I have to say, the year of 2006 is one for the books. I’ve managed to get married, buy a dog, buy my first house and land my dream job all in one shot.

Matt Cutts, a Search Engine Optimization professional from Google, provides really useful information on Google site rank/SEO in few different videos:

* Qualities of a good site
* Some SEO Myths
* Optimize for Search Engines or for Users

I have been spending so much of my recent attention dealing with Search Engine Optimization that I feel like I have neglected Project Management. Without a doubt, Project Management is the glue that holds every web project together.

A properly managed project takes a lot of extra effort but in the long run it pays off big time. Simple procedures such as site maps, wireframes and detailed content inventories make project budgets and timelines a less daunting process. It helps to keep you on track and ultimately leads you through to a less stressful launch date. In fact, I feel that if a site isn’t properly managed and if information architecture isn’t executed properly that the site will be unsuccessful and will eventually flop.

The good news is that there are a handful of resources that can immediately set you on the right track. The first thing that I would do is read Avoid Edge Cases by Designing Up Front, an amazing article that was recently posted on Alistapart. There is no doubt that this article will blow you away and you will run to your local book store to pick up a copy of Web Re-design 2.0. This book is created for re-design projects but it is just as useful for new projects.

If you have any other questions or comments, please feel free to contact me or leave a comment.

During the Christmas break, I decided to begin reading a couple of books that have been itching at me for quite some time. The first book that I decided to tackle was Steve Krug’s, Don’t Make Me Think. One of the best things about the book is that it practices what it preaches.

Don’t Make Me Think is such a quick, easy read, that you can polish it off while on a short flight. Although most of what it covers is common sense, it is really nice to have it front of you in plain English.

I got the most out of the book from the following sections:

* Navigation
* Home Page Design
* Usability Testing