Groundzero Webmaster Newsletter : Issue #15
Copyright (c) 2003 : http://www.ground-z.org
March 28 2003 : All Rights Reserved
Editor : Rik Tairea - webmaster@ground-z.org

The Groundzero Webmaster Newsletter is a monthly eZine created for webmasters and website owners who are looking for useful resources, tools, editorials, software, eBooks, promotion and design tips to help get the most out of a website. For in-depth reviews of webmaster resources and website tools, articles, books, software, awards and past newsletter issues visit http://www.ground-z.org


- In This Issue -

1. Introduction
2. Recommended Resources
3. Top 10 Resources @ Groundzero
4. Editors Corner
5. Promotion Tip
6. Recommended eBook
7. Design Review
8. Recommended Software
9. Contact/Unsubscribe/Subscribe/Privacy
10. Final Thoughts
11. Newsletter Details


- 1.Introduction -

Welcome to Issue #15 of the Groundzero Webmaster Newsletter. This month in the "Editors Corner" I talk about how design sometimes has to be sacrificed and we also have the usual recommended resources, promotion tip, eBook, website design and software reviews.

In Issue #12 of this eZine I discussed how I procrastinate with the worst of them, and that one of my resolutions for this year was to try and not put things off for so long. I can't say I've completely cured this very bad habit but I have made a few strides in a positive direction.

I'm currently right in the middle of building a new website and I've set a deadline for when it needs to be finished. In an effort to fulfil my non-procrastinate resolution (which I like to call project get off your ***) I've been working on it continuously.

Something I've noticed though is that motivation comes and goes as it pleases. Sometimes I just can't be bothered and sometimes I just do it for the sake of doing it. Other times I get a real awesome idea at 3.00am in the morning that gives me a huge jolt of motivation, it makes me want to jump up, turn the old puter on and get straight to work. Problem is that I don't want to get out of bed.

Enjoy this months issue!

Editor - Rik Tairea
Groundzero - http://www.ground-z.org

Enjoy this months issue!


- 2.Recommended Resources -

Big News Network :
http://www.bignewsnetwork.com
The big news network service provides any number of headlines in a variety of formats in any of nearly 400 categories at no cost. This includes all key topics, regions, countries and cities ranging from business and entertainment to sports and technology.

Achieve Net Profits eZine :
http://www.achievenetprofits.com
The achieve net profits e-mail newsletter provides original content and each week you will receive an interview with a successful internet marketer, along with hints and tips you can use in your own online business or dealings.

Scripts 4 Your Site :
http://www.scripts4yoursite.com
Design your pages all at once and then let a script update your pages for you. All that's needed is a merchant that supplies a datafeed and scripts 4 your sites datafeed script for that merchant. $100 per script, discounts for multiple purchases, installation service available.


- 3.Top 10 Resources @ Groundzero -

Here are the top 10 rated webmaster resources reviewed at Groundzero. Visit the "Webmaster Resources" section and read in-depth reviews on various website tools, guides, affiliate networks, traffic generators and software. New webmaster resources are added weekly and are rated out of 5.00.

1 - Logo Creator
2 - iPowerWeb
3 - Group Mail
4 - A Best Web
5 - CoffeeCup Firestarter
6 - Ulead Cool 3D
7 - 123 Log Analyzer
8 - Effect 3D Studio
9 - CoffeeCup HTML Editor
10 - Shareasale


- 4.Editors Corner -

"Sacrificing Design"

As I mentioned earlier, I'm in the middle of building a new website. When starting off I go through a simple design process of planning, rough sketch design and then actual design followed by the implementation of adding the content.

This is a pure sales site designed to present information and adcopy on the product(s). When I design a sales site my aim is not to dazzle a customer with the coolest, latest and hip webpage around, I just want to make them buy.

In order for me to achieve this goal I sacrifice huge jaw dropping graphics and pretty design for total function and usability (but I still make sure the site isn't butt ugly).

With a sales page I want to make sure a buyer wants all the necessary information they want and/or need about said product, then add some adcopy to provoke a click through to a merchants page which in turn will produce a purchasing action. Then I have to optimize the product page for the search engines concentrating on keywords, phrases, density, tags and good distribution of pagerank (for Google).

With that all done I also have to make sure that the site is easy to navigate, so a good linking structure is something else to consider. Finally I have to make sure the page loads at a good speed so I can't go overboard with graphics, plug-ins and code bloat (not everyone has a cable modem).

Now with all those variables to consider you could try and go for the awesome design, but in my case I thought it was best to sacrifice design and go for function and usability. Don't get me wrong, my aim was not to design something boring but instead go for a simple and nice look.

So here's what I did :
- made a simple logo (5kb).
- used 8 graphics for site navigation (9kb total).
- 1 graphic space filler (1kb).
- 3 special link graphics (4kb total).
- external cascading style sheets.
- didn't use too many tables.
- limited use of javascript.
- no 468 x 60 banner ads, used 120 x 60 instead.
- optimized product images to reduce size.

This meant graphical impact is not too great but there is enough graphic presence to make the site look pleasant. By using external css, limiting javascript and table use I don't have to worry about code bloat and there is enough text to cater for search engine optimization.

Average page size including graphics = 38kb
Average load time @ 56.6kbp = 10 seconds

This is my personal opinion because I haven't let anyone else see it yet, but I think I've achieved the simple but nice look I was aiming for. Time will tell on that one when it's ready to go but I'm positive that it does it's job of selling the product and not scaring away a potential buyer.

I like the fact that this new site has a clean look and is easy to navigate. I could have gone over the top with the look but I don't see the point, in this situation I felt that sacrificing design was the best approach to take.

I've got to tell you something though, when I'm finished with this site I'm going to create a personal content site and go absolutely crazy with it. I'm even considering using Flash, and I hate Flash!


- 5.Promotion Tip -

Subscription Rocket :
http://www.subscriptionrocket.com

This service is designed to increase eZine subscriptions. Members place a small piece of code onto their site, people that visit a members site are shown a small pop under window that allows them to subscribe to other members ezine of similar nature and the visitor to the site subscribes to their choice of eZine(s).

Each time a pop under window is shown on your website you receive 4 credits. For each credit you have, your eZine will be shown on a targeted pop under window within the system. The pop under is displayed once per browser session.

If you are not having much luck increasing your newsletter subscriptions then Subscription Rocket may help. But, you have to factor in that you need traffic to generate enough credits to make sure your listing is shown and you have 2 lines to describe your eZine. You get 1 line for the heading and the 2nd for a description, both around 40 characters.


- 6.Recommended eBook -

Title : Marketing Inspiration For 2003
Format : adobe acrobat document
Size : 1.85 MB
Price : Fr#e
URL : http://inspiration.marketingsherpa.com

More than 600 marketers revealed their biggest lesson learned in 2002 for this mammoth 136 page eBook. It's full of quotes, examples and information from internet marketers, managers and founders from different internet markets of all shapes and sizes.

Includes tips, advice and inspiration on :
- relationship and referral marketing.
- e-mail marketing.
- search engine marketing.
- copywriting
- and so much more.

There is lot to get through with some things you may already know and other things that could be completely foreign to you. It's a good idea to speed read the pages and take what you need from it (information wise), there are some really good ideas and advice that can help you focus on your goals.


- 7.Design Review -

Site Name : A Best Web
Type : affiliate marketing forum
URL : http://abw.infopop.cc/6/ubb.x

Over the last few years I've seen quite a few webmaster and website development related forums, at the current time I read only three and I am a participating member of 2. In my humble opinion the design of a message board or forum doesn't really matter, it just has to function well but A Best Web (A.B.W) does both.

The thing about A.B.W is that it is one of the nicer looking webmaster related boards out there and it's mainly due to it's color scheme. If you're thinking about starting a forum (of any type) or thinking about a redesign of your current one then you could learn a little from A.B.W

Examining the front page you can notice a good choice of font type and size with good heading use. Then there is the good logo, nice looking icons and of course a great color scheme consisting of blue, lilac and two shades of grey. Finally you will notice there is minimal advertising which makes sure that the site has a clean look.


- 8.Recommended Software -

Name : HTML Protector
Type : webpage content protection
Size : 758 KB
Price : $29.95 (30 launch fr#e trial)
Operating System : Windows 95/98/ME/2000/NT/XP
URL : http://www.antssoft.com/htmlprotector/index.htm

HTML Protector is a tool that helps you protect the content of your webpage by preventing others from viewing your source code. Additionally, it will stop spam robots from extracting e-mail addresses from your pages as well as prevent people from using automated downloader’s to download your entire website to their hard drive.

HTML Protector offers 2 JavaScript based encryption methods to choose from and a variety of other features like right click disable, printing disable, password protect your pages, insert copyright information and more.

You can protect everything on your webpage, including HTML source code, JavaScript code, VBScript code, text, links and graphics. People will not be able to view or edit your source code, as well as JavaScript/VBScript, your text cannot be copied to clipboard, your link addresses will not be displayed in the status bar and your graphics will not be able to be saved by using the "Save image..." function.


- 9.Contact/Unsubscribe/Subscribe/Privacy -

If you have any questions regarding this newsletter then please feel free to contact me by e-mail. You can also send in any feedback about the Groundzero Webmaster Newsletter. I love receiving e-mail so feel free to send in a message to just say hello or, if you need any help (website wise) then send in a question that I might be able to help you with.

contact - webmaster@ground-z.org
unsubscribe - unsubscribe@ground-z.org
subscribe - subscribe@ground-z.org

I absolutely despise SPAM and I will respect your privacy. I will not share or sell your e-mail address with anyone, I will not send you any unsolicited mail or collect any demographic information about you. Your e-mail address will only be used to receive the Groundzero Webmaster Newsletter and any correspondence with me will remain confidential.


- 10.Final Thoughts -

I hope you enjoyed Issue #15 of the Groundzero Webmaster Newsletter. Remember you can always read past issues of this newsletter on the website and the next issue will be sent out April 28th 2002. Please feel free to send any feedback or comments you may have about this newsletter.

If you want to recommend some webmaster resources/websites, eBooks, software or any well designed websites then let me know, even if it's yours. If it benefits others then I'll feature it in an issue of this newsletter so send it in.

If you think you know someone who might be interested in reading this newsletter then do them a favor and forward them this entire e-mail or point them to the Groundzero website located @ http://www.ground-z.org

If you want to help out some more and you think that this newsletter is useful then feel free to put a link on your website pointing to Groundzero @ http://www.ground-z.org

Thanks for your time and stay safe.
Rik Tairea :)


- 11.Newsletter Details -

You are receiving the Groundzero Webmaster Newsletter because you submitted your e-mail address by way of e-mail or a sign-up form located at Groundzero. If you do not wish to receive this publication anymore then use the unsubscription e-mail link located in Section 9.

No part of this newsletter may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission. You may forward this eZine by e-mail as long as you forward it in its entirety. It is forbidden to post this newsletter on any website or republish it in print or other media without prior written consent from the editor.