More on Google

How Google Grows...and Grows...and Grows

If you're a Google engineer, you know that those nine words comprised about 120 bytes of data, enough to slow download time for users with modems by 20 to 50 milliseconds. You can estimate the stress that 120 bytes, times millions of searches per minute, put on Google's 10,000 servers. On the other hand, you can also measure precisely how many visitors took the tour, how many of those downloaded the Google Toolbar, and how many clicked through for the first time to Google News.

filed in: Internet - 19 Mar 2003 18:16 - #

See your site as if you were Google

Very cool little app that allows you to see how your sites looks from Google's perspective

Patience it takes a while to crawl. Get the whole story at Evolt

filed in: Web Design - 13 Mar 2003 19:35 - #

Content Management Tools Fail

Jupiter research has done another study that finds content management systems lacking. Duh, I could have could have told you this without the research. In my consulting work I am often asked to recommend a content management system. Here is what I tell them:

• Big companies/Complex needs: custom build on a good framework with the knowledge that you will want to tear it down or transform it much sooner than you think. Make sure you spend time making it component based and the content reusable.
• Big companies/Standard needs: buy a cheap CMS and plan in its demise within three years.
• Smaller companies/Complex needs: get someone to build something in PHP or Zope.
• Smaller companies/Standard needs: get someone to deploy a cheap and simple CMS, This is where icogs will hopefully come to the rescue.

Most high end content management systems are either too rigid or require too much consulting to be worth the price versus the flexibility of custom built solutions. Remember that for big companies content management is just a small part of their problem: The real issue is moving company activities to the web. There monolithic content management systems will never satisfy the customer.

filed in: Internet, Web Design - 05 Mar 2003 14:22 - #