Thursday, March 13, 2008
Always trying something new…
I’ve tried to take the feature image on the home page of the stardem.com Website up to a new level. I’ve started animating the image so it rotates through several images/subjects instead of concentrating on just one.
I’m trying to display a variety of subjects and information in the feature image area. Some of the material promos stories or subjects found on the Website, while others give a taste of things to come. I mix hard news and feature pictures to represent the diversity on the site and in the print paper.
This is a work in progress. I will continue to refine it. You’ve probably already witnessed the evolution of the feature on the site. Between the time I compose this column and its appearance in print, I will have tried several ideas. I trust you will find these innovations useful and enhance your experience on the site.
I know that sounds like baloney. I do mean it.
I have received both positive and negative responses to this new feature. People like seeing the variety of material. Some wish they could pause the images so they could read the lengthy cutlines or at least have a slower flip rate so they could digest the information.
I will have tried several approaches by the time you read this. I could keep the cutlines briefer. My journalistic roots oppose this approach as I want to share as much information at possible. I could make the individual frame stay live longer. I could scroll the cutline material while leaving the image up.
I look forward to your observations. I am also open to other suggestions. Really.
In other computer news, the next meeting of the Mid-Shore Computer Users Group will be on Thursday, March 20 at 7 p.m. in the Talbot County Chamber of Commerce building in the Easton Plaza Shopping Center. Dick Smith will provide an update on “Useful Downloadable Freebies.” As always, the public is invited, for information you can call 410-822-7207.
I revived the speed camera question on the stardem.com Website last week. Preston had announced it would purchase a speed monitoring camera for the town. This brought the subject back into the news. This would be a monitoring camera and not an enforcement camera. Town officials said it would record the speeds of vehicles and give the town police a guide as to what time of day speed enforcement measures would be most useful.
Some areas in the country have speed enforcement cameras. Signal light enforcement cameras are used in D.C. and some areas of Maryland already. I saw notices of such controls at several intersections in the Waldorf area of Charles County while visiting that county last week.
With the way people are ignoring speed laws, it is inevitable that enforcement cameras will proliferate. What do you think?
Apple and the iPhone were back in the news last week. The geek community was abuzz over the announcement that Apple will provide a software development kit (SDK) for software developers to come up with applications for the iPhone. One of the criticisms of the device is that it has few applications for business use. Apple wants the phone to penetrate the business market. Perhaps that way the company will fore fill its lofty sales goals.
Enough for now, as always you can reach me at rpolk@chespub.com.
I’m trying to display a variety of subjects and information in the feature image area. Some of the material promos stories or subjects found on the Website, while others give a taste of things to come. I mix hard news and feature pictures to represent the diversity on the site and in the print paper.
This is a work in progress. I will continue to refine it. You’ve probably already witnessed the evolution of the feature on the site. Between the time I compose this column and its appearance in print, I will have tried several ideas. I trust you will find these innovations useful and enhance your experience on the site.
I know that sounds like baloney. I do mean it.
I have received both positive and negative responses to this new feature. People like seeing the variety of material. Some wish they could pause the images so they could read the lengthy cutlines or at least have a slower flip rate so they could digest the information.
I will have tried several approaches by the time you read this. I could keep the cutlines briefer. My journalistic roots oppose this approach as I want to share as much information at possible. I could make the individual frame stay live longer. I could scroll the cutline material while leaving the image up.
I look forward to your observations. I am also open to other suggestions. Really.
In other computer news, the next meeting of the Mid-Shore Computer Users Group will be on Thursday, March 20 at 7 p.m. in the Talbot County Chamber of Commerce building in the Easton Plaza Shopping Center. Dick Smith will provide an update on “Useful Downloadable Freebies.” As always, the public is invited, for information you can call 410-822-7207.
I revived the speed camera question on the stardem.com Website last week. Preston had announced it would purchase a speed monitoring camera for the town. This brought the subject back into the news. This would be a monitoring camera and not an enforcement camera. Town officials said it would record the speeds of vehicles and give the town police a guide as to what time of day speed enforcement measures would be most useful.
Some areas in the country have speed enforcement cameras. Signal light enforcement cameras are used in D.C. and some areas of Maryland already. I saw notices of such controls at several intersections in the Waldorf area of Charles County while visiting that county last week.
With the way people are ignoring speed laws, it is inevitable that enforcement cameras will proliferate. What do you think?
Apple and the iPhone were back in the news last week. The geek community was abuzz over the announcement that Apple will provide a software development kit (SDK) for software developers to come up with applications for the iPhone. One of the criticisms of the device is that it has few applications for business use. Apple wants the phone to penetrate the business market. Perhaps that way the company will fore fill its lofty sales goals.
Enough for now, as always you can reach me at rpolk@chespub.com.
# posted by Richard Polk @ 10:43 AM 
