Exploring and understanding audience, encouraging communication, announcing excerpts and celebrating book releases. Just basically talking about websites... and the occasional cupcake.

Sites in Tables. What could be the reason?

by Emily Cotler
January 27, 2012 – 10:10 pm

I have been looking at a lot of sites lately. I am happy to say that no one is building in tables anymore… or so I thought until a few minutes ago.

I will back up here a moment and admit that a significant portion of the sites in our portfolio are in tables, including a few of our busiest. WhyEVER would we do that? I have an easy answer:

They are not new — 2007 or older. Still functional, still serving the client, but older.

Outside of newsletters, which can be a different beast, we employ a table so rarely it’s hard to even come up with an occasion. So imagine my surprise when I stumbled across the site for a new film: The Pursuit of Loneliness. I was stunned at so many things about it: all the text is graphical, the title tags are “menu1024″ and such, and it’s all in tables.

I pulled myself back from the edge of passing judgment, though. Why would they do this? I genuinely wondered. There must be a reason. The design is not bad. It’s minimalist, and it matches the feel of the movie.

I guess that it’s in tables for a few reasons: 1) low budget, 2) quick turnaround, and 3) it’s not going to change. There is no reason to build in CSS if there is not compelling reason to need that flexibility. No changing content… ever.

There are drawbacks, of course. There is no SEO, and it’s in tables. But sometimes the budget and future use simply does not call for elegant code. Sometimes it is valid to just get ‘er up.

Posted by Emily Cotler •• Filed in Web Design, Working on the web •• Comments (2)

Wax to black

by Emily Cotler
January 18, 2012 – 12:45 am

Fighting online piracy is important. PIPA and SOPA are not the way to do it. Tell Congress: Please don’t censor the web!

Posted by Emily Cotler •• Filed in Working on the web •• Comments (0)

O, Powerful Photoshop

by Emily Cotler
January 15, 2012 – 6:11 pm

In an accidental extension of the topic of queens, here is a fantastic Photoshop project to put a face on Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Amazing.

Posted by Emily Cotler •• Filed in Creative •• Comments (0)

Gorgeous Designwork!

by Emily Cotler
January 9, 2012 – 9:28 pm

I wish I could say we did it. We didn’t. But I let out a little gutteral “oh!” when it loaded on my screen.

H.M. herself probably did it, actually. As if she didn’t already have a cool enough job being Queen of Denmark, she’s also an artist. J’adore the use of white (red) space, and the tone on tone is sublime.

I genuflect.

Posted by Emily Cotler •• Filed in Creative •• Comments (0)

December Wrap-Up

by Emily Cotler
December 27, 2011 – 4:05 pm

wrap-up header

NEW BOOKS:

ELOISA JAMES released two books in December! Today The Duke is Mine, the third installment in her Fairy Tales set, arrived an bookshelves and in all those new xmas kindles. Eloisa also released a new ebook novella back at the beginning of the month, Winning the Wallflower. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: This whole site is chock full of bonuses. But for the newest bonus: Chapters 1-3 of The Duke is Mine are available to be read as free excerpts.

Also today: LAURA LEE GUHRKE released Trouble at the Wedding, the third installment in the Abandoned at the Altar series. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: Laura’s giving away the first two books in this series in her contest. And in case you missed the news back in late summer, four of her old favorites that had been out of print for over a decade are back. Check out Laura’s bookshelf for more details.

JANE PORTER released Not Fit for a King?, the first book in her royalty duo in the United Kingdom. It will be available in North America early next summer. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: This new release doesn’t have any extras of its own (yet!), but why not check out some of Jane’s oldies, but goodies, like the Flirting with Forty extras.

JACI BURTON released A Rare Gift, book two in the Kent Brothers series, available as a single novella or in the anthology Holiday Kisses. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: Check out Jaci’s new Connected Books section for The Kent Brothers series.

CJ CARMICHAEL released The Gift, part of the Bandit Creek series project. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: Be sure to check out CJ’s Bandit Creek Scavenger Hunt contest and read her Dear Reader letter, where you can learn more about the Bandit Creek books.

LORI FOSTER rereleased Tails of Love, an anthology of which all Author and Agent proceeds from sales of the book will benefit the AAF – Animal Adoption Foundation. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: Be sure to check out a video trailer about this anthology.

JENNIE LUCAS released The Girl that Love Forgot. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: Be sure to read more about the story and check out character profiles at the I (heart) Presents blog.

NEW EXCERPTS:

MAYA BANKS posted an excerpt from Whispers in the Dark, the fourth installment in the KGI series, due out on January 3.

JENNIE LUCAS posted an excerpt from A Night of Living Dangerously due out in the United Kingdom on January 20 and in North America on April 17.

STEPHANIE TYLER posted excerpts from her brand new series, The Clan of the Eternal Wolf, starting with an eSpecial prequel novella Dire Warning, releasing February 7. Book One, Dire Needs, releases March 6.

JACI BURTON posted a special sneak peek from Taking a Shot, book three of the Play-by-Play series, due out on March 6.

KATE NOBLE posted a special sneak peek excerpt from If I Fall, due out on April 3.

PAMELA PALMER posted an special sneak peek excerpt from A Warrior’s Desire, book three in the Esri series, due out on April 3.


COMING VERY, VERY SOON:

January will bring releases from Maya Banks, Nicola Cornick, Red Garnier, Lori Foster, Mia Marlowe. Stay tuned!

Posted by Emily Cotler •• Filed in Fun Site Features, Working on the web, Wrap-ups •• Comments (2)

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