Groundzero Webmaster Newsletter : Issue #17
Copyright (c) 2003 : http://www.ground-z.org
May 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 #17 of the Groundzero Webmaster Newsletter. This month in the "Editors Corner" I talk about keeping tabs on the competition and we also have the usual recommended resources, promotion tip, eBook, website design and software reviews.

Holy moly have I been busy this month.

I've been putting the finishing touches on a new website and starting the first stages of promotion for it - it's taken up a good chunk of my time. Combine that with the constant maintaining and continual development of other websites (yes, this includes Groundzero) and having a life away from the computer (yes, it is possible) and you get the picture.

Just purchased a new PC and boy am I happy.

I'm not going to let you know what I was using before because it's really embarrassing, but lets just say it was"slow". I tweaked it as much as I could without adding any new hardware and it served me very well for the last few years, but I found a very good deal on a PC I couldn't afford to let get away from me.

It has a 2.4 GHZ processor with 512 MB of RAM and it was very affordable, especially with those specs.

A couple of years ago I probably would have considered a purchase like this as a luxury item, but times have changed and now I see it as an investment because it's main purpose is to build and develop websites.

I've already noticed that my efficiency has increased 500% and I've lost the sense of frustration I used to have when I needed to perform a large number of tasks simultaneously. As most of you know, webmasters and website developers are not ordinary home PC users so we need some grunt.

Now I can play high spec games and not just minesweeper.

Enjoy this months issue!

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


- 2.Recommended Resources -

php Bulletin Board :
http://www.phpbb.com
phpBB is a high powered, fully scalable customizable open source bulletin board package. phpBB has a user-friendly interface, simple and straight forward administration panel and helpful FAQ. Based on the powerful PHP server language and your choice of MySQL, MS-SQL, PostgreSQL or Access/ODBC database servers.

Cascading Style Sheet Glossary :
http://www.bigbaer.com/reference/glossary_css.htm
This section of the Cascading Style Sheet Glossary will attempt to provide definitions of CSS terms and phrases in common usage. Select glossary entries will include links to a related CSS test suite or tutorial, it's the language and references used every day in the cascading style sheets.

php AdsNew Script :
http://www.hotscripts.com/Detailed/7177.html
phpAdsNew is an open source ad server. Currently it can manage multiple banners (any size) per client, view daily, overall and summary statistics, send statistics to clients via e-mail, use HTML, GIF, JPEG and PNG-banners, show random, pre-defined or HTML/image banners, banners based on filters, user-agent and so much more.


- 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 -

"Keep An Eye On Your Competition"

No matter how "niche" you think your websites and webpages are, you can guarantee that you will always have some sort of competition trying to out do you traffic and/or revenue wise. Even one rival can count as competition.

With that said, competition is a good thing (sometimes it can even be considered as great). This is because it can give you a sense of feeling what you are doing right and/or wrong (in relation to how your site is performing) and it can also generate focus and direction.

For example, lets look at the "webmaster books" section at Groundzero - http://www.ground-z.org/books.html - which has hugely evolved since it's earlier version. It used to only consist of one page with information and screen shots of three books, now it houses info on twenty five books (this number should multiply in the future).

The main reason for the change of tactics regarding the books section was because I noticed a competitor was doing something similar (in relation to housing info and selling the same types of books). The difference was that he/she was offering more books but not necessarily more information about said books.

So I decided that I would focus on beefing up the book section a bit, but still provide information (not a full book review) for people to make an informed decision about whether or not it would be beneficial to purchase the book.

The main benefit of super sizing the books section is the fact that it added a whole lot more content to the website that is beneficial to other webmasters (the main reason why Groundzero exists in the first place). Add that to the fact it also increases traffic to the site and provides an extra source of revenue because of book store affiliations.

Another benefit of keeping tabs on the competition is to find out what you might be doing wrong.

For example, a while back I had thought that I created a good product page that was beneficial for the user and at the same time optimized for search engines. I was half right (which could make me half left but thats a different issue).

The sales copy was good but the ranking position was not what I expected. I forgot about this for a while and checked on it about a month later and saw that nothing had changed, except that a competing webpage jumped up a little bit.

I took a quick look at the competing webpage and at first didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Checked the Google pagerank of the page and noticed it was average, then I looked at the keyword density of a specific phrase and didn't notice anything major there either.

So I looked at the source of the webpage and "bingo", there was the answer staring me in the face and laughing at me.

I'm a bit embarrassed to admit this but I won't short change you by not mentioning it. The main difference between my product page and the competing page was the use of heading tags (or in my case, lack of heading tags).

I forgot to put them in.

I've said it once and I'll say it again, I'm no SEO expert and I don't play one on television either. I should have known better because if there are SEO classes, the use of heading tags would be covered quickly in SEO 101. It was a rookie mistake that I should not have made.

I didn't even have one stupid little H1 tag and this page even managed to use H2 and H3 tags. Some may argue that heading tags won't do much but my research has concluded that when used wisely, they are very beneficial.

By keeping an eye on the competition I've learnt many lessons, which in turn have helped me implement ideas that benefit my websites. Checking out what other sites do better than you can give you ideas, focus and motivation. It's also a good way to keep a finger on current and future trends.


- 5.Promotion Tip -

Gimpsy Directory :
http://www.gimpsy.com

Gimpsy is a directory in the same vein of the ODP and GoGuides where webmasters submit websites for inclusion into an appropriate directory for extra website traffic.

The difference is that Gimpsy uses very stringent rules when screening a candidate's site for inclusion in the directory. The site must be interactive and provide a service to the user, not just information content.

You can check if your site has a good chance of being accepted by visiting some sites that are already in the category you have in mind for the suggested site. If the site provides a similar service at a comparable level, it stands a good chance of getting in. If the site is mainly informative, it is unlikely to be approved.


- 6.Recommended eBook -

Title : Pamela Heywood - The Article Collection
Format : exe
Size : 879KB
Price : Fr#e
URL : http://www.pamela-heywood.com/ebooks2.html

This eBook is a small collection of twelve articles written by Pamela Heywood, aimed at helping you with advertising and promotion of your online business.

Topics covered include :
- six basic and simple ad tips.
- how effective are your ads.
- five point plan for promotion.
- an online small business guide for newbies.

The author is probably best known online for her successful TuCats Design service, which was created in 1999 to capitalize on her business background and her skills in web design and publishing.


- 7.Design Review -

Site Name : Silvestro Rugolo Gallery
Type : online flash gallery
URL : http://www.silvestrorugolo.com

The Silvestro Rugolo Gallery is an online flash gallery with over 600 original pictures, collages and digital images. It is also a past Groudzero Design Award winner.

The design of this website is visually amazing and very professional. As soon as you see the first page you know your eyes are in for a visual treat because the site is very graphically intensive.

The Silvestro Rugolo Gallery also offers a multiple versions suitable for different connections ranging from 56k to broadband. A useful technique to cater for a large audience with different computer setups.


- 8.Recommended Software -

Name : Flash FXP
Type : FTP Client
Size : 2.13MB
Price : $25.00 (fr#e 30 day trial)
Operating System : Windows
URL : http://www.flashfxp.com

Flash FXP allows you to transfer files from any FTP server directly to your local hard drive and transfer files between two FTP sites (Site-to-Site transfers). Flash FXP can handle thousands of connection types and if you're behind a firewall, proxy or gateway, Flash FXP can be configured to support almost any network configuration.

Flash FXP features include :
- full featured user interface with drag and drop support.
- connect using SSL/TLS encryption for added security.
- FTP Proxy, HTTP Proxy, Socks 4, 5 support.
- transfer files of all sizes (no 2gb/4gb size limit).
- internal schedule (transfer/stop at a specific time).

Flash FXP is shareware which may be used fr#ely for a 30 day
trial period. During this trial period, FlashFXP will be
fully functional, with only a small screen at startup as a
reminder to register.


- 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 #17 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 June 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.