This might be old news, but for those who don't know, if your IE browser isn’t powerful enough for you and you think that you are an avid web surfer, then step up to Firefox.

Firefox is  a open source software that is managed by Mozilla Corp a non-profit company that makes millions of $$, and believe it or not they get their millions paid out though google searches. Anyway, Firefox according to Wikipedia has 14.85% of the market share. With its add-ons and tabs, spell checker, music player etc. it surpasses IE by far. The best thing about this browser is that it has web developer tools. I use this all the time. It’s also cross-platform and stable.

One thing though, often Firefox reads the codes a little different so some of your web pages may look a little misaligned.

You can get it here.

Mozilla.com

Whom ever heard of advertising at no cost? 

Well Hawaiiebiz is introducing a new web site for you to write full articles about your business at no cost. It's a great thing! I would do it now since they are still in beta stage. I's good for you and your business considering the amount of hits they receive.

hawaiiebiz.com/cms 

Before you commit to a design for you web site, consider which path you would like to take.

1. Design it to be found on most search engines, work on having it optimized for SEO (search engine optimization) relevance. Though when you do this you will be limiting your design to specifics.
   
2. Design your site so that looks flashy and appealing to the eye. Meaning, have little or no SEO.

Either way you site may be still indexed but the design may affect your site ranking. I found some nice sites that are ranked so far in that it may never be seen. Think about it, if you are ranked in the top 20 pages (each page is 10 + links) of any search engine, someone may visit your site. Though ask yourself, if you are 50 + pages in, realistically would you yourself browser that many pages? Probably not huh, well you and majority of the people think that way.

My suggestion:

If your target is to give your customers the URL and you really could care less of SEO than design your site as flashy as possible. Impress your customers and they may pass the word on.

If you want to be found on the web and ranked, study the concepts of SEO. One obvious observation, I find that most people don’t realize how large the web is and assume if they add general key phrases, they think their site might just appear in the index like magic. Unfortunately, general key phrases are indexed with 10 + million pages. Such as the term “Graphic Design,” if I were to list my site just under this key phrase I would be listed about 1 million in. Be specific about your listing, if you are regional, add your region. Simply search the web before choosing your key phrases.

There are so many ways to optimize a site, search the web on SEO and you will find a wealth of information.

A graphic designer's goal is to provide you with the logos, artwork and page designs that best fit your business, personality, industry, and target market and conveys your offerings and differentiators. The experience of reaching that goal can be extremely smooth and pleasant if you know what to expect upfront, and if you understand that you do need to work with your designer, as opposed to just letting them loose to create with little input.

1. Communicate, communicate, communicate! Clarity and understanding are key to a good working relationship. Keep in mind that most designers tend to be highly visual people, so communication may be ever so slightly difficult. Have patience, and use all of the other tips in this section to facilitate your communication.