A little while ago our friends at Eggmen sent over a fresh Illustrator design and asked if we could help bring it to life. We told them sure, but only if they promised to answer life's most pressing philosophical question: the chicken or the egg.

So, fueled by anticipation, we coded their design and developed a custom web video player and playlist to showcase their fantastic original music and sound design work.

And this week, well, we hatched their new website (and got our answer).

Awhile back we heard that Adobe was working with the leading search engines to help make Flash content more search engine friendly. On Tuesday morning, an Adobe official provided more details about the project, announcing that the technology was being called "Ichabod" and that it had already been released to Google. 

According to Kevin Lynch, Adobe CTO, Google is already running the Ichabod technology in its indexing engines. Lynch noted Adobe is working with Yahoo as well as Google, though Yahoo has yet to use the new technology. 

Lynch stressed that the technology was at an early stage of development so don't expect to see search engine referrals to your Flash-based site climb anytime soon. Still, this is a positive step for Adobe (and the search engines) that will help them retain a competitive edge now that Adobe's Flash technology is sharing the market with Microsoft's new Silverlight technology. 

Some interesting data comes out of a recently released Rapleaf study reporting the age and gender of users of online social networks like Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn. Gathering data from over 49 million people the study found that women use social networks 20% more than men -- something that we found pretty surprising.

Google developed its new browser, Chrome, in secret and released the beta version for Windows on September 2, 2008. With Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera and Netscape to choose from, surely everyone's asking the same question: is there really a need for another Internet browser?

Obviously, Google's answer is yes. Much like the announcement of search-dud Cuil, Chrome is intended to stir up the marketplace as much as it is to be a better browser for web users. Google also sees the Internet browser as a universal portal to arguably the most important piece of technology we use in our everyday lives.

While Microsoft holds about 72% of the browser market, its dominance has been challenged as Firefox and Safari have have made steady gains over the last two years. In 2007, for instance, Internet Explorer's market share dipped below 80% and has declined modestly ever since.

Google's ultimate goal here is to blur the line between computer-based applications and Internet applications. Chrome offers simple shortcuts to make Gmail and other web-based applications accessible as an icon on your PC's desktop. It provides more security protection than IE8 and offers the same rendering engine as Apple's Safari.

Time will tell how successful its entry will be, but I have a feeling we'll soon be adding Chrome to the batch of browsers we use to cross-check and test our work.

His award-winning office has pushed forcefully towards increased accountability, efficiency, and transparency in Philadelphia city government.

This is how we build your web presence (from the ground up):

1. Context / Consultation

We begin by listening to our clients. We take the time to learn where you've been, where you are now, and where you plan to go. Then, we research your company, your competitors, and the way your audience interacts with you.

This is the information we use to lay a solid foundation for each project we do. It guides the working process and helps us create a web presence that caters to your audience, fulfills your needs and meets your goals. What good is your web site if it isn't unique -- if it isn't... you?

2. Plan / Design

Design is an essential component of all of our work. We start by planning intelligent functionality, mapping out user navigation funnels, and crafting an attractive, intuitive web page layout -- all tailored specifically to your needs and your audience.

We then flesh out the design in "proofs" -- non-functioning mock-ups and wireframes -- of your web site's home page and other key pages. As the designs receive your approval, we begin moving into the next phase.

3. Shadow Site / Testing

Making use of the most effective web technologies, meticulously organized databases, and standardized code, we build a functioning version of your site. We call this a Shadow Site because it's hosted on a private server location that's accessed only by your team and ours.

Here, we breathe life into your web site, help you get accustomed to its content management system, work through design tweaks and adjustments, and test the site to prepare it for lift-off.

4. Site Launch / Analysis

Once the Shadow Site is tested and ready, we take your new or redesigned web site live at your doman -- all set up with reservoirs for user data collection and traffic analytics.

This is the end of the core development phase, but it's just the birth of your web presence. Now, our work begins again.

5. SEO / Web Consulting

Ongoing site optimization, benchmarking, and web conversion campaigns aren't for everyone. But for those who will benefit, we provide robust traffic analytics, user behavior and response data, navigation heat-map visualizations, continuous organic search engine optimization, and general web marketing and consulting. We work to ensure your web presence grows healthily, stays fresh, and remains effective.

We don't game the system or drive meaningless hits to your web site. Instead, we offer both short-term and long-term campaigns that bring you quality traffic and lasting results.

For new business inquiries or to get more acquainted, give us a shout.

It is, according to its founders, both the largest and newest search engine on the planet. Google, of course, begs to differ.

After receiving $33 million in venture capital, Tom Costello and Anna Patterson, a former Google employee, have launched Cuil.com and are poised to challenge Google and other search engines by making better use of keyword context and relevance.

According to Costello, "other search engines are unable to keep up" with the growth of the Internet. He believes their top secret search technology will enable Cuil to provide searchers with more insightful results that are strongly based on the content of the page -- not just its popularity.

Interestingly, the new search engine also says it believes in "analyzing the Web rather than" its users, so they don't "collect data about you and your habits".

Competition in any industry is healthy and usually positive, but with Google standing head and shoulders above all other major search engines -- Yahoo, Ask, Microsoft's Live Search -- Cuil is making some extraordinarily bold claims.

The real question may be whether or not any of Cuil's claims will make a bit of difference. Anyone remember Mahalo?

Well, this is now only partially true. Not everyone wants a smartphone. But according to AdMob, which serves ads to mobile devices from over 5,000 mobile-ready web sites, the less expensive, non-smartphone phones have been significantly driving up mobile web usage.

In a recently released report, AdMob found that Motorola devices (such as the Razr) and Samsung devices accounted for over 50% of all the mobile ads it served in the United States.

Furthermore, AdMob saw an overall increase of nearly 20% from May 2008 to June 2008. This is huge news for marketers and publishers considering an adventure into mobile advertising and web sites. The key takeaway here is that normal, everyday cell phone users are increasing their use of mobile Internet.

Google uses cookies (small parcels of text), to collect data about its users. This data records what a visitor searches for, among other things.

Google changed its privacy policy years ago to say that it may use personal information and search history for "the display of customized content and advertising." Despite the change to its policy, Google maintained that it had yet to use any stored data to customize its ads. Until now.  

In response to inquiries including a study by Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray, and an article by the New York Times, Google now acknowledges that it is testing ways to use the data it has collected to tailor search ads to visitors. 

While the acknowledgment is neither earth shattering nor particularly surprising, it is an important milestone in that it marks the first time Google has used stored data about individual users for financial gain (better targeted ads = more clicks = more revenue). 

Google's announcement comes at a time when perceived trust is critical to the success of another new offering from the search engine giant: Google Health. 

Google Health is a free product from Google that allows users to store their medical records online. The product aims to alleviate the problems that come from decentralized health information. 

Google Health currently contains no advertising, but the company hasn't ruled out advertising in the future. 

The public's embrace of Google Health could very well depend on how Google handles, or appears to handle, the personal information it already has.

Questions of privacy aside, using past search data to tailor ads is potentially great news for advertisers and users. Users will see less ads that have nothing to do with them. Advertisers will be happy knowing their ads are being seen by the best possible audience. Imagine the conversion rates! 

We've been working with the good folks at Caspari McCormick to develop a doozy of a web site redesign for the quaint seaside vacation town of Mystic, Connecticut. The web site is essentially a one-stop web guide to virtually all of Mystic's popular attractions and activities.

In the redesign, we aimed for smooth-sailing navigation and site structure that gets visitors to nearly any of the site's 50 pages in under 2 clicks. The key to this was breadcrumbs and a "quick jump" drop-down list of all pages. 

We especially took into account the good possibility of repeat visitors -- a family gearing up for their New England vacation for example -- who will use the site as a trip planning resource or to find a seafood restaurant near their hotel. For that reason, we developed a customized Google-powered map and calendar. 

As for design and layout, "expansion" became a key element. With over 85% of web users browsing in wide screen resolutions, the decision to widen the page body was an easy one. This gave us the room necessary to add a column for features and promotions and still reserve enough space for skyscraper-style banner ads.

Another service we provided was the development of a custom, full-throttle content management system. Generally, a CMS is a valuable feature and huge relief for any business or organization that finds itself needing regular web updates.

The CMS we built this time out allows the client to not only edit text and links, but also to switch out promotional modules, add photos to the homepage marquee, and even create entirely new pages that automatically generate in the site map.

Take a deep breath, pull down your goggles, and check out Mystic for yourself.

Often, we receive inquiries that include links to a potential client's ailing web site. Most who inquire already know they need help and we like telling them they came to the right place to get it.

One of the problems facing business owners and marketers who are trying to improve their web presence is the fact that a lot of what they hear or read is conflicting and hasn't been tailored to the needs of their particular business. There's also another problem. Rarely do these sources ever say what web design items to avoid: 

1. Dueling or Confusing Navigation

Nearly all web sites require multiple pages and most need sub-pages and organized content sections. The most important rule to follow when developing a navigation structure is to keep it simple, concise, and consistent across all pages. We typically advise our clients to consider no more than eight or nine main navigation options. Anything more tends to overwhelm users.

For very large sites -- ones with dozens of individiaul pages or sections -- we recommend an easy-to-locate site map and, if possible, breadcrumb navigation, which increases accessibility and reinforces site structure and page hierarchy.

2. Splash or Intro Pages

Unless your organization draws a significant amount of international web traffic requiring multiple language selections, a splash or intro page is a huge web design downer. Sometimes marketers consider the splash page the perfect place to offer this month's new deal or promotion. From the standpoint of informing your visitors of the promotion, a splash page serves this purpose well.

But it is devastating to your web site and its benefit almost never outweighs its detriment. Splashes and intros can cause your web site's search engine rankings to drop dramatically and your site's bounce rate to substantially increase. Add to that user backlash as repeat or regular visitors grow frustrated with the splash when they return only to have to click (or sit) through it again. Don't keep users from immediate access to your site. It's the reason they came there in the first place.

3. Too-good-to-be-true Page Copy

I know. You're trying to sell your product (or service, or expertise, etc.) online. But don't merely appropriate print ad copy for web page copy.

Instead, approach writing for your web site differently than you do other ad mediums. In most cases, your tone should be looser and more conversational. Consider the fact that web users are initiating contact with your business (rather than with traditional advertising mediums in which the reverse is true). Because of this, you should make good use of light humor and concentrate on a core message that feels unforced and true to life.

4. Homepage Overload

Whoa there, buddy. How are you gonna fit all that on your homepage? You can't say everything all at once. Think of your homepage as a portal; provide clear choices and concentrate on variety rather than entirety. 

Many users click away if they don't immediately see what they came for. Homepage brevity and variety will present a better snapshot of your company and users will appreciate the freedom to explore (with a little guidance of course) on their own. Generally speaking, the most effective web sites funnel users through the homepage into deeper content.

5. Animated .GIFs (see above)

These are now the fashion faux pas of the Internet. Unless you want to tell visitors to your site that you haven't made any enhancements since 1998 you should avoid at all costs.

We just completed and launched a new, custom web design project.

The site is for The Peacemaker Center, a nonprofit organization in Downingtown, PA that provides faith-based counseling and therapy. 

It includes an integrated Flash media player to house a web video introduction (not produced by us), a javascript photo gallery and lightbox, and -- included with any site we build from the ground up -- a basic version of our search engine optimization.

Take a moment and see what we've been up to.

It's been pouring all day here in Philadelphia. Appropriate, I guess, to have a discussion about the best sources for large amounts of web site traffic. No, I'm not talking about in-bound links from your brother's fly-fishing Wordpress blog. And, no, I'm not talking about Google or Yahoo either -- it's no secret that proper title-tagging and strategic keyword choices can bring organic traffic from the major search engines.

The kind of site traffic I'm talking about today comes suddenly in tidal waves and flash floods. And it can be very valuable. Here is a quick list of the best sources for large amounts of web traffic:

Digg.com

del.icio.us

Reddit.com

StumbleUpon.com

facebook.com

Slashdot.org

Squidoo.com

Furl.net

Ezinearticles.com

PRWeb.com

The first thing you need is some great content: a bit of fantastic news related to your industry, a creative web video marketing campaign, a newsworthy press release, or even just a stellar blog post. It doesn't matter how much effort you put into web marketing if the content you're pushing is flat, boring, or old news.

Second thing you need is a little knowledge about social networking and bookmarking. More and more, web users bookmark web sites they like, then tag the bookmarks with relevant keywords. A lot of users share their bookmarks with friends and family. In an hour, five visitors can become five hundred.

But this can only happen if you have the proper tools for them to do so. If you don't already, promote popular bookmarking sites by including buttons or text links that allow users to easily add your web site or page to their bookmarks.

Additionally, sites such as PRWeb and Squidoo are great places to publish your content while including links back to your web site. Used smartly, these sites can act as portals (or floodgates, if you will) for hundreds, even thousands, of users to land on your site.

Lastly, but most importantly, prepare your site for visitors with effective usage of web traffic receptacles. New visitors to your site generally have a very short attention span. If they don't see what they came for, they bounce. Literally. So make sure you convert increased traffic into increased sales by funneling the layout of your content so the important stuff -- "buy now" buttons, newsletter and mailing list sign-ups, RSS feeds -- is easy to find and prominently placed.

Say your business is a small, Philadelphia based, web consulting company (I know... I'm really stretching my imagination here). After a quick brainstorming session, the initial list of keywords you come up with might look something like this:

When the site is heavily trafficked, particularly by repeat visitors, too drastic of a change can cause a bit of a backlash. Nothing's worse than a redesigned website that confuses or otherwise frustrates regular website visitors. These two things make the path to a successfully revamped website a tricky one to walk.

Our latest project, a full redesign of the Philadelphia City Controller's website, presented us with this challenge. As with any government-oriented site, web standards and accessibility play a key part. Unlike the static existence of many government websites, the Office of the Controller thrives on web-based communication such as web video, PDF press releases, and daily content updates.

While maintaining much of the structure of the old site, it was our job to improve the site's accessibility and enhance features that regular site visitors were using most. An analysis of visitor behavior informed us of what decisions to make about information architecture -- particularly with regard to front page content placement.

We made a key change, for instance, in pulling biographical information about Philadelphia City Controller Alan Butkovitz from sub-pages in the old site to the front page of the new site. We also retooled the layout to present important content and functionality higher up on a user's computer screen (believe it or not, many users never scroll down). The shift to exclusively horizontal, drop-down navigation allowed for the addition of a third column for content.

These types of considerations make website redesign as lengthy and detailed of a process as developing a site from scratch. But, unlike a new site, there's a certain satisfaction in improving on what was there before (see for yourself).

The truth is, everyone around here loves our new rug.

Even though we're still getting the new studio in order, nothing ties a room together more than a classy (second-hand) rug. Unfortunately, one of us is going to have to tell Zoe that we didn't lay it down there just for her.

A title tag is an HTML tag that tells your browser what to display at the top of the browser's window. In the picture above, the title tag reads "New Media Philadelphia - Nimblelight - Web Design and SEO". 

Search Engines, particularly Google, give title tags a lot of weight in determining your page's search engine ranking. In Google's algorithm title tags are as important a factor as the visible text on the page and the links that point to your page. Updating your web site's title tags can be one of the simplest ways to dramatically improve your search engine rankings. 

Changing the title tag requires a minor modification to the source code of a web site. In the source code of a web site, the title tag is bordered by "<title>" and "</title>" (without the quotes). The tag is typically found within the first ten lines of source code. The line of code that generated the title tag in the example picture reads:

<title>New Media Philadelphia - Nimblelight - Web Design and SEO</title>

To change the title tag of a particular page simply edit the text that appears between the "<title>" and "</title>" tags. Whatever text you place between those two tags will appear as the title of your web site. 

Title tags, as a general rule, should include the web site or organization's title. For SEO purposes, it helps to include a few keywords or keyword phrases that you would like to come up for in Google. The example title tag includes the name of the organization (Nimblelight) and some keywords (New Media Philadelphia, Web Design, SEO) for which Nimblelight would be a relevant and competitive search result. 

It helps if the title tag is unique to each page of your site. Ideally, the keywords used in a particular page's title tag should also be used somewhere in that page's visible text and meta data. There is a lot to choosing the best keywords to use in your title tags- you can read more about choosing the best keywords here. 

Depending on how frequently Google visits your site, it can take anywhere from twenty-four hours to several months for the search engine to index the changes to your title tags. 

So we charmed them with the information that we were there to shoot a commercial for Bill Keller, a Pennsylvania State Representative who's been serving South Philly's 184th District since 1993. His name means a lot to the workers we met. Keller played an instrumental role in helping to revitalize Philadelphia's ports along the Delaware River.

Spending a day with Keller was quite an honor. There's rarely an opportunity to have any real time with an elected official. It was easy to see how committed Bill Keller is to his community and how hard he continues to work to improve the lives of his constituents.

The commercial begins airing on cable March 23. Here it is:

We've been busy building a green-minded web presence for Hawthorne Flooring, Inc., one of the country's most environmentally active providers of high quality bamboo flooring, decking, and other bamboo products.

Of course the new web site features our custom design and clean source code, but it also includes some other unique aspects as well: an interactive photo gallery, an intuitive Google-powered store locator, and -- our favorite -- a global environmental impact table. 

That's right. Among other things, this impact table allows users to actually calculate how much carbon their purchases will offset, how much coal they will prevent from being burned, and how many trees they will save.

Unlike the wood sold by traditional hardwood flooring companies, Hawthorne Flooring's bamboo is harvested from the same ancient root system every five to seven years. This means the source of the wood is never depleted and entirely renewable.

As a result of Skype's increasing popularity, many businesses have begun to ask us whether or not they should offer Skype as another way for their clients to reach them. The short answer is yes- but there's no rush.

With the launch of our new web site, Nimblelight added Skype buttons as a method for our clients and potential customers to reach us on our contact page and on our about page. In the midst of a major redesign, adding Skype options to our contact and about pages wasn't a big deal- we were redesigning the layout of the pages anyway and, to make adding the button easy, Skype provided the necessary HTML (we ended up tweaking it, but we're pickier than most).

Skype's vice president of marketing, Saul Klein, makes his case for adding a Skype option to a web site: "Anyone can add a "SkypeMe" button to a web page just by cutting and pasting HTML code from the Skype web site. All of a sudden, more than 69 million Skype users can make a free phone call to you, IM you or leave a voice mail. It's a great way to provide sales and tech support."

While Klein makes a good point, we probably wouldn't have gone out of our way to add Skype if we hadn't been in the midst of a redesign anyway. Skype's user base is international, with only 9-10% of registered users in the United States. In addition, while Skype claims 276 million user accounts, that number includes inactive accounts as well as users with multiple accounts (neither of which are insignificant).

Businesses should consider how adding Skype as a contact method affects their internal practices. At Nimblelight, we always have someone in front of a computer, so it's not difficult to have that person keep an eye on our Skype account. For some types of businesses, Skype may not be worth the additional monitoring and training that comes with adopting any new communications technology.

Although no official statistics have been released that detail Skype user demographics, it's safe to assume (as with most new technologies) that their users skew younger, wealthier and male. Skype may not be appropriate, therefore, for Dr. Phil's web site but might make a great addition to an online ski shop.

Skype is a great communications technology that should be considered for every business. But it's still a growing technology, so businesses don't need to rush to integrate it into their site. To minimize costs, businesses should wait until the next time they plan to redesign their web site (or at least their contact page) to add Skype.