₦airaland Forum

1) No problem. In that case, so that the user isn't thrown off, especially those in a cybercafe in Nigeria (I am sure they aren't the target audience but the website is viewed globally), why not put the file sizes next to them? That will prevent people with low bandwidth from clicking and causing them to go into fits of pain. Just my humble opinion.

2) I don't doubt that but I guess my point is, make it more prominent. I even viewed source thinking it was an onload event. Again, at least to me, the presence of the player where it is now wasn't that apparent.

3) Hor. Scroll means there is something in your code that makes the page scroll from left to right. This isn't good. Pages are allowed to scroll from top to bottom but not left to right.

4) Telephone accepts letters. Email accepts addresses without "@"

6) You could make it one big background image, as long as the image is optimized. Many sites I know do this.

7) This biz doesn't allow for laziness

Thanks for taking the review professionally. As I said before and as I say now, fix those things and the site gets 12/10 from me.

Anyone heard of this? Though IMHO, the claim is bogus, at least I am happy that a fellow NLer developed the website. We have chatted a few times as a matter of fact. I say kudos to him and I pray he got paid what he is worth and if not, that this publicity make demand for him sore so that he can make the money he deserves

http://odili.net/news/source/2008/dec/15/402.html
An Ireland-based Nigerian investment consultant, Mr. Victor Lamai, has introduced the nation's first online real estate market in Lagos.

According to him, the website, www.nethomesng.com, will make it possible for intending investors to view three dimensional pictures of various properties available for sale in cities such as Lagos, Dubai and London, and make a choice without having to leave the comfort of their homes.

Lamai said that part of the goals of the online real estate market was to provide a portal on the web for stakeholders in Nigeria to carry out transactions in real estate across the world.

Apart from this, he said that the website would also serve as a platform for the purpose of showcasing the quality of Nigerian architecture and the potential of the local real estate industry to the rest of the world.

nethomesng, he added, was inspired by the Google and Yahoo experience and would work in partnership with leading property companies in the United Kingdom, Middle East, Republic of Ireland and the rest of the European Union.

It will also showcases Nigerian properties, commercial buildings for sale or rent, virgin lands as well as hotels and allied services of the building industry.

The online real estate market, Lamai pointed out, was targeted at potential investors in real estate resident in Nigeria and overseas, especially Nigerians in the Diaspora, who might wish to acquire properties in the country without having to depend on intermediaries.

Lamai said, "Our target is the young upwardly mobile people, who in the main are computer literate business decision makers. Research has shown that those who use computers for private and business purposes are the ones driving the economy and having the most purchasing power all over the world. They are the buyers of new and commercial properties."

http://odili.net/news/source/2008/dec/15/408.html

Microsoft has completed work on glossaries for the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba translations of Microsoft Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007.

By this, Microsoft Windows and the four applications in Microsoft Office 2007- Excel, Word, Powerpoint and Access, can easily be adapted to versions in the three languages.

The firm said a Language Interface Pack that would allow the applications to fully be available in the three languages was in the works and would be delivered in the coming months.

The Supervising Minister of Education, Hajiya Aishatu Dukku, presented the glossaries to stakeholders in Abuja on Wednesday, a development that Microsoft noted was one more landmark in its Local Language Program in Nigeria.

Currently, the LLP scheme is working on 101 languages in the world and five in the West Africa.

According to the Country Manager, Microsoft Nigeria, Mr. Emmanuel Onyeje, the LLP is Microsoft's response to the need to provide people of all regions, cultures and languages, with access to technology in a language that is familiar and which honours their cultural distinctions.

He said, "Learning a second language should not be a prerequisite for using technology. That is why we are working with governments and language authorities to translate our software and extend it to a broader set of users.

"Through the Local Language Program, we are giving our local communities the tools and resources they need to bridge the digital divide and create opportunities for economic advancement."

At the presentation of the moderator of the localisation process in Nigeria, Dr. Tunde Adegbola of the African Languages Technology Institute, explained that the glossary and LIP would equip local information technology communities with the basic tools to create customised language solutions that promote economic growth and preserve local languages.

Developed from the glossary, the LIP is the application that connects the local language to the computer, through a native language desktop user interface.

When the process is completed, the LIP will be freely downloadable from the LLP website.

Local solutions can be developed on top of the LIPs, enabling the creation of localised products that enhance the value of each LIP and ensure the successful use of technology.

Adegbola urged the stakeholders to study the glossary, which was developed in collaboration with governments, universities, and language authorities to ensure that the standard technical terminologies had been translated correctly into the local languages.

The Minister of Education, Hajiya Aishatu Dukku, commended Microsoft for the initiative to eliminate the language barrier, which presented a serious challenge for teaching and learning technology at the grassroots.

She further outlined the national policy on education, which recognised the language of the environment as the first language of instruction for the first three years of education with English only taught as a subject.

From the fourth year, English language becomes the language of instruction, while the language of the environment and French are taught as subjects.

She said that with the LLP, teaching technology would be much easier.

The minister said, "There are so many skills we may not be able to transfer except in our local languages. This initiative by Microsoft is a first step for us to start thinking of how we can develop our languages further in order to grow our IT capacity."

By eliminating the language barrier to technology education through the local language programme, Microsoft believes that many more people will be encouraged to use desktop software in Nigeria's local communities, improving access to technology.

This will create new economic opportunities, and enriching people's personal lives. The move will go a long way to bridging the digital divide between the developed and developing communities around the world.

It is expected that the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba language stakeholder groups will review the glossary and work with Microsoft to produce the final copy to move the LLP to the next level.

What I like:

1) Site actually validates
2) Everything is on one page - no waiting for new pages to load
3) CSS and javascript files are abstracted out.

What I don't like:

1) Music files are too large.  Why not stream them, rar them, zip them or serve them up in pieces or do whatever you can to make them smaller?  One was 144MB.  Better yet, have them fill a form and mail them a CD.  I would prefer that to downloading 144MB any day.

2) Initially, I thought I had my music player running in the background.  Why? I initially had my speakers off and only turned them on to hear the audio part of the kentro video.  Upon switching on the speakers though, I noticed I was also getting "you can have whatever you like" at the same time.  I minimized all windows to kill my music app, to no avail.  I later discovered that the site has an audio player of its own.  It seems a little confusing if you ask me.  I say kill the music player

3) Horizontal scroll in FF

4) Contact form doesn't validate properly

5) Photos: Too large

6) The following lines of code remind me of image slicing in whatever name you call that photoshop program.  I think you could have done this better:

<div id="bg1"></div>

<div id="bg2"></div>

<div id="bg3"></div>

<div id="bg4"></div>

<div id="bg5"></div>

<div id="bg6"></div>

7) For consistency, I would say make the "featured talent" the same as "photos" and as a matter of fact, make all sections the same way.  For "featured talent" again, it isn't plural so no need having more than one featured.  Then you could use php or whatever you are using to randomly generate the talent in the event that there is actually more than one.

8 ) Facebook link: Since it is opening in a new window, I would perhaps let the user know.  I sorta got used to everything opening in the box but got confused when I got a new window.

I had said I would stop commenting on site reviews.  however, I liked the layout of the site so much (proof to those who feel they must use flash to do an artist's website, that a non-flash version can be done) that I just couldn't help but say something.

I give the site 6/10.  I'd say 5 because of all the issues but I give extra mark for creativity and uniqueness.  If you can fix all of the above, I will come back and give it 12/10  because it is worth at least that much

If even one of these is implemented, then going forward, I think they will go a long way in santizing this board and bringing to it the respect it deserves (no b only "programmer" board dey. na wetin?  ). Others feel free to contribute to this as well:

1) We need a ranking system or worse case, separate boards for separate levels (beginner, intermediate, expert).  Some people don't need to see certain posts.  Also, it would help make people think twice before they post certain things in certain places.  People can migrate from board to board if they want but again, they would think twice before going to a certain board.  This would also, IMHO, help promote healthy competition b/w individuals.

2) Members who answer posts by appending their business website, nubmer etc (like olodunmi) should be banned, pure and simple.

3) There should be more knowledge-sharing (tutorials, quizzes, etc).  This would promote healthy competition.

4) These areas need to be separated - web design, web development, seo, db.  How? I leave that to the moderators.

5) Site reviews should have its own section.  So should announcements.

PROJECTS HANDLED

DEVELOPMENT OF BUREAU DE CHANGE (FOR MONEY TRADE AND STOCK TRACK IN SYSNET NIGERIA) USING PHP(DREAMWEAVER,CSS,HTML).

DEVELOPMENT OF A BOOKSHOP INVENTORY FOR COSINES NIGERIA LIMITED (USING VISUAL BASIC.NET).

Maybe it's a locale thing but typically (well first off, I don't think you should use all caps but I digress), you should be more elaborate with respect to what you 'developed' - were you the only one on the team? if so, y? if no, how many ppl were on there with you? what was your role? who did you report to? how did what you do add value to the product/company you worked for? how did the project start (requirements, etc). I personally could care less about what you developed but would care more about your role in the team, especially considering you said you are a "team player (I hate that phrase but again, I digress)". Based on what I see, I would then call you in for more in-depth questioning as far as your technical skills go, while at the same time I evaluate your social skills.

Yes, they say be concise on your CV but I have learned over time that that is just a trick statement. It reminds me of how in secondary school they would say, "describe briefly". I don't know about school thee days but in my time, that was when you wrote volumes

Good luck!

Neptune, you said:

the site is'nt for any review.

and as you say, your friend posted this:

i'll like an outside review

Either one of you has made a mockery, IMHO, of this board. This, among other reasons, is why come 2009 and beyond, I will no longer respond to site reviews. As I have been saying for some time now, they are more likely than not, never appreciated and result in a waste of time.

Is there any legit reason, under God's green earth, that this image should be 84KB?

http://www.sigmanetmobile.com/img/ipt_ad.png

If a firm feels it is too small to compete, then I suggest joining forces, with respect to skill sets they don't have and present themselves as a larger force. For example, I am not good at graphics and would probably lose out a great deal on jobs. Hence, I outsource that part to someone and concentrate on what I know best - coding.

This reminds me of that classic illustration where the Father brings his kids together and asks them to individually break a broomstick then hands them a broom to do the same thing. The more the merrier. There is power in numbers.

hmm, the appeal seems so simple yet so tricky. Do you mean, given to pages A and B, that if I have "click here" on A, it takes you to B? If so, this should be what you want:

<a href="pageB.html (or whatever file extension) target="_blank (you use target if you want the page to open in a new window so feel free to leave target out)" title="link to page B (title is good for search engines)">click here</a>

IMHO, when you said "process of programming", again assuming what I have above is what you want, you are making it bigger than it really is.

let us know if this solves your problem, or not.

yeah pie1ct,

One thing I will say is that when you have the opportunity to leave the country, even for a week, if you are entrepreneurial, upon return, you will see there is so much opportunity in Nigeria.

I think one way of being able to charge more for our services would be advertising. I have brought this up before on this forum and was basically laughed at. IMHO, if you advertise, you attract the big fish. The big fish will only go after "bait" that they assume can afford to put ads on the airwaves. In turn, you are able to charge such more money because after all, for one, you have to charge them for the ads you put out - transfer of cost. Of course, the only caveat is, when they start calling, you have the resources to handle all of them cos they will come.

As long as we, for the most part, are dealing with individuals (with limited cash supply), we will continue to bargain prices and earn little money. Sure, 100K might sound like a lot but what is wrong with making $10K on a basic, informational company website?

Hi guys, i'm not a PRO web designer,

Who said you have to be a "pro web designer" to do anything? How do you define "pro" anyway? In my opinion, you are bringing yourself down and it is probably the reason why you are running out of ideas.

Just see yourself as yourself and moreover, trust in yourself and the ideas will flow. As I have said so here in the past, I visit at least 20 sites related to what I want to do. I then combine all I like into one and drop what I deem the bad stuff. I start off examining the competition in my locale and then I look at what my peers are doing in other countries.

That right there, given for free, should be enough to get your brain juices flowing. Let us know how it goes. Good luck!

tomaagy,

You might want to pull up and chair cos you will be waiting in line for a long time

i no dey IJ right now but if you send me ticket, I fit land tomorrow

"If you think hiring a professional is expensive, wait till you see the cost of hiring an amateur".

Priceless!

Here are some other sites I dug up that are "sister" websites:
- www.pioneernewsonline.com and www.pioneerng.com

- www.akwaibomstategov.com and www.aksgonline.com

e pass na wa. na waiya

zstyle:
Wetin concern bird with toothbrush? Wat beef u got with me?

I believe they (note I say this in plural ) do exist. Many have been advertised here as a matter of fact and I vividly remember someone accusing me of not giving the person light of day because the site was 99% facebook.

Search the forum and you will find them.

youngies,

That is another thing. Thanks for bringing it up. Just like not all .com companies are US-based, not all .ng companies could be nigeria-based. For instance, let me play devil's advocate and examine 2 extremes - it could be a company in a country like equitoreal guinea wants an African presence but they don't have a domain of their own so they shoot for a .ng domain. On the other hand, a 419 guy who happens to be indian and knowing the reputation we have with the world, establishes a website with a .ng domain.

Thanks for bringing this up once again.

pie1ct,

Nice article.  The one thing that we as Nigerian developers should apply more than anything is the testing part.  How many times have you seen a website advertised here for review full of broken links, inconsistent layouts between browsers, forms that don't validate, etc? It seems once we hand over a site to a client and the client approves, we could care less, as long as the client didn't observe anything.

As professionals, we have a reputation to maintain.  I personally for instance could probably whip up a site in 2 or 3 days.  However, I hate finding errors or having people identify errors to me so I tell my clients that it takes me 2 weeks to do a site, granted it will take me a week or less. 

I believe in incremental testing, with 3 different browsers (IE6, IE7, FF) open at all times - I put up the header, I test.  I put up the navigation, I test.  And it goes on and on.  It is better to identify a problem as it occurs as opposed to putting up an entire site and trying to figure out the source.

finek:
The keyword in your last statement is, "if"

eddy4naija:
What is the difference b/w a .com website where I can click on "contact us" to see where the company is based and a company with a .ng domain website? To me, same difference. If I want to know where a company is based, it isn't that hard. People will do business with you if you have something to offer regardless, or vice versa.

So far it hasn't (knock on wood) affected the IT industry. Let's keep our fingers crossed and pray it doesn't remain that way.

The last time it happened, in the 90s, jobs ended up being shipped to china and india. Where will they go next? Lagos?

finek,

Call me crazy but I just loaded up the url you posted above and got nothing.  I had to google to find www.nitda.gov.ng

Be that as it may, I personally will be adopting the "sidon look" mentality, same approach I take when MSFT comes out with something in beta.  I will give them some time to iron out their kinks before I jump on board.

Sorry but I have been burned too many times to be burned yet again. Once bitten they say, twice shy.

omni, from reading, it appears to be a monopoly issue. Until the govt or whomever is in charge allows free markets to reign, which would encourage competition, which in turn leads to better services, I am afraid that as many things naija, we will be stuck in neutral for a long time to come. Sad but true.

ROFLMAO naijacutee.

If ever there is an NL award for line of the year, yours is definitely going to be on the nomination list at the very least

Coming to think of it, he did say he will build the site for them so I guess that is where the "Give Freebies & Train Newbies" comes in

he he, i like to ask questions that make people pause and think. To me, watz more important isn't that you have the answer right or wrong but that you apply some thought to problem-solving as opposed to making knee-jerk decisions, the latter being a meter that tells me that that is the same way you code

okay o

By the way, you are correct with the 2 answers. Quiz closed. I will think of another one to post

smart, in reference to #2, so you are saying you had "to just correct that and make it work fyne" as PHP ($var), or did PHPScript come out and I don't know about it? Hmmm 

Aaaaah! Capitalism. Free Markets. Competition. Gotta love it!

NOTE: You must not google for the answer or copy and paste code in your browser.

1) visibility: hidden/visible and display: block/none - they are similar yet they are different.  Explain

2) In javascript, you have the following code:

var thisCodeWorks = 6/0;
alert(thisCodeWorks);

What does alert() output? 

As always, I will let a few jump in before I respond.

Hey you! I see you googling, and you, I see you pasting in a browser. Just kidding 

omni,

Two *good* heads are better than one

I recently read an article about .co.uk. It basically says that a majority of UK citizens (can't remember the exact number as I never thought I would be using this as an example on a post here ) would never associated a .com for instance with a UK site. To them, UK sites end with .co.uk (or whatever ends with .uk). That to me, and yes you can say all you want about how "honest" they are, is all about national pride. If we adopted the same approach, all we would have is .com.ng or .ng or whatever.

I think we need to stop looking at the symptoms and tackle the disease itself. I think we need to stop looking at the fire and focus on the match that lit the fire. We need to for example stop asking why the average Nigerian street sounds like a war zone at night because each house has a gen and look at why we don't have steady light.

I also either read an article or read it here on this forum the issues of unreliability (if I am not mistaken, there was a time this year when all .ng domains were down for at least a week), the presence of only one organization acting as registrar (some white guy with attitude, based on what I read here), the fact that it takes a week to obtain a .com.ng, among others. If I am a company who needs a website now and wants to do business with the world now, why go through or risk going through the factors I just mentioned?

We need to forget about this "Nigerian image abroad". Every country has problems. Who will drive the adoption of the .ng domain? It's us developers. Sure, people are used to .com, .org and the like but let's not forget, we as Nigerians too dey like copy oyibo. Even if oyibo dey stick hand for nyash lick am, we go wan do d same thing cos we think say na status symbol. When people start seeing more and more .ng domains being advertised in the media and/or see their friends/business partners adopt the domains more and more, believe me, it will become the norm.

I see a lot of naija-based sites with logos that read, "proudly nigerian". That makes me proud. What would make me even prouder is if we start using the .ng domain more and more. To make that happen though, the process of obtaining one must be streamlined and its reliability should be bar-none.

I believe this issue has been resolved in one of the posts sent over the past week. Just scroll down, even if it takes going thru 3 pages. You wil find it. Better yet, look up, hit "search" button and narrow your search from there.

good luck!

Or, upon registering the new domain name, you do could do either a server-side or browser-side redirect to the new one. This approach is optimal if ppl r used to orifish and it could cost you dearly if you suddenly changed on them without warning.

With respect to the above, server-side is best from an SEO standpoint as browser-side gives search engines the impression that people are only spending seconds on your site which could hurt your rankings.

Oludimuni,

The next time I see your shameless ad campaign on a thread other than that written up for advertisement, I will be reporting you to the moderator. E too much!