September 2008 Archives

As I mentioned in my first post here, I come from a print background. Magazines, specifically. Now that I’m working on the Web, I’m learning more about what does and doesn’t work online.

Good grammar and punctuation? Catchy headlines? Simple sentences that are clear and to the point? Those things are important no matter where your work is published. My trouble lies more behind the scenes.

Writers often record their interviews so they can allow the conversation to flow without being bogged down by excessive note taking. It’s also great for going back to check quotes. I’ve been recording for a while, but it wasn’t until this week that I realized I have a habit of saying “mm-hmmm” and “uh-huh” as my subject speaks. I’ve always done this as a form of active listening and to let my interviewee know that I was following what they were saying. That, in itself, isn’t a bad thing. But it does become a problem in the internet realm.

Right now I’m working on a story that is going to have an audio slide show. Unlike many people I’ve interviewed in the past, this particular subject spoke in complete, coherent sentences that didn’t require a lot of additional context. Those are just the kinds of audio snippets that are perfect for an audio slide show. That is, if you haven’t mucked them up with a bunch of “mm-hmmms” and “uh-huhs”…

I appreciated the great discussion at the Google presentation this morning. It was a very helpful start. This is an open invitation to continue to submit thoughts, questions, concerns and criticisms (thoughtful and constructive, of course) about the Google enterprise search/analytics appliance.

I have asked Nathan Rader and Corey Bradford, our Google reps, to continue responding to questions you may have over the next few days and weeks. We want to make sure we address all the questions you have so jump in and participate!

The turnout at today’s Web Developer’s meeting was overwhelming. Make no mistake, I hold no delusions that the packed house showed up just to see my lovely face (and it is lovely). No, I know that the vast majority of them showed up for the Google Enterprise Search presentation given ably by Nathan Rader and Corey Bradford of Google.

So what did I take from the presentation? It’s pretty obvious that the Search appliance would be an enormous step up in terms of usability for our users; and that’s what it’s all about right? Being able to weight results, key in on specific results, point specifically to what resources (internally and externally) we want to index, etc. Not to mention the other opportunities that arise with analytics, maps and other Google apps in the future.

But even more so, I can tell from the influx of e-mails that this morning’s meeting is going to create a storm of discussion over whether this is a solution for us, and that is EXACTLY what the Web Developer’s Group is all about. Call it synergy, cooperation, collaboration or whatever, but it’s basically working together. If we all get involved here on campus there’s no end to what we can accomplish together. Working in a vacuum gets you nowhere and I can only hope that the meeting this morning is a harbinger of larger meetings in the future. So, thanks to all who made it out today. I expect to see you all out in a month!

It appears that the announcement of Google’s new Web browser, Chrome, was sent out bit early in comic book form. What got my attention, being a comic geek, was that the comic was drawn by none other than the awesome Scott McCloud, creator of Understanding Comics.

You can read the official word about it on Google’s blog. You can also read the comic and get a more detailed rundown at Google Blogoscoped. I recommend reading the comic. McCloud does such a good job at explaining complex concepts and breaks down everything into easily understood pieces.

At first glance, it appears to be open source using the Webkit rendering engine with a brand-spanking-new JavaScript engine called V8. There’s also the standard stuff other browsers have like plug-in support, tabs and phishing protection. The focus on the project seems to be on making the browser faster, more efficient with memory and more secure.

I know what everyone is thinking: “Great. Now we’ve got another browser to test in.” Don’t fret yet. Since it’s based on the Webkit rendering engine, your sites should look just fine. (You test in Safari, right?) If you have a Web application, it remains to be seen how it will handle existing JavaScript code. Chrome is in beta and currently only available for Windows, with Mac and Linux versions on the way, so you have some time to see how things sort out.