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Powerful CSS-Techniques For Effective Coding

Sometimes being a web-developer is just damn hard. Particularly coding is often responsible for slowing down our workflow, reducing the quality of our work and sleepless nights with pizza and coffee laying around the laptop. Reason: with a number of incompatibility issues and quite creative rendering engines it sometimes takes too much time to find a workaround for some problem without addressing browsers with quirky hacks. And that’s where ready-to-use solutions developed by other designers come in handy.

One year ago we’ve published the post with 53 CSS-Techniques You Couldn’t Live Without where we provided references to the most useful CSS-techniques which are often used in almost every project. Over the last year we’ve been observing what’s happening with the CSS-based web-development, and we collected most useful CSS-techniques we’ve stumbled upon — for us and for our readers.

In this post we present 50 new CSS-techniques, ideas and ready-to-use solutions for effective coding. You definitely know some of them, but definitely not all of them. Some technique is missing? Let us know in the comments to this post.

Thanks to all developers who contributed to the CSS-based design over the last year. The community appreciates it.

Sometimes being a web-developer is just damn hard. Particularly coding is often responsible for slowing down our workflow, reducing the quality of our work and sleepless nights with pizza and coffee laying around the laptop. Reason: with a number of incompatibility issues and quite creative rendering engines it sometimes takes too much time to find a workaround for some problem without addressing browsers with quirky hacks. And that’s where ready-to-use solutions developed by other designers come in handy.

One year ago we’ve published the post with 53 CSS-Techniques You Couldn’t Live Without where we provided references to the most useful CSS-techniques which are often used in almost every project. Over the last year we’ve been observing what’s happening with the CSS-based web-development, and we collected most useful CSS-techniques we’ve stumbled upon — for us and for our readers.

In this post we present 50 new CSS-techniques, ideas and ready-to-use solutions for effective coding. You definitely know some of them, but definitely not all of them. Some technique is missing? Let us know in the comments to this post.

Thanks to all developers who contributed to the CSS-based design over the last year. The community appreciates it.

CSS-Techniques

1. Triadic Background Setting with CSS
The Silverback web site uses three background images to create the illusion of 3D with simple CSS. No documentation is provided, however the source code is quite intuitive. [via Wilson Miner]

2. Creative Use of PNG Transparency in Web Design
With proper PNG support in Internet Explorer 7, and some handy JavaScript and CSS tricks to account for older browsers, we can use PNG images to greatly enhance our design vocabulary.

3. CSS Server-Side Pre-Processor

4. Advanced CSS Menu

5. CSS SiteMap

6. Styling File Inputs with CSS and the DOM
File inputs (
) are the bane of beautiful form design. No rendering engine provides the granular control over their presentation designers desire. This simple, three-part progressive enhancement provides the markup, CSS, and JavaScript to address the long-standing irritation.

7. A Savvy Approach to Copyright Messaging
Derek Powazek suggests adding a copyright message to a photo and use CSS to crop its view. This is supposed to accomplish the goal of adding robust copyright information without defacing your own work.

8. Particletree Category List

9. Advanced CSS Menu Trick
What we want to do here, is instead of simply altering the state of the navigation item the user is currently rolling over, we want to alter the non navigation items as well.

10. CSS hover effect

11. Creating a table with dynamically highlighted columns like Crazy Egg’s pricing table

12. A Stripe of List Style Inspiration
A different type of list and navbar styling. As stripes.

13. Rediscovering the Button Element

14. Dynamic CSS With Variables
Geoffrey Grosenbach describes how you can integrate CSS variables in CSS coding — with Ruby on Rails.

15. Hyperlink Cues with Favicons
I wanted to extend the concept of hyperlink cues a little. For links that point to external sites, what if, instead of showing a generic ‘external link’ icon, we showed that site’s favicon?

16. A CSS styled table version 2

17. CSS Step Menu
A method of designing the so-called step-menus, which have some steps users have to go through in order to achieve some aim. This menu offers a varying amount of steps, dependent upon the type of user accessing the application.

18. Creating bulletproof graphic link buttons with CSS | 456 Berea Street

19. Iconize Textlinks with CSS
Links are fun, but sometimes we don’t know where they take us. With this little CSS technique a user can identify a link by its icon. The updated release of the technique.

20. Better Ordered Lists (Using Simple PHP and CSS)
Ordered lists are boring! Sure you can apply background images and do quite a bit of sprucing up to a regular ordered list, but you just don’t get enough control over the number itself.

21. Circular Menu with CSS
This article shows how a beautiful circular navigation menu is created. In Spanish with Source code and an example.

22. CSS Dock Menu

23. Digg-like navigation bar using CSS
This tutorial explains how to design a digg-like navigation bar using a liquid design with rounded corners for links.

24. 13 Awesome Javascript CSS Menus
13 “fresh” JavaScript+CSS-based navigation menus in a brief overview. Among other things Slashdot Menu and Sexy Sliding Menu displayed below.

25. CSS Pricing Matrix
A CSS-based matrix in which clicking on a highlights the associated cell in the top row and left column giving an indication of relationships among the provided information. Similar solution: Tablecloth.

26. CSS List Expander
So, we have an unordered list that can go on in depth as much as we want. The script analyzes the list tree and applies toggle functions for expanding/collapsing child objects.

27. How to create VISTA style toolbar with CSS
Reproducing Vista toolbar, with buttons and hover effect in cross-browser compatible CSS and (X)HTML.

28. Fade Out Bottom
This is a demonstration of the effect where the bottom of the page seems to fade out. The technique makes use of an fixed position div (bottom: 0%) with a transparent PNG image and a high z-index value.

29. Scrollovers - A New Way of Linking
Everyone is familiar with hover-effects. This CSS+JavaScript-based techniques creates the Scrolleffect - not really necessary, but it’s nice to know, how it can be done.

30. How to Style an A to Z Index with CSS

31. CSS List Boxes
Using a simple unordered list this experiment aligns the boxes across the page with the end result being to showcase items like services, products, or specials. One of cool thing about this — if you turn off styles — is the extractable semantics with the headings and paragraphs used.

32. How-to create a “Table of Contents” Navigation
In as little as 8 lines of HTML, and 5 lines of CSS, the Table Of Contents Navigation block can be integrated in your site ready for even more styling.

33. CSS Recipe for Success

34. Partial Opacity

35. Simple Round CSS Links (Wii Buttons)

36. How to make sexy buttons with CSS

37. CSS Pull Quotes

38. Drop Shadow CSS

39. CSS Speech Bubbles
Easy to customize speech bubbles coded in CSS and valid XHTML 1.0 strict.Tested in all major browsers.

40. CSS Double Lists

41. Perspective Text with CSS

42. Better Email Links: Featuring CSS Attribute Selectors
Learn how to generate code for displaying the e-mail automatically once mailto is used. CSS Attribute Selectors in action which is not supported by Internet Explorer 6 and 7.

43. CSS: Menu Descriptions
This is a CSS technique that could be useful if you want to give users accessible added content such as tool-tips, notifications, or alerts, without adding unnecessary clutter to your page. And since it doesn’t rely of JavaScript, it should be useful to everyone, even disabled users.

Further Techniques

44. CSS Transparency Settings for All Browsers

45. Time Sensitive CSS Switcher
CSS Switching script that changes style sheet based on time of day.

46. Custom Reading Containers
This amazing little script allows the user to resize any container.

47. Eric Meyer’s CSS Reset

48. PNG Overlay
Create a transparent PNG overlay which can be used as a mask / frame around regular JPEG or GIF so users can upload photos without having to worry about using any graphics program to apply filters, plus it saves time.

49. Turning Lists into Trees

50. Create Resizable Images With CSS

CaseLearns: 2008 Spring Semester Classes
Registration is now open for spring classes at CaseLearns. Whether you’re building your first Web site, adding a podcast to your blog or just want to learn something fun, CaseLearns has a number of options available.

Classes take place in Kelvin Smith Library

Registration is now open for spring classes at CaseLearns. Whether you’re building your first Web site, adding a podcast to your blog or just want to learn something fun, CaseLearns has a number of options available.

The classes listed below may be of particular interest to those developing or maintaining Web sites.

If you are new to Web design and want to learn Dreamweaver, I recommend reading I’m not going to teach you XHTML/HTML, but you should learn it anyway and doing the homework assignment before taking your first Dreamweaver class.

All CaseLearns classes are open to current Case faculty, students and staff, emeriti faculty, alumni, and Senior Scholars. Case affiliates may register if openings are available. Class schedules are subject to change. Please visit the CaseLearns Web site for the most current information.

Audio Recording and Editing

Feb 13, 3:00 p.m.
Feb 13, 6:00 p.m.
Mar 20, 3:00 p.m.
Apr 9, 3:00 p.m.

Digital Images I: Introduction & Basic Photoshop

January 16, 3:00 p.m.
Jan 27, 1:00 p.m.
Feb 7, 3:00 p.m.
Mar 5, 3:00 p.m.

Digital Images II: Advanced Photoshop

Jan 30, 3:00 p.m.
Jan 30, 6:00 p.m.
Feb 3, 1:00 p.m.
Feb 14, 3:00 p.m.
Mar 26, 3:00 p.m.
Apr 17, 3:00 p.m.

Digital Images III: Even MORE Advanced Photoshop

Feb 20, 3:00 p.m.
Feb 20, 6:00 p.m.
Apr 24, 3:00 p.m.

Dreamweaver CS3: Introduction

Feb 12, 1:00 p.m.
Feb 12, 4:00 p.m.

Dreamweaver CS3: Intermediate

Feb 29, 9:00 a.m.
Feb 29, 12:00 p.m.
Mon, Apr 7, 1:00 p.m.

Dreamweaver CS3: Advanced

Apr 22, 9:00 a.m.
Apr 22, 12:00 p.m.

Dreamweaver CS3: New Features

Jan 22, 10:00 a.m.
Jan 22, 12:00 p.m.
Mar 17, 1:00 p.m.

Macromedia Flash: Introduction

Jan 31, 9:00 a.m.
Jan 31, 12:00 p.m.

Photoshop CS3: New Features

Feb 28, 3:00 p.m.
Feb 28, 5:00 p.m.

Video Workshop I: Introduction to Digital Video

Jan 17, 3:00 p.m.
Jan 17, 6:00 p.m.
Feb 6, 3:00 p.m.
Feb 24, 1:00 p.m.
Mar 6, 3:00 p.m.
Apr 2, 3:00 p.m.

Video Workshop II: Advanced Digital Video

Jan 31, 3:00 p.m.
Jan 31, 6:00 p.m.
Feb 27, 3:00 p.m.
Mar 2, 1:00 p.m.
Mar 27, 3:00 p.m.
Apr 23, 3:00 p.m.

Understanding RSS Feeds

Apr 9, 1:00 p.m.
Apr 9, 3:00 p.m.

Don’t build your Web site in a vacuum
This is the fifth in a series of posts that discuss Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and other Web marketing strategies. This week we’ll go beyond the Web.

T-shirts, the Web site and other strategies featured
common visual elements. These examples were
produced prior to the 2004 branding initiative.
While this plan used a logo, you do not need a
department or project logo to create a
consistent message.

This is the fifth in a series of posts that discuss Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and other Web marketing strategies. This week we’ll go beyond the Web.

Coordinate your online presence with your other marketing strategies

Today at lunch I saw a post on Pownce from a fellow looking for someone to design a t-shirt. I’ve designed t-shirts in the past, and while I wasn’t volunteering, I did suggest that he provide more information—so any designers might get a better sense of the project. He wrote back that he wanted something that would be eye-catching, abstract (perhaps like graffiti), highly readable, and that his company colors were white, green and dark gray/black. I wrote back asking more questions about goals, target markets, how the t-shirts would be distributed, quantities, printing methods, PMS colors, his other marketing strategies, etc.

As a marketer I wanted to know how the t-shirts would fit into his overall marketing plan, something the designer would need to know as well. As it turns out many of the questions I asked were similar to questions one should address when building a Web site. As those who’ve read my Planning your Web site tutorial know, I feel the first steps in planning a Web site involve establishing clear goals and defining one’s target audience. What I haven’t yet discussed is how your Web site fits into your other marketing strategies.

Marketing Goals

Whether your site showcases your research in advanced robotics or is meant to sell dog-shaped robotic toys, you have marketing goals. Such goals could include:

• Establishing your personal or organizational brand
• Getting invited to speak at conferences
• Having your book published
• Acquiring research funding
• Attracting an audience for your lecture/symposium
• Selling your product or service
• Recruiting students or faculty
• Driving traffic to your Web site in order to share information, disseminate knowledge, and of course, to further those other goals!

Marketing Strategies

When we think of marketing we often think of things like advertising, junk direct mail, telemarketing, e-mail (opt-in and/or spam) and the Web. In addition to these common techniques, a well-thought out marketing campaign may also include: media relations, trade shows/conferences, newsletters, flyers, posters, sidewalk chalk, promotional items (t-shirts, pens, etc.), social media networking, viral marketing (word of mouth 2.0), promotional videos, etc. Which techniques one uses will depend on goals, target audience and budgets, but in most cases a combination of strategies will be more effective than just one. Naturally one of those strategies will involve a Web site.

For most of us, our Web site is our most visible and prominent marketing strategy. It’s available online 24/7 for anyone who wants to visit. While it takes time to plan and build, it can be edited, expanded and delivered in it’s new improved state without the high cost of things like printing, video, buying advertising space and mailing. In an age when we are trying to reduce paper consumption and cost, the Web is ideal.

But our audience isn’t surfing the Web all day. They’re often out in the real world driving past billboards, reading magazines, chatting with friends and so forth. If we want to reach them, we have to reach out to them, not just wait for them to come to us. Just as we use e-vites and printed cards to invite people to our parties, so can we use other strategies to promote our goals in conjunction with our site.

Marketing Plan Example: Thursdays in the Park

In the summers of 2002 and 2003, Case held a series of concerts in the Turning Point Garden called Thursdays in the Park. Our goal was to provide an activity where faculty, staff and students could come together and to bring members of the Greater Cleveland community to campus. University Circle, Inc. (UCI) later expanded on this idea with Wade Oval Wednesdays.

In an effort to reach out to both the on- and off-campus communities we put together a marketing plan that included:

• Listings on the Case Web Event Calendar and UCI online and printed calendars
• Space ads (print and online banner ads) in the Free Times and Scene Magazine (local entertainment weeklies)
• Announcements on WRUW (Case’s radio station)
• Street banners along Euclid Avenue
• Posters and flyers on kiosks and bulletin boards across campus
• T-shirts (worn by staff, available for sale, and thrown out to the audience by the performers)
• Listings on the Web sites of the various bands
• News releases sent to local media outlets such as The Plain Dealer (who then featured us in the events section of their Friday Magazine
• Audience surveys to determine how they heard about the concerts
• E-mail to select audiences, such as local alumni, and those who had signed up for our mailing list
• Word of mouth
• Thursdays in the Park Web site

Our media plan focused on outlets that Clevelanders regularly use to learn about concerts, as well as those typically used to reach the university audience. Having a plan in place also meant that we could choose visual elements and colors that would provide a consistent image across our print and online presence.

Later as each concert series progressed we learned from our surveys that attendees discovered the concerts through a wide variety of our marketing channels. This in turn helped us to fine-tune our strategy in the second year. And while some channels, such as space ads, couldn’t hold all of the information about the concert series, all of them (except the banners) did have room to list the Web site. By publicizing the event in these different ways we were able to reach a wider audience, draw a respectful crowd and also direct them to the site—where they could get directions, see photos from past performances and find other pertinent information.

Conclusion

While your Web site is likely the backbone of your marketing strategy, there are many methods you can use to augment it. These efforts will be most effective if they can be coordinated to focus on a common goal and deliver a consistent message. In future entries I’ll review some of these strategies in greater detail and discuss how members of your team can work together and/or with University Marketing and Communications to coordinate how these strategies can fit together.

Web Content: Not just YOUR words and pictures
If they read what you write, they may also want to read what you read. Webmasters and bloggers know this. That’s why we’ll embed links within our text, build pages with links to recommended sites and/or add linkblogs to our side bars. In a world where most of us don’t have the time to research and write everything we’d like to share, such resources add value to our existing content and give readers guidance on where to look for additional information.

My Google Reader Shared Items

If they read what you write, they may also want to read what you read. Webmasters and bloggers know this. That’s why we’ll embed links within our text, build pages with links to recommended sites and/or add linkblogs to our side bars. In a world where most of us don’t have the time to research and write everything we’d like to share, such resources add value to our existing content and give readers guidance on where to look for additional information.

Recently I’ve come across some other good ways to share what you read, so I thought I’d share those with you today.

Publish your OPML file to share your blog subscriptions

A few weeks back I was reading an entry on David Bradley’s blog, Sciencebase, when I noticed something interesting in his footer. There, at the bottom, he has a section called “Geeky Fun Stuff” in which he shares, among other things, a link to his OPML file. That, I thought, is a really good idea. For those of you who don’t know what this is, an OPML file is basically a type of XML file that includes the links to the RSS feeds of the various blogs one reads through RSS Readers such as Google Reader, Bloglines, etc. Such services allow you to import and export these files so that you can easily switch services or add a batch of feeds to your existing service. Thus, if I wanted to subscribe to all of David’s feeds I could just save that file and import it into Google Reader myself. Or if I wanted to subscribe to only a few I could edit the file (in Dreamweaver or any plain text editor) to delete any I didn’t want.

If you are already using an RSS reader, sharing such a file is fairly easy. Just export your file from your reader and save it to your computer. If you don’t want to share everything, just open the file in a text reader, and delete the extraneous feeds—lolcats, curling news from In the Hack and anything else that may not be of interest to your readership. Once the file is ready, just upload it to your site and link to it as you would any other page.

Using Google Reader to share specific stories

Google Reader recently added some enhancements to its sharing features. I first noticed this when Robert Scoble posted a note on Pownce with a link to his Google Reader shared items page. When I went to view the page I realized that this could be a useful feature, one that made me want to revisit Google Reader.

When you visit a shared items page you will see a site that looks pretty much like a typical blog. Stories are posted on the left, information about the page owner is on the right—along with links to other resources, a feed, etc. The main difference is that the stories are things the page owner has read rather than written (though, if you subscribe to your own feed, you can share your own entries as well). Each story also includes a link to the original entry and the original source—so the material is not mistakenly attributed to you.

After viewing Scoble’s page, I immediately thought of my friend X, who says she wants to establish an online presence, but isn’t quite yet ready to blog. Sharing stories on a page she can link to might be a good way to get her feet wet and let people know what she is thinking about.. For those of us who already have one or more blogs and Web sites, the shared items page adds to our online mix and provides an easy way to share stories with our readership.

Getting started with Google Reader

Getting started with this is pretty easy. Just go to the Google Reader site and sign-in. If you don’t already have a Google account for Gmail, analytics, etc. you can create one there. Once your account is set up, just subscribe to some of your favorite blogs and start reading. A menu at the bottom of each story gives you the option to share the story so it will appear on your public shared items page. (There is some controversy about this, but you just have to understand that it’s a public page that can be seen by anyone who has, or discovers, the address. For us, that is what we want, so it’s not a big concern.) If you change your mind later, you can unshare the story the same way. You can also organize your subscriptions into topic folders and share topics rather than individual items. To learn more about using Google Reader visit the Reader Help Center.

If you don’t want to send readers to your Google page, but still want to share stories, you can also share a clip from the feed on your own site, as I have done on my “What I’ve Been Reading in the Blogosphere” page.

More sharing options

My Streamy Subscriptions

Google isn’t the only service that allows sharing, but aside from the hubbub regarding privacy settings (pertaining to how and with whom one is sharing—see links below) it’s very easy to use and will be familiar to a large audience. I’ve been sharing blog stories with groups on Streamy since last summer, but my Streamy shares aren’t fully public. Another friend has recently recommended Feed Each Other which looks promising and also produces a public page. StumbleUpon, while not a reader, is also a great way to share blog stories and other Web sites. (Stumbling is quite popular with insomniacs and is a great way to learn about other sites.)

These are all useful services, but how you share is less important than what you share. If you can find articles and sites that offer additional information on the topics you discuss, or even stories that add insight to your personality or world view, you’ll be providing a helpful resource to your readers.

OPML, Google Reader and Sharing Resources

• fav.or.it - favorit RSS Reader and Blogging Platform
• Google’s new Reader Features
• Google Reader needs GPC (Granular Privacy Controls)
• Google Reader “Share With Friends” Feature Gets Privacy Complaints
• Google Reader Sharing FAQ
• Is Google Reader Sharing Too Much?
• OPML (Outline Processor Markup Language)

Raise The Curtain For… Smashing Jobs

A job board? Right. Not a big thing compared to Einsteins theory of relativity. But in the universe of web-developers where most of us use to live, Smashing Jobs may turn out to be a pretty good damn thing. In fact, it has benefits for both job seekers and employers. And you can also use our promotion code to post your job openings for free. So let’s find out what’s in there for you.

If you are a creative person, no matter if you are seeking actively for a job or not, you may get some fresh opportunities for your career or your order books. Since Smashing Jobs is fully integrated into Smashing Magazine you can immediately scan recent job openings while reading our latest article.

A job board? Right. Not a big thing compared to Einsteins theory of relativity. But in the universe of web-developers where most of us use to live, Smashing Jobs may turn out to be a pretty good damn thing. In fact, it has benefits for both job seekers and employers. And you can also use our promotion code to post your job openings for free. So let’s find out what’s in there for you.

Fresh Opportunities For Job Seekers

If you are a creative person, no matter if you are seeking actively for a job or not, you may get some fresh opportunities for your career or your order books. Since Smashing Jobs is fully integrated into Smashing Magazine you can immediately scan recent job openings while reading our latest article.

And you won’t get bothered by job offers you’re not interested about, as Smashing Jobs is made especially for designers and web-developers. Subscribe to our Job Feed if you don’t want to miss a smashing job opportunity.

Please spread the word to your friends, clients and partners that there is a new baby named Smashing Jobs out there, and take if you like a few seconds of your time to have a look on our job listings.

Attractive Marketplace For Employers

Dear employer! They are already here, among our readership. The talents that are inspired to craft state-of-the-art web-design for your clients, the code artists capable to built cost- and time-saving applications with the latest technologies, the brave women and men that could fit right into your team and wait for your job openings right near you.

Let them know you are hiring: it will take you just few minutes to post your job openings and it will require a small piece of your recruiting budget. When you want to save time for publishing your vacancies manually we can also offer you automated customized solutions.

Post Your Jobs Now: For Free!

You can post your job openings for free using the special promotion code C5987E. You can use this coupon code until March 4th 2008. So if there is nothing to lose and nothing to pay why don’t give it a try?

The people working for you on Smashing Jobs

Gabi Schiopu & Ovidiu Ion, our pixel ninjas, dedicated to serve a good user experience.

Vasilis Dimos & George Chatzigeorgiou, two guys from Greece who do the hard coding work, our backbone for all the new features to come in the future.

Michael Dobler will be your sparring partner for a customized solution and works out special promotion packages for you.

Take a look around, and if you have any ideas or suggestions please don’t hesistate to comment upon this article. Cheers for Smashing Jobs, folks!

Tips for Nonprofits Meme
Elizabeth Able, of Able Reach Arts and Web Development, recently started a blog meme in support of nonprofits that have an online presence. She asks that we write one tip on ways nonprofits can benefit from having an online presence and have others do the same.

Snowcrystals.com shares a wealth of knowledge

Elizabeth Able, of Able Reach Arts and Web Development, recently started a blog meme in support of nonprofits that have an online presence. She asks that we write one tip on ways nonprofits can benefit from having an online presence and have others do the same. Tips can have similarities so long as each offers new insight into the topic.

This meme comes with four guidelines:

1. Offer one tip
2. Tag three people. Bonus points for including blogs that support or represent nonprofits.
3. Please link back to the original entry page. If you link, Elizabeth will contact you about including your tip in a compilation of tips generated by this meme.
4. Remember to pass on the guidelines

Now that we know the rules, here is my tip.

Share your knowledge and expertise in the form of educational resources

Nonprofits come in many shapes and sizes. Whether they are confronting issues relating to poverty, arts & culture, health care, education or public policy, each is likely to have specific and in-depth knowledge relating to their mission. While their Web sites will often focus on their core mission, volunteerism, fund-raising and related issues, much can be gained from sharing their broader knowledge base as well.

In this case, when I speak of knowledge, I’m not referring to the facts and figures used in support of the cause, but the more in-depth knowledge or data related to the topic. Thus a public art organization, that uses its site to announce projects and explain how art benefits society, may also want to publish related resources such as:

• A walking tour of public art in the region served by the organization.
• Interviews with artists explaining how they came to the field, what education this required and where they seek their inspiration.
• A history of the role of public art from ancient times to the present with images and links to more specific resources.
• Pages explaining how sculptures are made, from the design process to the casting of metal and other techniques.

Benefits of knowledge sharing

Sharing such knowledge can support an organization in many ways. In most cases the expertise and knowledge is already in the minds of the staff—who draw on this information in their own work. Sharing it with others benefits society by providing information resources, but also supports marketing and fundraising.

• Educational resources geared to K-12 students and/or the general public help the organization to reach a wider audience geographically and demographically. This builds name recognition and supports the organizations brand, enhancing the reputation of both the organization and its staff through the quality of its content.
• Sites providing educational outreach may be eligible for additional funding from foundations and government agencies that support such programming.
• Informative, and fun, resources help to stimulate interest in the topic thus cultivating readers towards becoming future donors, volunteers and champions to the cause.

Bastions of Knowledge: Examples

Many faculty and staff here at Case have heard me discuss sites I call “Bastions of Knowledge,” places where faculty and staff can share their expertise with the public. As mentioned above, such sites provide educational outreach and support marketing. A site that becomes known as one of the leading resources in a given field bolsters the organizations reputation, but can also draw additional traffic to the rest of the organization’s site. Two of my favorite examples are:

Snowcrystals.com, produced by Kenneth G. Libbrecht, chairman of the Physics Department at Caltech

This site has anything you could possibly want to know about snowflakes, from the physics of how they develop and the impact of temperature on crystal formation, to some stunning photographs of individual snow crystals. If you Google the term “snowflake,” this site shows up as the number 2 result—out of 9,050,000. A search on “snow crystal” puts them 1st out of 366,000 results. When you consider the number of children studying snow in school, the adults who are curious to learn more and scientists interested in crystal formation and/or considerations of temperature, you have to imagine that this site gets a lot of traffic. Professor Libbrecht didn’t have to share his research with all of us, but in doing so he has provided a fascinating resource and made more people familiar with his department and Caltech.

The eSkeletons Project, University of Texas at Austin

The e-Skeletons project doesn’t rank quite as high in Google, it comes in 8th out of 6,760,000 on a search of the word “skeleton.” but that’s still very impressive. So is the content. This site provides images of individual bones, from all orientations, from 12 primate species including humans. Animations, FAQ’s and other information make this a terrific resource for teachers and students alike. As a K-12 educational resource, the site also receives both corporate and government support.

In Conclusion

If you’re working for a non-profit or similar organization, go ahead and share the information in your head. You’ll provide a service to others as well as yourself.

As per the instructions of the meme guidelines, I’ll tag Mano Singham, Jeremy Smith, Lev Gonick and Gina Prodan, as I’m curious to hear what they have to say on the matter.