Earlier this year I wrote an article about Twitterizer, an open-source .NET library that can be used to integrate your applicationwith Twitter. Using Twitterizer you can allow your visitors to post tweets, view their timeline, and much more, all without leaving your website.

The original article, Integrating Twitter Into An ASP.NET Website, showed how to post tweets andview a timeline to a particular Twitter account using Twitterizer 1.0. To post a tweet to a specific account, Twitterizer 1.0 uses basic authentication.

Basic authenticationis a very simple authentication scheme. For an application to post a tweet to JohnDoe’s Twitter account, it would submit JohnDoe’s username and password (along with the tweet text) to Twitter’s servers.

Basic authentication, while easy to implement, is not an ideal authentication scheme as it requires that the integrating application know the username(s) and password(s) of the accounts that it is connected to.

Consequently, a user must share her password in order to connect her Twitter account with the application. Such password sharing is not only insecure, but it can also cause difficulties down the line if the user changes her password or decides that she no longer wants to connect her account to certain applications (but wants to remain connected to others).

To remedy these issues, Twitter introduced support for OAuth, which is a simple, secure protocol for granting API access. In a nutshell, OAuth allows a user to connect an application to their Twitter account without having to share their password.

Instead, the user is sent to Twitter’s website where theyconfirm whether they want to connect to the application. Upon confirmation, Twitter generates an token that is then sent back to the application. The applicationthen submits this token when integrating with the user’s account.

The token serves as proof that the user has allowed this application access to their account. (Twitter userscan view what application’s they’re connected to and may revoke these tokens on an application-by-application basis.)

In late 2009, Twitter announced that it was ending its support for basic authentication in June 2010.

As a result, the code examined in Integrating Twitter Into An ASP.NET Website, which uses basic authentication, will no longer work once the cut off date is reached. The good news is that the Twitterizer version 2.0 supportsOAuth.

This article examines how to use Twitterizer 2.0 and OAuth from a website. Specifically, we’ll see how to retrieve and display a user’s latest tweets and how to post a tweet from an ASP.NET page.

View the Original article

Creating a website is not so much a feat, if we compare it to the education of other technical skills. Most people tend to give up and pack their bags as soon as they hear the word “programming” and “technical”. They think it`s too much of a hassle to actually learn a whole computer “language”. HTML, the most basic computer language in building websites, is actually pretty simple to understand, as long as we have the interest in learning new things.

What is HTML?

HTML is the acronym for Hyper Text Markup Language. For learning purposes, just think of it as a language that the computer understands. For example, as humans, we were taught different languages; i.e. HTML as a language, is mostly and specifically used to create a website. The web browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox, will then decipher and interpret the code or rather, language(HTML), and display it in a way we can understand it, just like in a basic webpage.

Coding.

Coding the HTML language might be a bit tough for some people, so we can actually purchase programmes, such as Macromedia Dreamweaver, or even Microsoft Frontpage. These programmes are solely created to help individuals in designing professional webpages/websites.

Furthermore, one could also gain access to online web-builders, website builders that are inbuilt and can be directly controlled from the net. There are many different and specific builders online.

Books and magazines contain guides that can help in offering tutorials and ways to put up our own websites. Even online tutorials are credible, as in the modern world, information technology is the best and most cost efficient way in retaining knowledge, especially in this particular field.

So, you could start and build one right away. If you enjoy coding, it might even become a favourable past-time.

[Insert Your Resource Box Here]

When it comes to your website, extra attention should be paid to every minute detail to make sure it performs optimally to serve its purpose. Here are seven important rules of thumb to observe to make sure your website performs well.

1) Do not use splash pages

Splash pages are the first pages you see when you arrive at a website. They normally have a very beautiful image with words like “welcome” or “click here to enter”. In fact, they are just that — pretty vases with no real purpose. Do not let your visitors have a reason to click on the “back” button! Give them the value of your site up front without the splash page.

2) Do not use excessive banner advertisements

Even the least net savvy people have trained themselves to ignore banner advertisements so you will be wasting valuable website real estate. Instead, provide more valueable content and weave relevant affiliate links into your content, and let your visitors feel that they want to buy instead of being pushed to buy.

3) Have a simple and clear navigation

You have to provide a simple and very straightforward navigation menu so that even a young child will know how to use it. Stay away from complicated Flash based menus or multi-tiered dropdown menus. If your visitors don’t know how to navigate, they will leave your site.

4) Have a clear indication of where the user is

When visitors are deeply engrossed in browsing your site, you will want to make sure they know which part of the site they are in at that moment. That way, they will be able to browse relevant information or navigate to any section of the site easily. Don’t confuse your visitors because confusion means “abandon ship”!

5) Avoid using audio on your site

If your visitor is going to stay a long time at your site, reading your content, you will want to make sure they’re not annoyed by some audio looping on and on on your website. If you insist on adding audio, make sure they have some control over it — volume or muting controls would work fine.

When you start a forum, chatroom or shoutbox, you are providing your visitors a place to voice their opinions and interact with their peers — all of them are visitors of your site. As conversations build up, a sense of community will also follow and your visitors will come back to your site almost religiously every day.

Start a web log (blog)

Keep an online journal, or more commonly known as a blog, on your site and keep it updated with latest news about yourself. Human beings are curious creatures and they will keep their eyes glued to the monitor if you post fresh news frequently. You will also build up your credibility as you are proving to them that there is also a real life person behind the website.

Carry out polls or surveys

Polls and surveys are other forms of interaction that you should definitely consider adding to your site. They provide a quick way for visitors to voice their opinions and to get involved in your website. Be sure to publish polls or surveys that are strongly relevant to the target market of your website to keep them interested to find out about the results.

Hold puzzles, quizzes and games

Just imagine how many office workers procrastinate at work every day, and you will be able to gauge how many people will keep visiting your site if you provide a very interesting or addicting way of entertainment. You can also hold competitions to award the high score winner to keep people trying continuously to earn the prize.

Update frequently with fresh content

Update your site frequently with fresh content so that every time your visitors come back, they will have something to read on your site. This is the most widely known and most effective method of attracting returning visitors, but this is also the least carried out one because of the laziness of webmasters. No one will want to browse a site that looks the same over ten years, so keep your site updated with fresh bites!

When it comes to your website, extra attention should be paid to every minute detail to make sure it performs optimally to serve its purpose. Here are seven important rules of thumb to observe to make sure your website performs well. The first rule is that you should not make use of splash pages. They are the first pages you see when you arrive at a website. They normally have a very beautiful image with words like “welcome” or “click here to enter”. In fact, they are just that — pretty vases with no real purpose. Do not let your visitors have a reason to click on the “back” button! Give them the value of your site up front without the splash page.

You should not use excessive banner advertisements. Even the least net savvy people have trained themselves to ignore banner advertisements so you will be wasting valuable website real estate. Instead, provide more valueable content and weave relevant affiliate links into your content, and let your visitors feel that they want to buy instead of being pushed to buy. Some of the othe important rules are explained below

Have a simple and clear navigation

You have to provide a simple and very straightforward navigation menu so that even a young child will know how to use it. Stay away from complicated Flash based menus or multi-tiered dropdown menus. If your visitors don’t know how to navigate, they will leave your site.

Have a clear indication of where the user is

When visitors are deeply engrossed in browsing your site, you will want to make sure they know which part of the site they are in at that moment. That way, they will be able to browse relevant information or navigate to any section of the site easily. Don’t confuse your visitors because confusion means “abandon ship”!

Avoid using audio on your site

If your visitor is going to stay a long time at your site, reading your content, you will want to make sure they’re not annoyed by some audio looping on and on on your website. If you insist on adding audio, make sure they have some control over it — volume or muting controls would work fine.

ByteChip.com has recently developed a great freeware that can benefit the other bloggers. Feed Counter is a portable tool, that can find the number of RSS Feed subscribers of any account using FeedBurner without even knowing their password.

The tool doesn’t require any installation and comes with and without .NET Framework support. If you are a fan of .NET then you can make use of the .NET based application.You can find the Feed Statistics of any account on a particular day or a series of time and export them to CSV.

The initial screenshot will look like as shown below

You will then need to provide the feed name used in Feedburner and click on the Update button. The resulting output will appear as shown in Figure 2

SnagIt is a screen capture tool which is quite famous among software and web developers. It is created by a leading software company – TechSmith. The tool enables you to capture full screen or window, part of the screen or window as per your preference.

You can also select a portion of the screen using the mouse and the tool automatically captures the selection. You can then edit or save the image using the SnagIt Editor. A screenshot of the tool is given below where you can see the names of all profiles.

Figure 1 – SnagIt Home Page

As soon as you install the tool, it adds a shortcut to the Windows 7 Taskbar. You can then select a profile and assign a shortcut key to it. Normally, the key will be a function key or a combination of all keys.

Figure 2 – SnagIt Keyboard Shortcut

I would prefer to assign the function key as it is easy to remember. Then whenever you need to capture the screen you just need to press the shortcut key and the captured portion will be opened in the SnagIt editor. Advanced users can make use of the tools provided within the SnagIt Editor  to further customize the captured shot as shown in the figure below

Figure 2 – Captured Screen Inside the SnagIt Editor

The tool is extremely valuable for seasoned professionals and authors who need to regularly capture screen shots. Please visit http://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.asp for more information and also to download a fully functional 30 days trial copy.

Mike Murach & Associates has just published a new book entitled Murach’s JavaScript and DOM Scripting. This book is written for developers who want to know how to use JavaScript and DOM scripting to create websites that deliver the fast response times, dynamic user interfaces, and special effects that today’s users expect. Here are some highlights:

#1: Two books in one, it covers both JavaScript and DOM scripting
Most books cover either JavaScript or DOM scripting. But to create user-responsive sites, you need to know both.

So the first half of this book is a course in JavaScript essentials. Then, the second half is a course in applied JavaScript, showing how to use DOM scripting to build applications that run slide shows, use drop-down menus, rotate headlines, sort tables, and provide animation.

As a result, web developers can gain basic to expert skills using a single book.

#2: It provides a fast start
Section 1 is a crash course in JavaScript. In fact, by the end of chapter 3, developers will know how to code, test, and debug applications that include elementary DOM scripting. Then, the rest of the book builds on those skills to cover all the JavaScript and DOM scripting essentials.

#3: It shows how to create and use
event-handling libraries for browser compatibility
One of the headaches of web programming is ensuring that the JavaScript code will work with all the popular browsers.

So this book shows web developers how to create their own event-handling libraries of browser-compatible code. That training also enables them to appreciate…and profit from…the extensive libraries of tested code that are included in the downloadable applications for the book.

#4: It shows 20 complete applications that can be used as models for new apps
The key to mastering client-side web development is to have plenty of applications that show how the features interact and what problems might occur in building a website. So this book shows complete code for 20 professional applications, ranging from forms validation to revolving slide shows.

These can be downloaded for free from the Murach website, so developers can experiment with them on their own.

#5: The paired-pages format lets developers set their own pace
Murach books have a distinctive format. Each two-page spread presents a single topic: the lefthand page explains the topic, while the righthand page shows the critical details, using syntax, code, screen shots, and how-to notes. Both beginning and experienced developers find that this format makes it easy to focus on the information they need, whether they’re using the book for training or reference.

Murach’s JavaScript and DOM Scripting is available directly from the publisher at www.murach.com and from all major retail outlets.

Murach’s JavaScript and DOM Scripting
Author: Ray Harris
Pages: 764       
ISBN: 978-1-890774-55-4       
Price: $54.50

There are basically three steps involved in setting up a website. Firstly, you should register a domain name from a hosting provider and purchase a web space for hosting. The final step is to upload the files using FTP.

Domain Name Registration

Domain name is your identity on the web. The address you entered in the Address Bar of your browser is a domain name. Without a valid and registered domain name, websites won’t exists. There are companies like Network Solutions, Registrar.com with whom you can register domain names with .com, .net and .org prefixes. Other domain prefixes like .edu, .in. .uk, .gov are available only to the concerned persons or authorities.

If you are unable to approach these companies on your own, then you can avail the services of other providers and companies. These service providers will register domain names on behalf of them. You have to pay a required cost for registering a domain of your choice. Moreover, you can check for the availability of domain names by visiting godaddy.com, netsol.com, verisign.com, registrar.com.

Finding a Web Hosting Provider

After registering a domain name, you should find a hosting provider to get a server space for your domain name. Usually, the service provider with whom you registered the domain name, provides this service. Many hosting providers have different plans like 5 MB, 10 MB, 20 MB web space, even though 10 MB is common nowadays.

The amount of space depends upon your needs and business. Upon registration the service provider provides you with a username, password, FTP account name and DNS addresses. For example, if your domain name is abc.com, your FTP account name will be ftp.abc.com. FTP is called as File Transfer Protocol and it enables you to transfer your files to your server.

Uploading your files via FTP

Now, you have the required information for transferring the files to the server. You should install a FTP Client Software such as FileZilla, CuteFTP. This software enables you to upload the files to the server. Initially, you have to enter some information like username, password and so on. After that you can just select the files from the left panel and upload them.

Note: FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol