I'm a full-time mummy

Came across this awesome article on a list of Web Design Mistakes we should avoid and decided to share those that I've came across quite a number of them together with my feedback about it. Feel free to leave your comment as well! (*Note: Text in red colored fonts are excerpts from the article.)

The user must know what the site is about in seconds
Attention is one the most valuable currencies on the Internet. If a visitor can not figure what your site is about in a couple of seconds, he will probably just go somewhere else. Your site must communicate why I should spend my time there, and FAST!

My feedback: Agree! I find it hard sometimes when I was blog hopping and had to spend a lengthy time trying to figure out what is the theme of the blog I'm currently browsing. I want to know in a matter of seconds, whether the blog is about parenting, recipes, giveaways, photography, etc. Seriously, I have not much time to be reading every single post in the blog and it's best if I can quickly know what the site is about, then bookmark it so that I can come back to it when I have free time. Else, I'm sorry, I've gotta go and hop on to the next blog!

Now of course, being an owner of a blog myself, I too need to make sure that people who hops into my blog knows what is my site all about. I hope (and pray!) my blog title "I'm a full-time mummy" will give the idea that this site is all about mummyhood experience.

Do not open new browser windows

I used to do that on my first websites. The logic was simple, if I open new browser windows for external links the user will never leave my site. WRONG! Let the user control where he wants the links to open. There is a reason why browsers have a huge “Back” button. Do not worry about sending the visitor to another website, he will get back if he wants to (even porn sites are starting to get conscious regarding this point lately).

My feedback: Oh well, I used to do that too, until I came across this article. I thought by doing this, you guys will never leave my site... I guess that's terribly selfish and controlling of me to be doing that. Agree with what the article said, if the reader wants to get back, they can always press the BACK button... So people, from now on, any URL links I'm referencing to in my blog posts will be opened up in the same window browser, once you're done reading it, you just click the BACK button and continue on...

Do not play music

On the early years of the Internet web developers always tried to successfully integrate music into websites. Guess what, they failed miserably. Do not use music, period.

My feedback: Yeah, I never like going to a blog which plays music on the background. I mean, if you really want to put in a play list, at least put in the option to allow your visitor to switch it on IF they want to hear it. Else, turn it OFF! You have to understand SAH mummies like me can only go online when my kid takes his daytime nap or goes to bed after 10.30pm. Imagine, you get comfy and all and just starting to enjoy a moment to yourself, then you catch up on your blogging and browsing through other blogs and suddenly a loud music blared out in the night, scaring yourself and might even risked waking your child up! So, no music please!

Do not clutter your website with badges

First of all, badges of networks and communities make a site look very unprofessional. Even if we are talking about awards and recognition badges you should place them on the “About Us” page.

My feedback:I truly agree! Even on my old blog, I will put all the badges/buttons into a running script which actually slides each badges/button vertically so that it doesn't clutter up my blog layout. As for my new blog now, I can't put in the script so I make do with putting all those badges/buttons in PhotoBucket, creating a slideshow from it and displaying the code link to the slideshow in my blog's static pages. You can find them at the following pages on my blog:

* My Blog Stuff!

* Cool Blog Memes

* PR Info!

So again, other than my own blog button which I put at my blog sidebar, the rest goes to the above pages.

Make sure to include contact details

There is nothing worse than a website that has no contact details. This is not bad only for the visitors, but also for yourself. You might lose important feedback along the way.

My feedback: Totally agree again! Which is why other than the option to contact me via email, I also frantically searched for the commenting widget to put into my blog since my readers / visitors using IE8 are not able to submit a comment or email on my blog.

Avoid "drop-down" menus

The user should be able to see all the navigation options straight way. Using “drop down” menus might confuse things and hide the information the reader was actually looking for..

My feedback: Uhuh... actually, why I don't like this probably stems from my previous working experience in programming line. I used to write codes in RPG/400 a very dinosaur language (which are still mainly used in banking and financial institutions in Malaysia) and being a dinosaur language, to code a "drop-down" menu is not so easy, so yeah, I guessed it is one of the reason why I don't like seeing "drop-down" menus as well.

No horizontal scrolling

While some vertical scrolling is tolerable, the same can not be said about horizontal scrolling. The most used screen resolution nowadays is 1024 x 768 pixels, so make sure that your website fits inside it.

My feedback: Yeah, it gets tiring having to scroll up and down and then left and right...

If you use CAPTCHA, make sure the letters are readable

Several sites use CAPTCHA filters as a method of reducing spam on comments or on registration forms. There is just one problem with it, most of the times the user needs to call his whole family to decipher the letters.

My feedback: Yeah... actually I don't like having to key in CAPTCHA letters whenever I try to leave a comment but I will close one eye and just go along with it. Now, I get real annoyed when the letters shown are hard to read (yeah, maybe it's not your fault) but having to type over and over again it's really stressing... not to mention those blogs that sometimes reload for every action you take, like you key in your comment, then click submit or post, and it reloads with the CAPTCHA for you to key in, then you key in the CAPTCHA and it reloads with your preview which you will then click (finally) the submit or post button in order to leave your comment. Frustrating!

Okay, that's about most of the common things I encountered during my usual blog hopping activities. Other than the above, I also get annoyed when I hopped into dark colored background. Maybe it's just me, but I tend to stay away from dark background... it also makes reading hard and I really don't want to spoil my eyesight so fast... Hope you guys enjoyed the above and let me know what other common things you encountered as well!

(*Images are taken from Google search)

Yeap... what you are about to read happened to me on a motorcycle... My dad's motorcycle to be precise. Now, to give you a quick idea of what you are going to read on, if you have never watched the movie "Wild Hogs", just have a look at this road hazard scene from the movie and I'll tell you a similar story of what happened to me long ago... something of an equivalent kinda gross incident... Please feel free to exit out of here if you haven't or just taken your food...I would really appreciate if you could click at the link and watched the video clip first before reading on...

So anyway, back to my story now... I think I was about 19 or 20 years old, working part-time as a sales girl in a souvenir shop and everyday to and fro, my dad will give me a ride on his motorcycle. His office is about 10 minutes away from my souvenir shop. So every morning, I'll be hitching a ride with him and when evening comes, I'll walk over to a bus stop half way between our working places and wait for him.

One day as usual, we were about 5 minutes into our journey home and I was listening to my Walkman while sitting behind my dad and out of nowhere, some insect just flew straight into my mouth.

My immediate reaction was of course to not crush it in my mouth and I quickly tried to spit it out, while not daring to even think what might it be. Gosh... out of so many things and vast space around me, and the insect chosed to jackpot straight into my mouth. And just in case you are wondering why it can go into my mouth... I said I was listening to my Walkman right? So listening to nice songs will make me sing along to the songs... Singing along to the songs will make me excited and opened my mouth wide as well (no one can hear my singing cos dad's motorcycle is pretty loud)

Imagine a girl in her late teens trying to spit out an insect which jetted into her mouth at high speed while riding on a motorcycle with her dad.

You think that is funny? Read on and promise me not to laugh... out LOUD...

Now, if only I have the spitting skills like this old man:

(*Image taken from Google image search)

But no... too bad... If I spit like the old man above, you wouldn't be able to be entertained by my funny story today.

So yeah... like I said, I can't spit like this old man.

With all my might, I managed to sort of dispel out the insects (remnants of it) from my mouth. Imagine blowing air bubbles with your mouth, only you do it real fast.. Uhuh, that was what I did. I air bubbled out the remnants of the insect from my mouth but because I was afraid of being able to taste the remnants of the insect in my mouth, I sort of gathered some saliva in my mouth so that the remnants of the icky insect parts doesn't stick in my mouth. But when I air bubbled everything out, yeap.... my saliva came out as well... because I panicked at the thought of tasting the insect in my mouth, I did everything fast and forgot the saliva in my mouth. And did I mentioned I CANNOT spit like the old man above?

And when you can't spit like the old man above and you are riding pillion of a fast moving motorcycle, the wind is blowing towards your direction. So everything pretty much dribbled back to myself... Luckily I wore a wind breaker but it was super gross enough that I now not only have remnants of insect body parts, I also have my saliva dribbling down my wind breaker as well... I think I'm grossing you guys out already with these details, so I'm just going to stop here by leaving some piece of advice:

* Don't sing and drive (or when you are on a motorcycle)

* If you really have to, spit to your left or right NOT to your front... (it might also land on your driver's helmet come to think of it hehehehe...)

So there you have it... my own version of road hazard story which happened on a motorcycle. This post is written as part of this week's Writer's Workshop.

Came across this wonderful post that I've just gotta share on my blog:

(*Btw, you can hover over the scripture link at the end of each sentence to read the detailed phrases)

MY CHILD

You may not know me, but I know everything about you.     Psalm 139:1

I know when you sit down and when you rise up.     Psalm 139:2

I am familiar with all your ways.     Psalm 139:3

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered.     Matthew 10:29-31

I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live.     Acts 17:26

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.     Psalm 139:14

I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love.     1 John 4:16

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you.     1 John 3:1

Simply because you are my child and I am your father.     1 John 3:1

My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore.     Psalm 139:17-18

And I rejoice over you with singing.     Zephaniah 3:17

I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus.     John 17:23

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed.     John 17:26

He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you.     Romans 8:31

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins.     2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen.     Luke 15:7

I have always been Father, and will always be Father.     Ephesians 3:14-15

Beautiful right?