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ISSUE NO 41 AFRICA'S
DIGERATI |
TONY MECHIN
Zimbabwe’s Tony Mechin
has been publishing software out of Africa since the Apple
II was launched. When he started in the computer industry, IBM
was God, the Universe, the Oil companies, the Tobacco industry,
with strong touch of the CIA thrown in. Now, its a footnote
in history.
One day, he’ll say the
same about webmasters, Microsoft and Robert Mugabe. But
he’ll respect webmasters.
His 10 rules for building a
web site.
Rule 1: There are only three
reasons to build a web site;
a) make money, the hardest to do b) information distribution,
the usual reason c) for ego, a webmasters’ nightmare
from hell.
Rule 2: Keep your data in
the United States
Give them the burden
of bandwidth. Anyone who short changes themselves on web
server facilities just doesn’t understand or respect the
medium. Or my work.
Rule 3: Minimalism in everything.
Good design reduces bandwidth needs. If you can design your site
in HTML 2.00, then do it.
Rule 4: More is better.
You don’t really know what your clients wants, so put up
anything you can think of and everything you can afford.
Rule 5: Interactivity never
gets any better than the mailto link.
Forms, Flash and graphics get in the way. More and more, its
a simple email message that brings in the business.
Rule 6: If something is
worth doing, it is worth doing again, properly.
You’re going to have to change it anyway, so "get it
up today" - the webmasters mantra.
Rule 7: Anybody who mentions
the word hit, deserves to be.
There is only one statistic worth watching each day: Total Page
Impressions.
Rule 8: Microsoft have won
the Browser wars.
Now we have a standard, albeit from Satan, webmasters cannot
allow the playing field to disintegrate again.
Rule 9: Cookies work and
frames suck.
Sorry, but that’s how it is.
Rule 10: The Internet treats
ego as censorship and goes around it.
See Rule 1.
You can see his latest set
of commentaries at
http://www.brewers.co.za/ArchiveRl.asp?Recordset121_
Action=Filter%28%22%28Story+LIKE+%27%25copyright+tony+mechin
%25%27%29%22%29&Recordset121_Position=PA R:
News Update is
a free e-letter produced by Balancing Act that covers African
internet content and infrastructure developments, It goes out
to government, the private sector, education and NGOs. To subscribe,
send a message saying "I want to subscribe" to info@balancingact-africa.com
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