As a web developer who likes to study and focus on usability, readability, and overall user experience, it pains me to see what people insist on including on their websites. With web users now having the attention span of a goldfish, you have to be very careful, and very specific as to what you put up on your site.

Some people like the good old “let’s throw it all on the wall and see what sticks” approach, including their life stories, complete history, and in-depth essays on why you should choose them. That may have worked 10 years ago, but the times they are a changin’.

Here is my personal list of things that I don’t think belong on a website. Keep in mind that this is a general list, and there is sometimes a specific need for some of these things.

As a web developer, part of my job is to test each and every website in multiple browsers. With so many browsers out there, that task is becoming more and more difficult. I generally test in Firefox, Safari, Chrome, Opera, and the troublesome Microsoft Internet Explorer.

This is where it gets tricky. It seems that most people who use a browser other than IE tend to actually update their browser more than once every 5 years. This helps keep up with the momentum and progression of web technologies and techniques. This would be kind of like renting a Blue-Ray, slapping it into your VCR, and wondering why things aren’t working properly.

We are! Meg and Chris from kitestring will be at Supercrawl this Friday. We will be handing out big prizes. BIG prizes. Make sure you spot us in the crowd. We will be wearing our underpants so it won’t be that hard !

Check it out!

See you there!

Here at kitestring we have been very busy launching many a website. We are lucky to have the best web team imaginable working with us and for you. Below are a few sites we have sent out to cyberspace in the past few months. Please have a look! If you are looking to have a face on the net or you need a face-lift, shoot us a message!

Your business. It’s our passion.

MediaFace

Players Paradise Soccer

Training Innovation

Citizen Kid

Aecon Careers

The Home Staging Studio

kitestring will be launching a new site in the next few days. A fresh look with fresh photography by Marta Hewson Photography. Stayed tuned. I am so excited!

The Hamilton 24-hour film festival is the largest of it’s kind in Canada. Last weekend team kitestring produced a 5 min film titled “O CRAAP!” for the festival.

“O CRAAP!” stands for Canadian Rebels Against American Patriation

The requirements were to produce a short film entirely within a set 24-hour period using three elements randomly selected at a kick-off meeting. These elements were: a line of dialogue (SHOW ME THE MONEY), a prop (CANADIAN FLAG), and a location type (IN A CAR). A celebrity jury reviewed the completed films, and the top films were selected for showing at the festival screening.

We are so excited and happy to announce that Team kitestring came in the top 10 out of 36 entries and Jared Lenover (Kirk) won best actor at the ceremony!

Thank you to my whole team for a fun filled day of movie making. I had a blast and am very proud of the film we produced. CONGRATS!!! We are definitely looking forward to next years event! I also want to thank Martinus Geleynse for organizing the festival and for helping us all to realize how great a city we live in.

Watch the film below…

or click here to view it on youtube

You can see Jared in the production of “Down the Road” this weekend at Hamilton Theatre Inc. For more information on the show here

To hear more of the music in the film click here

Chris Farias – Hamilton Ontario – www.kitestring.ca
kitestring creesign – graphic design, marketing, illustration, web design, creative thinking, strategic markeative marketing + dting, total fun!

kitestring is proud to have developed the promo material and video for Black Box Fire’s latest production; Down The Road. Be sure to check it out!

Black Box Fire Website

Black Box Fire is proud to present:

“Down the Road” by Lee Blessing

The story centers on a convicted serial killer, and the husband and wife writing team hired to help him write an account of his crimes. The killer, Bill Reach, has admitted to the murder of 19 women, but there may have been more. Over many weeks of interviews, the couple, Dan and Iris Henniman, grow more and more uncertain of the ethics of what they are doing. Are they simply relating terrifying events, or are they helping readers consume rape, murder, and mutilation as if they are consuming any other product of our society? Are they, in fact, helping to turn Bill Reach into a celebrity?

Starring:

AJ Haygarth as William Reach

Alexa Holbrook as Iris Henniman

Jared Lenover as Dan Henniman

Directed by Matt Moore

Stage Managed by Monica Cairney

Set Designed by Chris Farias

Tickets: $15

Show times:

Friday, May 8th, 8pm

Saturday, May 9th, 2pm

Saturday, May 9th, 8pm

Thursday, May 14th, 8pm

Friday, May 15th, 8pm

Saturday, May 16th, 2pm

Saturday May 16th, 8pm

Reserve online before May 6th for a chance to win some killer door prizes!

Video and Promotion Material by kitestring.

Chris Farias – Hamilton Ontario – www.kitestring.ca
kitestring creesign – graphic design, marketing, illustration, web design, creative thinking, strategic markeative marketing + dting, total fun!