avoid that it disappears along with a fundamental source of help.

Websites go through constant re-designing and renovation and it is important to value even the past content as it is an essential source of information for future web development and improvement. We tend to think that if a website and content do not come up when searching on the Internet then this content is no longer relevant or no longer there. Unfortunately, the web simply erases all unusable content and there is no library where this can be stored in, for there is not enough request by users or copyright laws simply do not allow the conservation of content.

However, there are some excellent digital archives such as Wikipedia, Google and Internet Active, which do safeguard fundamental web content from being lost or redundant. Unfortunately, there are other schemes that are being closed down and as these disappear they cause a great cultural damage to the web’s wealth of data. Other important bookmarking services are also in jeopardy of extinction and this could also lead to a loss of important user bookmarks.

All the gathered data that relates to passed web content and users, helps educate those who come after us in improving the web development, and should be kept and preserved as a library for the modern world of digital technology.

With the enormous amount of web content that can be found on the Internet, it has become more and more difficult to find quality information. Blogs are a very good source of web data as they provide direct and useful bits of information, which clearly reflect our present day and needs. Although businesses know how important a website is for branding their company’s name and increasing sales, it is surprising how many are neglected with many broken links, which makes browsing through the Internet difficult offering poor quality for web users. More effort should be needed to improve websites with quality content so that they can serve as a valid archive for future web users and developers.

Our society is unluckily orientated on information that is not a valid source for long term use; this means that there is no real interaction to provide the continuation of content on the web. There is not much left of the content created in the late 90s to relate back to and this tendency has paved the way for the lack of maintenance in today’s web world. Although web designers spend hours working on sophisticated websites, there is nothing to support these creations once they are online, which makes all previous work redundant.

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However, as a web developer, there is a bigger picture to consider. We should not just be thinking about how we are helping businesses and individuals reduce waste, but also how the outer walls of the construction work.

Carbon Footprint of One Website

One of the biggest ironies of the internet is the fact that as internet speeds are becoming faster and more efficient, designers have started building more cumbersome websites. Statistics have shown that since 2003 the average size of a webpage has quintupled. To put that into numbers, the average site in 2003 was 93.7K in 2009 the average site was over 507K. Since performance of the internet has improved, designers have forgotten basic compression logic and now are putting larger files behind each web design.

The highlight of this information is that we are building more interactive and richer website experiences for the users, but at the cost of energy required to power, cool, house, and deliver the information that makes up each website. One Harvard University physicist, Dr. Alex Wissner-Gross has determined that the CO2 emissions from viewing one webpage are 20 milligrams per second. This goes up to 300 mg when the page has complex images, videos, and animations.

While this news may not mean much to you or is difficult to understand, the most important thing you need to know is that every page that you design has consequences.

Measuring Tool

So, now that you are thinking about how green your sites are, you may wonder, how do I really know if I am making a difference?

Dr. Weissner-Gross has created an environmental Trustmark calculator that monitors the carbon footprint of your websites. The calculator monitors the servers, the networks, and the visitor’s computer while on your site.

The Ever Changing Web Page

There have been numerous studies that have reported various findings about web optimization. One of the studies showed that in 1997, the average length of a video posted was 45 seconds. In comparison, by 2007 the average size of a video being posted was 192.6 seconds. On average, the videos being posted on YouTube weigh around 10 MB and there are over 65,000 new videos posted every day.

Long Term

Overall, the long term growth of the web is extremely important. There needs to be a new set of standards in place for web development that lowers the amount of energy web pages require and create. Consider offering your clients a more effective and “green” website in the future. If we all take time to do a bit of research and use tools to help lower the carbon emissions from our websites, it will not take long to make the web a greener place to be.

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This is why you should proceed carefully and choose the right social media that will best promote your brand. Choose two or three that are suitable to your business niche and then start the registration process. The top three for many business or private concerns are LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Although these social networks involve different public trends, they do have a common trait. They can make your brand a success.

LinkedIn is a social network which encompasses a more professional networking public. Through LinkedIn you will no doubt find some important business relationships. Twitter, in contrast is a more laid back social network where people make friends, share interests and enjoy a general social contact. The advantage with Twitter is the response time, which is immediate. Facebook is the social network. The benefit Facebook offers is that you can generate your own profile page, create groups and make contact with possible clients or frequent customers. It is an excellent way to interact and generate new business-related connections.

It is essential the information you provide on these networks, is the same for all of them. If potential customers and users find different information on the various social networks, your brand will be considered unreliable. This will also help your brand to be easily recognizable.

When creating an account, make sure you have a good profile picture or a professional brand logo that has a positive impact on the public. The tagline is the next point users check on within your professional page and is usually located in the “about” area within the social network profiles. This is because a tagline provides a short sentence describing your brand, which must be relevant to your business and attract your readers’ attention.

Your profile page should include an impressive review of your business or resume of your professional qualifications, again this information should be identical throughout the social networks. Facebook and LinkedIn allow for more space as far as profiles are concerned. Here you can describe your brand in detail and use a more concise description on Twitter. Make sure you include the link to your business’ website on all the social networks.

Contact information is essential and must be included in all the social media profiles, as well as your blog or website. Be sure all contact information is coherent and keep in mind that communication software such as Skype, Yahoo and Windows live messenger and Gmail chat are useful and provide direct means of communication.

Do not forget to include your e-mail signature that should carry all information related to contact, tagline, profession this will help introduce and put your brand in the forefront. If you have an e-mail signature all those you contact from your social networks will have immediate information about your business as you will too.

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Avoiding the following four ways to kill your social media efforts will ensure a long healthy life.
1.  Moving without a target

A number of companies that launch their social media without any plan of action are staggering.  It is hard to believe that they think they can have no plan of action whatsoever and no goals and still be successful.

You have to know who, out of the millions of people involved in social media, you are trying to reach.  Having a clearly defined purpose and specific goals is the only way.  A planned strategy to achieve these goals must be set in place, before launching.  Without a plan, it can take only days before people realize that you have no clue what you are doing.

2. Thinking that you just have to build it, followers will come automatically

If a social media account catches on fire almost instantly, it is because it belongs to someone or a company that is famous.  If you are not famous, there is a zero chance of this happening, because there is no one who cares.

Just because your Twitter account is set up, will not guarantee you will have any followers.  You have to put time and energy into a marketing plan.  Find ways of letting the public know that you exist.  Don’t just be a follower and join social media just because everyone else is doing it.  Implement a plan of action.

Thankfully, if you don’t know how, there is a gulf of information at your fingertips on the internet.  There are thousands of books, blogs, and articles on the subject.  Read as many of these as you can.

3. You Can Pay People to Do It for You

Sure you can pay people to do it for you, but is that really a sound solution?  Agencies are great when you launch your presence but that is only the initial stage.   Are you planning to have them take care of this long-term?  If this is your intention, there are a few problems with this idea.

First is the financial burden.  How much money will you spend in total two years from now?  Is it something you can afford?  Could the money be better spent somewhere else?

Secondly, members of social media love authenticity.  They like to hear directly from a member of the company. Someone involved in the day to day operations.  They won’t stay interested very long reading Joe Blow’s messages.

4. Ignoring Traditional Media

Contrary to what you may believe, social media should be part of an extended media family.  Focusing only on social media and ignoring traditional media could be a costly mistake.  Still partake in traditional media such as print ads, magazines, newspapers and press releases.

Social media is a great forum to showcase your company, if done correctly.  Take time to set up and develop a strategy with clear goals.   Get advice if, and when you need it and think long-term, not just for today.

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Almost Perfect Blogger

Runs his blog, almost perfectly.  He follows the ideals of what blogging initially set out to do.  To share information with readers about a certain topic.  His mission is to supply interesting, important, and relevant information.  He writes his information in a way that allows the reader to form their own opinion with respect to his advice.   He has no hidden agenda, is not trying to make easy money or sway anyone’s opinion.  His readers can count on him to upgrade his blog regularly, with useful tips and strategies.   He is very anal about his blog and spends a lot time working on it.  He enjoys being useful to his readers.

Paris Hilton

In this blogger’s universe, they are the only one that matters and everything is all about them. They have no interest in providing anything useful to the reader.  In fact, they don’t really care if anyone reads it.  It is simply a means for them to write about whatever they feel like talking about.

Their topics are not even remotely enlightening and are mostly self-sacrificing.  Surprisingly, though, they do have an audience.  However, if the reader were asked why they read it, they probably would not have a definitive answer.  Similar to how people paid attention to Paris, for no reason.

The Content Thief

This blogger may be a good writer, but is lazy and not really interested in blogging,  They are only looking for notoriety and don’t want to actually work for it.  They search the internet looking for the latest story that they know will get a lot of searches.  Then they creep around the internet stealing content from other blogs.  Then they tweak it a bit and post it as if it were their own.

They can be successful with this for a little while.  But it is only a matter of time before people catch on.

Nancy Grace

This blogger has an opinion, wants to share it, and has no interest in whether or not the reader has one.  Once they get on a topic of interest to them, they rarely stop writing about it.  While their words are well-written, they do not feel the need to go into great detail about anything.   Persuading the reader to agree with their opinion is all that matters to them.

No topic is open for discussion or debate, ever.   After a while, the reader gets bored.  Unless, of course, they agree with every word.

The reasons why people blog are varied.  One has to wonder why some even bother, but it is a free internet.  Perhaps having an avenue to speak their mind, knowing that others may one day read it, is their way to feel connected.

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