I like diagnosing problems. I love implementing solutions. And as some of my colleagues will tell you, more than anything else, I love to test. But it’s the final step that I loathe: clicking that dreaded “publish” button.

A few weeks back, we discovered a minor issue with the “print this page” functionality of a site. The issue affected only a small universe of browsers. I was able to diagnose the problem and implement a fix. However, that fix was more of a coding change than I had hoped for. I tested each several pages using each template in four browsers times two versions times four operating systems, (which translates to “I tested it a whole heckuva lot”). Everything worked. But when it came time to click that publish button, I hesitated. I was about to change this functionality on no less than 5,000 pages. Could I have possibly anticipated every possible outcome?

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Limitations. We hate them, but we have to live with them.

As web folks, often the source of our limitation is the CMS software that was supposed to set us free. In many cases, the vendor has the server, the vendor makes the software, and more often the not, and there’s no access to server-side scripting, such as PHP. Maybe your CMS has all the features you’re looking for – outside news feeds, photo galleries, calendars, and other fancy widgets. Sometimes, though, it seems that some of the features we covet are missing.

But if you can put JavaScript in your CMS then you can have your CMS and your widgets, too. There are several JavaScript libraries out there,  when combined with XML or other data formats, can get you almost anything you want.

Don’t think you can make XML? Think again.

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When you’ve got a big campaign to promote, you’ve got lots of choices about how to promote it on your site.  You’ve probably used simple image promotions, or maybe a featured action.  Maybe you’ve tried elaborate, attention-grabbing Flash banners.  Each method has its own pros and cons: what will generate the most clicks?  What will engage your visitors?  What will help your supporters find it and know how important it is? What will just be ignored out of “banner blindness”?

Consider overlays as another tool in your toolbox.  You’ve probably seen overlays on a number of sites – they’re not the dreaded pop-ups, but instead fade out the page content and present you with a request, often a small form.  They can promote almost anything.  Recently, Heifer International has used overlays to recruit visitors to their email list, with great success; the overlay captures many more names than the signup box on their homepage.  NPCA used an overlay to let visitors know about their matching gift offer, and drove a significant number of visitors to their year-end donation form.  The big benefit of overlays is that they put your number-one priority front and center, presenting your visitor with a simple choice before they continue on to your site.

Granted, overlays are a little controversial – I’ll admit that I’m personally suspicious of them, but that’s because they’re so often done badly.  Some organizations are concerned that an overlay will increase their bounce rate (we’ve seen overlays to have minimal effect on our clients’ site metrics, but if you’re concerned, you should test it for yourself).  If you follow a few tips, though, you can make overlays an effective engagement tool without annoying your users.  You’ll see a common theme running through most of these tips: to be successful, your overlay should make your pitch and then get out of the way.  Let your overlay design be guided by respect for your users, so that you don’t interfere with their browsing experience.

• Make one strong, direct call to action.  This means presenting visitors with a single, briefly-stated choice.  It’s easier for them to make one choice – take the action, or not – than to find and choose your action amidst all the content on your site.  Make the action easy for them to understand and make a quick decision.
• Keep it minimal.  Use short text, relevant images, and a very small number of form fields (if any).
• Don’t look like an ad.  Users will not only close ads without reading them; they’ll get annoyed.  Make the overlay design fit the rest of your site, so it looks like it belongs.
• Provide an easy out.  Since your overlay is briefly coming between your user and your site, make sure it’s as easy as possible for them to get back to the site, whatever they decide to do.  If they decide not to take your action, they should be able to get where they’re going.  I like to provide two outs: a prominent “no thanks” button next to the main action, and a familiar “x” in the top-right corner that users will recognize as the way to close the “window”.  Also, it helps to leave the original page content visible (but darkened) under the overlay, so they can tell they’re still in the right place.
• Show it only once.  Set a cookie when your visitor sees the overlay, so they won’t see it again next time they visit (or, if your overlay is on multiple pages, they won’t see it again in the same visit).  Respect their decision if they choose not to take your action; asking them again probably won’t change their mind.  In case they do change their mind, make sure the action is easy to find in your site.
• Be strategic in what you promote through your overlay.  Use it to promote important or timely actions.  Remember it’s the first thing your visitors may see when they arrive at your site.  And if you’re promoting a limited-time campaign, remember to take the overlay down when it’s done!

Have you used overlays with your organization?  Comment and share your tips (or pet peeves).

Few things scare clients like the “big black box” of development.  At the development phase, after intensive iterative rounds of creative and functional decisions with a tangible sense of back and forth, the client puts their faith in their consultant.  How do the client and consultant determine how well their development project is proceeding inside of that black box? Metrics – and the basic metric, understandably, is about budget.

Every time I discuss metrics, I realize that as a Tech Lead, my goals are not quite the same as a Project Manager – even Technical Project Managers.  Timeline, scope, budget – that’s what my PM is obsessing over.  Developers absorb the same concepts in a different way, through the classic adage “fast, good, cheap – pick 2.” But those demarcations make the most sense during discovery or design estimates.  In the middle of a build, things change.  My job is to make sure the build gets done no matter what, and my PM has to worry about it being paid for.  Scope is still vitally important, but budget, as it relates to profitability, is nearly meaningless to a Tech Lead, much to my PM’s chagrin.  It’s not that I don’t worry about the client’s budget, but that during development, the financial consequences of rates and margins are distilled down into staffing – how many developers of what skill for how many hours per week.  And timeline becomes the inevitable algebraic solution of when that staffing meets scope (with a little bit of magic pixie dust thrown in to the equation).

Recently, I was discussing metrics with a PM after a major build and had trouble articulating my thoughts.  It seemed to me we only achieved real clarity about tracking at the time when we had the least time to implement it.  A few days later, I came across a detailed email I’d written during the heady height of a previous build and completely forgotten about.   Not only did it address improvements to our current metrics, but it linked them all together to judge project health.  It was like reading the penned version of dream before some guy from Porlock wakes you up and everything turns vague and indistinct.  It was fantastic.

I couldn’t understand a word of it…

A little bit of clarity and some pretty charts, after the jump.

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Heifer International, Beaconfire, and Forge FX have teamed up to launch Heifer Village: Nepal – an online game that takes players deep into the lives of Nepalese villagers who are striving to overcome poverty and hunger.

Heifer is a non-profit organization that uses an innovative and proven method to reduce poverty and hunger around the world: they give families living in poverty the gift of a goat, chicken, or other farm animal, along with training in sustainable farming practices. Heifer’s gift recipients use their animal’s milk, eggs, and other products to feed and clothe their families, and can sell the extra to support themselves financially. Our goal with this game is to educate players about Heifer’s unique approach to ending hunger and poverty.

But your goal is to stay alive! You’ll put yourself in the shoes of a 12 year old Nepalese girl whose village is struggling with poverty. You’ll go on a series of missions to seek out life’s necessities — starting with firewood in an area that has seen extensive deforestation. The challenges you’ll face mirror those that Heifer’s real-life partners in Nepal deal with every day.

The game is in beta – which means it’s fully playable but we’re still tweaking it and working out rough spots. We’d love your help in making this game the best it can be. We hope you’ll visit www.heifervillage.org/nepal and try it out. After you’ve played it, we’d love to know what you think. Please leave a comment on this blog post to let us know:

• Did you have any problems getting started?
• Did you know what to do?
• Did the controls make sense?
• Could you find your way around?
• Were you able to complete the missions you received? How difficult was it?
• Was it fun?

We’ll use your feedback to help us as we plan the final version of the game.

Thank you, and enjoy!

It’s official, 2008 is over. The ball has dropped, presents have been unwrapped, and yesterday we inaugurated a new president. In the nonprofit online fundraising world, the end of the year means a brief respite from the days of frenetically paced emails, calculus-level equations to determine segmented content targeting, and new, specially designed holiday landing pages and donation forms. By now, you’re no longer anxiously watching donation figures in one of the worst financial periods of US history. Your numbers are in. It’s a perfect time for reflecting on what you learned and resolving to be stronger in 2009.

As you begin making the transition from year end fundraising to a solid plan for 2009, take stock of what worked and what didn’t. Look at the systems you used to implement your strategy last year. Where were the inefficiencies? Did you have any delays or late nights as a result of these inefficiencies? I know, I know, you made a special attempt to forget those over a beer at the office holiday party. But they were likely there, and you made a mental note to take care of them after the new year. Whether it’s tweaking your data integration to ensure accurate reporting, updating your web stylesheet to take care of that annoying spacing issue, expanding your social networking presence, or reviewing your donation funnel and forms to make sure they’re streamlined and user-friendly, it’s a great time to get started.

The specific line of questioning you use will depend on your role, but regardless of your position, mapping out your year now will ensure your enhancements have been implemented, tested and revised in plenty of time for holiday 2009.

Recently I launched my second facebook application called Feed the Pig and I figured I should take some time to share some of the lessons I learned and guidelines I’ve developed for making facebook applications. This post is the first of a series I plan to write in the coming weeks so stay tuned. A lot of the terminology that is used in this post is explained here.

• Keys to success
• Considerations and Cautions and Lessons Learned
• Structure/Pages (application Map)
• Permissions/Privacy
• Hosting
• Useful Links
• Useful Blog Posts

Keys to Success

Keep in mind why people tend to join facebook in the first place. Most users want to keep her/his friends and family updated on her/his lives. Users also want to keep in touch/keep track (perhaps stalk) one another. Facebook is a *social* network so you should design your application with that in mind. If your application doesn’t encourage users to share and interact with one another than maybe facebook is not to right place for it. Above all you need to make your application spreadable and continuously engaging.

• Make it easy for your current users to share with her/his friends
• Post your user’s actions to her/his feed.
• Design your application so that users can engage her/his friends, post things to either her/his friends profiles or her/his own, send requests to friends that will link her/him to the app.
• Don’t let your facebook application be just a passing fad. Many applications on facebook although exciting at first lose their luster after a user has tapped into all of the applications features.
• By updating your application with new features and content you can keep your users engaged and your application feeds going which is basically free advertising for your app.
• For non-profits, Facebook applications can be a great way to get users involved in a cause, provide her/him with a dashboard of tools to take action, and keep her/him posted about news and upcoming events. Email your users. If a user gives the application permission to change her/his status that is another great way to spread important updates about your cause. And again make sure you provide users with the tools to involve her/his friends.
• Here is very useful marketing post
  10 tips for releasing your Facebook application, and maximizing growth

Continue on to Considerations and Cautions after the jump…

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Want to meet the best & brightest non-profit Geekeratti in Austin this March? Between mind-bending panel sessions, do you need a place to hang with your world-saving entourage, collaborate with colleagues, pull up some WiFi or just get your blog on? You’re in luck – Beaconfire is sponsoring the hottest ticket in town.

Introducing The Beacon, Lounge with a Conscience.

Watch this space over the next few months for updates, great event info and a few surprises thrown in just ‘cuz we’re cool like that. Now, since our momma’s raised us right, we’d like to share the bounty with our friends in the non profit community by offering this unique stage as a blank canvas for your own event during SXSW week.

Interested? Contact me for details.

I don’t feel too bold in saying that a specification (know in the industry as a “spec”) is the foundation of any web application, large or small. It informs user flow, technical design, QA, and, if done in conjunction with the wireframing process, creative design. Add to the mix third-party app integrations and analytics tracking, and you’ve got a document that needs to be all things to all people. That’s an awful lot of pressure to put on one little document. And because of that pressure, this little document tends to be not-so-little.

Specs for large web builds can get into the hundreds of pages. And yet they always seem to get a speedy sign-off. Why? Because a full spec is not exactly light reading – it’s more likely to be perused. But if it’s not closely followed, there can be kinks in development further on down the road.

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There’s a line from the animated Comedy Central show Dr. Katz that used to run in the 90s … a patient wonders aloud to the psychiatrist (the aforementioned Dr. Katz) why he’s paying exorbitant hourly fees for weekly sessions when he feels like he’s doing pretty good on his own. The doctor explains there are times when he’s overqualified and suggests all the patient really needs is just a “smart aunt”. It’s always reminded me of technical consulting – some clients need ongoing sessions with trained experts, and some just need the equivalent of smart aunt to dispense advice and nudge them along (and some need pretty intense psychotherapy, but that’s neither here nor there…)

Psychiatrist, non-profit consultant. We have similar goals – help the client to help themselves, to the point where they don’t need us anymore. Sounds like planned obsolescence… but don’t worry about us, “plenty more patients where those came from” and all that, ha-ha. The more we get to play the smart aunt role, the more clients we help. Personally, I love the smart aunt role. Don’t get me wrong, if a client needs to lay on the couch while we guide them to a successful project, then that’s what they need. But they’re paying for the privilege. And I’d really rather they spent their money on saving the world. To that end, here is some advice on making consultants work for you.

Is This a Website or a Data Integration Project?

You want a new website and a checklist of features. Forums? Check. Events calendar? Check. RSS? Check. Single sign-on with your AMS and Active Directory? Che… Wait a second, see what you did there? You just started a new project, whether you knew it or not, and whether the PM calls it one or not, and it isn’t part of your website. No, your website is part of it – a data integration project that extends to several of your systems of which the website is one. It might be a mini project or a major project, but it and your website are separate initiatives, initiatives that require their own planning, own meetings and own set of core team members that may or may not overlap. Get that new project started right or kick it out to another phase, or you’ll be spinning your wheels and burning hours.

More after the jump…

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