WestHost Webmaster Connection July 25th, 2006

Specials    Summer Special    Managed Dedicated Server Special  Web Development Tips    A Basic Approach to Server-side Data Validation with AJAX  Marketing Tips    Blog Address: Directory or Domain?  Notable Site    webmasterradio.fm  Quote of the Week    Talent

Specials

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Web Development Tips

A Basic Approach to Server-side Data Validation with AJAX Validating user-supplied data has been for years a highly discussed topic within the huge area of Web development. What really makes this subject an interesting thing is its significant grade of evolution during the last few years, being specifically empowered by the capacities of the different server-side scripting languages. While validating online forms with JavaScript is a feature that can still be found on numerous websites, the truth is that this approach delivers extremely unsafe and unreliable results, particularly if the data being submitted affects some sensitive areas of those sites. Of course what I just said isn't breaking news to you, and quite probably you've been using your own server-side validation routines for a long time; as a result, JavaScript doesn't fit into your scheme any longer. Nevertheless, one of the most appreciated advantages of using JavaScript-based validation rests mainly on its quick response, which makes it very suitable for notifying the user as to what data is wrong, as soon as he/she has finished typing a value on a specific form field. Unfortunately, as with everything in life, this responsiveness comes at a cost, and the drawback of this approach consists of its complete dependency on using scripting-enabled browsers, in order to perform the validation on the data in question. But it's not all bad news when it comes to using JavaScript for checking user input. With the help of AJAX and a handy group of server-side validation routines, it's possible to have a relatively fast system, which can inform the user via JavaScript when invalid data was entered on an online form, while the real validation is performed on the server, with the scripting language of your choice. Aside from the advantages that I mentioned before, this validation mechanism can be developed bearing in mind specific conditions where JavaScript has been disabled by the client, while still maintaining its full validation capabilities on the server. Indeed, this approach can be quite useful for constructing richer Web applications, and that's precisely what I'm going to do in the next few lines: build an AJAX-driven form validation application, which will use PHP for validating data on the server. Of course, due to the versatility of the application that I plan to build, you can use your favorite server-side scripting language instead of PHP, and keep the same functionality. Okay, I'll stop wasting your precious time and go straight to showing you how to create this little AJAX-based application. (Click Here to continue reading this article) back to top

Marketing Tips

Blog Address: Directory or Domain? By: Lee Odden Recently I fielded an emailed question from a reader as to which is better home for a blog: as part of the company web site (www.company.com/blog/) or as a separate domain (www.companyblog.com)? I get this question often and see it mentioned in the forums as well. There are many factors that influence whether your blog should be part of your site or it’s own domain name including: Branding Hosting platform Blog application (software or hosted) Resources for promotion Resources for content production Purpose of the blog Timeframe for expected results Target audience For the most part, I recommend that a blog should be a subdirectory of the main company web site. The reason for this includes branding as well as the SEO benefit of having the blog and RSS feed use the main company URL. Having a blog and feed on a web site is one of the most productive things you can do to satisfy search engines’ appetite for fresh, themed content that attracts links. If your situation allows for less emphasis on company brand and more significant resources and a longer timeline, then a dedicated domain name for your blog makes sense. When branding is still important, but you want the blog perceived as a separate site, then a subdomain works well: blog.company.com. Search engines will see this url as differently as companyblog.com but you will have the branding benefit of using the same domain name. The software you use for your blog makes a difference. Our favorite blog software for installation on a server are WordPress and Moveable Type. For hosted blogs like Typepad, there are domain name mapping options that allow you to point your Typepad url (www.typepad.com/myblog/) to a dedicated domain name (www.myblog.com) or subdomain (blog.company.com). That way you can use the adminstration tools hosted at Typepad, but the public side of the blog uses a domain name that you control. Blogger offers the option of hosting the blog under a blogspot.com URL or it will FTP the blog files to any hosting account that you designate so you can use any of the domain options listed above. Blogger is very easy to use, but lacks functionality found in other applications. Other hosted blog services allow you to have a subdomain URL such as: search-marketing.blogfuse.com, imarketing.vox.com or mimasm.wordpress.com. The thing to be careful with regarding hosted blog services is that you do not have 100% control over the domain name. If the service goes down, so do all of the blogs. If they decide to charge fees or higher fees, you have few options. The biggest issue is if you decide to move your blog to a dedicated domain name. Most hosted services do not offer any kind of 301 redirect option. Any search engine visibility or RSS feed subscribers will be interrupted until your new URL is found. I think the best application for hosted blog services is for personal blogs more than for business. However, there are blog software and hosting programs set up specifically for business blogging such as blogs for specific vertical markets like those offered by my PR firm’s client, Blogging Systems. (Click Here to read more articles by Lee Odden) back to top

Notable Site

webmasterradio.fm Listen to industry leading experts talk about everything from website development to website marketing and search engine marketing. Webmasterradio.fm is an excellent resource for To find out more, please visit http://www.webmasterradio.fm/ back to top

Quote of the Week

Talent "Talent does what it can; genius does what it must." - Edward George Bulwer-Lytton                                                                                  back to top

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