The .TV extension is getting a BIG BOOST!

WOW is all I can say. Even though this domain extension has been out for a while, I have never seen so much interest in it as I have right now. While Demand Media just had their press release (check it out here) and now that they are offering free tools to help you build a site (check that out here) it will be an amazing journey through the process.

There are also a few sites to help along the way too. Just check out these sites and see what you find to help the BOOST:

AllThings.tv
Exclusively.tv

And there is also a great forum too, check out this post on Namepros here which list's a bunch of sites that have already been created using these tools.

I have one question to ask (and I know this is not a good question because I already know the answer) - Does any other domain extension give you tools to use, for FREE?

Customer Service and YOU ...... my thoughts

Well, just recently I was pondering customer service issues. I went to have some lunch at one of my favorite places (Subway) and after getting my lunch I noticed on the counter that they are now selling pretzels! They have pizza, cheese, plain and a couple others as well, and I thought, wow, when did they start selling these? So, of course I asked.

Funny thing is though, in America where I live, near one of the largest cities in the WORLD, Chicago, there are a lot of people who do not speak english, and thats fine, not a big deal as America is a Great Big Melting Pot!

After asking this SIMPLE question - "Hey, When did you guys start selling Pretzels"

Not ONE person in the store understood my question!

The first thing that someone asked is if I want to buy one? I said, I just wanted to know when you started selling them. To my surprise, nobody could answer. Not only that, but nobody understood - still! Grrrrrrrrr.

I personally think that if business owners want to hire people that do not speak english, thats fine, no problem at all!

Just do NOT put them in front of end user customers, especially me!

Do you have any customer service stories you would like to share? Please, leave a comment and share it with the world :)

Big things are happening @ Allthings.tv - YAY!

Well, first of all, they had a great interview with Demand media regarding the re-launching of the .tv extension, if you would like to read this article, check it out here
If that was not enough, they also started a forum community which I am happy to be a part of, check that out here!

Also, I just read another great article on Exclusively.tv. This too is a must read if you are thinking about this extension. Check out the article here.

So what are we all to think about all this information?

Here is what I think. I feel as though this is just the beginning. This is the "ground level" so they say. When things start to roll, they will start to roll really fast, and they will more than likely never slow down. Technology is still growing at an incredible rate, and with that is the need to expand our content, as well as our communication methods.

This is going to be a great year in history, you just watch what happens in the next 5 years or so, when we look back on today everyone will say (Adam was right) Just you wait and see.

Thanks for reading!

More about web design in my own words .....

So, you want to know about design?

Well, I have been involved in the design side for over 5 years now, and design is something that has just come naturally for me. If you look at some really popular sites, most of them follow the same basic color and layout principles that any magazine or newspaper would follow. But now, there are people that do not follow those basic guidelines and they still come up with fresh and innovative ways to showcase their message or product.

From Pics07

The same can not be said for art though, art through design is completely different as there is no real boundries. A real artist does not have to work out the complexity of his or her design until it is almost complete.
It is much different in web design though. When you design for the web, even though you want your artistic personality to shine through, you still need to have proper protocol, as well as good folder structure.

This post will have no tags - it is strictly for content.

Hope you have a great day!

What is your domain name worth, to you?

For some people a domain name is only worth what they can sell it for. But to others the same domain name could be almost priceless. I was talking with my wife the other day, and she owns her own domain, and she has had it for a few years already - she owns the simple yet intelligent name, Ideaoverflow.com, which as a name is not really worth all that much. But to her, it is priceless, she came up with the name and we registered it right away and have had it in the family ever since.
Just before that, she came up with the name for my company, Straightfocus.com, and also, that domain has been in our family for almost 5 years now. I am not so sure I could sell it either, I really do like it and if I did sell, I would have to change the name of my company, and that would stink!

Other names that I own currently (and could be worth something) are as follows:

GoHD.tv
IGolfer.tv
GetEthos.com
Highlightworld.com
LatestFocus.com
StopWireless.com

And then I have a ton of other ones too, but honestly they are only worth something if someone offers me something. Take a look and see what I am talking about:
HITELMEDIA.COM
TOURSMEDIA.COM
BUFFMEDIA.COM
HIGHLIGHTGUIDE.COM

FINALAIM.COM
ENDFOCUS.COM

BESTAMERICANWIRELESS.COM
BESTCITYWIRELESS.COM
BESTLOCALWIRELESS.COM
EASYFREEWIRELESS.COM
EASYHOMEWIRELESS.COM
MYAMERICANWIRELESS.COM
MYCELLWIRELESS.COM
MYCHICAGOWIRELESS.COM
MYDIRECTWIRELESS.COM
MYINTERNETWIRELESS.COM
WEBFREEMOBILE.COM

STRAIGHTCONCEPT.COM
STRAIGHTIDEA.COM
THESTRAIGHTIDEA.COM
BDYNAMICINC.COM

And I guess in reality some of them could be worth something, but more than likely they are not going to sell, unless I develop a web site that creates value, and then in turn I will get some traffic, and then hopefully some dedicated visitors, and then, and only then, will it become worth something.

There are also a lot of places that will give you an appraisal on your domain, and some are even automated. They basically take measurements of your name, take the length and any key or dictionary words and give you what they might think the fair value is for that name. BUT, their value and YOUR value can be 2 completely different things.

Anyway, I just thought I would share a little bit.

Have a Great Day!

So I just purchased a new phone (toy)

And I have to say right off the bat that I have been with Nextel for about 10 years, and my wife just got us the family plan (its her, my 2 daughters and now me) and when we added my phone just about a week ago, I was a little freaked out by going to a new phone. Anyway, look at what I got now!

This thing is so cool, now I know that my old Nextel (i870) was pretty cool, and I could have hooked it up with bluetooth, but I never did. But, this new phone that I have now, does have the bluetooth technology, and it is really amazing! I can make calls without even opening my phone, all I have to do is hit one button, and then ask for voice dial, and then say the name of the person I want to call - now if there is more than one phone number listed for that person in my phone, it politely asks which number I want - very cool!

Just thought I would share :)

Have a GREAT Day!

What is Web 2.0 anyway?

Well, to give you a definition I would rather just refer you to a post that was made (http://www.namepros.com/web-design-discussion/312715-the-official-meaning-web-2-0-a.html)

I think this post brings up some good points too.

First of all, Web 2.0 is not a term used for Design. It is used more for functionality as well as basically just commenting on other peoples work.

But, overall, cascadingstylez said it well, it is nothing more than some new word that had to get made up so it does not look like we are stagnant. The Web as we know it, will never be that way though, and I dont think that we need to make up words to describe what the web is, or what it will become.
It is everchanging, and always will be as long as there is an internet, the WWW is a great place for information!

I wish I could go - I know it will be fun too!

Unfortunately due to family and other issues, I can not attend this relaunch party of sorts for the .tv extension. Although the extension is not a new one as it has been around for over 5 years, it is getting a relaunch to help build awareness as well to start development of the brand name.
The party is set for May 1 - 3 of 2007 and will be held in Sunny California, in Hollywood no less (appropriate though). If you would like more info on this event as well as a complete schedule of functions there, please visit http://alwayson.goingon.com/permalink/post/8389

I am sure it will be a great event and the chance to meet lots of great people.

If you do go, will you bring me home a t-shirt?

Thanks for Reading!

Looks like the .tv market is getting competitive already!

From Picasa
Certainly, I did not expect that the market would get so competitive so fast, but it looks like it is - already!

There was a post on my favorite forum, Namepros.com, regarding some new tools that will be available to .tv developers. The post (http://www.namepros.com/dot-tv/320124-channelme-tv-beat-punch-kyte-tv.html) basically outlines the tools and brings up the discussion of Kyte.tv vs. Demand Media.

Basically, soem of the people that are over on NP, suggest that since Kyte.tv has developed some tools that now Demand will probably develop their own as well as improve on whatever Kyte has already.

I am not so sure that this should be an issue. Another poster in that same thread hit the nail on the head. Thanks to rodash for bringing it up, but the main challenge will not be developing streaming media, or widening the broadband, but more than that, it will be the creation of fresh content.

It will not matter who does it first either, Demand or Kyte, what will matter however is how that particular content is relavant to your site.

So I posted a new picture and I have some news too!

I decided to upload a ton of pics and start my picsaweb photo gallery. There are many folders, but more to come, and soon I should have them all organized too (its just a matter of time!) - so when you get a chance, check it out - http://picasaweb.google.com/UneekTT

And since I own an Audi TT, I decided to make the TTULL, which stands for the TT Ultimate Link Listing - which can be seen here (http://www.straightfocus.com/uneekttlinks.htm)

Thanks for looking - more to come!

Just a picture

Just posting one photo - just to see how it looks :)

Web Design Issues - For the Public ....

A post recently by "Hitch" on http://www.namepros.com has really caused a stir with me personally:
A few days ago on Digg, someone posted a article about Freelancing, one of their points was,
Originally Posted by DesignersMind.com
I thought this was supposed to be coded? I’d like my money back. If you’re like me, you love the Photoshop aspect of design and can’t stand coding. I generally just create .PSDs and refer my clients to a good coder to get their project finished up, or handle the outsourcing myself and hand over the complete package. I’ve run into quite a few clients though, that never mention a word about front-end coding until it comes time for payment. As soon as the phrase “my PayPal address is ..” comes up in conversation, the words “I thought this was going to be coded” flies right back and slaps me in the face. So, after my first encounter with this situation, I’ve kept logs of all my conversations so that when someone tries to get free coding out of me, I can send them a large text file and tell them so try to find the words “coding”, “HTML” or “CSS” in it.
On the Digg comments, people were disagreeing with the Article a user wrote (Above)Some say, when they order a "Website Design", they expect the Design, and the Design coded in HTML, though, some disagree.So, what's your thoughts?Would you expect the Design to be coded in HTML or not, when asking for a "Website Design"? Adrian

So here is what I posted:

Wait a second here, this is freaking NUTS!
I have owned a web design company for over 5 years (just so you know my background) and I have NEVER heard of that.
When a client ask's me to give them a web site or a complete web solution, they never even hear the word "code"! I would never want to confuse them, unless I felt comfortable that they would be able to understand what I was talking about (and I have only had 2 clients that have been able to understand)
Regardless, I am not sure we are all talking about the same thing here.
I think that there are multiple different aspects in design/development and I will be the first to say that I am not expert in anything. Maybe a jack of all trades. Just like cars, there is nobody that knows everything, and I will give an example too just so we all know what page we are on here:
Cars:One guy makes the body, another knows the electrical, and another knows suspension and brakes, while there is another that knows the motor/transmission. Now, the guy that knows electrical does not know all that much about the internals of a motor, or even the suspension, and coversely the guy that knows about the motor probably does not know all that much about the body work or even the braking system and more than likely he is not electrical engineer.Web:I am a designer, and I am not a programmer, or a certified database expert, nor do I know all there is to know about SEO, although I know some, I am no expert. Much like the programmers of the world, I would not suggest to have any of them DESIGN your site.
To sum this all up, I think the guy that has photoshop skills, and does not know how to code, should not be selling web design to clients and then asking them to have it coded somewhere, or attempting to outsource unkowingly. I would feel a lot more comfortable if he was working for a guy like me, where I could give him direction as well as keep the client informed and happy.
Thats just my thoughts - thanks for giving me something to write about on my blog - lol

P.S. Little confused too - Originally posted by DesignersMind.com (and it looks like that is a pretty well designed site IMO) - crazy!

Anyway, this is a serious subject to me, I would never attempt to produce something for a client without knowing exactly how I was going to produce the final product.

Have a Great Day!

.TV - The Domain You MUST Have!

At least that is what My buddy Mr. Rosenblatt was quoted as saying on the cover of this month's DNJournal.

“Verisign is an important eNom Founder Paul Stahura(now Demand Media President) partner and we are thrilled to be working with them on .TV. It has been a collaborative process and we are working together to really build out the best possible offering that will drive .TV adoption,” Rosenblatt said. "We plan to make .TV ubiquitous. We are going to spend a lot of money to make .TV the domain you must have!"

I have to comment on this by saying that they are hyping up the hype, and for good reason too!
The .TV domain name is going to be so big that the .com's are going to be jealous. I personally think the reason for this is mainly going to be because of the way technology is headed. Like I have mentioned in previous post, one day, you will be able to control everything with one thing, your TV, or a notebook. Look at what my buddy Mr. Rosenblatt said in closing:

In closing Rosenblatt added, “I realize that I keep coming back to the same point of focusing on the user. Don’t tell users what they have to do, or how to do it. Just give them the place, give them the tools, and give them the means to find other like-minded people to share what they know. And keep innovating and giving them new and powerful tools to make doing all that even easier!”

So, to sum up this post, without sounding like I know everything, and this is just a suggestion, go buy a .tv domain name that makes sense to you, it just might be the best thing you ever purchased!

And what about those new .tv domain names?

There is a lot of speculation regarding the .tv extension lately. So much so, that people are now wondering "should I have purchased that one"? I personally do not think that everyone fully understands what this is really all about.

It might be the fact that the .tv extension is new, or it might be that the .tv extension is a little more expensive. Whatever the case, look for this domain to take off in the future. Everyone (almost everyone at least) loves to watch TV, and since technology is growing at such a fast rate, the demand has not been there yet for this new extension. Once the word gets out and it gets popularized publicly, then the real value will shine like no other .com ever has.

Of course, it could happen sooner than later too!

Right now, our current technology is not ready for what could be released in the near future. Imagine surfing the web, watching TV and controlling your entire house/apartment all with an LCD screen, you can even type on it too, so there is no need for a keyboard. Not only that, but you would be able to control everything all at once too. Imagine the market for domain names that end in .tv if that was the case, and think about it hard too, because that just might be the case someday, and someday sooner than you might even think too!

The tech market is growing so rapidly, that the domain that I own (www.gohd.tv) might be a real bargain for someone like Panasonic or Sony to purchase, once the price of HD TV's get to be so low that they have to have a site to show all the great deals that they want to push. Not only that, but when the .tv market of domain names gets so saturated they will also go up in value.

For now, I think it is one of the best names out there. There are others that are great, even some .coms are still being registered and made into worthwhile investments. But, there is only a certain amount of .tv's that are available so get them while you can. Some are not yet available, like the one I tried to register via http://www.tv (no that is not a typo, that is the real site!) which was vpn.tv (they call this a premium name) they say that it will be released in the Spring of 2007 (which it is right now) and when more information is available blah blah blah. Basically they lead you to this form, and you fill out your information only to be contacted later when they do release the name, and then I have heard that it could cost up to $500 usd or more, depending on the relavance to many factors (length, dictionary word and whatever else could make it more expensive).

Bottom line, get your .tv as soon as you can, it is a market that will become the one to be in!

If you get a chance, please visit http://allthings.tv for more great articles on the .tv industry.

Have a Great Day!

Our Hearts and Prayers go out to Families and Friends @ VA Tech.

Not sure what to say here, except that yesterday was one of those horrible days in U.S. history. Certainly our Hearts and Prayers go out to all of those that are forever changed by this event. I am not sure how or why this could possibly happen, but I do know that whoever has been touched by this, will never forget what happened.
Obviously I am not even close to understanding how it must feel, but I do know that there is a certain level of hurt that everyone around the nation, and if not the world, has felt within the last 2 days.

To everyone that may read this blog, just know that life is so very precious and please do not take today for granted, tell your family how much you love and appreciate them, and never let another day go by without.

Thanks for reading.

Adam

What about this domain name .......

For quite some time now people have been asking, "Hey, what do you think of this domain name"?
Whether it is for a business or a personal site, or even if it is for an investment, people are always asking the same question. Well, what does your domain name say about you?

Basically, your domain name should explain your company, or your personality I guess. I dont think you would want to own a car dealership and have a goofy name with a .org extension (goofyname.org) that would not be the way to proceed. What you might want is something with your name in it. If it was me, I might want Adamscleancars.com, or you might want your company name in the domain.
Whatever you choose, you can only hope that it available. And if it is not, the first thing you should do is find out why. Is there a site up already, and if so is there any contact information. If not, who owns the domain and are they willing to sell it?

The domain business has really taken off. People are selling domain names without web sites for hundreds of thousands of dollars (for the right name of course) But if you have the name, and then you develop a site that creates worth in todays www, then you can sell for a lot more.

What I have been looking at lately is the quality of the site, versus the quality of domain name that the site is attached to. For instance, if you owned cars.com and then you put up your own personal web page or blog, you would have to be completely crazy. Because if you owned a domain like that, short, sweet and simple, you should really look into developing the site into a well known icon on the web!

So, bottom line is, if you have a great domain name (like the one I have right now, www.gohd.tv) then it would be in your best interest to promote that domain and get as much out of it as you can, unless of course you just want to keep it, like the ones that I have that I do not really want to sell, unless I get the right price of course, (www.ideaoverflow.com, www.straightfocus.com)

Anyway, that is all I have for now, please let me know if you have any questions.

Have a great day!

Posting in forums for design ideas ......

Not sure if anyone still does this, but it has always been one of my favorite ways to get some feedback for ideas that I come up with. Sometimes the ideas are not so great, and other times they hit you like a brick, and you just "know", if you know what I mean?
For the most part, I have used multiple forums for feedback, because there is a wide variety of users, as well as very different backgrounds, and they all see things a little differently. It is nice when you can go to a forum, post your URL so people can see what you have done, and almost instantly you can get feedback on what your latest design looks like to others.
For me, I have had a positive experience with this, but then again I do come up with some very nice designs - lol.

Also, I have recently taken part in reviewing other people's web sites, in hope that I can show them what a really well designed site looks like. I have even given referrences as well, such as the all important web site (http://webpagesthatsuck.com) which basically tells you in plain english what NOT to do. Also, I have posted a link to a site that has helped me many times (http://htmlgoodies.com) so that when people need to know how to code something specific, at least they will have a place to start.

I feel as though forums that are made for the purpose of learning, specifically the ones that I have been posting on lately (list below) have been an incredible resource. They are always busy with people trying to learn, and help others learn. For all intesive purposes, its like school that you do not have to pay for, and all you need to do is spend some time and ask a few questions.

Here is a couple forums that I have enjoyed recently:
http://forums.digitalpoint.com - Great site, lots of users, I give it a thumbs up!
http://namepros.com - Also a great site with lots of users, this was the first site I joined! I give this site a big thumbs up, incredible community!

Username on all forums that I am a member of is UneekTT

Web Design 101 - Basic ideas ......

Well, to start off I would like to say that you should know a little about how to code before you even read on, because if you do not know how to code the back end, the front end will never look right. With that said, if you dont know how to, please visit one of the first sites that ever helped me: http://htmlgoodies.com

The first this I would like to talk about is basic design principles. Color, layout, font, background color versus text color. If you dont even have a clue on how to design, or you just dont have the eye for it and people look at your work and maybe snicker a little, then you need to see this web site: http://webpagesthatsuck.com

Ok - now that we are all done with that, lets talk openly about basic design. If you look at any newspaper or most magazines, they all follow some of the basic rules. There is a main section, with a big headline, and some other headlines as well. That is layout, and this differs from designer to designer. Then you have color. You probably dont want to have a black background with dark blue text, because nobody will be able to read it. So, I like to stick with the basics, whatever the background is, then the text is almost the opposite, pretty simple I think.

If you would like any other web sites that can help you with design principles, then you should get to know my friend "google", because they really know how to help you find things on the internet these days.

Have a great day!

Adam

My first post here!

So this is the first post of many. I want to welcome you to the site as well as explain who I am.

My name is Adam Warden, and I have been in the design business for over 5 years. I enjoy the design industry as well as the company that I own, Straight Focus (http://straightfocus.com) It has given me a way to express my love for the internet and produce high quality solutions for companies that need to get onto the internet.

Currently I am taking on only select projects as I have gone into another end of the business. Its certainly not new as it has been around for quite some time, almost as long as the internet has been around, and I really enjoy seeing what the future brings with new extensions. What I am talking about is what is commonly known as "domaining" or people that do this are called "domainers". Basically it is the purchase/sale/development of domain names, (ie; .com, .net, .org ....) and what people do is the buy them, put up a site, make it popular and then sell it! More later in another post :)

Once again, welcome, and please stop by in the future, I can assure you that I will always bring up fresh content as well as my perspective as well as ideas on how to design for now and the future.

Have a great day!

Adam