iTraceDesigns.
A portfolio of your my work.

Google Analytics does not inherently track file downloads (i.e. links to images or PDF documents). However, you can manually enable this through the use of JavaScript. There are a lot of great implementations of this and some are already in a JavaScript library but I wanted to take a crack at it on my own, and that's what you see above. There are other variations of this script available, just be aware that for every install of Google Analytics, you should also add some version of this. jsFiddle, jQuery, Mootools, JavaScript, Google Analytics, demo

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I enjoyed the pop up tooltips on Mac's OS Snow Leopard so much that I recreated them to be used in a website. My goal was to create something that would degrade nicely and illustrate the Mootools tooltip capabilities. Please download the files and feel free to use them. XHTML 1.0 Transitional, CSS3, Mootools, download, demo

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I have never sought out to be an expert in social media. But, after many years of doing web development, I have become as social-media-savvy as your average teenager (which is pretty good). My experience lies in the few web 2.0 sites that I have created for others (I haven't maintained any "web 2.0" sites and that's the key) and the occasional tweet. At its most basic level, all social media web apps are a version of AOL chat rooms from the 90's, and conceptually, the social web is just a communication channel or tool. There's nothing scary about it. It's not hard to create or implement (from a programming stand point). The challenge lies in finding the right voice to represent you -- choosing where to concentrate your efforts, and staying on top of the conversation. Because of this, I believe that social media is for the PR people, not the web guys. Meyocks, XHTML 1.0 Transitional, ASP.NET, CSS2, Mootools, JavaScript, AS2, Flash Player

A strong "home page" or landing page will always let the user know where they are and what they should do next. Use design as much as possible to give the user hints as to where they are, and try to use large headline sized links (or something that will get the attention) above the fold to give the user a direction. XHTML 1.0 Strict, CSS2, AS3, GAIA Framework, PHP

Lots of cheap tools exist for creating small, short-term websites or "microsites." If you're looking for event planning, for instance, check out this article at mashable for some great ideas. XHTML 1.0 Transitional, CSS2, ASP, DoJiggy (That's right do jiggy -- pain in my a**)

Web design has changed drastically in the past five years. Over the past decade I have taught myself about nine different programming languages just to keep up. Because of this, it's a good idea to refresh or "redesign" your site a couple times a year. A redesign doesn't always have to mean a complete overhaul; you can make a 20% change and call it good. Keeping your site standards compliant and current with the W3C recommendations can also be cheaper than completely redesigning your site every three years or so. Some old sites get a pass though :). HTML (no doctype used), CSS, JavaScript (provided by DreamWeaver)

From now on, every website I build will include some sort of content management system (CMS). And why not? Wordpress is free, LightCMS is incredibly user-friendly, and Pagelime is perfect for one off shots. (For Technorati: FETNXSE59PP5) XHTML 1.0 Transitional, PHP, CSS2, jQuery