Applecore Interactive wishes all its clients, suppliers and supporters a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Successful 2010. 
by Gregory Pike, Web Developer
I cannot imagine there is a web developer out there who has not experienced their share of CSS headaches with Internet Explorer browsers. Rendering issues in Internet Explorer are rampant.
Developer Siddharth has compiled a list of the most common IE Bugs as well as multiple options for fixing them. His examples are concise and easy to follow using css and imagery to guide the reader.
Some of the topics he touches on include:
CWT Harvey's Travel is a travel booking agency that offers many unique and valuable services to its travelers to ease the stress of trip planning. The company operates from 22 offices throughout Atlantic Canada, with their headquarters in St. John’s.
As leaders in corporate, leisure and group travel, their website needed to be streamlined to better suit that identity. And now, the refreshed online face of Harvey's Travel is complete! Clean, bright and a dream to navigate, the site now reflects the fast-paced, fun world of travel. Refitted with a newly designed Content Management System, updating the freshest vacation offers in a timely fashion has never been easier.
With bright colors working alongside the streamlined interface, the website now better reflects the personality of Harvey's Travel: on the one side, an exciting, helpful place to plan a memorable vacation, and on the other, a professional, accommodating resource for the seasoned business traveler.
Check out the finished product here.
by Jill Butler, Content Development Specialist
A remarkable social media experiment is happening on the campus of one of America’s most prestigious universities.
Harvard University has made Justice, one of the school's most popular courses, available online. Professor Michael Sandel is an internationally renowned mind, and explores political philosophy through thought-provoking topics such as same-sex marriage, civil rights and whether lying can ever be good. It’s a great way to educate Harvard students, but then, distance courses are nothing new on any university campus, even before the internet.
If the story stopped there, Applecore wouldn’t be writing a blog post about it.
Because this course isn’t only a course for Harvard students. This is available to anyone with the inclination and an Internet connection.
Each lesson—which run about 55 minutes each—has been loaded onto YouTube and posted to its website, which also features reading lists, pop quizzes and a discussion circle.
So really, it’s like you’re attending Harvard, but without paying the sizable tuition or stirring from the comfort of your own home.
What’s the Why?
My first thought when I heard about this was trying to figure out why Harvard would do this. And after much reflection, I think it can be explained in a word: exposure.
After all, the press coverage of this virtually unprecedented move by an Ivy League college has been extensive, and very positive.
But isn’t Harvard essentially trading their intellectual advantage for a couple of press releases? After all, prestige and exclusivity is what makes Harvard an impressive note on your resume, not that just anyone who’s willing to listen can benefit.
This is where the extraordinary part comes in.
Harvard Leads the Future
The Ivy League hasn’t exactly built a reputation for going with the flow. Introducing this high-production, universal course offering demonstrates that Harvard is not just some stuffy out of touch institution unable to keep up with new media and the latest technologies.
But what’s more, this website could go a long way for improving public opinion of the school, which goes a long way in a recession when many people question spending thousands more on an education which no longer guarantees success. Now, everyone can have a taste to see what all the fuss is about.
And let me tell you—this online course is not filler. It’s thought-provoking and intellectually vigorous, demanding you pay attention from the word go. It’s a great chance to see why a Harvard education is so valuable.
Where’s the Real Lesson?
But most of all, this legitimizes social media in a way that is unprecedented. YouTube isn’t just clips of animals doing funny things; Harvard University, the creme de la creme, uses it to teach its students! Comment boards aren't just a haven for slang; it can be the birthplace of carefully considered philosophical discussion!
This goes a long way in demonstrating the real future of social media. When YouTube was first introduced, did anyone really imagine that it would be adopted by a prestigious college to explore complex ideas of human development? To reach and educate a global audience?
Beyond instant messaging, Facebook pokes, or retweets, this makes it clear that the future of social media is as limitless as our imagination. Or perhaps, more accurately, our ambition.
You’ll want to click on the one that says “Ads and Pages.” From here, you’ll be taken to a screen like this:
You’ll see two options: one to create a targeted ad and one to create a page. This second one is the one you want. You’ll be taken to the screen below and asked to fill out your page’s information. You’ll need to provide your full name so that Facebook can authenticate you; fake pages and unofficial fan pages are not permitted under Facebook’s Pages Guidelines. But you’re creating a fan page for your business, so you have nothing to worry about!
From there, you’ll be able to customize your page, adding your company logo, some employees, maybe a mission statement or two. Here’s ours:
Beyond the Basics
Congratulations! You've just created a fan page of which others can “Become a Fan.” A basic fan page includes a wall, newsfeed, photos, videos and list of fans—it’s basically a profile page for your business. But if you really want to make the most of your page, you’ll want to investigate different Facebooks applications, widgets and Flash boxes to liven up your page and make it a place your fans will check up on regularly.
Some suggestions to get you started:
Just remember: don’t go overboard. Keep your page’s usability in mind at all times, and loading it with too many gadgets will take away from that. You want your page to be a place that fans like to visit, not something that confuses them with flashing lights or intrusive sounds!
To wrap up, treat this page as an extension of your brand. This fan page is your company’s ambassador on Facebook, and you should keep it fresh, updated and always interactive.
A Word of Advice...
Of course, this is all on a very small scale. The bigger your company is, the more work your social media ventures require. Why not consult the people in the know?
TECHNOLOGY
1. Mobile Compatibility
Site: Pizza Hut
With more and more users getting their daily web surfing done on their iPhones or Blackberrys, smart websites have made the leap to offering content that either works well with or is specifically designed for these devices. Check out Pizza Hut's innovative iPhone app, that allows the user to order their pizza from the palm of their hand.
2. Online video/ Internet TV
Site: NBC.com
Regular TV-watching has become a thing of the past. After all, with the busy schedules and tightening household budgets of many tech-savvy TV lovers, cable just isn't convenient. So they turn to the Internet, which offers full episodes, either for download or streaming, whenever and however you want them. The smart networks, like NBC or the CW, have turned what might look like a cash-drain into an opportunity, offering exclusive content online and becoming the best source for reliable, quality online programming. As the old saying goes: if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
3. Personalization
The web can only be what you make it--and the trend towards making it your own has been growing steadily. With leaders like Google, even the browser you use to surf the web can be completely customized to suit your taste and needs. That's more or less the entire purpose of iGoogle--one stop for local weather, custom features, and news feeds that cater you YOUR every demand.
CREATIVITY
4. The Big Picture (layouts)
Site: The White House
This is a hot one: designers have been going for the high impact statement more and more, with bold, eye-catching banners and header that incorporate content and are more than a pretty face. The White's homepage is a great example of that--using their carousel-style banner to display important links and information.
5. Minimal: White Space and Then Some
Site: Concentric Studio
Clean, straightforward and useful--the trend to have more of nothing has been catching on for a while now, as more designers opt to de-clutter their web spaces and put focus on only the most important elements of the website. The upside? The user doesn't get overwhelmed by too much information only choice -- there is only where you want to guide them.
6. Big and Bold: HUGE typography, illustrations and vibrant graphics
Site: National Television
If you want big, eye-catching communication, there's nothing like a sure bet. Placing emphasis on words and putting illustration front and center has a fresh, almost European feel, giving the website an equal focus on design and communication.
STRATEGY
7. Keeping up with social media
Site: Fuel Your Creativity
More website are realizing the power of putting social media front and center--like Fuel Your Creativity has done here. It's wise to put these hotlinks in a very visible place, making it as easy as possible for any interested users to click on your blog, visit your Facebook page, or subscribe to your Twitter. There's no point in hiding these links-- you want people to use them, so gathering them into a one-stop corner of your website is a smart move.
8. Closing the Back Door
Site: Web Design Ledger
The "back door," in this case, refers to ways that stop your readers from clicking away from your blog or website--namely, by getting them interested in something else they'll find useful. There are many ways to do this, but one that is gaining speed is the "Related Links" widget. By using this feature, placed at the bottom of a blog post or page, you can catch your user's attention while you've still got it, and point them in other directions they may find helpful. It's good for them--they find out more about a topic they're interested in--but it's great for you--you get to keep your reader for a longer visit.
9. “Speaking” navigation
We just launched our fourth issue of the Applecore newsletter, Interactions. It's filled with lots of tips and tricks for navigating the tricky terrain of businesses online and off, including learning opportunities and workshops. The central theme of this issue is passion and energy, and how the two work together to guarantee the output of your very best self. The topics this month:
Typically when people think about search engines, they think of Google. In the past few months Microsoft has been working hard to reset that mentality, but even the successful launch of Bing left critics forecasting the search engine was nothing more than fresh hype.
They were wrong.
Microsoft’s Bing continues to collect more and more market share. So much in fact that the search engine giant Yahoo joined forces to take a stab at Google’s incredible market share.
Note: Microsoft attempted to purchase Yahoo! last year for $44.6 billion. At the time Microsoft was running two ailing search engines, MSN and Live. Yahoo! turned down the offer.
Bing’s beautiful new brand, successful hype, and innovative new search technology are not the only reasons they are closing the gap on Google’s market share.
Recently I received a phone call from Microsoft welcoming me and our company to Microsoft AdCenter, Microsoft’s version of AdWords. We signed up to start using AdCenter as soon as Bing started making an impression in the search engine world.
The phone call I received was not just any generic call. I was asked for by name and the lady on the line complimented the website we were advertising, which happened to be a tourism website, and said that she and her family had already made plans to visit that destination for next year.
She also told me about the different free services available to us.
When I got off the phone I came to the realization that not only would Google never make that call, but they make it impossible to obtain personable support...no matter that their online support documents are still second to none.
Suddenly, Microsoft’s continuing momentum in the search engine ring is no longer a puzzle to me.
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