Josh Sharp design and development. Web pages with purpose.

This year, one of my big plans is to start a tech blog. I may not be fully prepared yet, but I'm starting the ball rolling. I have a domain, so the next step is to gather some writers!

The plan is to create an Australian tech blog which will report on web and tech news, ideally with a local focus. Something like a cross between TechCrunch and Gizmodo. At the moment there's not much of a local voice for Aussie web startups, and it's hard to find local tech news that isn't covered by Whirlpool. We could fill that niche. Of course, Australia isn't the biggest market, which is why blogs which start with a local focus often struggle to gain much traction. But we could give it a go. I believe that there's a chance to be the Australian tech blog.

And if nothing big happens, then everyone walks away with a bit more experience. Not such a bad thing.

So I guess I'm looking for enthusiastic bloggers who want to take a chance at making a splash locally. You must be able to blog at least once at week, and the aim is to get 4 or 5 bloggers, so that we have at least one update a day.

Who's with me?

There are user interface elements that don't have a corresponding "interface" in real life — things like application windows, for example. On the other hand, elements like tabs have been pulled directly from real life counterparts that people are already familiar with and can instinctively pick up. Everyone's flipped through a filing cabinet or a set of manila folders.

But are all of these elements relevant any more?

The first thing that came to mind was our friend, the incredibly common magnifying glass.

Well, common within user interfaces, that is. I personally haven't seen a magnifying glass in real life since I was about nine. But it still persists as the most popular way to embody 'zoom' and 'search' actions.

That makes sense to us right now, but think about the link between 'searching' and a magnifying glass. Cartoon detectives hold an oversized magnifying glass to one eye when searching for clues — but that's about it. I've never had to opportunity to do the same in this life, sadly. So why is this element the most popular embodiment of searching? My opinion is, there's nothing better, and people are lazy :)

The other element that springs to mind is 'radio buttons'. This isn't an issue that's going to confuse users, really, because they'll call them whatever they want anyway. But think of the IT industry in ten years or so. Graduates fresh out of university will probably have no idea where the name comes from.

I guess none of this is a real problem, because the interface elements themselves are so pervasive that there's no need for a real life counterpart any more. But still, it's interesting to think that things which were made to mirror real life are now distinctive elements in their own right.

Can anyone think of any other elements which don't mirror real life counterparts any more?

Merry Christmas and happy New Year everyone. I have a late Christmas present for you all. Like the remote controlled car you got when you were six, the fun in this little present will only last until your attention span runs out. But hey, it's the thought that counts, right?

So without further ado, I present to you Make a Web App 2.0 beta. It was made partly as a joke, and partly to see if I could find any interesting combinations that would yield a decent idea. That has yet to happen, but I invite you all to have a play and contribute something to the list if it tickles your fancy.

I plan to add some more features to it, such as the ability to drag and drop some visual web app 'parts' to create an idea, but for now it's just text-based and random.

Just wanted to share this story with everyone. A great, and perhaps more realistic, view of making money on the web.

"DubCorp is going to become the most average business in the world... but we're going to do it better than anybody else."

Image credit: J Konig

One of the hardest things to do when it comes to web services is to get people to just try your site out. If you have a good, compelling service then once you've got a new user in, if they like what you do they're going to return. But getting those users to try your service in the first place is one of the more difficult parts of the process.

As I was out walking today I passed a little shop selling old furniture and knick-knacks. These sorts of shops probably don't get a great deal of purchases, but they do get a lot of people wandering in and browsing through their collections. But as I passed this particular shop I noticed a sign on the closed door saying "ring bell to enter", with an arrow pointing to the doorbell next to the door.

The problem with this is that it immediately makes the potential customer rethink their decision. People are lazy, and they don't like being pressured into buying things. So a large portion of casual, potential customers are going to keep on walking, because having to signify their intent by pressing the button is more than they want. These customers just want to browse, but pressing the doorbell to get in is like announcing, "Yes! I am a customer who would like to purchase from your store". They have a notion that it might be fun to have a look, but the effort and the formality of announcing they'd like to come in is just going to make them change their mind.

The lesson applies equally to web services. If you put barriers in the path of people who just want to look around, you're only going to get those users who don't mind announcing "I'm here — I'd like to see what you have". All of the passers-by are just going to keep on walking.

The answer to this, of course, is to allow free and open access to your service — to anyone. No signups, subscriptions, "we-just-need-an-email-address"es. Sure, you lose the ability to draw your potential users back by emailing them, but to think you need to is missing the point. If you need to ask people to come back, you haven't made your service irresistable.

Just a quick note as this space should be reserved for useful content. But I just wanted to apologise for the lack of updates the last couple of weeks. Working almost full-time and juggling a couple of freelance projects means I don't have a lot of time to spare. Not that I'm ungrateful for all the work, just busy :)

So, I shall attempt to get back into a regular posting pattern sometime soon. Until then, my apologies. Have a new avatar instead.

At the moment, our company is looking for another junior web developer. We're targeting uni leavers, as we want someone we can mould into our idea of a perfect developer :) But the downside of this is that most of the applicants have very little commercial experience — they might have learnt how to code, but they don't have a clear idea of how it all comes together just yet.

With that in mind, here are five things that people with little experience can do that makes them a more rounded developer — without any more experience.

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Months before the iPhone was released, the web was on fire with hype and speculation. And a lot of drooling. People were going nuts about the idea of a touch screen phone that ran a stripped down version of a real operating system, and was basically a tiny computer. Mobile phones would be forever changed, etc etc. The nickname 'JesusPhone' was coined — which should give you some idea how much hype was generated.

And now Google has released the SDK and some UI videos of its upcoming mobile operating system. And it could be as game-changing as the iPhone is. But where's the hype? The blogosphere remains pretty quiet.

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