http://webservices.blog.gustavus.edu Just another Blog.gustavus.edu weblog Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:25:20 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en There's a pretty good chance that you will fill out a form today... and tomorrow... and the next day. Forms are everywhere you look--we rely on them for nearly everything from searching for information to ordering some goods to balancing your checkbook. As anybody who has encountered a poorly-designed form can ... http://webservices.blog.gustavus.edu/2008/07/31/review-web-form-design-by-luke-wroblewski/ We just put the finishing touches on our completely new online giving form. Since we hadn't really made any major changes since December 2005, there was plenty of room for improvement. We took the opportunity examine every aspect of the online giving experience and we think came out with improvements ... http://webservices.blog.gustavus.edu/2008/07/30/an-easier-way-to-give/ Yesterday, we doubled the RAM in our SQL servers (bringing them up to 16GB each) so they can continue to be screaming-fast for the next few years as we expand our services on the web. For the technologically curious We have a failover cluster just in case one machine fails or needs ... http://webservices.blog.gustavus.edu/2008/07/15/our-sql-servers-get-a-ram-boost/ We just created a Gustavus Adolphus College room on FriendFeed, the website that "enables you to keep up-to-date on the web pages, photos, videos and music that your friends and family are sharing." If you happen to be on FriendFeed, be sure to join our room. And, if you're new to ... http://webservices.blog.gustavus.edu/2008/07/11/we-are-on-friendfeed/ You asked for it and we delivered. Starting right now, every area of the Gustavus website that has more than one banner got a cool visual effect. All of the banners for each section will cycle with a fadey transition. Our best example at this point is the Religion site--check it ... http://webservices.blog.gustavus.edu/2008/06/23/introducing-fadey-banners/ When filling out a form on the web, it isn't always crystal clear what you are supposed to type into every text input field. Since a confusing form is a form that is less likely to be completed, it is critical to provide help wherever important. In these cases, it can ... http://webservices.blog.gustavus.edu/2008/06/23/text-input-example-text-with-jquery/ Each year a substantial number of Gustavus students benefit from the generosity of donors. As a way to show thanks and strengthen connections between students and donors, students are invited to write thank-you letters to the people who made their scholarships possible. These thank-you letters are a critical component to Advancement's ... http://webservices.blog.gustavus.edu/2008/05/28/web-based-process-drives-student-donor-connection/ Since we added the new Gribly suggest feature on the 15th, we have already received some valuable feedback from our users via the five star rating widget on the bottom of every page: I like the new addition of the name suggestions, but I think when you select a name from ... http://webservices.blog.gustavus.edu/2008/04/17/improved-gribly-suggest-as-you-type/ We just added an exciting new feature to the Gribly: search suggestions as you type. To try it out: Log into the Gribly Begin typing someone's name (at least three characters) Pause typing--suggestions should appear Use your arrow keys to select a suggestion and press enter to search We hope that this new feature will ... http://webservices.blog.gustavus.edu/2008/04/15/gribly-suggest-as-you-type/ When developing web applications, it can be difficult to draw the visitor's attention to an important element or message. Widgets, buttons, and doodads are always vying for one's attention. So, if something is very important, what options does a developer have that will effectively and unobtrusively grab the user's focus? ... http://webservices.blog.gustavus.edu/2008/03/28/colorflashing-with-jquery-enchant/