A three-way mirror for websites

We all know what it's like to go shopping for a new pair of jeans, find a pair that looks great when we stand straight on in front of the mirror, but when we crane our necks around to take a look at the back, we realize there is no way in the world we would ever want to go out in public with our butt looking like that. If you haven't looked at your website from multiple angles, you might be surprised at the view others are seeing...and you might not want your website going out in public, either.

One of the big challenges in web design is creating a layout that displays the same way in different browsers and on different platforms. You work and work and tweak and adjust, and get your layout looking juuuuuust right...and then you see the results of all your hard labor in a different browser, and holy horrors, it looks awful!

So, just like the three-way mirror in the dressing room, I'd like to share a nifty little tool to help you to get a look at your site from multiple angles. The browser list isn't comprehensive, but it includes the main platforms and most common browsers, allows several refinements, and best of all, it's free!

Is the real cost of fraud registering with merchants?

As ecommerce grows as an industry, it becomes more and more imperative that online merchants understand and protect themselves from online fraud. There's plenty of focus in the media about risks to consumers as far as giving up their credit card information online is concerned. But few publications concern themselves with the losses experienced by merchants who take their sales to the Internet.

If you accept payment online or are considering accepting online payments, take the time to educate yourself about the risks.

This month, merchant911.com, an organization dedicated to educating online merchants about the risks of fraud, published their 2007 eCommerce Chargeback Report If you are an online merchant, take a minute to read the report. You'll be glad you did.

Have you backed up your web site lately?

Well, as much fun as my vacation was, my return from vacation has not been so grand. A broken hinge on my laptop prompted me to try to move my files to a new computer, and the move has not exactly gone smoothly. Which brings me to the subject of today's post...

Although I'm having trouble getting some of my software to function properly on the new machine, I am comforted by the knowledge that I have a full backup of all of my files, and more importantly, my clients' files. While my current problems are a bit frustrating, once I get things up and running, I'll be safely on my way because all of my data is safe and sound, including the files for my own web site.

So how long has it been since you backed up your web site? I know what you may be thinking..."I don't need to back up my site, because my host does it for me." But let me ask you this...what if your host goes out of business and takes your web site files with them? Or what if your host's most recent backup is from a week ago, during which time you've made major changes to your site, and they want to charge you $50 to restore the site after a disaster? (Both true stories, I'm sorry to say.)

You need to protect your web site data the same way you protect your other important documents. Doing a backup isn't hard, and for most web sites, it isn't even particularly time consuming. And when something goes wrong, having a recent copy of all of your web data will more than make up for the minor inconvenience involved in creating regular backups.

I love my work but...

...everyone needs a vacation now and then. I'm off for a week of fun in the sun, and (gasp!) I'm leaving my trusty laptop at home.

I almost can't believe I'm going to spend a whole week doing nothing, with no computer attached to my hip. I will be checking email from time to time; after all, you can't take a girl completely away from her connection to the wide wide world, but otherwise, I intend for this to be a real, true, honest-to-goodness getaway from the everyday.

Nothing but good food, good wine, friends and family, now that's what a vacation is all about!

P.S. Don't do anything interesting while I'm gone -- I'd hate to miss out!