amazon marketplace
Posted on AWS Tour

Amazon Marketplace – A Source for Your System Needs

This stop in our AWS tour is at the Amazon Marketplace.  This site is not so much a service as a source for solutions.  Just as the name implies, this is a marketplace for AWS solutions. Why Bother With Amazon Marketplace? Your first question is likely to be, “why do we need this?”  That makes sense when you look at all AWS has to offer.  However, when you look at all that is offered, you may be overwhelmed.  Also, you know that any system you desire will take time to install, configure and bring live.  This challenge is where the marketplace shines. Amazon marketplace provides a large (thousands) selection of AWS solutions.  These range from a simple Linux server to fully... Read more

heatmap tools
Posted on General

Using Heatmap Tools To Improve Conversions

As the importance of websites increases, we see tools to help measure their impact.  One example (of many) is the availability of heatmap tools.  These reports are easy to use due to their visual nature, but let’s dig into what we should be seeking. Heatmap Defined First, it helps to be clear on what a heat map is.  Heatmap tools track clicks on a web page.  Every click and where it occurs is tracked.  This can be for every user or some random percentage of users.  Ideally, every click should be monitored.  Thus, you will see typical paths through your page as well as outliers. The reporting of these tracked clicks is often presented as an overlay of dots on your... Read more

database design
Posted on Become a Better Developer

Database Design – Building the Heart of Your Application

Database design is an essential part of building most software applications.  Proper implementation can impact speed, usability, and reduce user frustration.  In this video tutorial, we look at some steps and guidelines to build your database and avoid design errors. Getting on the Same Page We start this presentation with an overview of databases.  This step helps get us on the same page as far as terminology and the features of a well-designed database.  Although this is not new to many developers, it never hurts to make sure we know where we are starting.  In any case, we do move through the overview quickly Considerations of Good Database Design Once we have a summary covered, we dive into designing our database.... Read more

api gateway
Posted on AWS Tour

API Gateway – Amazon’s Service for Connecting Your Systems

Many of our modern software solutions include pieces distributed across servers and various devices.  This approach requires a maintainable way to transfer data.  Luckily, an API is a perfect solution.  When you build a good API, the solution can expand opportunities for solving new problems or provide better features.  However, an API is not always easy to implement.  That is where the AWS API Gateway comes in handy. The API Gateway is Flexible This service is a front end to any API you want to build.  There is the option to create serverless calls with Lambda, but that is one of many options.  Thus, even if you already have an API implemented, this service can be useful to you.  The service even includes... Read more

target market
Posted on General

Keywords and Finding Your Target Market

We have looked at some tools to assist in researching keywords for your target market.  However, there are also some general rules to follow when you start down this path.  Selecting keywords is not quite a science, but these steps can help avoid keyword writer’s block. Start with Foundational Ideas A goal of effective keyword selection is finding niches.  Of course, you can’t find a niche without making some scope reduction.  Thus, we can start with some broad terms that still help narrow our focus.  A safe start is industry terms to get you in the ballpark.  These words may end up being thrown away later, but they are a good starting point.  For example, let’s look at a consulting... Read more