PayPerTwit

In my opinion, Twitter is like a ball

Tons of posts have been written about Twitter’s success and its awesome growth during last year (I think right now it gets 8 million new users each month), and there are many reasons for this phenomenon in the social media world. in my opinion, in the end, Twitter is succeeding because Twitter is like a ball.

A ball is a simple object, configurable (in different shapes, sizes and colors) and allows people to decide how to use it, with as many possibilities as potential users in the world. That’s why you can play thousands of different games all around the globe (soccer, basketball, golf, baseball…). We create a set of rules to establish a social relation with other players, and develop new games using the ball as the center of our recreational creation.

Twitter is based on this same philosophy. It’s a simple tool (max. 140 chars), configurable (using the API) and allows each user to decide how this web application is going to be used (social, networking, marketing….). We could think of every Twitter mashup as a different game with its own rules and peculiarities.

Right now Twitter is the simplest example of Social Media, it’s an effective communication channel on the top of which many new games have been developed.

Fear is the mind-killer

One of my favorite books which I strongly recommend ( to Sci-Fi fans and not fans also ) is “Dune” by Frank Herbert. All books touch us in different ways (as many ways as people and books) and leave as a mark, a feeling or at least a phrase. While reading Dune, long time ago, I read something that still today I recite myself as a mantra.

“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”

It taught me not to avoid fear, not to crash against it, not to walk away from it. I learned to face the things I’m afraid of, letting them be a part of me, search for its essence, understand it and, in consequence, stop being afraid.

We are afraid of the unknown, that’s why knowledge is the best weapon we can hold against fear. Being brave it’s not about not having fear, it means keep on going when we are afraid.

Twittexperts has a brand new Spot

For the last two months I’ve been working on a new project (maybe a startup) to try to monentize my twitter account (with more than 7.000 followers now). The name is Twittexperts and we have produced a video to explain what’s this all about : enjoy and leave a comment if you like it (ok, you can leave a comment anyway).

Twittexperts Spot from Omou onamuh on Vimeo.

Creating your startup from scratch.
Part 3 – Design, resources & Inspiration

Now we have our idea, the domain name and the programming language. The next step is creating a design. I’ll try to go through the different parts of a good design.

I’m assuming you are a brave entrepreneur trying to launch your startup, but remember that help is always needed, design is not science, is an art and probably you are not an artist. Ask for help. In this early stage of the project there’s no budget to hire a designer, I know, but I strongly recommend it anyway.

The message

First ask yourself about your site, what are you trying to tell? who are you willing to convince? How can you explain your idea in a single web page (your home) in less than 10 secs? Because that’s the time you have to convince your visitor to stay. Your home must tell all of this and be attractive at the same time.

Choose a color palette

How many colors do you need? Depending on the layout, the number of columns, the look you want the site to have and the feeling your home should transmit. Choose your site colors wisely (messages, columns, logo, background…). You better visit lots of websites for inspiration and also use this applications online:

• http://kuler.adobe.com/#create/fromacolor
• http://colorschemedesigner.com/
• http://www.colorblender.com/
• http://www.colorschemer.com/online.html
• http://www.ficml.org/jemimap/style/color/wheel.html

Remember that every color has its own significance : The psychology of color in web design

Typography

It’s always a good idea to choose the right typography. This can be “the touch” for your site, the small detail that makes everything else look better. For compatibility reasons, few typographies are available to be used in the web, anyway you can use some of these Javascript based solutions:

• cufón. Uses the browser to draw vector objects using VML
• Sifr. Requires both JavaScript and Flash to be enabled.
• facelift. Using PHP (and the GD library).

Layout

More decisions to make : fluid, fixed or elastic layout?

• A fixed width site is one where the main wrapper is set to a specific immovable width independent of the user agent’s display resolution.
• A fluid or liquid layout is created by not specifying a wrapper width at all or doing so using the percentage unit of measure.
• An elastic site’s main wrapper and other elements are measured using ems as the unit of measure.

I recommend reading this post about layouts to help you decide.

With the message in your mind you can choose a layout for your site ( header, columns… ). There are some tools to help you create a CSS layout for you:

• http://csscreator.com/tools/layout
• http://www.wannabegirl.org/firdamatic/
• http://layouts.ironmyers.com/

CSS Framework

Optionally if you are not a CSS guru you may prefer using an already developed CSS Framework

Pros : Rapid development, normalization of code, standard compliance and cross-browser compatibility.

Cons : Design dependent on the framework and unnecessary code.

Some popular CSS frameworks are :

• Blueprint
• Yet Another Multicolumn Layout (YAML)
• YUI Grids CSS Foundation
• 960 Grid System
• BlueTrip
• jQuery UI CSS Framework
• CSS Drop-Down Menu Framework
• Hartija – CSS Print Framework

You can find a complete list of CSS Frameworks here

Inspiration

Before starting with the design of the site, once the message you want to transmit is clear, I recommend spending some time exploring the web for inspiration. Some web sites will help you :

• Web Creme
• CSS HEaven
• CSS Clip
• CSS Remix
• Creaticca
• Design Shack

More web design galleries for inspiration

Final notes

Now it’s time to work out your networking skills. First ask for help to your friends & family, but after that try to involve some expert in design. Use twitter and facebook and try to get as much feedback as you can. Your site should be attractive to a lot of people, so it makes sense to let them participate in the making of.

Some rest to be the best

I’ve had some free days lately, and this means I’ve had more time to work on my personal projects. Yes, I use my holidays to work, bitter irony isn’t it? I guess that’s the entrepreneur’s life and I like it the way it is, but there are some points to be discussed.

First of all, some introduction : I practice martial arts since I was a kid and I go running two or three times a week, and there’s a lesson I’ve learnt through all these years: Resting is as important as the training itself. To get the most from my hours of training it’s very important to save at least one day a week to recover. Listening to your own body is the only way to start over on the next day and improve.

So,if for me that’s crystal clear, then why don’t I apply the same principles to my working life? Doesn’t my brain needs some rest as the rest of my body?

I’ve just made up my mind, from now on I’ll try to forget about my job at least one day each week, no more emails,blog, twitter, PHP, analytics, adsense or marketing. Just a small amount of time dedicated exclusively to me and my family. I’ll turn off my brain so the next day, when I start engines again, it will be ready to do its best.

Are you resting enough?