Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation and a option to help protect one's business

So, along with it being Canada's 147th Birthday this July 1st, today also marks the activation of protocol and legislation that have been designed to help protect the Canadian Public from Electronically Delivered Commercial Messages (or as the legislation calls them ECM's, but to the average lay-person in short SPAM)

This new set of protocols actually places some hefty fines on the sending of email that can be considered Commercial in nature, but has been designed with aspects which are meant to keep regular email between family and friends out of hairs of being a problem.

With charges for violations ranging from $1 Million to $10 Million per violation (depending on how your business is set up) the onus has been put on the person sending the communication to prove that they have either explicit or implied consent to email the other party.

This actually brings up a rather interesting question of how does one make sure they have this consent in a way that can be proven should it ever come down to it? Online this is fairly easy as a small business can actually have their clients opt-in to a database structured system which will date the details of when and where authorization for a specific email address is given.

With face to face contact however this becomes a bit tougher to validate, as a contact can give you their business card, and later state that they did not give consent for ECM's, leaving it to the sender to prove otherwise.

So how does a small business protect themselves in this aspect? sure, if the request comes in via your Website and a Newsletter subscription system details like the Email Address, Time, Date and even a computer's Internet Address (their IP) can all be cataloged, but in person that is not quite as easy...not through Technology that is.

The answer for inertial Zen Designs is employing for this situation is that the standing policy for "First Contact" in person will be to carry a small day planner, specifically designed to allow for business cards and notes to be placed on the same planner page, with Me. 

Each page in this day planner will look like the image below and at the time of accepting a potential Business contact's card it will mean asking them to sign their name and approval of consent to the page that also will house their Professional Business card.  Yes this is an inconvenience that will lead to first contact taking a bit longer to complete, but it is something that I think is a rather forward thinking proactive way of managing communications with clients.

Do you have any ideas of how you would protect your business in a situation like this, or thoughts of the new Legislation in general, if so feel free to leave comments.

Standards, why should you care?

Any long term readers of this blog, or visitors to My Web Design Business' Website, have most likely seen Me make reference to My work being both HTML 5 and CSS 3 Standards compliant.  The odds are that unless you, yourself are also a Web Designer the question might have crossed your mind as to just why these details are important.

In this blog, I am going to attempt to explain the benefits of following these standards from both the viewpoint of the agency commissioning a Website project and that of the end user's interaction with said Website. 

Lets take a look first at some of the benefits a Standards compliant website can do for a customer.

Consumers use many different devices in this modern age to access Websites, if they are accessing something from work the likelihood is that they are using a Windows based computer and perhaps the Internet Explorer Web Browser.

When getting home, or out in the field and needing to access theses same Websites the methods of accessing strongly increase.  If one is lucky the end user is still going to be using a Windows based computer with Internet Explorer.  However there is a very large and likely possibility that they are not.

Modern society accesses the Internet using a multitude of devices in  large array of configurations, be it Windows, Android, iOS, OS X, Linux or any other of a multitude of operating systems, each comes with it own options as far as the Web Browser users. 

The thing is though that no two Web Browsers may display a Website the same way, a detail that can result in the user having looked up a website on one access point and not being able to find the same information on a different device.

The solution to this is delivered by Web Designers having a collection of accepted rules, which are designed to try to level the field when it comes to getting information to the end user.  

This Wikipedia article shows the history of the Web Browser and the development engines that run the majority of Browsers. Webkit is becoming a strong force and is supported by Chrome, Safari and Opera Browsers

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_web_browsers

From the developer’s side, standards become a very important detail in creating code that is easy to maintain and update as changes happen with a Website. The use of linked CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) allow for a Web Master to change one aspect of code in one document which will in turn effect change in multiple pages of displayed content.

Standards also allow an organization that sees multiple users imputing information into a Website maintain a consistent look to the final product, as with properly commented areas, the content creators can simply import their information into a created template, save the document with a new name and hand off the document for uploading to the Web Master.

Can Websites work without being 100% Standard’s compliant ? the answer to that is Yes. In fact just last night I was running some sites through the Validation Engine provided by the W3C Consortium and found that there are Websites for Major corporations in Technology that actually return as using non-standard code.  Should Standards be ignored? In My opinion as a Designer, the answer is No.

Standards are what keeps the World Wide Web clean, they allow for ease of design, ease of access, and in this day and age of Internet threats to privacy and security can be a line of defense in keeping the end user safe as the odds of malicious code in my opinion is increased when one is not using Industry standard coding practices.

In short, Standards are our friend.

The Three Word Phrase that if remembered could bring civility to Social Media

"In My Opinion, Android is better than iOS"

"In My Opinion Star Trek is a better than Star Wars"

"In My Opinion  using @import is better than <link> "

Three statements that one might read in social media, honestly the list could go on and on with any topic. There are three common words with each of the above statements however. Those words, one simple phrase, IN MY OPINION

I'm sure growing up everyone has at one time or another almost everyone in the world has either heard or are aware of the statement 

"Opinions are like A-Holes...Everyone's got one and they all stink"

There is some truth to this, everyone does have their own opinion, in fact the very definition of the word is 

Opinion (noun) A view or judgement formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.

Even this blog that you are reading at this very moment is very much based on My Opinion, and that opinion is that the interactive nature of Social Media could see substantial growth if users were a lot more respectful of each other's opinions.

Am I saying that every post uploaded to places like Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus communities should have a blanket response equal to the cyber version of nodding our head and saying "That is 100% right" ? Not at all, for how could a society grow and learn new things without the debate that comes along with an opinion being bridged to a caucus.

What I am saying is instead of instantly calling someone an idiot, or denouncing their position on a topic as being wrong, how about we all take a minute to consider that the person is offering up their own opinion, and use the floor to find a consensus on the topic.

Now, I'm well aware that as people read this blog they may very well form a opinion that I'm coming off as condescending with my opinion on addressing opinions. If so, I invite you to, please express your opinion as to why you feel that way.

I would like to finish off this blog entry about opinions with another very common saying I grew up appreciating 

"I may not agree with your opinion, but I will defend your right to express it" 

Biometrics could be the extra feature needed for digital wallets

If you follow the technology world at all, then you have likely heard about the concept of Near-Field Communications (NFC for short), and their use in the emerging service of mobile payment options.

The concept is that for the connivence of the consumer a payment can be made simply by waving their phone near a module at the checkout, and the amount of their purchase is applied to a linked account.

One of the public concerns about this payment technology, however, has been the security aspect.  People have concerns that much like NFC enabled pay pass type cards it would be possible for someone to come along with a device that allows for unauthorized access to the account information that the NFC chip is linked to.

With Debit and Credit cards this has been somewhat addressed through the option of consumers carrying their cards in a Faraday Cage card sleeve, effectively blocking the transmission of the chip unless the card is intentionally pulled out of the sleeve.

But what can be done in the Mobile field to give the consumer the same sense of security? One option would be to apply the Faraday Cage technology to a Mobile Phone case, but this potentially could lead to issues with the consumer's device picking up signals from Mobile towers and Bluetooth devices.

The next possible option would be having the consumer key into their device a pin code or password at the point of their device exchanging information with the NFC Terminal at the checkout.

My belief, however, is that Apple might actual have the most logical and consumer friendly solution to this situation with their touch ID sensor they debuted in the iPhone 5s.

Think about this, a future device has both a NFC enabled payment system and a biometric sensor built into it. You, the customer walk up yo the check out, your order is processed and the total displayed. Taking out your Smart phone , you wave it across the access point, where both the amount of your purchase is transmitted to your device.  A pop up displays on your screen stating

Please confirm your purchase with your finger print

You touch the sensor, transmitting the payment and a verification that it is your confirmed fingerprint (no actual print needs transferred) , the device thanks you for your confirmation and you leave with your purchase.

  I believe this may just be the future of digital payments via mobile devices, but what is your opinion? Please leave your comments below  

My take on the possible fallout from Apple V Samsung

So, with everything that has been happening with the Samsung Vs Apple Patent lawsuits, which can be well summarized with this article from Vanity Fair, I actually found myself wondering if there might just be a detail that is being missed in all of this.

Could Samsung be biding their time leading up to a split from Android, which would leave Google holding the bag on the whole violations of Apple Patents issue?

First off lets look at just which Patents Apple was awarded damages for in the latest round of Court Proceedings.  According to an article on CNET, there were seven Patents involved in the latest case, broken down as follows

Apple came to this battle with 5 Patents
No. 5,946,647 related to Quick Links
No. 6,847,959 related to Universal Search
No. 7,761,414 related to Background Syncing
No. 8,046,721 related to Slide-to-unlock
No. 8,074,172 related to Automatic Word Correct

Samsung's 2 Patents are as follows
No. 6,226,449 Related to Camera and Folder organization (purchased from Hitachi)
No. 5,579,239 Related to Video Transmission Functions (also purchased)

The final results of the latest trial found that the infringements by samsung were to do with Apple's Quick Links, Slide-To-Unlock and Auto Correct patents. Resulting in Apple getting awarded, prior to appeals by Samsung, Millions.

But this brought Me wondering, since the infringed patents are all operating system related, is it really Samsung who is in violation of these patents, or is it, as owner of the Android Operating system, actually Google who violated these?

This becomes more important to look at when one asks if the violations are actually part of the operating system developed by Google or were they part of the TouchWiz overlay interface placed on top of Android's core system?

This one detail, coupled with Samsung's strong support of the Tizen Operating system, may well spell a potential issue for Google.

Samsung, if they can argue in the appeal that the violations are in fact core details of Android and NOT specific to TouchWiz, are actually in a position to drop the use of TouchWiz, transition their devices off android onto Tizen and dispute having to pay Apple damages on the grounds that Apple is going after the wrong offender

The question this comes down to , and is one I have yet to be able to find an definitive answer to, this

Are Auto-Correct, Slide-To-Lock and Quick Links programmed into TouchWiz or Android?

The answer could change the entire playing field as I see it.

The benefits of a "Proof of Concept " Design

The fact that We are living in a more inter-connected world is most likely something not lost on the majority of modern society, and surely should never be overlooked by someone who is just getting into the business environment.

Any good business owner know the importance of having researched the intended market. Keeping abreast on current trends that could effect your business and of course, the long considered valuable tool known as a Business Plan.

But what if I told you there is a missing piece in the puzzle, one that costs little, shows potential investors and clients that you are serious, and can put your business a step ahead when you do launch. what is that missing piece you ask?

THE PROOF OF CONCEPT WEBSITE

A proof of concept design actually provides many of the following benefits to a business which is in its planning stages

focused Thoughts
Much like an architect uses paper models of projects to get a view from multiple angles, having a Proof of Concept Website can help an upstart business recognize the categories they need to focus on right from the ground floor of planning.

Visual Aide for Investors
Being able to walk into a meeting with an investor, and showing them a well thought out vision of your company's future  can help instil confidence on the investor's part in your ability to stick to your plan and follow through on your vision.

Public Feedback
Ever go to a trade show and see a upstart business trying to pitch their company, only to see the, stopped in their tracks by a question like

"So when will your website be accessible, for more information?"

Fact is it happens, and by having the proof of concept with you on a tablet or laptop , the answer becomes very simple as you can actually pull up the work in progress and respond with

"That is an excellent question, and since you asked , can We please get your feedback on the site We are having developed so that at launch We can serve you better"

And, perhaps one of the Most important details is that should your Business decide to launch, you can launch knowing that you have a Web Designer on your side who has believed in your vision since the early stages. Thus allowing your Website's full development to flow smoothly.  The result being the ability to launch Your Business in a successful, all inclusive fashion when launch day is reached  

Text vs Graphical Content, and how it can effect your Website

Lets face it, humans by nature are graphic focused creatures.  Bright colors and big logos draw our attention all the time. With brands, this is not really a bad thing, but with a Website going graphic heavy can actually do more harm than good.

Image files, in the modern age tend to take up more megabytes of the stream of data that is downloaded to the users device.  On slower speed desktops the time it takes for a Website to fully load can make or break connecting with potential clients. On Mobile devices it becomes even more important, as bytes downloaded = data plan fees.

There is actually a couple secondary concerns that speak to the benefits of using text, which can be styled through Cascading Style Sheets, over relying on graphical reliance.

Firstly, there is Search Engine Optimization, or SEO. SEO is the protocols that services like Google, Yahoo and Bing use to return results when a user searches.  This is done through the scraping of textual details, in both the Metadata and content of a Website.

Photos and graphics can return some information that helps with SEO, through things like proper use of the alternative tag when placing a image file (alt="filename"), but its not the primary way a site gets ranked.

Secondly, the World Wide Web is , as the name implies, a global playground. That means, not everyone who visits your Website might actually read the language your content was created in.  This creates a major linguistics issue if you have displayed your content in pre-formatted graphic files, as servers like Google Translate can not rewrite a picture.

For example, lets say you own a small Bed n Breakfast in Vancouver BC, a city that can and does get plenty of international tourist traffic.  With text base content, your website can be presented in almost any language that is globally spoken, but if your words are formatted into the photos, you have failed to bridge the language gap.