Don't count on your computer for website backups

It’s not uncommon that I hear someone say, “Sure, I have backups. Everything is saved on my computer.” Backing up your website files is important. While having copies on your computer is a smart idea, it’s not enough.

Computers fail too frequently to use them for your only backup. Of course, you can always download your site files from your host if your PC crashes, but that can take a while on some hosts. Additionally, it’s convenient to have an archive of every file you’ve ever edited. Pages under construction may not be available on your web server, either.

External hard drives and USB flash drives are very cheap these days. You can get a 4 GB USB drive for as little as £10. Most computers can burn files to CDs and DVDs as well. Considering how easy it is to make a second copy of your site files, why aren’t you doing it?

Add a second monitor to your computer for better domaining

Monitors seem to get bigger and bigger every year. Whereas 17-inches used to be a normal screen size, now monitors as large as 24-inches are the norm. While having a big monitor makes getting work done easier, you can get an even bigger productivity boost from installing a second monitor on your computer.

If you register domains on a regular basis or build a lot of websites, you probably have multiple programs open all the time. Domainers work with a lot of data and often have to scramble to make a registration before someone else. Having two monitors allows you to see more data at once, increasing your efficiency. The same is true for web designers, but they also get the benefit for having an HTML editor in one window and the under-construction site in the other.

The best part about having dual monitors is the cost. Who says you have to go buy an expensive monitor? Repurpose a display from an old computer or buy a low-end model on sale at a local store. The amount of productivity you gain will pay for itself ten times over. As for me, I’m looking into adding a third monitor to my computer setup.

Photo | Flickr

What kind of computer do you need to build websites?

If you’re getting started with HTML or want to create a CMS website, you might be wondering how fast of a computer you need. Most people are surprised to learn that building a website does not require an expensive computer.

Unless you plan on using high-power software like Adobe Dreamweaver, the computer you’re using now is probably fine. In my opinion, any computer with a modern CPU and at least 128 MB RAM should be able to handle website construction. You can create and edit HTML files in text editors like NotePad. If you’re using a CMS like WordPress or Joomla for your site, any computer that can run a recently-released web browser will suffice.

An older system might stop you from installing certain software, but it shouldn’t limit your creativity.

The 10% Rule

One of the hardest parts of web design is dealing with users who do not follow mainstream technology trends. They may be using an outdated browser, a 256-color video card, or viewing your site on a very small resolution. What do you do with them?

Multimedia developer Anthony Celeste has what he calls “the 10% Rule.” Basically, if less than 10% of your target market falls within a specific usage category, forget about them.

In today’s world, that would include people running on an 800×600 resolution, those using Internet Explorer 5, and in most cases, dial-up users. While one should be careful not to eliminate too much of their target market, the amount of time it takes to optimize a site for a small group of people usually isn’t worth the added traffic. After all, we all have to buy a new computer sometime.

Photo | Flickr