We’re rollin’ so let’s keep it going with a short one.

#3 Can I Find Help if Needed?

There is more RIA work out there now than developers which is bad if you need to pull someone in to help on a project.

I have never been disappointed by the amount of quality information and help the various online communities provide, but if there comes a time when you need to pull someone in to do some development you might be stuck on your own.

It’s been a while… actually a very long while since my first post, but finally here is the second. A lot of bloggers are writing about exactly the same issues dealing with RIAs as I am so I know it’s on everyone’s mind. Here’s my take.

#2 Is it Worth the Extra Time/Cost?

The majority of developers are still more efficient in other technologies like js, php, cf, ruby, and .net. If a comparable solution can be developed in one of those technologies by comparison the RIA version will take longer to develop. Do the benefits = cost?

I was first seduced by Flex with how easy it was to prototype an application. Building a HTML layout and design would have personally taken me months, but only took a couple of hours! In Flex Builder I simply arranged the containers and controls, added a view change to each button and then had a great looking and functional prototype. (yea, I’m NOT a designer so the default skin was better than anything I could do.) It took significantly more time to actually building out the application than we originally planned. Basic things we were used to doing in ColdFusion took up to 10 times longer in Flex. We had to learn the Flex/AS methodology and new syntax on the fly and during a lot of sleepless nights. Would all that headache be worth it on your project?

Also, be sure not to underestimate the future maintenance and update costs. Unfortunately we’re not working on Flex everyday so whenever I open up the code I have to remember where everything is and how it works.

The current version of Google Analytics has been greatly improved since the buyout of Urchin a few years ago.  This web analytics package now has the capability of relating most any action on a website to dollars.  An e-commerce website can be linked to your internal search engine to see which search terms people use that produce the most revenue.  Your e-commerce site can also be linked to your landing pages bring in the most revenue.  Google Analytics also allows for adding up to 4 specific website goals.  Here you specify the paths you think customers will take to result in a conversion.   In an e-commerce site an obvious goal is to track what happens after a customer adds a product to their shopping cart.  Once a product is added, that customer should complete their order.  If an order does not complete, your Google Analytics goal will help you to figure out what went wrong by showing where most customers leave their carts behind.

We are currently working on a project for an agency of the State of Illinois. This is the first project where the client specifically required that the site be accessible to people with disabilities. In looking at the State of Illinois requirements for accessibility, I realized that it’s not much more than building an XHTML compliant web site. Search engines love XHTML compliant web sites. Then I realized that search engines robots are the most disabled visitors to your web site. They cannot see or hear. Just like the sight disabled, they can only follow the content as it is structured on each page throughout the site as browsed with a screen reader. Just another benefit to following web standards in web development.

The hardest part of quoting a web project is trying to determine what the prospective client is expecting. Often the prospective client has only a vague idea themselves of what they are looking to have developed.

Last week I received an RFP (Request For Proposal). The RFP document gave an overview of the client’s business, it’s current web site and the features they are desiring in their redesign. I still have some questions to ask, but it has been much easier to quote. Therefore, I don’t feel I need to pad the quote much to cover the inevitable surprise feature. People looking to hire a web development company can save money by creating a detailed RFP first. The more detailed the RFP the more accurate each quote will be. The other benefit is that if other firms are quoting on the same RFP, then the client will receive an “apples to apples” quote.

If you are looking to hire a web development firm for your next project, here is a good article regarding how to create and RFP document.

Our first Adobe AIR application has been released for about a month and so far has turned out to be a success. Looking back on our three Rich Internet Application (RIA) projects so far (two Flex 2 and one AIR), this one made the most sense as an RIA. Here’s the thought process we’ve gone through when deciding if a project should be developed in an RIA technology:

#1 What’s the Simplest Solution?

We find that the simplest solution is usually the best. This is the KISS Principle, “Keep It Simple, Stupid!” Flex is sexy, but could the same be accomplished using vanilla HTML and CSS?

I’ve seen a general concern on the blogosphere lately that the majority of Flex applications are just rewrites of simple web pages. The most interesting Flex applications are still being released on private intranets, but that’s starting to change. Putting up a simple contact us form in Flex is probably a bad idea. I do think it’s great to rewrite code in another technology as a learning exercise. Just make sure to keep it on your development box.

That’s enough for now I’ll continue with “#2 Worth the Time/Cost?” next time.

Pick One Thing to Say

Write down one sentence that defines the one thing you want to accomplish on the page and write to that goal. If you have more than one goal, you have two pages.

Be Authentic

Readers know when you’re lying. Be a voice that either gives back or gets out of the way. Both are equally valid. If you’ve got something your readers would find useful, share it. When you’ve run out of useful stuff to say, stop talking.

Know Who You’re Talking To

Think carefully about who you want to listen to your message and write to that person. No matter who that person is, you can assume it’s one person sitting in front of a computer. They’re not an audience. They’re not captive.

Make Everything Simple

• Use simple words and sentences.
• Be careful with acronyms and adjectives.
• Being cute is a plague.

Repeat all these rules in your head, then let them go and start talking. You can always clean up your content later. If you try to have each sentence come out simple right away, you’ll sound like a robot.

Make Your Point in 3 Seconds

Your reader will decide in 3 seconds or less if they want to keep reading. You should have page titles and paragraph headings that are concise summaries of what you’re saying. These titles and headings are the most important thing you can write. It may help to write out all your paragraphs first. Now summarize each paragraph then summarize the page as a whole. If you have paragraphs with a redundant summary, maybe the whole paragraph should go.

I’ve been a leach for too long. I am constantly learning from generous people who share their knowledge for free on the Web. However, I have neglected for too long to contribute some of what I have learned back to the community. As I type my first entry on this new blog, I am beginning to get excited about this endeavor.

As a company, we have committed to begin sharing what we have learned with the World. Since I spend a good portion of my time talking with business leaders about their Web projects, I’m going to discuss topics regarding the how to best use Web technologies to reach business goals. Matt and Jason may post on more technical aspects of Web application development and Internet technologies. However, we will not hold hard and fast to those roles. Matt, Jason and I have many years of experience in the Web development industry. We all have learned various aspects of this business from different perspectives. I believe that we all have a lot to share and hope you agree.