Alt Attribute & SEO Optimization

SEO Optimization images has become increasingly more important in SEO (Seo optimization) for websites. The ALT attribute is really a critical step that is often overlooked. This can be a lost opportunity for better rankings.

In Google's webmaster guidelines, they advise the use of alternative text for that images in your site:

Images:. Use the alt attribute to provide descriptive text. Additionally, we recommend using a human-readable caption and descriptive text around the image.

Why would they ask us to achieve that? The answer is simple, really; search engines like google have a similar problem as blind users. They can't begin to see the images.

Many webmasters and inexperienced or unethical SEOs abuse the use of this attribute, attempting to stuff it with keywords, hoping to achieve a certain keyword density, which isn't as relevant for rankings now since it once was.

On the contrary, high keyword density can, on some search engines like google, trigger spam filters, which might result in a penalty for the site's ranking. Even without this type of penalty, your site's rankings will not benefit from this tactic.
This method also puts persons who use screen readers in a greater disadvantage. Screen readers are software-based tools that really read aloud the contents of what is shown on the screen. In browsing the net, the alt attributes of images are read aloud too.

Imagine listening to a paragraph of text that is followed by repetitions of numerous keywords. The page would be not even close to accessible, and, to put it bluntly, would be found quite annoying.
What is an Alt attribute?

An ALT attribute should not be used like a description or a label to have an image, though many people use it for the reason that fashion. Though it might seem natural to assume that alternate text is a label or a description, it is not!

The words used within an image's alt attribute should be its text equivalent and convey exactly the same information or serve the same purpose the image would.

The thing is to supply the same functional information that a visual user would see. The alt attribute text should function as a "stand in" in the event that the look itself is unavailable. Ask yourself this: If you were to replace the image with the text, would most users receive the same basic information, and would it generate the same response?
A few examples:

 

Some SEO Optimization Tips

If a search button is really a magnifying glass or binoculars its alt text should be 'search' or 'find' not 'magnifying glass' or 'binoculars'.

If an image is supposed to convey the literal contents of the look, a description is suitable.

If it's meant to convey data, then that information is what's appropriate.

If it is designed to convey the use of a function, then the function itself is what ought to be used.

Some Alt Attribute Guidelines:

Always add alt attributes to images. Alt is mandatory for accessibility as well as for valid XHTML.

For images that play merely a decorative role in the page, use an empty alt (i.e. alt="") or perhaps a CSS background image so that reading browsers do not bother users by uttering such things as "spacer image".

Remember that it's the function from the image we're trying to convey. For instance; any button images shouldn't range from the word "button" in the alt text. They ought to emphasize the action performed by the button.

Alt text ought to be determined by context. The same image inside a different context may need drastically different alt text.

Attempt to flow alt text with the rest from the text because that is the way it will be read with adaptive technologies like screen readers. Someone listening to your page should hardly remember that a graphic image can there be.
Please keep in mind that using an alt attribute for each image is needed to satisfy the minimum WAI requirements, that are used as the benchmark for accessibility laws in UK and the remainder of Europe. They are also necessary to meet "Section 508" accessibility requirements in america.

It is useful to categorize non-text content into three levels:

Eye-Candy
Mood-Setting
Content and Function

I. Eye-Candy

Eye-Candy are things that serve no purpose other than to create a site visually appealing/attractive and (oftentimes) fulfill the marketing departments. There is no content value (though there might be value to some sighted user).

Never alt-ify eye-candy unless there is something there which will enhance the usability from the site for someone using a non-visual user agent. Make use of a null alt attribute or background images in CSS for eye-candy.

II. Mood-Setting

This is actually the middle layer of graphics which might serve to set the mood or set happens so to speak. These graphics are not direct content and could not be considered essential, but they are important in that they help frame what is going on.

Try to alt-ify the second group as makes sense and is relevant. There may be instances when doing this might be annoying or detrimental to other users. Then avoid it.

For instance; Alt text that's identical to adjacent text is unnecessary, and an irritant to screen reader users. I recommend alt="" or background CSS images in such cases. But sometimes, it's vital that you get this content in there for all users.

Usually this will depend on context. Exactly the same image inside a different context may require drastically different alt text. Obviously, content ought to always be fully available. The way you use this case is really a judgment call.

III. Content and Function

This is where the look may be the actual content. Always alt-ify content and functional images. Title and long description attributes can also be so as.
The main reason many authors can't figure out why their alt text isn't working is they don't know why the pictures are there. You have to figured out exactly what function an image serves. Consider what it is concerning the image that's important to the page's intended audience.

Every graphic has a reason behind being on that page: since it either enhances the theme/ mood/ atmosphere or it is advisable to what are the page is trying to describe. Understanding what the image is perfect for makes alt text easier to write. And exercise writing them definitely helps.
A method to look into the usefulness of alternative text would be to imagine reading the page on the phone to someone. What would you say when encountering a particular image to create the page understandable towards the listener?

Besides the alt attribute you've got a couple more tools at your disposal for images.
First, in level of descriptiveness title is within between alt and longdesc. It adds useful information and can add flavor. The title attribute is optionally rendered through the user agent. Remember they're invisible and never shown like a "tooltip" when focus is received through the keyboard. (A lot for device independence). So make use of the title attribute just for advisory information.
Second, the longdesc attribute points towards the Link to a complete description of an image. If the information found in an image is essential to the concept of the page (i.e. some important content will be lost if the image was removed), a longer description compared to "alt" attribute can reasonably display should be used. It can provide for rich, expressive documentation of a visual image.

It should be used when alt and title are insufficient to embody the visual qualities of an image. As Clark [1] states, "A longdesc is really a long description of the image...The aim is by using any length of description necessary to impart the details of the graphic.

It wouldn't be remiss to hope that a long description conjures an image - the image - within the mind's eye, an analogy that holds true even for the totally blind."

Even though alt attribute is mandatory for web accessibility as well as for valid (X)HTML, not all images need alternative text, long descriptions, or titles.

In many cases, you're better off just going with your gut instinct -- if it's not necessary to include it, and when you don't possess a strong urge to get it done, don't add that longdesc.

However, if it's essential for the entire page to operate, then you have to include the alt text (or title or longdesc).

What's necessary and what's not depends a great deal about the function of your image and it is context about the page.

Exactly the same image may require alt text (or title or longdesc) in a single spot, although not in another. If the image provides simply no content or functional information alt="" or background CSS images might be appropriate to use. However, if the image provides content or adds functional information an alt would be required and maybe even a long description will be so as. Oftentimes this kind of thing is really a judgement call.

Image Seo optimization Tips

Listed below are key steps in optimizing images:

Choose a logical file name that reinforces the keywords. You can use hyphens in the file name to isolate the keyword, but avoid to exceeding two hyphens. Stay away from underscores like a word separator, like for example "brilliant-diamonds.jpg";

Label the file extension. For example, when the image search engine sees a ".jpg" (JPEG) file extension, it's going to assume that the file is really a photo, and when it sees a ".gif" (GIF) file extension, it's likely to assume that it is a graphic;

Ensure that the text at the image that's highly relevant to that image.
Again, do not lose an excellent opportunity to help your site together with your images in search engines. Use these steps to rank better on all the engines and drive more traffic for your site TODAY.

SEO Optimization

The following is part of a multiple part series covering image optimization techniques. This article is intended for beginners through intermediate SEO’s; if this doesn’t pertain to you, you may want to skim as most of this will probably be review material for you.

Some of the big questions many people ask are why would they even want to perform image optimization? Doesn’t it just help people who want to steal or hotlink images? And is there really any meaningful traffic or links that you can get from image optimization? IMHO the answer is yes. Let’s say someone is going on a trip to Italy. They might do image searches for things to do or see in Italy and for famous Italian landmarks like the Leaning Tower of Piza, the Trevi Fountain, or St. Peter’s Basilica. Thanks to Google’s universal search results, images provide a way to get onto the first page (or, in some cases, the top result) and get a click through, an ad view, or adsense impression. It might even get a lead generation completion. Maybe you run a fish store. If a university professor or government agency needs a picture of a fish and your image result appears, and you allow your images to be reused in exchange for a link, this can be huge way to passively build links slowly over time (true story! It happened for a client I used to have). Now that we’ve got the why out of the way, let’s talk about the “how” of image optimization.

Filenames

This is one of the most basic elements of image optimization. If you have an image of blue widgets, I would name your image “blue-widgets.jpg” or “blue-widgets.gif”. You can use other formats like PNG, but I have gotten better results with “jpg” and “gif” files. You can use other characters like underscore as word delimiters, but I get better results with hyphens. You can run the words together if they are separate in other factors. I have found stemming plays a role (ie widget vs widgets), but you can get around it using other factors. I haven’t seen capitalization play a role, but I prefer to use all lower case because I usually use Apache servers and case sensitivity matters. If you are going to have multiple images of the same object-type, I suggest adding a “-1″, “-2″ onto the end.

Now, before the hate mail or hate tweets start, it is entirely possible to have an image rank without the keywords being in the file name–IF there are enough other factors in place. However, you should ask yourself why would you give up a chance to give a search engine a signal about what an image is about? If you work on a large ecommerce platform or other large database application, chances are good that your gold diamond earrings will have an image file name like “GDX347294.jpg” that corresponds to the item’s SKU or other internal classifier. So, yes, you will have to sacrifice the keyword for business reasons.

ALT Text

Let’s get the basic information out of the way: ALT text was designed for screen readers or visually-impaired people to know what they weren’t seeing. Your goal is to use it to satisfy the screen readers while being keyword focused enough for the search engines and without being a keyword stuffing spammer. Here’s an example of ALT text variations:

Keyword stuffed: discount hotel room paris france

ALT text only: Eiffel Tower

SEO optimized: Eiffel Tower from Louvre Bons Enfants hotel room

Striving to find a balance between pleasing the search engines and text readers can be a juggling act. If you are risky with some of your other SEO techniques, I’d play this on the safe side.

Headings and Bold Text

If image optimization for a particular image is important, I really like to optimize the image with bold or a heading tag of the term I’m chasing right above the image. I’ve found this really helps give a strong signal to the engines

Last week, I was on a panel at a CTIA pre-conference show in Orlando, and a question that was asked during several sessions at the conference was “what should we invest in: a mobile site or a mobile app?”

I heard this same question in a panel I was on at Digiday Mobile in September 2010, and earlier at the Mobile Search App Opportunities session at SMX West 2010, so it’s clear that this is still a question that marketers and developers are still struggling with, and have been since the opening of Apple’s App Store in 2008.

If you’re lucky enough not to be familiar with the question, brands with limited resources often wonder whether they really need to build both a mobile site and a mobile app, and would prefer to funnel their limited resources into one fully-funded mobile project.

Mobile apps have historically been seen by web designers as the only way to provide a rich user experience in mobile, and they are recommended frequently by CEOs who have been impressed by the user experience of an app and then fast-tracked their own mobile app project.

Why are companies still struggling with this issue after three years of talking about it? I think that’s because it’s a complex issue with more than one right answer depending on your business goals and objectives.

Add to that the countless partisan debates between those who want to sell you a mobile app and those who want to sell you a mobile site and it can be difficult to get to some semblance of truth about what it actually makes sense for your business to invest in.

As an SEO, I’m not selling mobile apps or mobile sites, and I can help you optimize either for more qualified traffic in search, but I’ve seen enough to know that the strongest mobile strategies start with a mobile web site and use it as the foundation for success.

Consider the following problems inherent with betting the farm on a mobile app:

• The most successful iPhone app project, which becomes viral enough to be passed around to every user on the platform, would only ultimately reach only 7% of the total mobile market. A mobile website or mobile web app, on the other hand, has the potential to reach 100% of mobile web users.

• Many iPhone apps require the current version of iOS to run, which can’t be run by first-generation iPod touches. According to Chitika research, these devices account for almost 10% of iPhone traffic, which could lower your reach even more. Android devices are even more fragmented, and could require additional development time to make your applications accessible to the already-limited app market. Mobile websites and web apps built with a progressive enhancement strategy, however, should be accessible to most users regardless of device.

• It’s a myth that users prefer a mobile app experience, largely propagated, I suspect, by those who are looking to sell additional services. Research shows that most users, in fact, prefer mobile websites over mobile apps (Adobe, eMarketer, InsightExpress), and that more people use mobile websites than apps.

• Users of search engines will likely not find your app in Google or Bing unless they’re looking for it. You can optimize the app for app stores and to some extent for Google, but it’s a different process that requires some specialized knowledge for success. As of this writing, it’s highly unlikely that searchers will find your app when searching on high volume, competitive keywords in search engines outside of app stores unless you buy a search ad. Given that 21.4% of mobile users in the United States search on their phones, a brand that wants the content it creates to find an audience would be wise not to ignore traffic from mobile search.

• Most apps are downloaded once and discarded (Pinch Media, Localytics). If you don’t have a good reason for creating your app and don’t ultimately succeed in creating an app that people need to use regularly, it’s likely that your app will suffer the same fate.

• There are very few apps that exist that provide something beyond what a mobile web site can do. If you’re creating a game or an application that truly cannot exist on the mobile web as it exists today, then by all means, build an app. However, given that Safari now has support for accelerometer and gyrometer, there are many things that mobile websites can do now that they couldn’t do previously. Be sure that you can’t build your mobile app as a web app before you build it, as there’s a good chance that you could build something similar with greater reach and engagement.

• Apps drive link equity to iTunes, Android Market, or Blackberry App World, and not to your website, which needs it to help your other content be found in search results. Even mobile websites at m.subdomains ultimately benefit the host domain, which could help you generate more revenue on your desktop, tablet and mobile websites if they’re hosted at the same domain.

• Apps are software. As such, they’re not currently able to be crawled and indexed as individual pages with a separate theme. It’s likely that you will index and rank one or two mobile applications pages for navigational keywords for apps, but you have the potential to rank as many pages as you have accessible pages with web apps. If your app is relevant to more than one concept or audience, building it as an accessible, open web app instead of a native application will give you greater relevance and reach.

There are good reasons for creating native apps as well, so I don’t want to make it seem as though creating a mobile website is all any business needs to reach its mobile target. For example, if you build a mobile website and not an app, you run the risk of alienating your brand from the audience that does prefer mobile apps and uses them regularly.

That audience, though, is the minority target; and if you only have funds to build one experience—mobile web or native mobile app—my recommendation is to build the best mobile web app you can afford, market it as aggressively as possible, and use the money you make and the data you collect to experiment with native apps.

If you can afford it, of course, the best solution is to build both a mobile site and a mobile app, and to enjoy not having to answer this question of limited resources that many businesses are struggling with today.

Opinions expressed in the article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land.

Related Topics: Mobile Mondays | Search Engines: Mobile Search Engines | Search Marketing: Mobile | SEO: Mobile Search

seo optimization services

Bench Craft Company on the topic of ebay

A 75-year-old woman was recently arrested by the Georgian police after she single-handedly cut off Internet connections in Georgia and neighbouring Armenia.

AFP reports that the pensioner was digging for scrap metal with the intention of stealing it when she stumbled upon a fibre-optic cable which runs through Georgia to Armenia, forcing thousands of Internet users in both countries to lose Internet connection for several hours. Georgian Railway Telecom, the company that owns the cable, said that the latest damage was serious, causing 90 percent of private and corporate Internet users in Armenia to lose access for nearly 12 hours while also hitting Georgian Internet service providers.

“I cannot understand how this lady managed to find and damage the cable. It has robust protection and such incidents are extremely rare,” Giorgi Ionatamishvili, Georgian Railway Telecom’s marketing head, told AFP.

Apparently, this wasn’t the first time it happened. In 2009, another scavenger damaged a fibre-optic cable while hunting for scrap metal in the impoverished ex-Soviet state, forcing many Georgians’ Internet connections to get interrupted.

The woman has been charged with damaging property and could face up to three years in prison if convicted.

A 75-year-old woman was recently arrested by the Georgian police after she single-handedly cut off Internet connections in Georgia and neighbouring Armenia.

AFP reports that the pensioner was digging for scrap metal with the intention of stealing it when she stumbled upon a fibre-optic cable which runs through Georgia to Armenia, forcing thousands of Internet users in both countries to lose Internet connection for several hours. Georgian Railway Telecom, the company that owns the cable, said that the latest damage was serious, causing 90 percent of private and corporate Internet users in Armenia to lose access for nearly 12 hours while also hitting Georgian Internet service providers.

“I cannot understand how this lady managed to find and damage the cable. It has robust protection and such incidents are extremely rare,” Giorgi Ionatamishvili, Georgian Railway Telecom’s marketing head, told AFP.

Apparently, this wasn’t the first time it happened. In 2009, another scavenger damaged a fibre-optic cable while hunting for scrap metal in the impoverished ex-Soviet state, forcing many Georgians’ Internet connections to get interrupted.

The woman has been charged with damaging property and could face up to three years in prison if convicted.

bench craft company

San Francisco Giants' Tim Lincecum donates $25,000 to Bryan Stow Fund

Giants ace Tim Lincecum is giving $25,000 to assist the longtime San Francisco fan who was attacked outside Dodger Stadium last month.

bench craft company

Mario &amp; Sonic at London Olympics sighted? <b>News</b> - Wii - Page 1 <b>...</b>

Read our Wii news of Mario & Sonic at London Olympics sighted?.

bench craft company

Google <b>News</b> Blog: New Google <b>News</b> for Opera Mini

While the Google News team has been hard at work redesigning our service for smartphones, we've also been thinking about our milllions of users around the world who access the web not from a smartphone, but from a feature phone, ...

bench craft company

Video calls were a mainstay of classic sci-fi films, and even today there’s something almost magical about seeing your friends and family on the screen of a portable device. Video calling has been around for some time, but it’s only really in the past year or so that its got more attention among regular users. That’s thanks in no small part to Apple and FaceTime, as found on the iPhone 4, iPad 2 and other gadgets from the company’s range. Read on as we give FaceTime the full SlashGear 101 treatment!

So Apple invented video calling, right?

No, not at all, though they did do a lot to make it easier to use – just as long as you have the right hardware. Video calling is actually a part of the 3G standard, which – if the carrier and whatever phone you’re using supports it, which isn’t the case in the US – has been available since around 2003. Unfortunately a combination of high pricing, poor understanding by users, mediocre quality and patchy reliability meant this form of video calling has never really taken off.

Apple’s FaceTime takes advantage of the company’s tight control over the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and MacBook software, which has allowed it to polish the video calling experience to the point where everyday use is possible. Now FaceTime is available to anybody at the touch of an on-screen button.

Do I need an Apple phone to use FaceTime?

Not necessarily a phone, but definitely something with the Apple logo. FaceTime was first supported on the iPhone 4, which was Apple’s first mobile device with a front-facing camera (i.e. one that looks at the user, rather than out the back of the handset). The latest iPod touch and iPad 2 both have front-facing cameras and FaceTime support as well, and Apple has released a FaceTime app for its Mac and MacBook computers so they can join in the fun as well. FaceTime comes free on the mobile devices and the very latest Macs, and is a $0.99 download from the Mac App Store for earlier Mac owners.

Okay, so how do I use it?

It’s pretty simple, just as Apple was aiming for. On the iPhone you make a voice call in the normal way and then tap the FaceTime button on-screen to switch to video. On the iPod touch and iPad 2, you start a video call in the FaceTime app. You’ll need an Apple account in order to make and receive calls, since that’s used as the “phone number” for devices other than the iPhone 4.

Currently, FaceTime video calls can only be made when you have a WiFi connection, not when you’re using the mobile network for data. That’s a limitation Apple has put in place itself, though the company has said it is working on removing it in the future.

I’m not into Apple, can I video call with something else?

You certainly can, though the process gets a bit trickier. Various apps are available for Android and other mobile phone platforms which promise video calls, sometimes over not only WiFi but the 3G mobile networks too. That means you can make video calls when away from your home network or a WiFi hotspot, as long as your signal is strong enough.

Skype, Fring and Qik are all among the companies offering video calling apps, though their effectiveness often varies on a phone-by-phone basis. Not all phones have front-facing cameras, either, though they’re becoming more common on the latest handsets. A future SlashGear 1010 feature will look at the best video calling apps if FaceTime isn’t your thing.

Apple has said it plans to open up FaceTime to other manufacturers, so that non-Apple phones can make and receive calls too, but so far there’s no sign of that actually happening.

More information at Apple’s FaceTime page.

China is a notoriously tough market for American brands. The last few years has seen tech giants like Google struggle to do business due to restrictive censorship and retail giants like Best Buy and Home Depot have found that heavy price competition makes it hard to gain a toehold. Yet, despite the conventional wisdom, Apple’s business in China is booming and it’s not lower prices but better presentation that’s driving their success.

The Chinese economy is having some of its best years ever due to the rising world demand for consumer electronics, much of which is manufactured in China’s city-sized factories. The Mercury News reports that this has led to the average Chinese citizen being more flush with cash than ever before and ready to spend it on what would previously be deemed as unaffordable luxury.

Paul French of Shanghai-based Access Asia indicates that the increase in middle class affluence is behind the increase in purchasing power. “There is now enough of an urban middle class with enough money to afford Apple products. Five years ago — or even two or three years ago — there weren’t enough of those people.”

Five years ago, Apple didn’t have a retail store in China, now it has four, including a stunning split-level glass and metal flagship store in Sanlitun, an area of Beijing known more for its nightlife than its retail outlets. Those stores aren’t barely surviving either, with $2.6 billion in revenue this year, four times what we saw last year from Apple in China. This should mean that Apple is fighting the price war well in China, offering its products for less than they can be purchased in the US, but that’s not actually true. In fact, Apple sells a comparatively specced 13-inch Macbook Air for $180 more in China than it does stateside.

This success seems to fly in the face of conventional wisdom, typically premium products have not sold well in cost conscious China. Some, like Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, say that Apple will have to eventually compete on price or risk losing the Chinese consumer. “The iPhone is going to be huge in China. That’s a given.” he tells the Mercury News. “But if Apple wants it to flow out across China, it has to come up with lower price points.”

Yet Apple shows no signs of slowing down in the Chinese market, which is projected to account for 10 percent of Apple’s revenue within 5 years.

When asked, locals said that in a country where the people like to try products out before they purchase them, Apple is doing the best job of presenting those products. Apple’s retail stores offer the Chinese consumer a chance to test the products in a beautiful and visually stimulating atmosphere and those efforts are paying off with big sales numbers. This kind of attention to the senses and emotions of the consumer wasn’t pioneered by Apple of course, but they are one of the first major companies to bring that kind of experience to China’s city centers in a big way.

This difference in the way that the products are presented is doing its job in separating Apple’s products from the rest of the pack almost everywhere that its retail stores are located, but nowhere is that effect felt more than in China. A country where consumers are hungry for polished products presented in a stimulating atmosphere and they finally have the cash to afford them.

bench craft company

bench craft company
Next, Odeo moved into an office and started hiring more employees – including a quiet, on-again, off-again Web designer named Jack Dorsey and an engineer named Blaine Cook. Evan Williams became Odeo's CEO.

By July 2005, Odeo had a product: a platform for podcasting.

But then, in the fall of 2005, "the shit hit the fan," says George Zachary, the Charles River Ventures partner who led the firm's investment in Odeo.

That was when Apple first announced iTunes – which included a podcasting platform built into every one of the 200 million iPods Apple would eventually sell. Around the same time, Odeo employees, from Glass and Williams on down, began to realize that they weren't listening to podcasts as much as they thought they would be.

Says Cook: "We built [Odeo], we tested it a lot, but we never used it."

Suddenly, says Zachary, "the company was going sideways."

By this point, Odeo had 14 people working full time – including now-CEO Evan Williams and a friend of his from Google, Christopher "Biz" Stone.

Williams decided Odeo's future was not in podcasting, and later that year, he told the company's employees to start coming up with ideas for a new direction Odeo could go.  The company started holding official "hackathons" where employees would spend a whole day working on projects. They broke off into groups.

Odeo cofounder Noah Glass gravitated toward Jack Dorsey, whom Glass says was "one of the stars of the company."  Jack had an idea for a completely different product that revolved around "status"--what people were doing at a given time.

"I got the impression he was unhappy with what he was working on –  a lot of cleanup work on Odeo."

"He started talking to me about this idea of status and how he was really interested in status," Glass says. "I was trying to figure out what it was he found compelling about it."

"There was a moment when I was sitting with Jack and I said, 'Oh, I do see how this could really come together to make something really compelling.' We were sitting on Mission St. in the car in the rain. We were going out and I was dropping him off and having this conversation. It all fit together for me."

One day in February 2006, Glass, Dorsey, and a German contract developer Florian Weber presented Jack's idea to the rest of the company.  It was a system where you could send a text to one number and it would be broadcasted out to all of your friends: Twttr.

Noah Glass says it was he who came up with the name "Twttr." "I spent a bunch of time thinking about it," he says.  Eventually, the name would become Twitter.

After that February presentation to the company, Evan Williams was skeptical of Twitter's potential, but he put Glass in charge of the project. From time to time, Biz Stone helped out Glass's Twitter team.

And it really was Glass's team, by the way. Not Jack Dorsey's.

Everyone agrees that original inkling for Twitter sprang from Jack Dorsey's mind. Dorsey even has drawings of something that looks like Twitter that he made years before he joined Odeo. And Jack was obviously central to the Twitter team.

But all of the early employees and Odeo investors we talked to also agree that no one at Odeo was more passionate about Twitter in the early days than Odeo's cofounder, Noah Glass.

"It was predominantly Noah who pushed for the project to be started," says Blaine Cook, who describes Glass as Twitter's "spiritual leader."

"He definitely had a vision for what it was," says Ray McClure.

"There were two people who were really excited [about Twitter,]" concurs Odeo investor George Zachary. "Jack and Noah Glass. Noah was fanatically excited about Twitter. Fanatically! Evan and Biz weren't at that level. Not remotely."

Zachary says Glass told him, "You know what's awesome about this thing? It makes you feel like you're right with that person. It's a whole emotional impact. You feel like you're connected with that person."

At one point the entire early Twitter service was running on Glass's laptop. "An IBM Thinkpad," Glass says, "Using a Verizon wireless card."

"It was right there on my desk. I could just pick it up and take it anywhere in the world. That was a really fun time."

Glass insists that he is not Twitter's sole founder or anything like it.  But he feels betrayed that his role has basically been expunged from Twitter history.  He says Florian Weber doesn't get enough credit, either.

"Some people have gotten credit, some people haven't. The reality is it was a group effort. I didn't create Twitter on my own. It came out of conversations."

"I do know that without me, Twitter wouldn't exist. In a huge way."

By March of 2006, Odeo had a working Twitter prototype. In July, TechCrunch covered Twttr for the first time. That same summer, Odeo employees obsessed with Twitter were racking up monthly SMS bills totalling hundreds of dollars. The company agreed to pay those bills for the employees. In August, a small earthquake shook San Francisco and word quickly spread through Twitter – an early 'ah-ha!' moment for users and company-watchers alike. By that fall, Twitter had thousands of users.

By this point, engineer Blaine Cook says it began to feel like there were "two companies" at Odeo – the one "Noah and Florian and Jack and Biz were working on" (Twitter) and Odeo. Twitter, says Ray McClure, "was definitely the thing you wanted to be working on."

Next, Odeo moved into an office and started hiring more employees – including a quiet, on-again, off-again Web designer named Jack Dorsey and an engineer named Blaine Cook. Evan Williams became Odeo's CEO.

By July 2005, Odeo had a product: a platform for podcasting.

But then, in the fall of 2005, "the shit hit the fan," says George Zachary, the Charles River Ventures partner who led the firm's investment in Odeo.

That was when Apple first announced iTunes – which included a podcasting platform built into every one of the 200 million iPods Apple would eventually sell. Around the same time, Odeo employees, from Glass and Williams on down, began to realize that they weren't listening to podcasts as much as they thought they would be.

Says Cook: "We built [Odeo], we tested it a lot, but we never used it."

Suddenly, says Zachary, "the company was going sideways."

By this point, Odeo had 14 people working full time – including now-CEO Evan Williams and a friend of his from Google, Christopher "Biz" Stone.

Williams decided Odeo's future was not in podcasting, and later that year, he told the company's employees to start coming up with ideas for a new direction Odeo could go.  The company started holding official "hackathons" where employees would spend a whole day working on projects. They broke off into groups.

Odeo cofounder Noah Glass gravitated toward Jack Dorsey, whom Glass says was "one of the stars of the company."  Jack had an idea for a completely different product that revolved around "status"--what people were doing at a given time.

"I got the impression he was unhappy with what he was working on –  a lot of cleanup work on Odeo."

"He started talking to me about this idea of status and how he was really interested in status," Glass says. "I was trying to figure out what it was he found compelling about it."

"There was a moment when I was sitting with Jack and I said, 'Oh, I do see how this could really come together to make something really compelling.' We were sitting on Mission St. in the car in the rain. We were going out and I was dropping him off and having this conversation. It all fit together for me."

One day in February 2006, Glass, Dorsey, and a German contract developer Florian Weber presented Jack's idea to the rest of the company.  It was a system where you could send a text to one number and it would be broadcasted out to all of your friends: Twttr.

Noah Glass says it was he who came up with the name "Twttr." "I spent a bunch of time thinking about it," he says.  Eventually, the name would become Twitter.

After that February presentation to the company, Evan Williams was skeptical of Twitter's potential, but he put Glass in charge of the project. From time to time, Biz Stone helped out Glass's Twitter team.

And it really was Glass's team, by the way. Not Jack Dorsey's.

Everyone agrees that original inkling for Twitter sprang from Jack Dorsey's mind. Dorsey even has drawings of something that looks like Twitter that he made years before he joined Odeo. And Jack was obviously central to the Twitter team.

But all of the early employees and Odeo investors we talked to also agree that no one at Odeo was more passionate about Twitter in the early days than Odeo's cofounder, Noah Glass.

"It was predominantly Noah who pushed for the project to be started," says Blaine Cook, who describes Glass as Twitter's "spiritual leader."

"He definitely had a vision for what it was," says Ray McClure.

"There were two people who were really excited [about Twitter,]" concurs Odeo investor George Zachary. "Jack and Noah Glass. Noah was fanatically excited about Twitter. Fanatically! Evan and Biz weren't at that level. Not remotely."

Zachary says Glass told him, "You know what's awesome about this thing? It makes you feel like you're right with that person. It's a whole emotional impact. You feel like you're connected with that person."

At one point the entire early Twitter service was running on Glass's laptop. "An IBM Thinkpad," Glass says, "Using a Verizon wireless card."

"It was right there on my desk. I could just pick it up and take it anywhere in the world. That was a really fun time."

Glass insists that he is not Twitter's sole founder or anything like it.  But he feels betrayed that his role has basically been expunged from Twitter history.  He says Florian Weber doesn't get enough credit, either.

"Some people have gotten credit, some people haven't. The reality is it was a group effort. I didn't create Twitter on my own. It came out of conversations."

"I do know that without me, Twitter wouldn't exist. In a huge way."

By March of 2006, Odeo had a working Twitter prototype. In July, TechCrunch covered Twttr for the first time. That same summer, Odeo employees obsessed with Twitter were racking up monthly SMS bills totalling hundreds of dollars. The company agreed to pay those bills for the employees. In August, a small earthquake shook San Francisco and word quickly spread through Twitter – an early 'ah-ha!' moment for users and company-watchers alike. By that fall, Twitter had thousands of users.

By this point, engineer Blaine Cook says it began to feel like there were "two companies" at Odeo – the one "Noah and Florian and Jack and Biz were working on" (Twitter) and Odeo. Twitter, says Ray McClure, "was definitely the thing you wanted to be working on."

bench craft company

New Google <b>News</b> for Opera Mini - Official Google Mobile Blog

So we have rolled out a redesigned Google News for Opera Mini in all 29 languages and 70 editions of Google News. This includes an enhanced homepage featuring richer snippets, thumbnail images, links to videos and section content ...

bench craft company

HealthLawProf Blog: MRSA <b>News</b>

TrackBack. TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341bfae553ef01538dd79809970b. Listed below are links to weblogs that reference MRSA News: ...

Roofing Contractors Vancouver - 5 Questions to Ponder

Roofing Vancouver - Faq's

1. Repair or Replace?

There's no opinion as an expert opinion. Most contractors provides you with a totally free estimate. Get a summary of a few trusted contractors and phone them well in advance of when you wish to get your homes roof fixed so you can compare costs and opinions.

2. Beauty versus Practicality?

Discuss this together with your spouse or partner. (The children could care less...at least the young ones.) Truth is, nobody wants an ugly roof just like nobody wants to be viewed with bed hair. If you've got a good quality roof and you just need to repair it, it's worth it to pay the price of the original shingle instead of doing patchwork. A roof replacement doesn't happen frequently (hopefully!) and so make a choice that suits you and your family well or it'll stand out just like a sore thumb everyday you decide to go home.

3. Must i replace the rooftop so I can sell the home for additional?

Consider this very carefully prior to making a choice. Depending on the roofing material you choose, a new roof can last anywhere from twenty, fifty, to one-hundred years! This means you have to check the year of the roof that's currently too deep first. Are you at year 18 of a 20-year warranted roof or year 30 of the 50-year warranted roof? Obviously, the quality is the reason why the roof last longer, but if you're not planning to remain in your current home throughout your life, the higher expense might not be worth your investment. Although a new roof can improve the worth of your selling price, the increase might not be enough to pay for neglect the and that's bound to hurt your wallet.

4. Is it a good idea that i can repair the rooftop myself?

Sure it is. But before you do, consult a specialist first. You can do it yourself, however, you shouldn't be considered a complete ‘lone ranger.' With respect to the extent of your repair, you may or may not change your mind. In either case, it will help to get a professional eye about the problem first and maybe a free quote to help you do the math later and see if it's truly worth your time, sweat, and money to become mister or miss fix-it.

5. Just when was a great time to find the roof replaced?

Weather can cause delays from days to weeks. Most people prepare yourself to have their roof replaced in the summer when they have a friend is going to be home during the day for a solid fourteen days. Once you've this era in your mind, create a call to some trusted contractor months ahead of time to get a quote. Some companies get reserved fast and odds are, they're the most reputable. Preparing in advance from the summer also provides you with time for you to discuss with more and compare costs...especially if you need to have the roof made by a particular date.

 

The very best Roofing Company In Vancouver!

Is there a leak inside your home's roof? Perhaps you have lost shingles or tiles in a storm? Have overhanging branches caused damage? Is the roof a lot more than Two decades old and showing its age? Are your gutters overwhelmed and draining poorly?

If the answer to any of these questions is "Yes" it is time to call the very best roofing company Vancouver - Crown Roofing & Drainage.

For over a century Crown Roofing has been the roofer of preference among our Vancouver neighbors. We provide complete roofing services, from emergency repairs and roof restoration, to complete roof replacement. All while using finest quality materials, installed with precision and the highest degree of customer service.

YOUR Vancouver ROOF DESERVES NO LESS!

The roof of your Vancouver home is the very first line of defence against wind, rain, snow, ice and other weather elements. Be sure it's up to the task. Among Vancouver Roofing companies, only Crown Roofing has got the depth of experience and successful history to ensure your roofing system is going to be properly designed and installed.

NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS.

One reason Crown Roofing continues to be the most successful roofing company in Vancouver is our resolve for our neighbors. We treat your home as though it were our own and we were building a roof to protect our very own family. That's what neighbors do, and you can count on Crown Roofing being here to aid you and also back our work. After all, we've been repairing and replacing roofs in Vancouver since 1902!

Obtain a FREE INSPECTION AND EVALUATION Of the Vancouver ROOF.

Visit the Roofers Vancouver for any FREE inspection and evaluation of the roof. Make sure you get the best roof for your Vancouver home, at the cost effective. We build roofs to last!

 

Tacoma Roofer: Help your house be Beautiful

Very few people understand the worth of a good roof, your knowledgeable Tacoma Roofing contractor does. From first hand experience, they'll be able to let you know the reason why you need a strong, secure, and leak-free roof on your home.

Your local Tacoma Roofing contractor is knowledgeable how important an economic investment your house is for you, especially as it is a lasting one. Your home may have been damaged slowly over the years and you have to take steps to reduce this damage. For a number of people, keeping their house beautiful is also a matter of pride. You will find those too who'd prefer to turn their house into a economical and efficient living place. Your homes roof is an integral part of your property and plays a role in each of the aspects mentioned previously. For this reason, you should employ the expertise of qualified a Tacoma Roofing contractors.

Kinds of Roofs installed by a Tacoma Roofer

Among the more prevalent types of roofs are asphalt shingles, steel or metal sheeting, fiberglass, slate and terra cotta tiles.

Each type of roof invites distinct problems, however they can all be easily looked after by a trusted Tacoma Roofing contractor. It's imperative that you nip roof problems in the bud before they become too expensive or dangerous. You are able to schedule an appointment with the Tacoma Roofer to consider a look at your roof to see if you will find any issues or potential problems with it. If you will find, they might be in a position to let you know how to deal with them.

A Tacoma Roofer Helps to Build Strong Homes

The exteriors of any house, primarily the roof and gutters, face the onslaught of bitter and varying climate conditions, every single day. Painting, repairing, and cleaning gutters might be necessary. In some cases you might want to replace them completely. Usually, when your gutters show signs and symptoms of trouble, your roof also needs to be inspected for problems. Whatever issues there might be, an experienced Tacoma Roofer can examine them in detail and suggest the remedy.

If your gutters often clog too often, or you will find leaks across the walls of your house, it may imply that there's debris piled-up on the top. Loose branches, piles of leaves, and other light objects which are swept onto your roof during a storm can all contribute towards damaging your roof, and these damages can be lasting. An educated Tacoma Roofing contractor will tell you that birds, mice, along with other kinds of rodents often build nest within the debris that collects on the roof. While these nests may look rather innocent, they are great at collecting moisture, be responsible for loose shingles, mold, and indoor leaks in your house. Additionally, it may also cause vermin infestation. After a storm, your Tacoma Roofing contractor will suggest that you inspect your homes roof for just about any signs of debris or damage.

Reverse Damages with the Help of a Tacoma Roofing contractor

However high quality the rooftop may be, it is going to wear out over time. You will find shingles that are known as "25 year" or "30 year" shingles, but those numbers are just associated with warranty made by the makers. They seldom last that long. Realistically speaking, "25 year" shingles won't last more than fifteen to twenty years. Within an area that is vulnerable to storms, shingles or even the entire roof may need to be replaced every 10 years. With a Tacoma Roofing contractor, the price will be lower than what you think.

If there you lose any shingles, or there is some damage to them, a Tacoma Roofing contractor will be able to assist you to. Damaged shingles can lead to indoor leaks, as the substrate from the roof becomes exposed to the elements. Shingles which are loose or broken can slip off and pose a possible hazard to individuals standing below. Missing shingles create a gap which allows rain, wind, ice, and debris to develop underneath the adjoining shingles, which creates a "domino effect" that affects other shingles and they become loose or broken. A comprehensive investigation is going to be produced by the local Tacoma Roofing company, should you give them a call up with your suspicions of loose or missing shingles.

Your Tacoma Roofer will be in a position to inform you what the best option is for your homes roof. In case your roof is not inside a good shape, it is advised that you have it replaced completely. The Tacoma Roofing company can take you through the various roofing options available for you that will suit your requirements and your budget.

Tacoma Roofing company: Improving your Home's Efficiency

Your homes roof shelters you from storms, sleet, and hail. By providing adequate ventilation, your roof protects your house from overheating, by holding within the heat, it keeps your home warm. That's why you need to ready your roof from indoors in addition to outdoors for any kind of weather emergency. A Qualified Tacoma Roofing company can offer help in this case.

First of all, inspect your homes roof thoroughly for just about any and all type of damage, prior to the beginning of a year. The gutters ought to be clear, debris should not be piled on or trapped under shingles, there should be no homes of squirrels or birds in the eaves or attic, and also the roof should be structurally sound. For your last part, you'll need the help of your local Tacoma Roofing contractor. It can be quite dangerous to climb onto the roof of your property. This is when the contractor from Tacoma Roofing company comes in. He will check out the strength and security of the roof and shingles, and do a general inspection of the entire roof structure, to make sure that it is in proper working order. They'll be able to point towards problems that you have to keep an eye on and problems you might not have spotted.

You will need all the assist you to could possibly get from the Tacoma Roofer. You are able to help your roof by installing a gutter guard or leaf cover to help prevent debris from forming in your gutters. The additional weight of debris prevents the gutters from draining and may even tear them down. Check the fasteners on your gutters and when they're loose, tighten them. Take steps to change worn screws and brackets. If you have a chimney in your home, inspect the bricks and mortar signs and symptoms of wear. A reliable mason can be recommended by your Tacoma Roofing contractor, if there are any repairs to become done.

Tacoma Roofing contractor: Someone You are able to Count On
In the event that you realize or suspect that there's a problem, your Tacoma Roofer ought to be contacted. They are able to use their knowledge and expertise to get your home in ace condition simply by focusing on the roof. Your roof deserves attention. So give them a call today, so that they can get down to caring for your roof.

 

What is Distinction between Commercial Roofing Companies From Residential Roofing Companies

If you are considering getting a roofing company to re roof your house or building then you may be wondering what are the differences are between residential roofing companies and commercial roofing companies. To begin with, the main one huge difference is usually that times a commercial roofing company might have signed an agreement with and become obligated to a roofing union in able to focus on union commercial jobs.

If this is the situation then their labor costs will prohibit them from focusing on non union residential jobs. Beyond that, if your commercial roofing company has not signed an agreement having a union they may be outfitted simply for commercial jobs and that means that their workers and equipment may not be in line with smaller residential jobs.

Residential roofing contractors in general tend to run smaller companies and therefore, are more in a position to bid competitively on residential jobs, which tend to be small compared to comercial jobs. In fact, often times residential roofing contractors will run one man operations, where the contractor that you simply talk to could be the one that actually does the job on the building.

Also, liability insurance for commercial roofing is more epensive along with a larger bond is needed for any commercial roofing work which can make it not cost effective for a commercial roofer to complete residential roofing jobs.

Still an additional factor is the fact that commercial jobs can operate on tighter time frame for just about any quantity of reasons, requiring an industrial contractor to train on a larger crew or crews which again makes smaller jobs less profitable on their behalf.

 

Distinction between Commercial Roofing and Residential Roofing

Did you know that the rooftop of the building has a huge impact on the entire structure itself? Damage caused to roofs because of natural or other disasters causes a considerable loss of property everywhere. The type of materials used to construct the roof that ought to be sturdy and long-lasting, the manner where the roof has been installed and even its timely maintenance are very crucial. There are two types of roofs which are used on all the buildings that we see around us: commercial and residential. Although it may seem that commercial roofing is done only for businesses or offices and residential roofing is performed for apartments and houses, in reality the differences tend to be more complicated than that.

Residential roofing is usually completed just by one hired contractor but commercial roofing typically takes an entire team to accomplish the task. This is because a commercial roof tends to be larger when it comes to sq ft than the usual residential roof.
Commercial roofs need to be made carefully keeping the character and reason for your building in mind. For instance, when there is a cafe or restaurant within the building then external components like ventilation systems, smoke stacks and pipes will be required. Residential roofs usually do not have such components apart from a chimney or two at the most.
Commercial roofs is commonly flat in design to accommodate further changes in a later period, whereas most residential roofs have peaks and other architectural features like roof gardens.
Commercial roofing is a lot more expensive than residential roofing because of the special tools, materials and safety equipment that are needed onsite. Usually the patching or maintenance work is completed in segments unlike for any residential roof where the repair or replacement work could be completed in a short time. This is one more reason why the gear employed for residential roofs is often smaller and less costly as well.
Commercial roof installations take a extended period to complete compared to residential roof installations and therefore are usually constructed in large sections. During this phase however, it is important to ensure that there aren't any leakages, cracks or other visible deterioration signs as it can certainly cause considerable harm to the entire building.
You should install the right roof for any building based on its purpose. Make sure that you hire a construction company that utilizes top notch materials and has the right equipment for the job or neglect the may turn out to be a huge loss later.

 

Commercial Roofing Contractors: How to Find a Qualified Commercial Roofing Company

If a business is looking to have work done on its roof, it is important to use commercial roofing contractors that have a keen understanding of any special needs that a business might have. For example, a roofing job can often be disruptive for that operation of business as always. For this reason, it may be essential for the company to be temporarily turn off, or for the roofing to take place after business hours have ended. A roofing contractor that understands these needs can work plus a business to make sure that these types of issues are minimized.

First of all , a business must do when it's trying to find commercial roofing contractors is to find out who other businesses in the region are working through. Obviously, this information will 't be helpful if it may come as an indicator from competitors, but you will find circumstances in which it's not too hard to find this information from suppliers or retailers. Since roofing is not an industry-specific service, this post is readily available.

It's a good idea for just about any business to obtain touching at least three commercial roofing contractors to create bids about the price. In this manner, the company can often obtain a better price. It's also vital that you make sure that each one of the roofing contractors is licensed and bonded. These details are available by getting touching their state contractor's board. This makes it possible to determine whether there has been any claims filed from the company previously.

When looking at bids, it is only as vital to look at what services are being offered and which products is going to be used because it is to look at the total cost. The prices can vary quite drastically, but as tempting as possible to go for the cheapest bid, this isn't always your best option. Oftentimes, more costs now means fewer costs in the long run as a result of an undesirable roofing job. To further investigate the quality of the work, it's a good idea to check on with the Bbb to be able to see if the business has been accredited, and if it's not, to a minimum of see what its rating is.

 

Selecting a Commercial Roofer

When you're searching for a roofer for the commercial roofing project you have to find a contractor who understands the special needs of the commercial roofing project. For instance it can be harder to operate on a business during business hours so either the company has to be turn off for that repair or replacement or the job has to be done after conventional business hours. May be the roofer you are thinking about to do the job ready to operate around your schedule constrictions that might involve working weekends or evenings?

When you begin your research for any roofer not only do you have to answer those questions but you also want to find someone which will perform a high quality job without a lot of time delays. Going about finding someone can seem like an obstacle by itself but there are some ways to make the search easier.

Ask people around you for referrals and then try to find at least three contractors to provide you with written bids in your job. Before you go any further you need to make sure that the contractors you are thinking about are fully licensed and bonded. An easy search with the state contractor's board will verify if your roofer is licensed and when you will find any past judgments or claims against their license.

When you select 3 or 4 roofers to put bids, you need to get ready for that bids to become widely varied. Roofers may have brand preferences that will vary and may element in more or less compared to next guy for any labor estimate. The greater detailed an itemized bid may be the more helpful it will likely be to focus on in which the cost will be incurred. Don't, however, select a roofer based solely on the bid price. Any low ball bids might be tempting to take, but if they are low due to poor quality workman ship it might not be worthwhile in the end.

As they say, you generally get what you purchase, so if you can afford a mid-priced bid it certainly is smart to go up in your price range instead of down. You also should select your roofer based on how professional these were and just how comfortable you anticipate you will be working with them.

Finally your cost will vary depending on what type of roofing material you select as well as the cost to haul your old roof to the landfill. If you are looking for places to chop corners in your roof, instead of cutting labor set you back may want to ask about a metal roof option. Metal roofs could be cost effective and efficient making them overall money savers for that long run, and on commercial buildings they can be really low maintenance. Plus since they can be put on top of an existing roof, you don't need to possess the old one removed and hauled away, which can make a large impact on your cost.

Choosing a comerical roofing company in your local area, does not have to be a struggle. For more information, visit http://www.vancouverroofers.net