WebWord.com Newsletter Issue #34

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ISSUE #34

14-November-99

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                WebWord.com Newsletter
              "Usability & the Internet"
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                      List Owner 
                    John S. Rhodes 
                   John@WebWord.com
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November 14, 1999                   Newsletter #34
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Table of Contents

1. How ProWebSite Stuck it to Me
2. Managing User Expectations 
3. Recent Epinions
4. The WebWord.com Addiction: Daily News by Email
5. What Can You Find at WebWord.com?


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ITEM #1

A new WebWord.com report is now online:
--> http://webword.com/reports/prowebsite.html

How ProWebSite Stuck it to Me

My site went down for 3 days. I lost all my files,
hundreds of email messages, custom server scripts, and
more. I lost traffic and my reputation, to some 
degree, has been damaged. I hope you never have to 
suffer what I have suffered. I was effectively 
erased from the web. Fortunately, I had backup email
and some very helpful friends. I wrote a short report 
of my tribulations. I hope that you can learn from my 
experience.

If you don't have time, here's my advice in a nutshell:

1) Avoid going through a reseller if possible. Even
being on the "backbone" won't help you if you need
to work through a reseller to get things done at the
server level.

2) Be sure to have all of your files backed up. I was
lucky to have most of my content backed up. (But, I am
ashamed of myself for not backing up my scripts.)

3) Be sure to have at least one spare email address.
Test it and be ready to use it at the drop of a hat.

4) Look for a host that offers 24x7 service and
support. Be sure that you can call a 1-800 number
to get help. Be sure you can talk with someone.

5) Before you spend a dime, be sure that your host
provides you with a written guarantee of their uptime
and service. Ask to see reports they generate. Then,
look beyond the technology to the people that are
actually running the show.

6) Check your InterNIC listing using WHOIS. Make sure
that is entirely correct and that you are listed as 
both the Administrative Contact and Billing Contact.

I sincerely hope this helps you. 

You can read the full report here:
--> http://webword.com/reports/prowebsite.html


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ITEM #2

A new WebWord.com article is now online:
--> http://webword.com/moving/expectations.html

Managing User Expectations 

When you are making changes to your web site, it is 
critically important to think about the impact your 
changes will have on users. It is in your interest to 
manage the expectations of your users. In this article 
I discuss mistakes I have made. I also provide a few 
simple tips to help you manage user expectations.

You can read the article here:
--> http://webword.com/moving/expectations.html


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ITEM #3

Recent Epinions

As you might have known, I've been rather busy 
writing up Epinions. For those folks just joining the
list, Epinions is a web site that allows you to read
and write opinions about a variety of topics. There are
several things I like about the site. It is clean, fast
and generally usable. I also like getting paid for 
writing my reviews (I get a small bit of money when a
registered user reads what I write). Feel free to join:
http://www.epinions.com/welcome.html?member=webword

If you are interested in read my recent Epinions, here
is the list...

Web Style Guide (Design Effective, User-Centered Web Pages)
http://www.epinions.com/book-review-7DBB-C2BD9CE-380A4D47-bd1

PC Magazine (Save Your Money)
http://www.epinions.com/mags-review-370E-2A6C417-3811A5A7-bd1

Yahoo Mail Seriously Kicks Butt
http://www.epinions.com/cmd-review-113B-4F7B88B-38178BC2-bd3

Web Techniques Magazine
http://www.epinions.com/mags-review-4F73-59DDA8C-381915F9-bd4

An Epinion on Epinions.com!
http://www.epinions.com/cmd-review-1994-6DC6CD9-381C6C6A-bd1

Usability of RoadRunner
http://www.epinions.com/cmd-review-2812-B2BFCBD-3827757F-bd1

 
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ITEM #4

The WebWord.com Addiction: Daily News by Email

Want a daily news feed of the Webword.com Weblog?
I'm going to start sending out my daily news by email.
You can get all the juicy news I find by subscribing
to the WebWord.com Addiction. 

--> http://webwordaddiction.listbot.com/

As you know, I put about 5 or 6 links on WebWord.com
almost every day. The links point to the most 
interesting news stories I can find on the web. 
They are almost always related to usability, but 
I sometimes link to other interesting news.

Get your usability fix today...and everyday!

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ITEM #5

What Can You Find at WebWord.com?

Articles (Moving WebWord)
<http://webword.com/moving/>

Expert Interviews 
<http://webword.com/interviews/> 

Recommended Books
<http://webword.com/books/booksindex.html>

Newsletter Archive
<http://webword.com/archive>

Usability Reports 
<http://webword.com/reports>

Recommended Web Sites
<http://webword.com/hotsites.html>

Free Stuff
<http://webword.com/freestuff.html>

Friends
<http://webword.com/friends.html>


---- End of WebWord.com Usability Newsletter #34 ------

(c)1998-99 by John S. Rhodes. All rights reserved.

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