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Directive Blogs

Directive has been serving the Oneonta area since 1993, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support, and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses.

Web Design Trends that Oneonta Businesses Should Adopt ASAP

We’ve built thousands of websites over the last three decades, helping businesses throughout upstate New York and beyond improve their web presence and look like rockstars in front of their online audience. We’ve been seeing some trends that we think businesses around town would truly benefit from, and some minor grievances that occasionally crop up on local websites that we think should be addressed. 

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Website Editing Guide - Part 3 - URL Structure and Navigation

Website Editing Guide - Part 3 - URL Structure and Navigation

One of the biggest mistakes we’ve seen people make with their website is altering URLs.

This mistake has some serious repercussions, including; 

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Website Editing Guide - Part 2 - Content Formatting Best Practices

The Most Fundamental Website Best Practices Everyone Should Know Before Editing Their Website

Content Formatting Best Practices

Remember writing essays in school, and being taught how things should be formatted?

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Is Your Website Outdated?

Ever notice how some websites don’t change much for years or even decades, while others age like milk? Of course, then there is your own website, which, depending on how you feel about it, will either feel outdated after a couple of years, or you’ll love the design so much that, to you, it’s timeless and never needs a change.

We’re going to look at how web design standards have changed, how to stay ahead of the curve to get the most time out of your website, and talk about some of the more frustrating things that you might need to prepare for with modern websites.

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Choosing the Right Website Platform

Virtually any type of business needs a website. Whether you are a local restaurant, a one-person CPA, or a busy manufacturer, your website is the proof that your business has a pulse. Like it or not, this will be one of the main conduits your prospective customers and clients will use to find you.

Even if your website is an afterthought, you should consider auditing it and refreshing it at least every couple years. That might not mean a full redesign from the ground up, but it definitely needs to reflect your business and provide your visitors with enough information to take the next steps.

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Web Design Trends for 2017 and Beyond

It stands to reason that, in order for a user to visit, review, and retain information from your website, your site will have to look good. Of course, as with anything that has to do with what looks “good,” web design decisions should be dictated by what’s currently in fashion. In order to keep up with the trends of 2017, we’ve compiled a list of design elements that will be crucial for your website.

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Joomla Tip: Load a Module in an Article

Joomla module screenshot

Here at Directive, we love Joomla, the open source content management system that makes it easy to edit your website. Here's an intermediate Joomla trick that will let you load a module inside an article (instead of in one of your template's pre-defined positions). There can be numerous occasions where you might want to drop a module inside one of your Joomla articles. Maybe you want some tabbed content inside your article or an image rotator that shows off your latest photos, or embed a JoomConnect form. This can all be done very easily with Joomla's loadposition tag. Hit the jump to find out how this is done.

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Understanding the Makeup of Websites

b2ap3_thumbnail_Web400.jpgWe’re all familiar with the “Dummies” book series, they are helpful when it comes to understanding specific topics, but not all of us have the time to read a manual of information. We want to dummify web knowledge regarding the web’s ever changing buzzwords and platforms. This will help educate you on what web services and products are available for your company’s website. Every business owner should at least be aware of the website platform they are using and be fluent enough to understand its capabilities. If your website breaks, then having at least a basic understanding will make interacting with your website maintenance team go smoother, and give you a foot in the door if you ever want to take the plunge and learn more.

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When 600 Fonts are not Enough, Make Your Own!

b2ap3_thumbnail_FontFamily400.jpgAre you the type of person that gets a little excited when it comes time to choose a font? Have you had to force yourself to stop and just pick one, otherwise you would sink too much time into font shopping? If this describes you, then you will enjoy taking your fascination with fonts to the next level by making your own!

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Web Design Best Practices for Content Presentation

b2ap3_thumbnail_363986.jpgIn the past 10 years, the number of people who use the internet in their daily life has skyrocketed. As a result, many jobs now include adding or writing content that is ultimately posted online. Your business depends on your ability to create cohesive, complete information presented in an aesthetically pleasing, and memorable way.  How can we know if the content we are writing is presented in the appropriate fashion? There are a few best practices to keep in mind that will keep users coming back to your site, time after time.

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Size Matters: Optimizing Images for the Web

With all the fancy content management systems out there making it easy for users to manage and update their website, suddenly creating new content and pages on your site becomes a snap, and anyone can do it. While CMS's like Joomla empower those outside the professional web design field to completely turn their website into a living, breathing dynamic canvas, there are still a few simple best practices that one might not know without a little experience. One of the big ones that often get missed are images.  In this article, we'll show you how to work with images for the web so you get the best results possible when putting pictures on your website.  This will apply to blogs, social media, and just about any other method of publishing on the web.

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