I need help

[adss]

Greetings,
I have just finished my new website and I need help with its testing.

The favour I have to ask is to:

1) Try to Break It? I need to make sure that everything works. If you find something that does not, could you please let me know by sending me an e-mail at bugalert@batamo.com
2) Improve It - I did my best to deliver lots of cleaver features. However, If you come up with a way to improve the website or to make it more appealing, i would love to know: please email me to myidea@batamo.com
3) Spread The Word ? If you find BatamO a useful tool please tell everyone you know.

Basically, I came up with a better (I think) way to keep all your favourite web links in one location. The best part of the website is the 'hovering' function which allows you to monitor all your links without actually opening each website.

Warm Regards and Happy batamO-ing
Adss

PS. It currently only works in MS Internet Explorer 6+
In mid January I will enable it for Firefox

[bigdjiver]

[Invalid] Markup Validation of http://www.batamo.com/ - W3C Markup Validator

[adss]

Originally Posted by bigdjiver

[Invalid] Markup Validation of http://www.batamo.com/ - W3C Markup Validator

Great! Thank you.

[EricD]

Hi Adss

Nice idea - interesting there's felt to be a need ... I haven't used Favorites for about 5 years - History is my friend (& Google). I've never got into De.lici.ous or Ma.gno.lia ...

'Frames' break so many things. All they do on the tutorial page is give 3 scroll bars instead of one ! Hiding the full URL defeats bookmarking ! DnArrow and PgDn keys don't work etc.

I think you need a 'MasterPage' (or AJAX but that doesn't bookmark either !), but I am just learning this .Net stuff.

Illegible text beneath the logos on 'Home' : 'Web homesite' is OK, but others are 5 pixels high ! Cleartype might help, but they might be better as text, or omitted as 'clutter' ?

If you right-click on 'tutorial' and open in a new window it redirects back to 'home' !
(all 3 'Click here to find out more' too) again I blame Frames ...

Contrast:
"User details are not given to any third parties." (FAQ)
"... batamO™ representatives and affiliates may use the provided information to [spam] you..." (Privacy)
Do you log "Quick GoTo" data - again it is clutter - does anyone turn off the address bar ? Would anything be lost by removing it ?

Define 'safe' - in terms of censoring/moderating my favorites - eg is kiddie-porn illegal under Victorian (Aus) law ? Maybe I don't get the grey/green border thing ? Or will you get permission to show the website in your frameset ? There was a case in the Shetland Islands where one local newspaper objected to another showing its content surrounded by their adverts ! It's generally poor netiquette ... and did mention frames are bad ?

FAQ++ "Will there be adverts on the site in future ?" I guess SponsoredPortimo1 gves it away !

I don't get the dual branding - I'm not likely to remember two made-up words ! I guess you aim to launch other gadgets under even more made-up names later ?
Meanings could be FAQs ?

I collected many bookmarking sites 9 months ago for a friend that had a business idea ... could maybe find them, but I bet there are 2x as many now ! (Maybe if I had stored them on a Website I could find them instantly !)

Good luck, and don't let me put you off !

PS Any sharing, rating, tagging to make it Web 2.0 ?

[adss]

Originally Posted by EricD

Hi Adss

Nice idea - interesting there's felt to be a need ... I haven't used Favorites for about 5 years - History is my friend (& Google). I've never got into De.lici.ous or Ma.gno.lia ...

'Frames' break so many things. All they do on the tutorial page is give 3 scroll bars instead of one ! Hiding the full URL defeats bookmarking ! DnArrow and PgDn keys don't work etc.

I think you need a 'MasterPage' (or AJAX but that doesn't bookmark either !), but I am just learning this .Net stuff.

Illegible text beneath the logos on 'Home' : 'Web homesite' is OK, but others are 5 pixels high ! Cleartype might help, but they might be better as text, or omitted as 'clutter' ?

If you right-click on 'tutorial' and open in a new window it redirects back to 'home' !
(all 3 'Click here to find out more' too) again I blame Frames ...

Contrast:
"User details are not given to any third parties." (FAQ)
"... batamO™ representatives and affiliates may use the provided information to [spam] you..." (Privacy)
Do you log "Quick GoTo" data - again it is clutter - does anyone turn off the address bar ? Would anything be lost by removing it ?

Define 'safe' - in terms of censoring/moderating my favorites - eg is kiddie-porn illegal under Victorian (Aus) law ? Maybe I don't get the grey/green border thing ? Or will you get permission to show the website in your frameset ? There was a case in the Shetland Islands where one local newspaper objected to another showing its content surrounded by their adverts ! It's generally poor netiquette ... and did mention frames are bad ?

FAQ++ "Will there be adverts on the site in future ?" I guess SponsoredPortimo1 gves it away !

I don't get the dual branding - I'm not likely to remember two made-up words ! I guess you aim to launch other gadgets under even more made-up names later ?
Meanings could be FAQs ?

I collected many bookmarking sites 9 months ago for a friend that had a business idea ... could maybe find them, but I bet there are 2x as many now ! (Maybe if I had stored them on a Website I could find them instantly !)

Good luck, and don't let me put you off !

PS Any sharing, rating, tagging to make it Web 2.0 ?

Wow!!! thanks for the feedback ... I am now certainly going to adjust a few things.

Also, to help users understand how to use batamO, I have now created and published on youtube a short clip:

YouTube - batamO - my favourite way

[adss]

Eric,
to answer your questions:

Originally Posted by EricD

... All they do on the tutorial page is give 3 scroll bars instead of one ! Hiding the full URL defeats bookmarking ! DnArrow and PgDn keys don't work etc.

This was certainly a silly oversight by me. I will get it fixed by the end of this week.

Originally Posted by EricD

I think you need a 'MasterPage' (or AJAX but that doesn't bookmark either !), but I am just learning this .Net stuff.

Not sure what a MasterPage is ..... I'll definitely look into it.

Originally Posted by EricD

Illegible text beneath the logos on 'Home' : 'Web homesite' is OK, but others are 5 pixels high ! Cleartype might help, but they might be better as text, or omitted as 'clutter' .

Great!!

Originally Posted by EricD

If you right-click on 'tutorial' and open in a new window it redirects back to 'home' !
(all 3 'Click here to find out more' too) again I blame Frames ....

Well picked!!

Originally Posted by EricD

Contrast:
"User details are not given to any third parties." (FAQ)
"... batamO™ representatives and affiliates may use the provided information to [spam] you..." (Privacy)

Oops ... missed that. I will fix it. Just to make it clear, no details will be given to any third party.

Originally Posted by EricD

Do you log "Quick GoTo" data - again it is clutter - does anyone turn off the address bar ? Would anything be lost by removing it ?)

Never really thought about it ... nothing is really lost other then the adding of portamOs (bookmarks) would require an extra step ('click Add') instead of happening automatically. I do agree that it is a bit of clutter and as a default we can do without. Cheers.

Originally Posted by EricD

Define 'safe' - in terms of censoring/moderating my favorites - eg is kiddie-porn illegal under Victorian (Aus) law ? Maybe I don't get the grey/green border thing ? Or will you get permission to show the website in your frameset ? There was a case in the Shetland Islands where one local newspaper objected to another showing its content surrounded by their adverts ! It's generally poor netiquette ... and did mention frames are bad ?

Some websites cannot be 'framed' within an other website and this is either stated in their terms and conditions or they have a code setup to 'break-out'. So the 'safe' test is simply to determine if the website can be shown within a frame or not. If it can, then a green border will surround it and the user can work directly within. If not, a grey border will surround it and the website shown will be simply a snapshot of it (updated every 5 minutes).

Originally Posted by EricD

FAQ++ "Will there be adverts on the site in future ?" I guess SponsoredPortimo1 gves it away !

The answer, as you've already identified, is yes ... the sponsored portamOs ..... as this is the main way that we can afford to continue providing a free service. Obviously, users can also donate to the website: however, I am unsure how many people now-a-days donate for services. Furthermore, what ever we'll receive via donations, we have decided to give half to charity.

Originally Posted by EricD

I don't get the dual branding - I'm not likely to remember two made-up words ! I guess you aim to launch other gadgets under even more made-up names later ?
Meanings could be FAQs ?!

Meaning batamO and portamOs?

This came about as two different projects were commenced with two different business plans. batamO is obviously owned and managed by me (and two friends) and we have put in place several legal mechanisms to protect that both here and overseas.

portamOs is a concept that hopefully other companies will adopt on their websites. This is a bit of a "pie in the sky" scenario and for now I don't really have the time to do much about it.

Originally Posted by EricD

I collected many bookmarking sites 9 months ago for a friend that had a business idea ... could maybe find them, but I bet there are 2x as many now ! (Maybe if I had stored them on a Website I could find them instantly !)

Please pass them on if you find them ..... I am new at this and certainly spend lots of hours trying to learn how to get the website known. Yesterday I published 5 articles on 20 different publishing websites in order to increase the visibility of batamO ...... or at least that is what an other website professes is the way to go. So, any advise is well and truly welcomed..... even if it gets me to write articles

Originally Posted by EricD

Good luck, and don't let me put you off !

thank you .... need it!

Originally Posted by EricD

PS Any sharing, rating, tagging to make it Web 2.0 ?

Need to learn what Web 2.0 is.

[David Bailey]

Originally Posted by adss

Need to learn what Web 2.0 is.

It's a silly label for a "Web phenomenon" - marketing guys noticed a couple of years ago that people (normal users) could push content onto the web via blogs, wikis, social media sites and forums (!) etc., and decided to group all this under the label "Web 2.0".

It's not a technology or anything, it's just a label. And a silly one at that.

In your case, it's asking whether there are any ways for visitors to leave feedback, I assume, something like that?

[adss]

Hi David,
I hope life is treating you well.

Originally Posted by DavidJames

It's a silly label for a "Web phenomenon" - marketing guys noticed a couple of years ago that people (normal users) could push content onto the web via blogs, wikis, social media sites and forums (!) etc., and decided to group all this under the label "Web 2.0".

It's not a technology or anything, it's just a label. And a silly one at that.?

Thanks for the info on Web 2.0: I honestly had no idea. Currently I have published numerous articles, registered with numerous search sites, wrote a couple of blogs, I am half way through the wikipedia page, and have identified a few IT forums which I will register and promote.

My next step is to also ask friends if www.batyamo.com can be added to their links page as it'll assist me in getting a higher 'rating' with the search drives.

Other then that, I am currently scratching my head on how to promote the website without (initially) paying for it.

Originally Posted by DavidJames

In your case, it's asking whether there are any ways for visitors to leave feedback, I assume, something like that?

My initial intention was to set up a discussion page but the reality seems to be that I am struggling for time I will eventually get there.

Currently, my focus is to get Firefox up and running

For the time being, in terms of allowing feedback, I have setup a messaging system (Contact Us) for people to be able to comment.

[EricD]

Originally Posted by adss

Need to learn what Web 2.0 is.

Relevant examples : Delicious and Magnolia are 'Social Bookmarking' sites.
StumbleUpon is similar. Google Sets finds some more.

Web 2.0 is not well-defined, but a useful concept nonetheless.

"Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the Internet as platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform." Tim O'Reilly

"Web 2.0 is a knowledge-oriented environment where human interactions generate content that is published, managed and used through network applications in a service-oriented architecture." Dario de Judicibus

A lot of it is to do with interactivity, 'user-generated content' and 'wisdom of crowds'. Often the website owner puts up an empty framework, end-users fill it with info, organise it and rate its quality.

For Batamo (or Batyamo ??? could be worth buying that domain, too ) I actually suggested 3 things:

• sharing - can we each benefit from other users' bookmarks ?
• rating - can users allocate a score to indicate how useful an item is ? eg Digg / All News, Videos, & Images - top links today/this week/month/year ?
• tagging - a means of classfying by allocating keywords to an item - often presented as a tag cloud.
  eg Videos tagged 'jive' - more reliable than assuming 'jive' will happen to occur in descriptive text or comments.

There are also things like XML feeds (eg RSS) that make the info re-usable as mashups by other websites, geo-tagging that integrates items with web mapping software.

For examples, see Category:Web_2.0 , Web 2.0 Directory.

If you want a silly term, there's always Web 3.0 ! Or 'semantic web'.

Promotion ?
SEO is a huge field - will spiders be able to index Batamo ?
There are bloggers that keep an eye on new web services ... TechCrunch springs to mind. I don't know if they will review and then give you a chance to address any issues they find, or just publish 'warts and all' ...
Other blogs ? Technorati aggregates them. BlogPulse rates them.

So you want Portamos to compete with Snap and ThumbShots ? They have quite a lead - good luck !

Google finds some more about the legality of framing and deep-linking to other sites' contents.
If your content is only available to the creator, not published to other web users, I guess you are safe to frame.

Otherwise, I'm not sure that framing is acceptable by default - not many sites will have a policy. Interesting suggestion that you might use the site's robots.txt file or <meta name="ROBOTS"...> tags on a page ! Some sites want to be indexed by search engines, but not linked-to so robot instructions can't be relied-upon.

On the other hand, Google Translate uses frames ... even ignoring your 'frame killer' checkpage() function.

Love the Wedding Dance - congratulations and all the best !

[EricD]

Originally Posted by adss

I am half way through the wikipedia page

Ummm ... it may not be worth spending much time on this:
Wikipedia is not for advertising.
Entries should be 'notable' already - you're not meant to use wikipedia to become notable !
You're not meant to write about any company or product you're involved with.

[EricD]

Diigo Launches, Nobody Cares is another site that does reviews of new services, and has some more links : Clipmarks, eSnips, Jots, Fungow, SpinSpy, Simpy, RawSugar, Searchles ...
If you check the links at the bottom of all the Social bookmarking pages on wikipedia you may find more websites that review these things.

[EricD]

50+ Social Bookmarking Sites

[David Bailey]

Originally Posted by EricD

If you want a silly term, there's always Web 3.0

Which is why "2.0" is a silly term - it opens the door to this sort of abuse.

As for Wikipedia:

Originally Posted by EricD

Ummm ... it may not be worth spending much time on this:

Yeah - as it's likely to get zapped on the next audit round.

[adss]

Wow!!!! I am completely flattered by all your help. I am now certainly going to follow through.
Meanwhile, I have pretty much done in terms of development for now as 'marketing' is where I believe i should start spending all my spare time.

I have just updated the website to also work in Firefox and Safari, and inserted the video within the website.

Thank you so much.
Adrian

PS. Any of you be willing to insert the batamo link on your personal websites. It seems that for a website to increase its google 'reputation', it needs to have numerous links to it from other websites.