EvoBloggito

Evolution of the Web

Author: Ray Gulick; Published: Feb 20, 2009; Category: Video, Zeitgeist; Tags: Change, Education, Future, New Rules, Web-based Applications; No Comments

The Machine is Us/ing Us
Found this video on a social media site I belong to; it’s different than an older video I remember with a similar name. It’s a bit melodramatic, but it provides a reasonable overview of how the web has evolved from static content inseparable from format, to database-driven content separate from form.

Part 7, Why Bad Websites Happen to Good Companies: Failure to Install or Monitor Site Analytics

Author: Ray Gulick; Published: Feb 15, 2009; Category: Bad Websites/Good Companies, Design/Development, Marketing; Tags: Business, Google Analytics, Marketing, Web-based Applications; One Comment

You would think that a company that puts many thousands of dollars into its website would want to track website results to find out how many unique visitors it gets, where they come from, what content is most read, and dozens of other useful bits of information that have the potential to inform smart decisions about the company website and provide clues about how to increase its effectiveness. If so, you would often be wrong.

Many business websites have no analytics packages installed, other than whatever the webhost might offer as a standard package. In many cases in which an analytics package is installed, there is no regular monitoring of the data or any attempt to use it to guide decisions about the site. Why is this? There are probably far more reasons than I am aware of, but here are the big three that I hear again and again:

We don’t get any traffic.

Understood that it can be demoralizing to look at evidence that your website or blog is not drawing the crowds you’d envisioned. However, looking closely at the data can give you clues about why that is the case, and perhaps clues about how to build on the traffic you’re getting. Of one thing I’m certain: not looking at the statistics because they aren’t what you’d hoped is a good way to make sure they stay that way.

We don’t have time to look at the data.

I have to admit this one usually finds me with no response, often with my jaw dropped, searching for socially acceptable words. People find or make time for what they consider important. If information that can help your website become a more effective marketing tool isn’t important to a business in a recession…

We don’t want to spend money on an analytics package.

Google Analytics is free, and it should be considered the bare minimum in site analytics. When you think you need even better information (along with other assistance in increasing site effectiveness), there are packages available for a fee, such as those offered by Hubspot and Compendium, which should be considered investments, if you are truly serious about increasing your site performance.

If you’ve heard other "reasons" offered for not utilizing analytics, or if you have particularly good responses to the ones above, please share them here. Maybe, with your help, I won’t be sitting there with my mouth open next time I hear one of them.

For more posts in this series, see the “Bad Websites/Good Companies” category at right.

Why Online Language Translation Applications Are a Bad Idea

Author: Ray Gulick; Published: Dec 20, 2008; Category: Accessibility, Marketing; Tags: Translation, Web-based Applications; No Comments

One of the blogs I follow recently recommended an online translation application. For some reason, I was not able to submit a comment on the post, so I’ll air my comment here. The service suggested was Nice Translator. My wife, Angela, is a professional translator, which gives me some insight into translation issues.

First, most translation applications do a reasonably good job of translating individual words, provided the words have only one meaning. It gets a bit more difficult when a word can be both a verb and a noun (i.e., I will ride to the store, vs. I need a ride to the store). The better applications (Google Translation, for instance) differentiate between usages of a word and give you several options. This is good, but you may have no way of knowing which of the options is suitable, which is a problem.

Beyond single words—sentences and paragraphs—all translation applications fall far short of delivering usable translation. Even relatively simple sentences are routinely mangled. Sometimes (if you’re lucky) the translation will just be awkward. If you’re not so lucky, the meaning can be completely changed. Why? Software is unable to understand the context of the words, and as a result is unable to make decisions about rephrasing or selecting other words that more accurately express an idea.

Assuming your motivation for using a translation application is a need to communicate to a non-english speaking audience, the app is going to let you down. In fact, the awkward sentence structure and confusing words amplify your inability to communicate with your non-english speaking audience. Maybe you’ll provide them with a good laugh, and they’ll give you points for trying. But they won’t be fooled into thinking you understand them.

If you need to communicate with a non-english speaking audience, work with a good human translator with experience in the subject matter. It will cost you some money, but you will also communicate with your audience (and you won’t have to worry about looking blöd).