Aaron West
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Aaron West, 28, is the Content Manager for iBoost.com.
He was largely behind the site's creation, content and direction. He works on
several other properties, including Web
Design Forums, Subportal, The
Free Site and many more.
Aaron was the co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of W3Nation, which
was acquired by iBoost Technology in July 2000. Before that Aaron owned a Web
design company for just under 2 years, and has worked as a web designer for many
companies, including a stint as Web Design Manager for Nexchange.
Aaron's geekdom began when he was an adolescent. As a small child,
he got his first computer, an Apple IIe, and began programming text based programs
(usually games). As he and the computer industry matured, Aaron picked up new
skills. Aaron ran a small Bulletin Board for many years during the early nineties,
and was exposed to the Internet for the first time. After his Bulletin Board started
losing traffic to the Internet, Aaron shut the baby down and went Internet full
time. The rest is history.
Aaron is fluent with HTML, CSS, Javascript and DHTML, as well
as many graphics applications. Aaron's platform of choice is Windows, although
he hates Bill Gates, likes Macs, and thinks Linux is pretty nifty. Aaron also
has extensive experience in Database Creation, Networking (MS Certified), Graphic
Design, plus many other computer related skills.
Send a note to Aaron
The Lowdown On
Banner Ad Slowdown
Tired of the banners on your site loading too slowly? While some aspects of banner
load time are probably outside your control, there are some things you can do
to make sure your pages load as quickly as possible.
Review:
Macromedia Dreamweaver 4
Dreamweaver 3 was the best; Dreamweaver 4 is better. Aaron gives you a sneek peek
at the highly anticipated update of Macromedia's popular Web authoring software.
Review:
Macromedia Fireworks 4
With the new Dreamweaver by its side, this latest Fireworks incarnation is half
of the most powerful design suite available today. Check out all of its newest
features.
Submitting
to Directories
The do's and don'ts on submitting your site to the major directories. We talk
about what the editors look for, give you tips on higher ranking, and take a deeper
look at the two most important directories, Yahoo and Dmoz.
Self Serve
Advertising, By Google
Google has unveiled a new advertising program called Adwords. Is it right for
your business?
Generating
Link Popularity
Just getting listed with search engines isn't enough anymore. You need to be conscious
of your link popularity to ensure that you're displayed as high in the search
results as possible.
Contextual
Merchandising
Contextual marketing is one of the newest buzzwords floating around affiliate
circles. Knowing what it is could provide a steady supplement to your site's income.
Netscape Unveils
a New Look
The Netscape 6 preview release came out this week amid a sea of questions. The
most important one being whether or not this new Netscape will be able to keep
up with Internet Explorer. Aaron reviews.
Got Google?
Getting listed in Google just might be the single most important thing you can
do to promote your site on search engines. Aaron explains how Google works, and
how you can make it work for you.
The Price of
Design
What's a reasonable rate to charge for your Web design services? Don't know? Aaron
helps you figure out what you're worth.
Go Guides,
Go Home
We take a detailed look at the Go Network's new directory project. The project
is destined to be a success, yet fails miserably. Find out all about the project
as well as how to get listed.
A New Search
Engine Aspires to Index the Entire Web
A new, ambitious search engine, Fast Search looks to index over 1 billion pages.
Thus far no search engine has more than 16% of the web indexed.
Will
Banner Blocking Software Kill Internet Marketing?
What many web users seem to forget is, that without the banner ads there would
be no content and there would be no site.
New Pay
Engines: Are They Worth It?
Two new kids on the block are trying to follow in the footsteps of the ever successful
Goto. We look at both in great detail to find out how they compare and decide
whether they are worth the small investment. Part 1
The Art of Information Architecture
Planning and architecting a site can be one of the most daunting tasks a designer
can face, yet the results are usually a better site and a smoother project. Find
out how you can easily architect your site by following a few simple steps.
The 10 Essentials
to Building a Solid Web Site
A ten step plan to take your site from foundation to finish. The sky's the limit.
The Perils of
Layers
Aaron talks about what to avoid when using layers as a design tool, as well as
alternatives and testing methods.
Personalize
Your Design
In this column Aaron talks about how the designer's style is essential to any
project, and shouldn't be left out for any reason, regardless of what the client
wants.
The Prerequisites
of Design
You want to be a designer but have no clue where to begin. Does this sound familiar?
If so, you should probably read Aaron's column. You'll find out what you need
to know and where you can learn it.
Create a Usable
Flash Site
Flash hasn't quite won over the Usability Critics. Many claim that all Flash sites
are unusable, regardless of the designer. Aaron thinks the problem isn't the software,
but many of the designers. He shares some tips to create usable Flash.
Be Prepared
for Disaster
Aaron West discusses how banner blocking software is killing the almost-dead banner.
It's time to start moving in a new direction.
Test, test,
test
Something will inevitably go wrong with a web site. We can't control that. We
can, however, be prepared for how bad it is.
The Page
View
Hints, habits and how-to-do-it. A spider's stratagem for web design.
Personal Toolboxes
Learn from several contributors about their personal toolboxes, software and platform
preferences for their specific role.
The 10 Essentials
to Building a Solid Web Site
A ten step plan to take your site from foundation to finish. The sky's the limit.
From Comp to Completion
Designers have used comps for years to test out choices. Here is a process to
effectively phase comps from concept to final design.
Finding and Registering a
Domain Name
The domain name is where it all begins. In this column we explain the domain name
concept and walk you through registering your own name.
Cheap Domains
Domains are getting cheaper and cheaper now that InterNIC isn't the only game
in town. We show you a few places to save a few bucks.
Web Graphics
for Beginners
Learn the concepts and terminology behind web graphics. You'll learn about the
pixel, resolution, raster, vector, as well as an in-depth look inside the GIF
and JPEG.
Adobe Photoshop for the
Web
Learn how to use Adobe Photoshop to create web graphics. Learn how to work with
images and make 'cool' effects."
Basic HTML Tutorial
Learn the basics of HTML, from HTML concepts to linking documents together in
this tutorial for the beginner.
Intermediate HTML
Tutorial
Learn even more HTML, imagemaps, forms, frames, tables and more in this tutorial.
Dreamweaver Tutorial
Get the most out of this respected WYSIWYG editor. You'll learn everything from
the interface to creating Javascript behaviors and DHTML animations.
Tutorial: Adobe Photoshop
for the Web
Learn how to use Adobe Photoshop to create web graphics. Learn how to work with
images and make 'cool' effects."
