Poor information architecture causes the majority of outright user failures and isn’t improving at the rate of other Web usability issues, reports usability authority Jakob Nielsen.

To determine why, he identified 10 long-term sore thumbs that together cost websites billions of dollars each year.

Many of these information architecture blunders can be quickly and easily corrected, such as made-up menu names. Why use “What makes XZY company tick” when people are looking for an “About us” button?

As Nielsen suggests, websites should communicate plainly and simply. Otherwise you’re likely frustrating your visitors and missing opportunities.

Check out Nielsen’s full report.

Call it a marketing gimmick or a historical milestone, some say Web 2.0 will soon make room for Web 3.0.

There are rumblings that Web 3.0 may be able to search meta tags and labels to a much greater degree – thanks to the combination of ‘tagging’ that comes with the social media culture and advancing technology. The expected outcome: sites will spit exceptionally relevant results back at users.

A lot of discussions are based on what’s called Semantic Web. It’s believed computers will scan and interpret collections of information called ontologies using software agents. An ontology, by the way, is a file that defines the relationships amongst a group of terms. Smarter software, smarter computers!

Few would argue the surfacing technology will make the Web smarter, more efficient and profitable. For instance, businesses will gain piercing insights into customer behaviors, which could be used to serve them better (and reach deeper into their pocketbooks).

For business owners and consumers alike, Web 3.0 will likely make it easier to sort through and benefit from the colossal loads of information floating aimlessly around the Web. Perhaps there is a real Google killer not too far off in the horizon.

When will we be exploring (or exploiting) Web 3.0? TutZone’s “Bariski” predicts Web 3.0 will likely get rolling in 2010 and end by 2020. He noted: “It will be the most evolutionary development of that decade because now Web is not just technically orienting people, but it has major social contributions also.”

Bariski even peered into a crystal ball to provide some thought-provoking predictions.

In the business realm, it’s been said formal learning fulfills 20 per cent of learning needs, while informal learning handles the other 80 per cent. Well, in the past, informal learning was turning to ask your colleague a question. Today, the rise of Web 2.0 technologies and social media brings the means to expand informal learning to the company scale, suggests Forrester Research’s Claire Schooley.

“As an information and knowledge management pro, the time is right to harness informal learning approaches like targeted job-related content, internal YouTube-type video clips, and employee-generated wikis,” reports Schooley.

Forrester indicates some forward-looking companies, such as BT (formerly British Telecom), Intel, and Nike, are making informal learning part of their learning programs, and are reaping rewards.

For the average Joe, a close look at a PC reveals a frightingly complex string circuitry, wires and computer chips. But Chad Rushka of TSG Computer Services, says: “You need not be scared anymore.”

To help you overcome your fear of looking a little closer at your PC, and perhaps getting your hands a little dirty, Rushka offers the following advice and guidelines:

Your computer is running really slow and taking forever to start, or open programs.

Your first steps should be to take care of the obvious.
(The steps outlined below are for Windows XP)

Take a look at your system tray, which is located at the bottom-right hand corner of your screen with all the icons in it. The icons showing in the system tray represent all the third-party programs running in the background. These programs are using precious system resources that would otherwise be available for other applications.
Browse through these icons, and determine which programs are necessary and which ones are not.

Continue reading →

Soovle, a customizable engine that lets you tap into Google, Yahoo!, Wikipedia, Answers.com, Ask.com, YouTube, and Amazon with efficiency and ease, is entering the mainstream.

Despite common beliefs, the suggestion site doesn’t actually crawl the Web. When you start typing a search term, Soovle immediately offers suggestions for related terms. When you want to hook up with Soovle’s suggestions, just click on the result and the innovative site will take you there.

It makes for a neat search tool, and is packed with features. Surf Soovle now!

During a recent web writing class, I was surprised to learn several participants felt websites in general have only one main purpose: to sell products or services.

In the business realm, promoting products and services is common. However, there are many other types of websites, including:

• Personal or biographic websites, a.k.a. blogs
• News websites, which can complement newspapers
• Informational websites, designed to share information on specific topics or hobbies
• Instructional websites, ready to educate you, often cost-effectively and around the clock
• Community websites, or social websites, Web 2.0 sites…call them what you will
• And entertainment websites, made to distract or amuse you

If you’re looking to launch a new website, be sure to answer a few key questions before you employ a web designer, web writer or any one else. It’ll save you much money and time, and help you succeed.

Typesett offers readers a simple, clever feature that compares websites of rival companies.

When you review the website comparisons, notice the ones that have more impact and promote better usability are amazingly clean. The web designers, developers and copywriters made the effort and took the time to define and effectively convey key messages. They strived for a simple website, and they succeeded.

It brings to mind the words of French aviator and writer Antoine de Saint Exupery: “A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”

Kudos to Apple and Gibson in particular. They made every word and image count. Adidas, Fender and Microsoft should take note.

See Comparing websites of rival companies.

With Internet-connected television heating up, Yahoo!, Intel, and Samsung are taking a page from Apple’s design book as they aim to bring Internet to a television near you.

A key element entails widgets; small software applications that offer tailored, pared-down versions of sites found online. Using the regular TV remote and clicking at a normal-looking TV, you can access the Web via a wireless or broadband connection.

Just four widgets are currently available: Yahoo’s news; weather; finance; and Flickr photo-sharing. Future partners include MySpace, Netflix, Amazon.com, Joost and Twitter.

While the initial TV sets are expensive — $1,800 and up for Samsung’s versions — prices are expected to fall sharply, and more firms (including cable companies and pay-TV operators) may soon jump in.

Read: Business Week’s Can Widgets Save the Television Industry?

Too often, businesses don’t get the website they require. Webcopyplus recently spoke to Tamara Brooks of Vancouver’s Syntric Design about how to get the most from your web designer and attain a website that will serve you well.

WCP: What are the first steps to creating a well-managed web design project?
TB: Creativity is subjective but the process should not be. A professional web design firm will desire a strong briefing document, and this is the groundwork of any successful project. In addition, be sure that you have the decision maker at your company interacting with the account representative at the design firm.

WCP: Can you elaborate on creative briefs?
TB: It’s a complex structure, a briefing document clearly articulates your company’s design needs. The process for developing this understanding precedes the web design stage and is one of the most important factors in the outcome of a website. It establishes a mutual understanding of the scope of the work, the project objectives and specific deliverables. It defines the tasks to be completed based on the agreed on estimate or proposal. If the website is complex and includes a large budget, this design brief should be agreed on and signed by both the design firm and the client, and should also be reviewed at a meeting with all stakeholders prior to project commencement.

Continue reading →

The BBC reports Google sees voice search as a major opportunity to generate presence on the mobile web.

Vic Gundotra, Google’s Vice-President of Engineering, made the comments during a wide-ranging discussion at a recent Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco.

“We believe voice search is a new form of search and that it is core to our business,” he stated.

Read Google sees voice search as core.