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)

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?

I would like to share my feedback and review on this awesome album that I have the chance to review for Centricity Music. The album by Andrew Peterson is called “Counting Stars” and is scheduled to be released on July 27th.

Excerpts taken from the album's bio page:

Framed in a largely acoustic context and underpinned by a sense of gentle but ancient and unyielding strength, Counting Stars aches and glows, finding infinite wonder in the stuff of hearth and home, family and friendship, struggle and storm. Perhaps it’s because the writing approach this time around involved a conscious departure from the string of concept albums Peterson has released in recent years. Opting for a more introspective, confessional approach seems to have opened a greater sense of vulnerability in the writing process. 

While at least a half dozen of Peterson’s new songs—like “Dancing In the Minefields”, “Planting Trees”, and “God of My Fathers”—joyously celebrate his connectedness to his creator, family, friends, fellow artists, and even to past and future generations, a secondary theme also clearly emerges on the record; one that speaks of the great battle between hope and despair. Songs like the sparsely melodic “In the Night My Hope Lives On”, the slow-building “You Came So Close”, and the weary but unwavering “The Last Frontier” each move from a place of pain or struggle to one of a hard-won eternal hope.

The title Counting Stars ties the themes of relationship and hope together in the hope of God’s promise to Abraham. We’re a part of the cloud of witnesses, passing the promises of God to our children.

One of the songs in the album which caught my attention (and led me to click to every other songs of his on Youtube and becoming a fan on his Facebook profile) is the "Dancing in the Minefield". You can click on the song title to view the official video on Youtube or click here to read about the making of the music video. Few lines in the "Dancing in the Minefield" song which I absolutely love is:

"So when I lose my way, find me
And when I loose love’s chains, bind me
At the end of all my faith, to the end of all my days
When I forget my name, remind me"`

Lovely and meaningful lyrics! According to album's website, the story behind the "Dancing in the Minefield" song is as below:

"In December of 2009 my wife and I celebrated fifteen years of marriage. Three days later, we got in a silly argument and I wrote this song after she went to bed. Marriage, see, was God’s idea. It’s one of the most potent metaphors in all of Scripture for the way God loves us and the way we’re to let ourselves be loved by him. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. To the contrary, it’s fraught with peril. Any good marriage involves a thousand deaths to self—the good news is, a godly marriage involves at least as many resurrections. We lay our lives down and enter this perilous dance with another human being who has done the same. Why should we expect to emerge unscathed? No, the wounds bear testimony to the great power of grace. If I had had any idea what I was getting into fifteen years ago I wouldn’t have walked the aisle—I’d have run down it."

Wow! I just loved it when he said "Any good marriage involves a thousand deaths to self—the good news is, a godly marriage involves at least as many resurrections."

IMO, marriage is not an easy thing. To be able to find that special someone out of the gazillions people on this planet means something. To make marriage works takes lots and lots of love and understanding, tons of patience and an open heart and mind for both parties. And since we're still on the topic of marriage, do take some time to read the following scriptures that I found: 1 Corinthians 13:4-13, Ephesians 5:22-33 

You can get the Counting Stars album from Amazon to get your own copy now!

I would like to give a note of thanks to Centricity Music for this wonderful opportunity to review this amazing singer and album!

Andrew Peterson's songs are definitely going into my bookmarked pages for songs to listen to when I am doing my work (when Ben's asleep of course!) and even as I'm typing this, the "Dancing in the Minefield" song is playing at the background and Ben is sleeping peacefully as ever and I'm reminded of how blessed I am to be married to my hubby and having a beautiful and perfect child like Ben.

Also, I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with a promo page with info on this album by Centricity Music in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine.