Top 10 Google Trends

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) has gained enormous attention from the web designers of all around world. It is basically used for describing various properties of web page written in HTML and helps to make them more appealing and eye catchy. It generally contains information about layouts, colors, fonts as well as can help you to modify the contents of whole web page easily.

Back in the day, when CSS was not around, use of tables in HTML used to be a pain. Tables used to make the web pages and web designs very heavy, resulting in slow loading of the website, incompatible with most browsers, hence, leaving a narrow choice for the visitors to avail the website.

Today, developing HTML into CSS gives a different feel to the web design and some extra features along with it. It improves the page loading time due to reduced size of code file. It became now browser friendly and SEO friendly as well. Due to its systematic and clear coding style, it offers less complex web content structure which in turn helps search engines to easily locate the required contents and keywords during search. Not to mention mobile users now can easily access websites designed using CSS compare to traditional websites with table structure.

CSS has various levels and profiles. Each level of CSS builds upon the last, typically adding new features and typically denoted as CSS 1, CSS 2, CSS 3, and CSS 4. (Profiles are typically a subset of one or more levels of CSS built for a particular device or user interface.)

Google Trends result proves that among these CSS levels, CSS3 seems to be the most reliable one. Apparently, CSS 2 has become less popular now. CSS 4, on the other hand, has been not so popular since it is currently not supported by any major web browser.

CSS 3 is divided into several separate documents called “modules” — each module adds new capabilities or extends features defined in CSS 2, over preserving backward compatibility.

The consistency of web pages throughout the website is important so as to make alterations possible to the web page elements. And it’s been proven that it is much easier to maintain, handle and control the whole website made on CSS based HTML/XHTML. So next time, whenever you think about getting HTML or XHTML Web Design work done, don’t forget to keep CSS in mind.

We all know that web development has been one of the fastest growing industries in the world since the mid-1990s. The growth of this industry is being pushed by large businesses wishing to sell products and services to their customers and to automate business workflow. This also resulted in drastic increase of web development companies.

However due to the competitive market conditions and requirements, these companies started providing custom application development services as well. Now organization takes an aid of a web development company not only with the limitations of web designing and development, apart from that software development services has also become an important aspect for it.

Google Trends result shows that web development these days has gone beyond the area of just web developing, hence, the rise of application / software development today seems creating a path towards to its popularity.

Giving what your clients’ need and to satisfy them is one of the important aspects and to provide the utmost services is a primarily goal of any organization. Web Development companies have already started providing their clients with the services of custom application development and to develop these applications and to stay on toes in current market scenario these companies have adapted CSS3 and HTML 5 and ditched Flash because nowadays, no expert wants to make extensive use of Flash in designing a website since this is the decade of mobile browsing. Pushing HTML 5 to its limits and avoiding plain and overly clean designs… the year of experimentation of with CSS3 and HTML 5, and web developers are utilizing these new tools like there’s no tomorrow!

Application development has been becoming an industry and profession now and with the increasing rate of technological advancements, it will continue to be of value for a long time ahead.

First off let’s find out how CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) Framework works and its importance in helping each and every web designers with their web designing projects.

A Framework (generally speaking) acts as a guideline, and/or a structure used as a skeletal base for something that is being constructed. (Imagine the foundation, columns, beams, and trusses in house construction.) The great idea under a framework is abstracting elements. In CSS programming, there are some points a framework usually would abstract: general page layout, form styles and common classes for most-used elements.

CSS Frameworks can be used to create bulletproof layouts that are not only compatible with all major browsers but are also tested well. Sure you can get a number of CSS frameworks available on the Internet or from any software development company but the CSS framework you decide to use shouldn’t ideally be based only on a personal preference, as most web designers tend to do, but ideally, you should choose a framework that matches up on your current web projects factors like complexity and functionality requirements. Take note also that there are frameworks that highlight the use of typography while the layout is at that discretion of the designer.

We have decided to get the four most popular CSS Frameworks so far (based on users’ polls) and see which among them would stand out based on Google Trends search volume index:

Google Trends search result obviously shows that YAML has been the most reliable CSS Framework for many years now, followed by Blueprint CSS… but not lately? SASS CSS looks kicking in this year. 960 on the other hand, seem able to keep up. What about CleverCSS? Looks not many are interested in it…?

YAML (Yet another Multicolumn Layout): The designer can create layouts that float and are flexible with this framework. As well as different patterns for design such as micro formats, typography, maximum accessibility, forms and compliance with the web standards is possible. The layouts bases on YAML can be created easily with the help of YAML builder.

Blueprint CSS: Aims to cut down on your development time. It gives you a solid foundation to build your project on top of, with an easy-to-use grid, sensible typography, useful plugins, and even a stylesheet for printing.

SASS CSS (Syntactically Awesome Stylesheets): An extension of CSS3. It’s translated to well-formatted, standard CSS using the command line tool or a web-framework plugin.

960 CSS: This grid system is an effort to streamline web development workflow by providing commonly used dimensions, based on a width of 960 pixels. There are two variants: 12 and 16 columns, which can be used separately or in tandem.

CleverCSS: A small markup language for CSS inspired by Python. It can be used to build a stylesheet in a clean and structured way. In many ways it’s cleaner and more powerful than CSS2 is.

As you can see each framework offers different features. And which framework you choose would be really a personal decision. There is no one “best” framework on the market at the moment. Different frameworks are better for different types of designs, and for different designers. Some are specific to grid-based designs. Others give more control over the design, but offer structure for typography.

Education is not left behind and several companies have been using mobile platform to provide a variety of education services. The fact that it has touched every facet of life makes it universally acceptable.

Unlike off-the-job training, the online training process is more interactive and fulfilled and with the support of mobile applications installed in our devices, the whole world is in our radar that helps us to absorb knowledge through exciting new forms of learning. These devices are offering an unparalleled access to various knowledge sources, i.e. from casual cooking lessons on YouTube to online study materials offered by universities.

How awesome is it that I can now groom my Mal-Shih from head to toe myself just by watching short tutorials on YouTube with my device?!

The time has come to change our approach and focus on the innovative products that are coming into the market (iPad, Galaxy Tab and many other touch screen tablets that can change the game altogether). Mobile learning has further revolutionized the training process by enabling the training content accessible by these handy devices. There is no time restriction, and support of trainers is also not required since individuals can actually access the training material as and when required, which makes the process more relaxing. Social media learning and game based learning are a part of mobile based learning as well, which are gaining popularity worldwide.

The level of interactivity on touch devices is extremely high and the reach of social media is wide, institutions can develop highly engaging and effective educational content and therefore more and more organizations are opting for it.

Learning can become a continuous process and an effective way to leapfrog because now it is a widespread reality that sooner or later, mobiles will take the place of PCs for general purpose computing that covers education too.

I’m pretty sure that most of you is already familiar with HTML, but for people who don’t, HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language is the language which is used to construct and present the contents on the World Wide Web, basically the code that enables people to see what they see when they view a website, blog, or other online experience.

HTML was originally invented over 20 years ago with the latest revision to HTML4 over 10 years ago. HTML5 is way overdoing especially considering how fast the balance of the web has progressed. See image below:

You can see in Google Trends search results how people have been fascinated with HTML5 for 3 years now. Apparently HTML4 hasn’t been everybody’s cup of tea now…

HTML5 is the fifth revision of the HTML standard (still under development as of June 2012), its core aims have been to improve the language with support for the latest multimedia while keeping it easily readable by humans and consistently understood by computers and devices (web browsers, parsers, etc.).

HTML5 is intended to subsume not only HTML 4, but xHTML 1 and DOM Level 2 HTML as well.

Why did we need to change HTML4 with HTML5?

Simply because the average online user these days will not just expect to just read content and view images on a website. We take it for granted that our websites will provide high quality videos, chatting interfaces, ability to watch TV or listen to the radio not to mention the ability to collaborate on work projects. Fortunately, HTML5 has brought many extensions to the current standards including: in built video and media handling, a far more powerful set of style rules in CSS3, the canvas object to handle drawing, and display requirements.

And in addition to filling the hole currently patched by Adobe Flash technology, HTML5 has introduced a whole new set of design and other features in its own right including: session storage, local data storage, SQL data storage. This combination of tools firmly establishes HTML5 as an application development platform.

No wonder why HTML4 has been really struggling these days and simply cannot cope. Web Developers are more reliant than ever on third party plugins and web applications that fill in the blanks whenever the old code format cannot perform.

If you think of yourself as a coffee drinking aficionado, can you really be without a coffeemaker? Well, if that’s something you love, a coffeemaker could just be the perfect addition to your kitchen. I mean… what could be better than a freshly brewed cup of coffee in the comfort of your own home?

Nowadays, people drink coffee for its benefits and there are some people who cannot imagine their life without coffee (like me!). Coffee machines (or coffeemakers) are present in every home to make things easier for us. You can buy a coffee machine so smart that it prepares your coffee in the morning if you “order” it before you go to sleep… they are like a good friend who wants you to start your day in a great manner.

Coffee is such an intrinsic part of our way of life that not a day goes by without us paying homage to the local cafe, or at worst, the office coffeemaker. I had become a daily drive-to-the-coffee-shop lady. It wouldn’t have been so bad, except that I noticed that it was really starting to put a dent in my pocket. Ouch! I figured there must be a better way, so I started investing in coffee machines.

In a world of never ending “one cup of coffee please”, there’s no doubt that a coffeemaker is one of the best machines that you can have in your kitchen and that a coffeemaker provides you with great benefits and advantages of which one naturally is to provide you with a fresh, hot cup of brewed coffee at any time of the day.

Leather apparel has emerged in the fashion world as a clothing staple in most wardrobes. There is at least one leather jacket in the closet in every home, and it may belong to any family member regardless of age… Well I would have to say it is because leather garments are believed comfortable, ageless, and stay in style year after year.

The right leather apparel can make or break an outfit though — the secret is to know when and where to use it. Leather apparel is not to be overused, and definitely not to be given undue precedence in fashionable times. Many people make the mistake of using leather as a smooth, shiny substitute for more expensive fabrics such as silk or great cotton, or completely misused as an accessory item or on a showpiece.

Leather apparel has sex appeal, both for the person wearing it, and those who see it being worn. This just may be the reason that members of popular rock bands favor leather clothing when they are on stage. Who doesn’t notice the famous leather pants of the popular frontman (well he used to be) of the band called Stone Temple Pilots, Scott Weiland, leather jacket of Metallica frontman, James Hetfield, and let’s not forget Slash of Guns ‘N Roses?!?! :p

I would have to mention also those people who ride motorcycles favor leather clothing for the protection it offers against not only the weather, but how it performs in the event of a crash, by giving much needed protection against scrapes and burns.

Just a friendly advice, leather apparel must also be worn with the confidence of a movie star. If you do not have the attitude, well I guess you just have to stick to a polyester blend or the soon to be out of date denim that everyone else is wearing all the time.

We all know that fire alarms are designed to alert people to the possibility of a fire in their homes and it really makes sense to say that “it is better to fall prey to a thief than a fire”, well, this is of course because a thief will take your possessions but leave your home intact while a fire will leave you with nothing.

How often do we hear or read about a fire related incident in a residential property, which could possibly have been prevented if the fire alarm had sounded? Fire can be very useful and is even a sign of man’s ability to make use of technology. However, fire can be a very destructive force. Acting too late in the instance of a fire can not only entail the loss of your property, but of your life as well. The reason why having a fire alarm in your home is necessary.

Smoke detectors were invented by the Germans during World War II for the purpose of providing protection in their munitions and other factories.

Maybe you call it a smoke alarm or a smoke detector, either way; it is an important object for your home. Having smoke alarms will ensure that you’re alerted to a possible fire and can get in contact with the fire department more quickly. They are the key ingredient in home safety. These devices have saved thousands of lives, and they will continue to save lives in the future.

Daydreams can really have a way of soothing our stressful days, as it not only allows us to escape reality for a few minutes, but it also gives us a little hope. What is great about this daydream is that it can really get you thinking… This type of mindset will allow you to be constructive, which in turn gives you the ability to work towards those dreams and goals.

But what could be better than “giveaways”? Giveaways are something that gets everybody excited. When people get things given away to them with even a low value they get excited. In case you have not heard the television network treats its viewers to a very special contest. The prize is a luxurious home in an exotic location. Values of the homes they put together reach multi-million dollar value. So it’s no wonder that one of the hottest and coveted giveaways available today comes from Home Garden Television (HGTV).

Each year, HGTV enthralls the viewing public with a stunning home built in a pastoral location, not to mention their past HGTV dream home locations in such jaw dropping places as Sonoma, California (2009), Sandia Park, New Mexico (2010), and Stowe, Vermont (2011).

The current Dream Home for 2012 is located in Midway, Utah (about 30 minutes south of Park City, Utah). It’s a modern, two-story, Western-style ranch home. The prize package includes furnishings and decorations within the home, a 2012 GMC Terrain, and $500,000 in cash. The winner also receives several Bissell brand products. The contemporary design is punctuated by beautiful views of the Provo River and the surrounding mountains. The house is almost 4,000 square-feet. The total value of the grand prize is more than $2 million.

The HGTV Dream Home Sweepstakes draws millions of entries each year through the HGTV website and post card entries. In 2007, more than 41 million entries were submitted. Entries open on January 1st and close in mid-February. One entry per person per day is allowed. Started in 1997, the sweepstakes has grown in substantially in popularity and provides manufacturers with an opportunity to showcase their best products within the confines of a million dollar setting. Although other sweepstakes are offered by the channel, the HGTV Dream Home Sweepstakes is the largest and most well-known.

First of all I am no way near a web developer, and I find these people awesome at what they do!

Many sites from the last decade are static, but more and more people are realizing the advantages of having a dynamic website. Ok… Some of you probably don’t know what the heck I am talking about so let me say something about them.

There are many static websites on the Internet; you won’t be able to tell immediately if it is static or dynamic. The site could be a static if it looks basic and simply delivers information without any bells and whistles. Probably static website is for smaller company since it is the cheapest to develop and host. Dynamic sites, on the other hand, can be more expensive to develop initially, but the advantages are numerous. Some examples of dynamic website features could be: content management system, e-commerce system, bulletin / discussion boards, ability for clients or users to upload documents, ability for administrators or users to create content or add information to a site.

Now, what does jQuery have to do with Dynamic Website? BIG TIME, I supposed!

Nowadays, when dynamism and live action have become quite popular trends in web design, we are no longer interested in static websites; we want to create vivid interactive pages to stay abreast of our competitors. Apart from well-known Flash technology there is one more way to create a website with dynamic elements – jQuery. This is a JavaScript library based on HTML and JavaScript collaboration which gives an easy access to the DOM elements (Document Object Model).

jQuery has become very popular among all webmasters these days and static sites are no longer their choice. Moreover, even static website templates are also out of popularity as if you’d offer your clients to choose between jQuery and static designs they would definitely choose jQuery.

Here are some of the reasons why:
> Design – jQuery templates is live and dynamic design. On such background static templates look dull and outdated.
> Compatibility – Unlike static ones, jQuery templates are cross-browser compatible which means that a website created on their basis will be properly viewed in any browser a viewer may use. So you don’t have to worry that some users may not see your site in the way you want them to.
> Plugins – Nowadays there are a lot of jQuery add-ons you can integrate to make your site fully-functional.
> Clean coding – You won’t experience any problems with your site running sine jQuery templates are distinguished by valid XHTML and CSS coding which is accomplished in compliance with W3C standards.
> JavaScript is not required – Even if JavaScript is disabled your website pages will be loaded properly and will stay usable all the same.
> Easy update – You only need to make the necessary changes in the.html file in order to edit your website constructed with jQuery. So there won’t be any difficulties for you in editing and updating your website even if you are a newbie to sites development.
> Fast loading – Both static and dynamic websites don’t take much time to load, but the difference is that jQuery features dynamic elements and impresses your site visitors.

Apparently, there is a pretty bunch of benefits jQuery technology possesses. So there is definitely NO reason not to use jQuery website templates as they will present your website as an up-to-date and stylish presence created with minimum effort but maximum efficiency.