Moving to a new blog
After blogging here on a mish-mash of topics for a number of years, I’m shuttering this blog and moving on to a new domain, focused on web development and technical management. I hope you’ll join me at Obi-Wan Kimberly!
Hi, my name is Kimberly Blessing. I'm a computer scientist, Web developer, standards evangelist, feminist, and geek. This is where I write about life, the Web, technology, women's issues, and whatever else comes to mind.
Also by Kimberly
December 2009 Blog Archive
How to Improve Page Load Times
My latest article for Peachpit is on one of my favorite topics: web site optimization and improving page load times. This article is a review of the basics, which I hope will be helpful to those of you wondering where to start with optimization.
As a next step, you may be interested in my 2008 presentation from WebVisions: Optimize Your Site in Seven Easy Steps. This repeats a few tips but also provides some additional steps to improve page load times.
These resources just scratch the surface of the topic, but they’re important fundamentals. If you want to optimize your site, you need to do it at every step — in your code, with the use of graphics and other assets, at the server. Building a site and trying to retrofit for optimization may help, but it doesn’t pack the same punch. (The same thing holds true for accessibility. And, like accessibility, creating an optimized site isn’t terribly difficult when planned for from the start!)
If you have any questions about Easy Steps to Improve Page Load Times, please ask and I’ll answer in another article or post!
In Control Orlando
If you’re planning which conferences you’ll attend next year, be sure to look in to In Control Orlando, a Web Design Workshop Conference, being held February 22-23 in Orlando, Florida!
I presented at In Control Cincinnati this year and thought it was great. As a presenter, having only 60 minutes to relay your information and message can cause you to rush — but the workshop format lengthens each talk to an hour and 45 minutes so there’s plenty of time for taking it easy, giving demos, and answering questions. I think that makes for a much better experience for attendees, too — no more furious note-taking without ideas sinking in!
As for the presenters, you’ll be learning from some industry leaders: Jared Spool, Ethan Marcotte, Kelly Goto, Stephanie Sullivan, and Christopher Schmitt. (Nope, sorry, I won’t be there… and I’m kinda jealous, because I’d really like to see these folks speak!)
Interested? Want to get $50 off the registration price? Use this discount code: INCKIMB
Planning for and Managing Browser Support
With a flurry of new browsers hitting users’ computers and mobile devices this year, everyone involved with the Web has had to scramble to ensure that their sites are compatible with the latest and greatest. This has left many Web professionals and business teams wondering, “What browsers should my site support?” Kimberly Blessing helps you answer that question.
Read my article at Peachpit and let me know what you think! And stay tuned for my next article on optimization…
