03 · 21

IE8 has Launched, Is Your Website Compatible?

Now that Microsoft has launched, yet another browser, is your website compatible? Me, being a web developer, always hates when Microsoft launches another browser. I have had to mess with 3  browsers (IE 6,7,8) from Microsoft ever since entering the Web World. If you are a web developer you know the pain and suffering these web browsers have given us.

Should I Even Worry about Compatibility in IE8?

You may be asking yourselves this very question. Heck, I have even asked this to myself. We all know that this current economic state is not good and that we can't afford to loose clients for the fact that they use IE. So we have to spend the time and pain to correct minor mistakes (using hacks) on the part of Microsoft that IE has. I am not saying that IE8 couldn't be better than IE7, but merely that IE altogether has a bad reputation of bringing trouble to the development field. So YES, although it will cause much pain and suffering, your website needs to be compatible with IE8.

What Should I Do?

If you have someone take care of your website for you, please contact them and have to make sure that your site is IE8 compatible. They will know what to do. If they dont, I will be more than willing to help, just contact me. If you take care of your own website, here are a few ways that you can check for compatibility:

1. Preferred - Revise site content to support the standards-compliant default view for web pages in Internet Explorer 8

Internet Explorer 8 supports the HTML 4.01 Specification more closely than any previous version and supports some features of the HTML 5 Specification. This release of Internet Explorer also offers full support for CSS 2.1 and supports some popular features of CSS 3.0. For more information on this click here.

2. Alternate - Tell Internet Explorer 8 to display your site in Internet Explorer 7 mode

If you have fixed any issues with your site in IE7 and don't feeling like revisting the pain for IE8, you might decide to take this route. On a per-site basis, add a HTTP header with the following code: X-UA-Compatible: IE=EmulateIE7 On a per-page basis, add a meta tag immediately after the <TITLE> tag and before any other tags with the following code:  <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=EmulateIE7" /> Again, if you need any help in this process, don't hesitate to contact me. I would love to help in any way. ~ Kyle Reddoch
03 · 20

Careful What You Click! (URL Shortening)

URL-shortening services such as TinyURL and Bit.ly are becoming popular attack vectors. You may not want to automatically click on the shortened URL after you read this. Originally, the process of URL shortening was developed to avoid broken URLs in e-mail messages. The increased popularity of instant messaging (IM) and Twitter has escalated the use of URL-shortening services like TinyURL and Bit.ly, especially Twitter with its 140 characters per message limit.

How they work

TinyURL, Bit.ly, and other Web sites that offer URL shortening are similar in how they work. All that is required is:
  1. Go to the respective Web site.
  2. Copy/paste the actual URL into the appropriate field.
  3. Click on “Shorten” if you want the Web site to append a generic ending on the URL.
  4. If a custom URL is desired, enter your chosen ending and then click on “Shorten”.
And “presto”, you have a new shortened version of the URL!

Potential phishing method

As with many applications that are helpful to normal law-abiding users, attackers and spammers tend to leverage that same usefulness for ill-gotten gain. URL-shortening services provide attackers and spammers with the following options:
  • Allow spammers to side step spam filters as domain names like TinyURL are automatically trusted.
  • Prevent educated users from checking for suspect URLs by obfuscating the actual Web-site URL.
  • Redirect users to phishing sites in order to capture sensitive personal information.
  • Redirect users to malicious sites loaded with drive-by droppers, just waiting to download malware.
As you can see, there are all sorts of opportunities for misuse, just because the victim has no idea where the shortened URL is pointing.

An example

Trend Micro has been very active in researching this particular attack vector and the following images are borrowed straight from their Web site. The example uses a typical scam e-mail message to send the message recipient a bogus link. The first image is the phishing e-mail message:
Media_httpitechrepubl_geycr
You may have noticed that the e-mail message displays the actual link instead of a truncated version. Attackers are aware of the fact that we as users are constantly told to copy and paste the URL into the browser instead of clicking on the link. So they use extremely long URLs, making the copy/paste as difficult as possible. They’re counting on you to just click the link, because it LOOKS right. Power users who are a bit more paranoid may also check out the link’s properties to see if the advertised URL makes any sense. That’s why attackers now go through the additional effort to use services like Bit.ly and TinyURL. As it prevents the user from truly knowing where the link is pointing. Talk about bait and switch... The next slide shows the Web site the link points to and even though the Web site is a fake one, it’s a fairly accurate representation of the bank’s actual Web site:
Media_httpitechrepubl_qciff
So, if the victim is fooled, important log in information could be captured by the phisher.

That’s old news

Our most “savvy” users aren’t going to fall for the IM or e-mail message phishing exploit, even with the use of shortened URLs. The bad guys know that as well and are shifting gears by leveraging the increased use of Twitter. Shortened URLs in tweets (Twitter messages) are so common place; it’s almost an automatic response to click on them, which is exactly what a phisher/attacker really wants. Worse yet, many people use Twitter on their computers. Making URL-shortened links a simple yet effective way to send the computer to a phishing or malicious Web site without the user knowing what’s going on. Not to be overly pessimistic, but security experts say it’s only a matter of time before SMS-enabled phones will be exploited in the same manner.

There’s hope

I commonly get “tweets” that have shortened URLs. I twinge a bit; yet usually click on them if I want to learn more. I already know what you are going to say. I picked the sources that I want to follow, so I should trust them. Yes, No, Maybe? Well, I’m happy to say that I know of at least two URL-shortening Web sites that offer a preview feature. This means the user can make an educated choice of whether to go to the link or not, because the full-length URL is displayed.

TinyURL preview feature

To initiate TinyURL’s preview all that’s required is to start your computer or smart phone’s Web browser, go to TinyURL’s Web site, and enable the preview opt-in feature. After that every time a TinyURL link is clicked, the browser immediately goes to a preview Web page like the one shown next:
Media_httpitechrepubl_oielh
TinyURL’s preview didn’t work when I used any of the Twitter client applications for my iPhone. For example, when I clicked a TinyURL link in Tweetie, it opened Safari and went straight to the linked Web page. That’s not good, I’ll have to remember to only open links in the SMS application.

Bit.ly preview feature

Bit.ly uses a slightly different approach. They have created an add-on for Firefox. Once it’s installed, hovering over the URL-shortened Bit.ly link will open a window displaying the full-length URL (see the next image). The add-on is still experimental, so before you can install it, you are required to log into the Mozilla Web site.
Media_httpitechrepubl_lfotb
Previewing Bit.ly’s shortened URLs on smart phones is a bit more convoluted because Firefox is required. I know Firefox has a mobile Web browser for Windows Mobile 6, but I’m not using any Windows-based smart phones.

Final thoughts

Most industry pundits say that we shouldn’t click on active links, whether they’re in e-mail messages, IM messages, or tweets. For most of our customers, that’s not a realistic expectation; so just make sure to approach links (especially those with shortened URLs) with caution. If possible, use one of the preview features to check out the link first (pay attention to where you’re going – BEFORE you go there). ~ Kyle Reddoch
03 · 16

Springloops - Site of the Week - March 16, 2009

Being a Web Developer and having contractors that help out, I also look for a way to collaborate between us when we are working on projects. I have always dreamt of having a place that when my contractors work on coding a project, that when they are done, they can upload it so that nothing gets overwrote. My Site of the Week works out just perfectly in that area! Springloops is an online code collaboration tool for Web Developers. I will let Springloops explain what they are in their own words:
Springloops is a unique source code management tool focused on web development teams. It allows you to code in parallel and share your code safely concentrated on results, not on lost changes or overwritten files. You get rapid collaboration in protected space. Thanks to the project management perspective it serves the getting things done attitude. Moreover, Springloops reduces repeatable activities in your day-to-day work. It makes great things simple.
I am sure that all you web developers out there will love this Site of the Week! The pricing is GREAT and reasonable, plus there is a lot of time saved using this. So head on over and take a tour of Springloops today. I am positive you will be happy with the product.

Over to You

Let me know what your experiences are if you are using this. I would love to know. ~ Kyle Reddoch
03 · 12

Help Bring Down IE6!

There is a Great and Much NEEDED campaign taking place in the Web Development world right now. The campaign is simple: Help Us Web Developers Take Down IE6! Being a Web Developer myself, IE6 causes a lot of problems for us all. The Bring Down IE6 website best summarizes the problems that IE6 brings to the table:
The premise is simple: Internet Explorer 6 is antiquated, doesn’t support key web standards, and should be phased out. This isn’t about being anti-Microsoft, it’s about Microsoft’s lack of development in the browser market. With IE7/8 not available for Windows 2000, IE6 accounts for up to 20% of web usage, primarily via business users. Clients pressure designers to ‘force’ sites to work in IE6, and designers, not wanting to lose business, comply, using hacks and workarounds. This wastes time and money. Microsoft needs to fix this, designers need to unite, and we all need to move on.
As you may have already seen, I have placed the logo in the right-hand sidebar to express my feeling about this campaign. Simply go to the website, download the logo, and place it on your website to express your feelings about this campaign. There is even a WP plug-in for those WordPress users out there. This plug-in works GREAT, I am using it myself. So I am urging all Web Designers/Developers to unite and Help Us Take Down IE6! ~ Kyle Reddoch
03 · 10

How-To Market Your Website on the Internet

So you have built your website using my 8 steps as stated in a previous article. Now it is time to face the INTERNET and begin marketing and driving continuous traffic to your site. Continuous being the key word! There are many ways to market using the internet, just depends on how you want to go about it. I am going to discuss just 5 of the top way to use internet marketing.

Why Internet Marketing?

To be able to market your website on the internet, you have to know and understand what Internet Marketing is and how it works. When most people think of internet marketing, they think of this foreign area stuck at the corner of the internet populated by all these "Make $30,00 working Part-Time" schemes, or crap is what I call it, and don't really understand the usefulness of this area of marketing. In fact, Internet marketing is used by many professionals who work hard and spend time to promote and sell quality products or services that they offer. With the users on the internet amounting to over a billion, there is a lot of marketplace to take advantage of. With the ever growing popularity and familiarity of the Internet, Internet marketing is a viable solution. Now that the Internet is virtually available to any person at any place in the world, there is no reason why you shouldn't take advantage marketing area. There are a huge number of ways that you can earn an income of the Internet. The path you choose will determine on you. Here are just 5 forms of Internet marketing that you can use to your advantage.

1. Online Information Source

Many business owners use their website as a "Online Billboard" so to say. Allowing customers or potential customers to gather information about what they have to offer before they buy.

2. Providing Services

You see on an everyday basis  that many businesses have begun to provide their services online. Heck, you can bank online, book flights, date, and handle many other tasks online. This can provide a great extension to your business.

3. Marketing Gurus

There are many experts out there that have perfected the techniques of marketing online. Techniques that consist of opt-in mailing lists, joint ventures, pay-per click, and many others. This industry has grown around the whole "How-To", web seminars, and other ways to teach "average joes" how to market online.

4. Advertising Online

Services offered by Google Adwords and many others provide viable solutions to advertising online. Keywords (words that are typed into search engines) provide a large amount of activity on the web. Grabbing a piece of this marketing form, can be a major force in driving traffic to your site.

5. Affiliates

Still one of the least understood but the most profitable form is affiliate marketing. You can join a wide variety of affiliate programs and promote a companies products or services. You promote or market their services or products, find potential customers and get a paid commission for each sale. These commissions can range from 2% all the way up to 75%. Some of the major affiliate programs out there are LinkShare, Amazon, and Clickback. They represent major companies such as Dell, HP, Apple, Microsoft and many others. Using Internet Marketing can provide you with a great income while you enjoy life.

Over to You

Maybe you have used these forms of marketing before or are still using them. I would love to hear your experiences! ~ Kyle Reddoch
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Kyle Reddoch

I am an aspiring Web Developer, Android Fanatic, Family Man, and all around Web Geek! I also do Freelance Development work.

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My Journey through the Interwebs!