Where in the World Wide Web?
by Laura Kalinowski, Associate Producer
The Quicksilver team has designed and implemented some captivating websites for our clients – so where do we spend our free time online? From interactive news sites to sources for a balanced diet to the latest and advances in user log-in - our team reveals some great finds and cutting edge trends.
Moe Amer
Controller
I use a mobile financial trading platform on a daily basis. I’m amazed by the ability to integrate application to mobile devices – there are so many new and exciting developments around mobile applications.
Betsy Balgooyen
Senior Project Manager
When we think about innovation on the internet, we need to keep mobile phone apps in mind, specifically the applications that have been developed for the iPhone – they are getting more and more creative. Maybe that “Do my job" button isn’t too far off now.
Chris Bartot
Senior Producer
I’m a fan of the Christian rock music and the KLOVE website is one that I visit often. I can find lyrics to songs, stream live music, review and sign for daily prayers and register to win tickets for upcoming concerts. The site is colorful, dynamic and easy to navigate.
Lakshmi Jayaraman
Programmer/Developer
An interesting thing I see implemented more and more online is Single Sign On (SSO). A user logs in once and gains access to all systems without being prompted to log in again at each of them.
Laura Kalinowski
Associate Producer
I enjoy websites that encourage social interaction and education. It’s amazing how some of the news websites, particularly CNN, have evolved over the last few years. They have media available in multiple forms – print, video, audio, editorial, blog, etc. to encourage citizen activism.
Pat Lehnerer
Senior Designer
One of my favorite websites is theonion.com. I keep coming back mostly because every time I check it out, there’s something up there that makes me laugh hysterically. Over the years, the site has become more than a mirror of their print publication. It has evolved into a multimedia portal with lots of hilarious audio and video content.
Diane MacWilliams
President
What do weightwatchers.com, ted.com and jamieoliver.com have in common? I have been a weightwatchers member for years and they now offer wonderful interactive tools to track what I eat, provide nutritional information and recipes that are easy to make. Ted.com is a site loaded with videos of inspiring individuals whose ideas are changing the world. The 2010 winner is Jamie Oliver whose wish is to create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity. These are sites that can have enormous impact on our future by informing, educating and making positive changes will improve our health. This is something I have become passionate about.
Jeff Maslouski
Post Production Manager
I think online video is a huge, important trend and will only continue to grow. I just read that Cisco predicts 90 percent of consumer IP traffic (which makes up the majority of total IP traffic) will be video by 2013. Wow!
Kathy Morris
Vice President and Executive Producer
I am daily in awe of the both the breadth and lack of depth of the information available on the World Wide Web. I can find 22 sites with lyrics for many popular songs but limited historical information on a company’s origin. Still, I am grateful for the tool that enables me to access from my desk chair information that I used to have to collect, organize and occasionally get up and retrieve from a file drawer…and by the time I needed what I had collected the information was so five minutes ago.
Michael O'Brien
Director of Sales
On corporate websites, I think one of the best things a company can do is have a dynamic area for top personnel. Adding personal bios, interesting graphics or flash animation to this area will make you a company with whom someone wants to work. A great example is Church's Chicken.
Bill Talsma
Designer/Flash Animator
We will continue to see more and more web designers and developers utilizing tools like jQuery - a lightweight cross-browser JavaScript library that offers greater possibilities for interaction with websites. As a designer, these types of tools enable me to create smooth and appealing interfaces that provide more intuitive web-based experiences without having to re-invent the wheel.
For daily inspiration, I often look at the popular award website "Favourite Website Awards (FWA)" which features a "website of the day." Most sites here are Flash-based, however you'll find some using jQuery. FWA showcases lots of really slick, big-budget sites that represent the high-end of contemporary design and programming with a focus on interactivity. Check it out!
Tyler Uteg
Associate Producer
I think the key to having a good website is ensuring that it’s not just a static page with text – more and more websites are implementing flash. There needs to be some sort of interactivity to catch the consumer’s eye.
Andrew Webb
Director of Internet Solutions
For me, a sign of online progress is the gradually rising standard of usability. If that’s missing, then new capabilities are likely to have a diluted impact. A poor user experience drives me nuts – because it’s avoidable. And a good one means it’s a pleasure to visit the site. What’s a good one? When I visited Constant Contact recently I immediately experienced the clarity and simplicity of the site - it’s a pleasure to review content that is so well presented.
David Yakir
Editor/Animator
My favorite websites keep things current. I like sites that showcase other people’s work in design, animation and video because it helps to inspire and keep me on my toes. Sports news sites also peak my interest.