Comparison Between Drupal and Wordpress

WordPress vs Drupal

In case you have decided to create a website/blog and you are wondering which content management system (CMS) is the best choice for you, between Drupal and Wordpress,this blog's gonna help :

Open Source and Free:

WordPress and Drupal are both open-source softwares, each developed and maintained by an online community of thousands of users across the globe.

Easily Modifiable:

Both these CMSes are free to use and download, their open-source format generally implies that designers and developers, located worldwide, are consistently updating them. All of their basic modules can be enhanced multiple times, by installing the various plugins being continuously created/upadated by various Drupal and Wordpress communities, worldwide.

SEO Perspective:

Wordpress is a great website coding platform to use. It actually tremendously simplifies the process of site coding, designing and SEO optimization for its fellow users. The power of Search Engine optimization can be tapped by using various plugins, which makes advanced SEO very easy in Wordpress. Try using Yoast SEO plugin or All-in-One pack, which makes the optimization like a piece of cake.

Drupal has the best SEO capabable modules/plugins that are readily available. It endows its users with several modules, covering all kinds of SEO processes and provides the tools for analyzing website statistics (So next time, you don't need to use Google Analytics for these observations). It can automatically produce meta tags (description, keywords and title). It can create title based URLs for a website, a feature completely missing in Wordpress. It also supports RDF functionality and integrates brilliantly with Google Analytics, whereas in Wordpress, Analytics integration is a bit difficult.

However, there is a singular hurdle standing between tapping all its mighty features – Drupal is a big problem for those who lack proper web design or development experience. A novice in the knowledge of website structure, can't use it effectively. A spin-off point of this thing is covered in the next heading.

Cost of Development:

Cost of development is a very important business decision for an organization/company. Drupal developers are a bit pricey as compared to the word-press ones, because Drupal developers have to learn and struggle a lot (the learning curve is steep) as compared to the Wordpress developers.

Another difference is the cost of various themes/plugins available for Drupal. Drupal themes are actually very attractive and rich in texture, and plugins are also much powerful, effective and resourceful; as compared to the Wordpress. But they are also much expensive as compared to various wordpress themes/plugins, freely available online.
If your website rises to gather thousands of traffic in a day or becomes a heavy site with hundreds of pages, Wordpress will eat up a lot of your server resources. This is not the case with Drupal CMS.

Conclusion: It depends solely on the organizational/company requirements to choose the desired CMS platform. Choose Drupal if you need a resource intensive, powerful and long-term effective medium, whereas Wordpress is ideal for startups and SMEs with less demanding online requirements.

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Ten Useful Tips from Experienced Web Designer Veteran

Web designing is becoming essential these days. Web designers need to remain updated and upbeat. Listed are 10 useful tips from experienced web designers all around. Read them on and improve your skill without ceasing. Here it goes.

1.      Simplicity is the way- Craig Leontowicz

“Simplicity is my tip for web all designers.

Being able to blend site goals, such as sale conversions, lead generation or new email subscribers with clean simple design the epitome of good design. I always want to put the user’s needs first with easy to read content or straight to the point navigation. Hopefully quickly and easily answer their query without overburdening the visual aesthetic of the site or bombarding them with irrelevant info.

Always be improving, evolving and changing the site in search of the elusive 'perfect design'.”

2.      Perseverance is the key- David Walsh

“Continue to push your abilities by learning new skills and not shying away from challenges. Also never forget that becoming a great designer or developer means learning skills and experimenting on your personal time. Lastly, if you don't have a blog, you're missing the best chance to showcase your skills. Blogging has changed my life and can change yours as well!”

3.      User experience should be focus- Joshua Miles

“As brands continue to place more of their energy on website design, many are focusing heavily in UX. I think that’s great, but don’t forget that UX goes far beyond your website. “User Experience” should be considered in everything you do. If you’re designing a new website in 2015, the best piece of advice I can give you is to make sure that it reflects your brand identity across the board. Take stock of every customer touch point that your brand has and make sure that you’re reflecting that experience in your website design. If you’re leading-edge and innovative, build a site that reflects that. If you’re detail-oriented, make sure you don’t cut any corners. Anyone can build a good-looking website, but building a website that truly embodies your brand will help keep your business booming well into the future.”

4.      Experiments should be done- Jacob Cass

“Experiment - Try different tools, learn a different program and challenge your old ways. We often get stuck in our own comfortable routines, but there are so many ways of doing things. You should make a conscience effort to try something new. You never know what you may learn!”

5.      WordPress is good- Roger Sievers

“2015 with it brings an opportunity to capitalize on some growing trends. Not only the explosion of WordPress continues, but the specialization of themes. There are a lot of options for web designers who work with WordPress to build Online Education Websites, eCommerce websites, booking and event management sites as well. I'd encourage every designer to look for ways to leverage WordPress beyond the basic blogging site.”

6.      Deciding the order beforehand- Preston Lee

“One of the biggest pieces of advice I give to web designers, and I think it applies here, is to really think about the order in which you design a site.

For example, I never design the home page first. I design a site in the most likely order that a user is going to experience it. If they're going to land on a blog post first, I design that page as if it were the home page. If a user is most likely to land on a sales page through an ad, I design it as if it were the single most important page they'll see–because it is.

It's a user-focused approach that has served me extremely well over the last few years.”

7.      Clear Goal and actions- Nate Williams

“Tips:

·         Know exactly what you are trying to accomplish with your web site;

·         Know what your audience wants from your web site (user centric design);

·         Establish a long term communication channels with them via newsletter, social network link;

·         Measure your efforts/web-design-tips though Google Analytics;

·         Keep it simple.”

8.      Trends need your Imagination- Mirko Humbert

“My advice would be to not follow trends blindly. Trends are not good or bad, they are trendy and often overused. Do your own thinking and judge for yourself, do you really need these flat icons, or some other will blend in better with the global design of your website?”

9.      Zach Adams

“I would say to learn how to code SASS the right way. After coding vanilla CSS for a while and changing to SASS you take for granted how easy it is to nest selectors like no tomorrow, however this leads to just plain bad CSS. I would recommend thesassway.com to learn how to correctly use this awesome language.”

10.  Be clear and communicate well- Adam Ladd

“Designing for the web and digital experiences is continually changing with new trends and technologies coming into play, but making sure you understand the basics of good communication in design is key. This is not an art project, you’re still trying to communicate to an audience/user to help them understand what to do and how to best interact with your site for a good user experience. Simplicity is really important, while striking the balance of leveraging brand, personality, animations, and other elements to enhance the enjoyment of that experience.”

These are the 10 tips that which every web designer must read and apply in their work. 

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Skills that You Must Learn Before Entering Web Design Industry

Web designing has become of the major industries today. All it requires is the new talent and exemplary creativity. Many of you must be aspiring to work as a web designer. You must be seeing your career taking heights in this field. The field must seem as enticing and attractive, but it needs skills. Skills that you need to learn to put your best feet forward. These includes some software’s and one’s creative imagination. These are some of the most common requisites that we all knew, are required. But is there is anything else that you need to learn before entering web designing industry? You will get to know that, once you have read the entire blog. Scroll down and learn, what skills you must learn before entering web design industry.

1.      Creative Vision: 

   

Having creative vision is the first and one of the most important requisite of designing. Be it web designing or any other designing, it requires one’s creativity to stand out different from the crowd. So if you have a creative vision, you will not find much difficulty in designing websites.

2.      Designing Software’s: 

    

   After creativity comes the software’s. Since the platform that you would be working is digital, you need to know the software. This list of software includes Photoshop, Indesign, Illustrator, Coral Draw and alike. Without these, website designing is not possible.

3.      Typography: 

     

    In the new era, the definition of creativity is taking a different turn. Nowadays UX and UI designing is appreciated. This includes typography. Big typographies are in, you must include it in your designing.

4.      Color Theory: 

    

   Now another skill that you must have is absolute knowledge of colors. Color theory plays a vital role in web designing. You must have complete knowledge of it so that you can come up with best color combinations. 

5.      Basic HTML/CSS: 

    

   Having basic knowledge of HTML and CSS is essential. These help in changing the designation of images and other elements of the website. Knowing this is added advantage and important as well.

6.      Multimedia Software’s: 

   

     In the age, when everything is digital, new and different ways are used to engage users in the website. Amongst these many things, is the multimedia. Multimedia includes a lot in it. Engage your users with audios and videos and lot more. For this, you need to learn multimedia software like acrobat and alike.

7.      Photography: 

  

   If you have your qualification in arts, then you must have learned photography. Photography is important for the web and graphic designing. This will let you have a different and unique vision of things.

8.      Layout Creativity:

   When designing a website, it is important to place everything at the right place. Else a good and beautiful website may come out as a blunder. So layout creativity is important. Optimize the space to its most and make good designs. 

9.      Enticing Designing: 

    

    The designs that you make has to be creative. This I have discussed earlier. But at the same time, you designs should be enticing and attractive. When a user comes to your website, he should be left with amazement.

10.  Print Design: 

   

    As much as digitalization has grown, print still has its credibility. So for this reason, a designer must have the knowledge of color space, color separation, printing process, master pages and grid layout. Trust me this will work as the added advantage for your work.

These are some of the skills that you must learn before entering the web designing industry. Without this, you entering in the industry is not worthwhile. Do learn these before you plan to make websites. 

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Software Development Contract: Points to Remind

 “Software Development is a technical activity conducted by human beings.”- Niklaus Wirth

The software development is proximately associated with this digitized ambiance. Directly or indirectly, every single aspect is software. The software is the web application which is live or a dynamic web application. Today, if you have the business, then having the website has become the mandatory element. If you have the business, then to make it extended, a website is necessary.

With the profuse development application, a myriad of companies is delivering the software development services. Where there is good, there is evil also. Thereby, some imperative points are to be noted while making the software development contract.

As a technology victim, we have our business of books, like Novels, Dialogue Series, Auto-biographies, Biographies, Literatures, etc. of prominent authors. Sounds scholarly! These are the most ravishing components worth to experience. So, we have contacted to the software developer company to make our website. Before making the deal with him, I have browsed through the internet and discovered some important and relevant points which are to be considered while discussing and signing the deal.

Important Points

·         Specification:

This is the very first step, I have discovered. It embraces the discussion regarding the business requirements that you want the software to meet. The best and the relevant part is that the software development agreement should distinctly identify the technical specification that the software development is to achieve. As a client, I must say that this will assist you later on in understanding the objective and reducing the potential areas for dispute. It helped me a lot.

·         Project Plan:

This project schema includes the realistic timescales and deadlines for the software development project. I have asked the software developer about the entire plan regarding my project. What will be the layout? What about the project model and the course of action? It’s our project and we have the full right to ask about the process before signing the legal software development contract.

·         Pricing and Payment:

It should be previously set up. This step includes the time, the price, the resources or the mélange of all these. It varies from project to project. As my project is associated with the books, therefore, the materials and the sources differ from the common project. But, I considered this point importantly.

·         Transfer of Copyright Ownership:

This is often one of the sharpest issues between the developer and the client and can easily lead to becoming the deal-breaker. In my case, it would become the biggest issue but, I have already discussed this with the developer at the time of the agreement. It is to be advised to you also that in order to own a copyright, you must have an agreement transferring ownership from the developer to you.

·         Software Installation and Integration and Support Services:

At my time, my developer has installed, configured and integrated my software with other software systems. Yeah, dilemma happens here. Either the client will take the initiation or the developer. Just make it clear and agreed at the time of contract.

The software development agreement also includes the support provisions. It ranges from the very simple to the very detailed. I have asked some of the queries to my developer. Let me tell you.

1.      The medium of support assistance- via email or telephone or an individual?

2.      What type of problems will be covered under the support services?

3.      What if any limits will be placed upon the provision of support services?

4.      In what circumstances will support services be chargeable?

These points helped me a lot during the discussion with the software developer. Share your own views and queries so that more people will get assistance from this writing. Thanks! 

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Why E-Commerce is Important for Any Business

Amazing things will happen when you listen to the consumer.”- Jonathan Mildenhall

Very obviously, it’s the consumer era, solely consumer era. What the consumer wants, just provide them and be in the gold mine! E-commerce is the grand illustration of today’s cut-throat ambience. 

All Things Internet!!!

Amazon, e-Bay, Snapdeal, Flipkart, Shopclues, etc. are the prominent e-commerce websites that are ruling over the entire landscape. See, your website is your showroom, where the customers can research your product and see all the reasons it is right for them. Then, what??? Bingo!!! It is great! It is fruitful for your website too. 

E-commerce or the electronic commerce simply means business trading through the internet medium. Nevertheless, it has been around the turf since the mid 90s, but, in the recent years, e-commerce is getting more and more concern from the entrepreneurs and the consumers, at the both local or international niche. 

Moreover, the traditional commerce… From the business point of view, e-commerce is much more cost effective compared to the traditional commerce method. It significantly saves the cost of the middle person to sell their products and diverted to another aspect of their business.

E-commerce actually proves lucrative in the essence of the present time. As we go in depth, let’s pay heed to the stature of the e-commerce at the grand niche.

Role of e-commerce in the business

·         Convenient and Competent:

Whether at the midnight or any outdoor location, you can order or shop from any place in the most accessible manner. This is the power of the internet and it is also a prerequisite element in the current ambience. Moreover, the word “competent” suits it, as it proves the best for the efficient business transactions. 

Overall, the e-commerce is the perfect solution for the business in the current environment.

·         Diverse alternatives to choose from:

The internet is the cosmos from which anyone can acquire anything at any time. Discover a myriad of the options on the internet and pick one of your choice. It is a good comparison, if we consider the online and the physical shops. In the eCommerce, you have a lot of alternatives in front of your eyes to choose from. Whereas, the brick and mortar shops have less. 

This is the rationale, why e-commerce websites are emerging more and more along with the e-commerce development services. And, yes, more and more individuals are forwarding towards it.

·         Hassle-free shopping, sitting at a place:

Sitting on your sofa, you can easily reach to the website or the product, where you want to. E-commerce or the electronic commerce is the medium to connect yourself with the online world. Look, what does it all mean? It means that more and more people are indulging into this business, including e-commerce website development and promotion. Development and advertising are the two interrelated aspects that are conjoint.

·         Most interactive, user-friendly website:

The website is the first thing that the user looks. Actually, it’s not incorrect to say that the website has become the necessitate component of the today’s world. Whichever is the website, either it is the shopping website or the online exam portal, or the social media or any other, the individuals are the substantial part of it.  

More the website is the user friendly and easy to navigate, the more number of the users visit the website and stick it for long.

·         Taps into the social media network:

The social media is the widest and eminent channel today. Wherever you go, it is with you. Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. are the grand illustrations of the social media network. And, 70% of the populace is indulged into the social media presence. So, to procure the maximum leads, it is very essential to involve in the social media network. Though, it is the facile approach, but it will be going to grab more and more likes and comments and ultimately the maximum traffic.

Conclusion

E-commerce market will going to thrive more and more in the near future. Invest in this and undeniably, you will be benefited.

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A Process to Design a Website

Oh, you are going to design a website. This is as a journey of generating new ideas, failure and success in short it will be a complete adventure. To create a website in a simple way then you should make a systematic strategy. There are the 5 steps suggested by experts- 

1.      Research

2.      Plan

3.      Design

4.      Develop

5.   Launch

Step-1: Research

Discover 6 basic questions about the project which are what, why, when, where, who and how. In addition, list all the objectives. 

·         Set Goals- Now this is the time to set the goals and time limit. Determine the time limit of different goals on site and of site, so that later you would be able to judge the status of the project.

·         Competitive Analysis- You can take inspiration from similar websites, which are available in your previous projects list, or from the websites, which are available on the internet. You can also find the case studies or white papers of such types of websites would be best. 

·         Select The Target Users- Now you should select the target audience and research about the user interest. This is the most important thing that any client would like to see in his website. 

·          List The Resources- Collect all the resources or the things you will need in this project. You should make sure that you have all the things, which need to design the website.

·         Consider Other’s Views- Listen to your team, colleagues, or juniors. Give value to everyone’s opinion. Then take the decision to pursue anything.

Step-2: Plan

·         Decide The Responsibilities- Decide the work and responsibilities of individuals. Therefore, everyone should understand his responsibility.

·          Make The Structure: This crucial thing should be considered before making any website. List all the pages that are to be included in the website. Then make a basic structure of the homepage.

http://www.netmds.com

This is only an example you can make a visual representation according to your viewpoint. Therefore, that whole the team would understand the how the website would look like.

Step-3: Design

·         Brainstorm the Ideas: Visualize the designs in your mind and now create a rough idea on a page or you can make graphic designs.

·         Follow the Principles: Keep all the principles in your mind. These basic principles are-

-Stay focused in your work

-Remember the basic things

-Keep the identity of the brand

-Do not try to stretch the brand

-Refresh the brand

·         Obtain Feedback: In this step pull all the stakeholders back in and find all the defects and correct them. Now revise all the things and make sure that everything is going according to plan.

Step-4: Develop

·         Code HTML and CSS Markup: In the process of developing first of all develop a core shell. You must follow the basic web standards and semantics. In addition, for the simplicity in future keep your code in order.

·         Develop application: After making code you can start making applications. One of the most complicated things in a web design is making application. Therefore, for this you should plane ahead and stay agile.

·         Add Third Party Integration: Add a third party applications and scripts like Google Maps, Chat box, Google analytics, plug-in etc. This will enhance features of the website. 

·         Responsive Design:  Keep the website design accessible for all the screens like mobile, desktop, iPod etc. This is a required thing in a website now a days, because every wants that his products will be reached to more and more users. 

·         Trends- Also, keep all the trends in mind like big images, background video, responsive design etc. 

·         Test and Validate-Test your code in different types of browsers and devices to assure that the website 
 is browser compatible and responsive. If there is any error, then correct it first and move ahead. 

·         Hosting and Launch- This is the final step of website from back end. In this step, you should follow all the technical guidelines before hosting the website, proper configuration and check all the issues. 

Step-5: Launch

Now the day comes to celebrate at this time your website going to live. In this step, there are many crucial things, which are ignored by most of the website developers.

·         Provide training: Train the website manager and answer all the questions. Tell him every point and feature of website. In addition, do not forget to give him a future reference. 

·         Maintain the Website: Keep the content up to date. Make sure that the user is able to access every piece of content in the website. 

·         Start Promotion: Now time comes to make the website popular. This needs a proper marketing strategy including both aspects internet marketing and offline marketing.

·         Measure Progress: In this step continuously watch the analytic and try track the user experience on the website. In addition, try your best to improve the Improve the performance of website.

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