10 Outlook defaults you can customize to work the way YOU want

By Susan Harkins

Takeaway: By changing just a few settings, you can configure Outlook to match your needs and working style.

Perhaps no other Office app lends itself to customization as much as Outlook does. But with all that flexibility often comes confusion and frustration because users don't always know how to help themselves work more efficiently. Changing Outlook's out-of-the-box settings can help you reduce repetitive tasks and help you work a bit more efficiently via the interface. Here are some useful tweaks to make.

Note: This article covers 2007 and 2010; the instructions for 2007 will often be similar for Outlook 2003, but this article doesn't include specific instructions for 2003.

1: Opening folder

When you launch Outlook, it displays Outlook Today view or moves straight to a specified folder. Opening to your preferred folder can eliminate a few clicks and put you right where you want to start your session. To specify which folder Outlook selects when launching, do the following:

1. Click the File tab and choose Options (under Help). In Outlook 2007, choose Options from the Tools menu, click the Other tab, and skip to step 3.
2. Choose Advanced in the left pane.
3. In the Outlook Start And Exit section, click Browse. In Outlook 2007, click the Advanced Options button in the General section and click Browse.
4. In the resulting dialog, select the folder you want as the default. Figure A shows a secondary Inbox selected, but your view will be unique to your system.
5. Click OK. Figure B shows the new setting.
6. Click OK again.

Figure A

Select the folder you want Outlook to select when launched.

Figure B

Check the setting here.

The next time you launch Outlook, it will open to the window specified in step 4. Your default window can be your Inbox or the Calendar, Tasks, or Contacts window. If you create a custom Inbox, you can specify it (as shown in Figure A). The default window can be almost any Outlook folder.

2: Custom address book

If you save addresses in a custom address book, making Outlook default to that address book will allow you to access your contacts with just a few clicks. To make a custom address book the default, do the following:

1. On the Home tab, click Address Book in the Find group. In Outlook 2007, click the Address Book icon on the Standard toolbar or press [Ctrl]+[Shift]+B.
2. From the Tools menu, choose Options. The default setting is Start With Global Address List (GAL). If yours is different, someone has already changed it. If you're on Exchange, the GAL is usually members of your organization. This list won't contain the contacts you add yourself. Your contacts are personal to you and are in the Contacts list.
3. If you want Outlook to default to your contacts, click the Start With Contact Folders option. Or click Custom to make a custom address book the default and set the order of reference using the arrow icons to the right.
4. To set the actual default address book, select the appropriate book from the When Opening The Address Book, Show This Address List First drop-down (Figure C). In Outlook 2007, it's the When Sending Mail… option.
5. Click OK.

Figure C

You can control which address book Outlook uses as the default.

3: Message format

Most users know that they can send email in different formats:

• Plain Text uses text characters with no formatting, so it's compatible with all email clients.
• HTML applies HTML formatting. Most clients can handle HTML, but they don't always render the HTML coding by default.
• Rich Text allows simple text formatting that's specific to Outlook.

Mobile technologies are quickly displacing this setup, but for now, many users still prefer Plain Text because it's less trouble — many lists and Web clients don't allow anything else. You can set this default, as follows:

1. Click the File tab and choose Options under Help. In Outlook 2007, choose Options from the Tools menu, click the Mail Format tab, and skip to step 3.
2. Choose Mail in the left pane.
3. In the Compose Messages section, choose Plain Text from the Compose Messages In This Format drop-down, shown in Figure D.
4. Click OK.

Figure D

You can set the default message format.

You may want to let the default setting handle most of your messages, but you can easily change the default for individual messages. In the message window, click the Format Text tab and choose the appropriate format in the Format group.

4: Appointment interval

Calendar view defaults to 30-minute intervals. If you maintain a different schedule, you might want to change the default interval as follows:

1. Right-click the timebar in the day or one of the week views.
2. Choose one of the intervals shown in Figure E.

Figure E

This shortcut is the easiest way to reset the default interval.

5: Appointment reminder

Outlook reminds you 15 minutes before a scheduled appointment. If you often change the reminder time when you create appointments, change that default reminder to better suit the way you work, as follows:

1. Click the File tab and choose Options under Help. In Outlook 2007, choose Options from the Tools menu, click the Preferences tab (if necessary), and skip to step 3.
2. Choose Calendar in the left pane.
3. In the Calendar Options section, choose the appropriate reminder time from the Default Reminders drop-down, shown in Figure F.
4. Click OK.

Figure F

Don't work around the default — set a reminder time that best reflects your scheduling needs.

You're not limited to the listed times, either. For instance, if you want a three-minute reminder, enter "3 minutes."

6: Name order

When you click To in the message window to access the default address book, Outlook displays contact names in First Name, Last Name order. If you have a long list, you might prefer to see contacts alphabetized by last name first. To make this change, do the following:

1. Click the File tab. In Outlook 2007, choose Account Settings from the Tools menu and skip to step 3.
2. In the resulting window, choose Account Settings from the Account Settings drop-down.
3. Click the Address Books tab.
4. Choose the appropriate account (probably Outlook Address Book) and click Change (just above the list of accounts).
5. In the resulting dialog box, click the File As (Smith, John) option in the Show Names By option, shown in Figure G.
6. Click Close twice.
7. Exit Outlook and reopen it. Outlook won't recognize this change until you do.

Figure G

Display contacts by last name first.

7: Reading pane

The quickest way to see more message text in the Reading Pane is to display less data about the message in the header section. To reduce this section to a single line, do the following:

1. In the Mail window, click the View tab.
2. From the Change View drop-down, choose Single, as shown in Figure H.

Figure H

Reduce the header information to a single line to free up space in the Reading Pane.

Outlook 2007 users have a very different route:

1. With the Reading Pane open, choose Current View from the View menu. Then, choose Customize Current View.
2. Click the Other Settings button.
3. In the Other Options section, uncheck the Use Compact Layout option.
4. Check the Always Use Single-Line Layout option.
5. Click OK twice.

8: Work week

The default work week displays only five days — Monday through Friday. If you work a nontraditional week, you can change this default to display the days you need, as follows:

1. Click the File tab and choose Options under Help. In Outlook 2007, choose Options from the Tools menu, click Calendar Options in the Calendar section, and skip to step 3.
2. Choose Calendar in the left pane.
3. In the Work Time section, check the days you want to include in your work week. You can include only a few or all seven. Figure I shows a work week that includes Monday through Saturday.
4. From the First Day Of Week drop-down, choose the day that represents the first day of your work week.
5. Click OK.

Figure I

Your calendar will accommodate your work week schedule.

9: Download interval

Outlook downloads mail at regular intervals, but you can disable that feature or change the default interval. Do so as follows:

1. Click the Send/Receive tab. In Outlook 2007, choose Options from the Tools menu, click the Mail Setup tab, click Send/Receive in the Send/Receive section, and skip to step 3.
2. Click the Send/Receive Groups drop-down in the Send & Receive group and choose Define Send/Receive Groups.
3. Enter the interval in minutes to the right of the checked Schedule An Automatic Send/Receive Every option to change the interval. You can also uncheck the option to disable the feature and download your mail manually.
4. Click Close.

10: Months in To-Do

Many of us schedule events well beyond the current month, but the To-Do Bar displays only the current month. With just a few clicks you can display the current and future months, as follows:

1. Click the View tab. In Outlook 2007, Choose To-Do Bar from the View menu.
2. Choose Options from the To-Do Bar drop-down in the Layout group. In Outlook 2007, choose Options.
3. In the Show Date Navigator section, enter the number of months (up to 9) to display in the Number Of Month Rows option, as shown in Figure J. (Enter 0 to display no months.)
4. Click OK.

Figure J

Entering 3 will display the current and next two months in the To-Do bar.

10 useful typography tips to improve your website readability

Published on July 16th, 2012 by Jean-Baptiste Jung.

Typography is often neglected on websites. This is a shame, because by improving your typography, you'll improve both your website design and readability. In this article, I have compiled 10 extremely useful typography tips that will help you to make your website looks better.

Correct line height

One of the most common web typography mistake is definitely an incorrect line height. Line height define the height of a line of text, so it have to be set according on the font size.

As a rule of thumb, I always add 7px to the font size when setting line height on texts (with 12 to 15 pixels font size)

body{      font-size:14px;      line-height:21px; /* 14px + 7px */  }  

Correct title margins

Another common mistake is an incorrect margin around titles. A title is related to a paragraph, it is not a separator between two paragraphs. This is why a title should have a wider margin on top than on its bottom.

Don't use too many different fonts

In order to keep your website readable and professional, you shouldn't use more than 3 different fonts. Using too many fonts can be confusing for the reader and will make your website look cluttered.
On the other hand, using fewer fonts keeps your website clean and readable. You can use one font for headings, one for the text, and eventually another one for the logo or the subtitles.

Use monospaced fonts to display code snippets

If you're a developer (like most persons reading this blog) you probably want to display some code snippets on your blog. If yes, please use a monospaced font to do so. So, what's a monospaced font? It's a font whose letters and characters each occupy the same amount of horizontal space.

So, which fonts should you use to display code snippets on a website? Courier is by far the most popular, but what about giving a try to most recent fonts such as Consolas or Monaco? And if you want even more choice, you should definitely have a look there.

Care about contrast

Even if your website have a great typography, another point to consider is contrast. If your page background is grey (#999999), then do not use a dark grey text (#333333) otherwise your content may be hard to read, especially for older people or people with visual disabilities.

Generally, excepted if your site is about hacking, black hat seo or gothic rock, you should use a light background and a dark font to keep a bright contrast and increase your site readability.

Keep underlined text for links

Since I've started using the internet twelve years ago, the default style applied to links by browsers is a blue text with an underline. Althought the blue is often changed to another color, the underline has been since recognized as the generic style for links. This is why you should never use underlined text for other things than links. Otherwise, this can be very confusing for your readers.

Create a library of styles

A simple and effective way to make your website visually stunning is create specific styles for specific usages. For example, what about creating a .warning CSS class to display warnings to your readers?

Hierarchize titles and text

In order to improve readability, creating a hierarchy consisting of titles, intro paragraphs and regular text is important because they allow your readers to visualize your articles and quickly access to the part that they're interested in.

Don't be afraid of white space

One of the best typography tip I've received is "Don't be afraid of white space". White space is not blank space nor unused space, it make your design clutter-free and professional. Many people love Apple's website for that reason: It's sophisticated but simple, and have lots of white space.

Use the right symbols

An important point to consider if you're looking to improve your typography is the use of the rights symbols. For example, double prime symbols are often used instead of quote symbols.
Note the difference betwen the double prime verison:

He said "Hello".

And the same text, using quote symbols:

He said "Hello".

Better, isn't it? If you're a WordPress user, you'll probably be happy to know that your favorite blogging platform automatically transform double primes into smart quotes. Otherwise, you should use HTML entities as shown below:

He said &s;ldquo;Hello”.

How To Write An Interview Winning Resume

By John Sansom, 2012/07/19

Writing a resume that rocks is not an art. It just requires some planning and an understanding of what you want it to achieve for you.

Of course therein also lies the problem because many people are not exactly sure what they want their resume to do for them. This is why you will often see resumes that have listed every single technology feature a candidate has ever encountered, or why the hiring manager is reading a resume that is eight pages long and wondering when the pain of this monstrosity will all be over. The truth is the hiring manager never even reads the entire resume and instead simply moves immediately on to the next one without giving it a further thought.

Do you want your resume to be one that gets overlooked? Of course not!

I'm going to share with you exactly what you need to do in order to create an interview winning resume for a Database Administrator (DBA), Data Professional or any other darn profession you can think of for that matter. What prompted such an awesome display of generosity you ask? Well there is a story behind it (alluded to here) that you can ask me about next time we meet, but for now let's just pretend it's because I'm a super nice chap.

Regular readers will know that I'm a big fan of KISS. Not the awesome rock band but rather the principle of Keep It Simple Stupid! So for your reading pleasure I have compressed a wealth of winning resume writing knowledge into 4 simple rules. I know, impressive right.

In order to ensure that your resume gives you the best possible chance of securing your next interview it MUST be:

1. Readable
2. Relevant
3. Accurate
4. Valuable

Let's take a look at each rule in a little more detail to find out exactly what is required.

1. Readable

Your resume should be a pleasure to read. It should be an effortless experience for the reader, enabling them to immediately zone in on precisely the information they seek. The language you use should be concise and to the point. You've got a limited amount of space to use in order to sell yourself and you want to do so within two pages. That's right, your resume should be two pages maximum. Anything more and you are not being concise or relevant enough.

In summary some of the points you will want to consider are:

• Scannable – Is your resume easy on the eye? Can the reader easily locate information?
• Concise – Stay on point. Be specific and don't waffle.
• Incorporate bulleted lists – These will improve the structure of your content, making it scannable and easier to consume.
• Consider font choice - Keep it clear and professional. Stay away from creative fonts and color palettes.
• Two page limit - Don't squash your content. Be ruthless with what you include.

2. Relevant

Include only what is relevant to the "specific" role you are targeting your resume for. It can be tempting to list each and every skill that you may have, you might be putting your resume forward for a number of different opportunities but if the skills are not relevant then they won't demonstrate value(see 4.Value below) to the reader. The irony of a catch all resume is that it will actually get you nothing. It's demonstrably lazy. Don't do it!

In summary some of the points you will want to consider are:

• Be specific – Include ONLY the information pertinent to the role.
• Don't include references – You'll be asked for them if and when needed. Use the space for "valuable" content.
• Exclude personal interests – Your personality will come across/be promoted during the interview.

3. Accurate

The invention of the Spellchecker was a wonderful thing folks, so there really is no excuse for spelling mistakes or poor grammar. All good Data Professionals have excellent attention to detail, fail to get this one right and you're pretty much just demonstrating that you don't have what it takes.

In summary some of the points you will want to consider are:

• Spelling and Grammar – Check it, double check it, get someone else to proof read.
• Accuracy of facts and information – Use of correct product/technology names and versions.

4. Valuable

Why should I hire you? You know SQL Server clustering, so what? Why is that of use to me as a business owner? Demonstrate the business value you have delivered because of what you know or have done. Simply listing technology and skills is boring. Take your resume to the next level by clearly showing the reader how you delivered value using what you know. Be factual in your delivery and mind you don't take it to the other extreme or you'll end up coming across as boastful. The emphasis required on demonstrable financial value for a Sales Director is going to be a lot more than is needed for BI Developer. You need to find the right balance for your market.

In summary some of the points you will want to consider are:

• Expertise – Demonstrate your value through the results of your actions that were enabled by your skills.
• Key Achievements – Make a point of highlighting your big wins and achievements. Deployed an entire DR solution protecting assets worth £x million? Tell the reader.
• Demonstrable value – Revenue, costs savings, business awareness. What makes you an asset to have on staff?
• Passion – Show your love of technology(or chosen field) and for learning.

Keep It Simple

There you have it, four simple rules you should make sure your resume follows to give you the best possible chance of winning that next interview spot.

What do you think is important to creating an interview winning resume?

Best of luck with your job search!

10 ways to speed up Windows 7

By Scott Lowe

July 16, 2012, 5:26 AM PDT

Takeaway: You don't have to live with a Windows 7 machine that's becoming unbearably slow. Here are 10 basic steps that will optimize system performance.

With Windows 7, Microsoft did a really good job making the system perform well. However, over time, Windows 7 systems can slow down and need some care and feeding to regain their former glory. Further, some Windows 7 features can be leveraged to improve overall system performance. In this article, I will outline 10 steps you can take to boost the performance of your Windows 7 systems.

1: Disable unnecessary services

Not every system service that is running on a stock Windows 7 machine is necessary. A number of services can either be disabled or modified to run only when needed. Once you make these changes, the service no longer has to consume system resources and the system no longer has to spend time starting the service. Earlier this year, I wrote an article here at TechRepublic titled 10+ Windows 7 services you may not need.

2: Reduce the number of startup items

Windows 7 systems eventually begin to suffer under the weight of software that is installed in the normal course of business. Many software titles install more than is necessary and include helper applications designed solely to make the software start up more quickly or facilitate other communication (e.g., iTunes helper). And new software installations might add a permanent presence to the system tray, even if it's not absolutely necessary for the system to function (Steam games, for example).

You could go through your system tool by tool and remove the offending software, but you might want to keep the underlying tool around and just prevent the helper from loading. This and more can be accomplished through the use of MSconfig, a tool that has long been a part of Windows. MSconfig allows you to selectively disable startup items and take other steps toward improving overall system performance.

To use MSconfig, go to Start and in the search box, type MSconfig. From the Startup tab (Figure A), you can disable items. Just be careful about what you choose.

Figure A

Disable items to improve overall system performance.

3: Remove the bloatware installed by vendors

I've long felt that Microsoft's OEMs sometimes actively work against the Redmond behemoth and sully the company's name. Nowhere is this more evident than in the case of what has become known as "bloatware." In the never-ending race to the bottom of the PC market, lower cost PCs have had their profit margins bolstered by OEMs through the inclusion of mostly junk software - short-term trials and the like — that does nothing but add a few dollars of profit while bringing performance to a crawl. Frankly, this is one of the reasons that I believe that Microsoft's Surface announcement, in which Microsoft noted that it would make its own device, is brilliant. The company needs to start with a clean slate in some ways (no pun intended).

If your PC shipped with a bunch of stuff you'll never use, get rid of that software. Generally, you can go to Start | Control Panel | Programs And Features (Figure B) and remove software you no longer plan to use. If the software adds items to the startup process, getting rid of it will make the PC start faster and, ultimately, perform better overall.

Figure B

Use Programs And Features to remove unwanted software.

4: Keep viruses and spyware off your system

If you're running Windows, you need to be running an anti-malware program to keep viruses and spyware off your system. Nothing will ruin good performance like a boatload of spyware. My personal favorite (and free!) tool for combating malware is Microsoft Security Essentials. In my experience, it's been successful in catching bad stuff while not significantly degrading system performance itself.

5: Check your memory

How much RAM do you have? Is your system consuming all or most of your RAM? Does the system page out to disk? If so, you're suffering a massive performance hit, which can be solved by adding more memory to your PC. Greg Shultz explains how to do this by using Resource Monitor.

6: Go solid state

Solid state is all the rage these days, and with good reason. It's fast! More and more laptops and even desktops are moving to the technology because of the performance benefits. Solid state disks use memory cells from which data can be read very quickly, as opposed to the relatively plodding nature of rotational storage. By moving to SSD, you can give your Windows 7 system renewed life — and give yourself a whole new user experience.

But SSDs can be expensive, so you need to be smart about how to use them in the most cost-effective way. See ZDnet's Windows 7 and SSDs: Trimming the fat from your system drive for tips on manking good decisions about how to implement SSD.

7: Ensure that power settings favor performance

This one is easy! When you're plugged in, configure Windows 7's power plans to favor performance over power savings. When you choose to use Windows 7′ high performance power plan, you might increase the computer's performance in some (but not all) circumstances. It really depends on the kind of work you're doing and how often you allow the computer to sit idle.

To change power plans, go to Start | Control Panel | Power Options and choose your power plan settings (Figure C). For more about how these plans operate, see Evaluate the efficiency of Windows 7 power plan settings.

Figure C

Go to Power Options to choose Windows 7 power plan settings.

8: Keep your system defragmented (unless you've followed item 6)

If you're using a traditional spinning disk in your Windows 7 system, you can keep your system operating at peak efficiency by periodically defragmenting the hard drive. If, however, you've opted to go with SSD-based storage, don't do this. First, you won't get any performance benefit and second, you'll significantly reduce the life of that expensive SSD.

Disk defragmentation is scheduled to take place once per week, but you can change this by going to Start | Accessories | System Tools | Disk Defragmenter (Figure D). In addition to changing the schedule, you can run an on-demand defrag from here. You can also run a defrag from the command line instead of from a GUI. Bill Detwiler's video explains how.

Figure D

You can schedule a defrag in the Disk Defragmenter dialog box.

9: Disable or tune search indexing

Windows 7's search is good, but it can also affect system performance. If you really need to run a tool at full tilt, you can disable indexing altogether. Or you can tune the indexer to meet your specific needs, possibly reducing its overall impact on system performance.

10: Use ReadyBoost

Perhaps you don't want to jump into the solid-state game right away but would like some of the benefit that can be had from flash-based storage. Using nothing more than a USB stick, you can do so through a Windows 7 feature known as ReadyBoost. (Note that if you're already using an SSD as your system drive, ReadyBoost won't be available, since there would be no performance gain.)

ReadyBoost allows the system to make use of one of these speedy storage devices as a cache, improving overall performance of the system. The flash storage device that you choose to use for ReadyBoost should meet the following specifications set by Microsoft:

• Capacity of at least 256 MB, with at least 64 kilobytes (KB) of free space
• At least a 2.5 MB/sec throughput for 4-KB random reads
• At least a 1.75 MB/sec throughput for 1MB random writes

Here's another nice feature: If Windows doesn't think ReadyBoost will provide a performance gain, it will tell you and won't let you enable it. In Figure E, you can see that I've opened the properties for a portable USB stick, which I've added to my Windows 7 system. However, Windows knows that the system disk is already fast enough, so ReadyBoost isn't available as an option. If you want to learn more about how to enable and configure ReadyBoost in your system, see Take a closer look at ReadyBoost features in Windows 7.

Figure E

ReadyBoost isn't needed for this system.

Five ways social media can help you get a promotion

By Mamta Saha

June 21, 2012, 5:07 AM PDT

Takeaway: Managers often take a dim view of staff who use social media at work, but research suggests these networkers are the very employees who really get ahead.

A waste of time, a distraction and a drain on resources - those are all accusations that managers have levelled at the use of social media at work. But research suggests that far from being a barrier to productivity, using social media actually helps employees advance their careers.

Working recently on a Google project on the use of social tools in business, I thought one finding really stood out: those using social tools at work are more likely to get promoted than those who do not.

The research showed that 86 per cent of frequent users say they have recently been promoted and 72 per cent say they are likely to be promoted, compared with 61 per cent and 39 per cent of non-users. The report hails these workers as the new social climbers, because they know how to employ the tools in the right way to get ahead.

In reality, there are a number of reasons why social networkers are more likely to progress in their career, and it appears that the most successful, visionary companies are already acknowledging the benefits of these tools to make it easy to connect and work together online.

According to the Google research, high-growth companies are most likely to use social tools, so it is important not to ignore their potential for the workplace.

So what are high-fliers doing differently when it comes to social networking? There are a number of ways in which social tools can help with career progression:

1. Showcasing depth of knowledge

When social media first appeared on the radar it was the more introverted individuals who started to use it, creating blogs, answering questions on forums and generally understanding the technology's potential as an outlet for sharing knowledge and exchanging views. This experience put them one step ahead, helping them to get noticed for their expertise.

In a professional situation, in-depth authority on a relevant topic is extremely attractive to employers and helps get introverts noticed without the need for active self-promotion because others are drawn to them to tap into their knowledge.

2. Making connections

Those using social networking in the workplace have recognised its potential to broaden their circle of contacts, which can lead to all sorts of useful business connections.

Building a network of contacts also offers an effective means of solving problems, giving access to a wider panel of individuals with different areas of expertise, whose knowledge can be tapped into to help solve problems and give advice on unfamiliar situations.

3. Building a personal brand

The most successful social networkers are not the ones who give away vast quantities of information about themselves online. Such behaviour can look unprofessional and even damage your reputation.

It tends to be those who have distilled personal information to build their own brand, including their skillset, experience and connections, who are most likely to be successful in using social networking to progress their careers.

That said, individual touches such as occasional updates on hobbies and interests can also lead to more meaningful connections with all kinds of influential people. In Google +, for instance, these contacts with similar interests can be grouped together, making it easier to ensure your updates and requests are relevant to those receiving them.

4. Tapping into knowledge

Another great opportunity for using social tools to excel comes in using them to learn about your organisation. Many companies have already established a network or blog and are using these channels to provide information about staff skills, company news and initiatives. So taking an interest in these forums and communities can be very informative.

Using social media to track company references is also a good idea. For instance, if a story about your company breaks on Twitter, and you are the first to spot it, this shows senior staff you are taking an interest in the organisation, which can impress them.

5. Time management and productivity benefits

Today's social climbers are also using these tools to help them work smarter. Most of us are familiar with being bombarded with emails that we don't have time to read and being pulled into meetings that seem to last longer than necessary.

Through thinking creatively about what social tool could do the job more effectively, you can change these time-draining practices in your company. Instant messaging, for instance, can be a time-saver when you want an answer to a question quickly.

Collaborative documents edited online by multiple people at the same time could replace some meetings. It is only through trying out different tools that you will learn these shortcuts for yourself and be seen as a more efficient member of the team.

It is important to remember that opportunistic, driven individuals are likely to grasp any opportunities that come their way to make themselves more successful. That's why they are getting ahead through using social tools.

They know that these services can help make them better informed, better connected and more productive. So if you're reading this and wondering what all the fuss is about, it could be time to open your mind to what social media can do for your own career.

Tips for optimizing your web images

By Ryan Boudreaux

April 14, 2011, 11:02 AM PDT

Takeaway: Ryan Boudreaux explains the importance of optimizing your images for the web in order to balance quality and load times. Here are his rules of thumb for optimizing images and using appropriate file types.

There are several image editing and manipulation tools, programs, and applications available for web and graphic designers, and you probably already have your favorite "prepare for publication" imaging tool in place. This will not be a discussion on the various editing tools themselves, but will concentrate on the best practices and techniques for optimizing your images and graphics on the web.

For a quick example before I get into the whys and hows for optimizing images on the web, take a look at the two images below, and without taking a peek at their properties, notice similarities and differences when comparing them to one another (click on images for full-size).

Figure A

Figure B

Figure A is saved as a .jpg image with a baseline standard format at maximum quality, and is 514KB in file size at 800px wide. At a dial-up 56.6Kbps Internet access speed it would take approximately 90 seconds for this image to be rendered fully on the browser screen. My apologies for those of you who are using dial-up for your Internet access.

Figure B is the same image saved as a .jpg, however, with the format set to progressive with 5 scans, and the quality set to low, and it comes in at just 59KB in file size at 800px wide. At dial-up 56.6Kbps speed this image, would take just about 8 seconds to render fully.

What differences do you notice with the two images? Colors, load times, quality, these are all factors to consider when optimizing your web images. I kept the image pixel sizes consistent for this comparison; however, to fully optimize this image, I could have reduced the pixel width and that would have reduced its web page load impact in addition to the other optimizing factors.

Why optimize web images?

What are the motivating factors that direct our attention to obtain the most favorable web images? Several reasons for optimizing your web images include:

Bandwidth and throughput: We all know that bandwidth has been a buzzword for many years now, and getting your web documents to render as fast as possible in users' browsers means keeping your graphic and image file size to a minimum. The challenge becomes maintaining a high quality graphic while keeping a lean file size; the balance of these two elements is key to optimizing your web images.

Data storage and space: While data storage space and servers become less expensive every year, it is still prudent to limit your image size. As sites grow they typically show a steady growth in the number of images. For example, a particular image directory for a sub-section of a Federal agency Intranet site that I maintain includes 18 sub-directories with 360 images, combining for a total 24MB of storage space, and for an average of 69KB per image, that is actually considered to be slightly on the heavy side for a typical optimized web image.

Reduced costs: Optimized images add up to less server and storage space requirements, less bandwidth and throughput requirements, and therefore reduced hosting costs, especially when using a third-party ISP or Internet network solution provider.

User experience: The visitor enjoys a better experience when page load times are minimal; nothing irritates the guest more than having to wait for image-heavy web documents to load in the browser. Optimized images help keep the load times to within seconds.

Tips for optimizing your web images

Image file formats: The rules about file formats vary between organizations, each web development house typically has a specific guideline. Here are three file types that are suited for the web.

·         GIF: The .gif file format is really a bitmap consisting of a grid made of pixel squares, including transparency pixels with up to 256 colors, and data about every pixel is saved. It is a great file type for saving graphics, charts, bullet points, icons, buttons, and textual details.

·         JPEG: Although, the general rule that many follow is to reserve the .jpg file type for images, and .gif file type for graphics, charts, etc., I would apply the .jpg file type as a rule of thumb if your web site leans toward high end photography galleries, or other high quality graphic designs. This file type is good for saving images with millions of colors, including graphics with a variety of shades and gradients. Just note that typically the .jpg file type images are much larger and take longer to load. However, most image editing tools allow you to select the file compression for .jpg. For example, you can choose Maximum, Very High, High, Medium, and Low, so you do have some control over the ultimate file size. To test the image, be sure to save it under several compression settings and then test them for quality rendering and load times. Balancing quality, compression, and load times can be a judgment call depending on the particular image and the web document it is called within.

·         PNG: The .png image file type was developed in answer to the .gif patented file type, and while it can display a larger range of colors than the .gif, it does typically result in a larger file size. Many use the .png file format very effectively for buttons and icons, which are usually small pixel dimensions anyway, so they are not so large when utilized in that fashion. A typical 16×16 pixel .png icon will weigh in between 1KB and 4KB, or a 48×48 button at between 3KB and 7KB, so when utilized in this fashion they are optimal. For any .png image over a dimension of 200 pixels you start to see much higher file sizes.

Saving images for the web: Here are several rules of thumb for saving your optimized images for the web.

·         Make sure you have saved a copy of the image as a lossless version, meaning that you can come back and edit it again later if needed. For example, .raw, .tiff, .png, .psd file formats to name a few. Especially if several layers have been added to the image or graphic file, you never know when the customer will want to change a word here or a graphic element there, even after it has been up on your site for some time.

·         If it is a photograph, then select .jpg file format to save the final image. Remember to test several quality and compression settings until you get the perfect balance between quality and load times. If your image editing tool allows the "progressive" setting use that as it will allow the image to "blur" or display gradually as it is rendered on the web instead of line by line. The load time is not improved with the progressive setting, however it does give the image a softer look and feel when rendering on screen.

·         If your .jpg image is to be used as a background on the web document then use the Medium or Low compression setting. Otherwise for displayed images keep the compression at High.

·         If you have the option to adjust the image "quality" then use the settings to make the appropriate change; again, remember to strike a balance between acceptable quality and suitable file size.

File sizes: Depending on the use of the image follow these guidelines for optimal file size:

·         For background images try to keep the file size around or below10KB.

·         For banners or header images a file size up to 60KB is acceptable.

·         For high end photographs try to keep them to within 100KB at an absolute maximum.

 

Quick tips: Four things to nail down early in the web design process

By Ryan Boudreaux

 

Takeaway: Ryan Boudreaux identifies four areas where it's best to clearly define basics and work out details before getting too far into coding and design elements.

This group of four quick tips are all things you want to consider early in any new web design project. Sometimes the excitement of beginning a new project can tempt you, and an eager customer, to skip too far ahead before all of the basic details are fully worked out. Unfortunately, this can result in re-work, wasted time, or elements that don't mesh in the final product. Here are my top four areas to nail down when you start a new web design engagement.

#1 Content before code

Before starting any coding, design, and image work or getting a domain name for the new web site, it is a good idea to have the content up front. Building the site elements, layout, coding, imaging, and design before the content is like putting the cart before the horse — it goes nowhere fast. Once the content is clearly defined, then you can make the decisions on what elements will work and the ones that can be omitted, and this will save you and the customer a lot of headache, effort, and wasted time, which will also have a negative impact on the customer's budget.

#2 Branding and logo

 

In the same approach with developing the content, it is always a smart plan to have the corporate branding and logo well defined and memorable before launching thewebsite. If necessary, get the aid of a professional design firm to develop a logo and branding, and ensure they deliver a graphic that stands out from the rest and is easily recognizable.

#3 Test the usability

You don't have to necessarily hire a usability test firm to carry out your usability study, though many large organizations do, and there is nothing wrong with that approach. It always makes sense to find a group of folks who can pick apart your site before it goes live. Your test group should be instructed to find any bugs, glitches, or design flaws before you hit the streets with your new website URL.

#4 Web standards and semantics

Make sure your semantic code is set to a standard that accurately describes the content, and uses the right element for the job, for example, with effective and descriptive Class and ID naming conventions. Web standards and semantic practices will ensure that your pages are found and ranked among the popular search engines and improve the relative value of the website.

For example, many foodie bloggers were elated with the recent Google Recipe Search tool, until the discovery that the new microformat powered algorithms were excluding many of their sites, and many were not being ranked at all because their blog code did not have named element ids or classes such as "ingredient", "procedure", "amount", "preparation", "duration", "cooktime", "instruction", "yield" or "recipe" listed in the semantic code. Managing your microformats can be a daunting task, especially when having to convert them into existing code.

 

Five tips for optimizing your Internet connection

By Brien Posey

Takeaway: If your Internet connection is sluggish, try these tricks to perk it up.

Few things in life are as frustrating as a slow Internet connection. Unfortunately, there isn't much that you can do about many of the things that cause the Internet to slow down. Things like switch congestion or segment congestion (outside your network) are beyond your control. Even so, you can take a few steps to make sure that your Internet connection is functioning optimally.

1: Avoid DNS bottlenecks

 If you have an Active Directory environment in place, you no doubt have an on-premise DNS server. Recently, I have seen several instances of organizations virtualizing their DNS servers and placing them on host machines that have little capacity remaining. The basic thought behind this is that DNS does not require many system resources, so DNS server placement can be treated almost as an afterthought.

 However, your DNS server's performance has a major impact on the amount of time it takes for users to access Web pages. So it's important to make sure that your DNS server has sufficient resources to prevent it from becoming a bottleneck.

2: Use DNS forwarders

 Another thing you can do to optimize your Internet connectivity is to make use of DNS forwarders. The idea behind a forwarder is that if your DNS server is unable to resolve a query, it sends the 

 It's common to point the forwarder to the DNS servers that are owned by a company's ISP. The problem is that these DNS servers can be located anywhere. For example, my ISP resides in South Carolina, but it uses a DNS server in France. If you really want to optimize your Internet connectivity, your DNS forwarder should point to a DNS server that is in close physical proximity to your geographic location.

 If you aren't sure where your ISP's DNS servers are, I recommend using one of the visual trace route applications to determine where the DNS servers reside. The Visual Trace Route Tool is one free option.

 If you do determine that you're forwarding DNS requests to servers that are far away, the forwarder should be redirected to a DNS server that is in closer geographic proximity. If you don't know of another DNS server you can use, try checking out OpenDNS.

3: Use a proxy cache

 You can also optimize your Internet connectivity by using a proxy cache, which offers two main benefits. First, it provides your network users with a degree of shielding because it is the cache, not the user, that ultimately contacts Web sites. More important, a proxy cache can dramatically speed up Internet access.

 When a user enters a Web URL, the request is sent to the proxy server, which then issues the request on behalf of the user (similar to the way a NAT device works). When the proxy server receives the requested content, it forwards it to the user, but it also stores a copy for itself. If a another user requests the same content, the proxy server can deliver it without having to send the user's request to a Web site. Cached content is delivered almost instantly, so the result is lightning-fast Internet access for your users (at least for any content that has been cached) and decreased Internet bandwidth usage.

 The good news is that you may already have everything that you need to set up a proxy server. Microsoft's Forefront TMG can easily be configured to act as a proxy cache.

4: Secure your wireless access points

 You may be able to optimize your Internet connection by securing your wireless access points. I realize that this sounds ridiculous to anyone who is managing an enterprise class network, because all your access points should already be secure. But a tremendous number of small and midsize businesses are operating unsecured wireless access points.

 From an Internet optimization standpoint, the problem with unsecured wireless access points is that they allow an Internet connection to be used by anyone. A neighbor could potentially be consuming the majority of the available bandwidth.

5: Block streaming media sites

 You can further optimize your Internet connectivity by taking measures to prevent bandwidth from being wasted. One such measure is to block access to any streaming media sites for which there is not a legitimate business need. For example, you might block access to YouTube in an effort to prevent users from wasting Internet bandwidth by downloading viral videos.