It often happens that a client comes in looking for a redesign, and they don’t really know why they want it. One of the reasons is that it looks old and, that’s decent enough motivation. But, it can’t be the only thing driving the decision. It quite regularly is though.

With new sites, there’s often a service which needs to be marketed, and a website is required as part of the arsenal. Unfortunately, no thought has gone in to what the site needs to do for the business, beyond looking good.

I generally start to probe around, making suggestions on marketing goals, usability, calls-to-action, etc. and the penny does usually drop on the client’s end, but, that’s my doing and really should be the client’s.

Brian Cray wrote a wonderful article on his blog last month that I just stumbled across. The title is self-explanatory and it’s something I’ve been wanting to write about it. However, he’s done a fantastic job covering the subject, so I’ll just link to him instead.

Guidelines for Highly Effective Websites
Be strategic when you decide to launch (or redesign) a Website. Don’t just throw something together or you’ll end up with what you started—nothing. Always start with a purpose—the most compelling reason for your Website to exist. It must be compelling or you’ll die a silent and painful death on the Internet.

I finally got around to putting more than a lame two lines on this blog’s About Me page, so if you’re curious about who writing you’re reading, go and have a look.

Earlier today, I was wrestling around with my son and he suddenly stops playing to say something to me… something totally out of the blue. He had, I guess, decided that I’m a little too liberal with my use of profanity around the house and started with, “Baba, don’t say bad words anymore.”

He then paused for a brief second, perhaps to lend dramatic effect since his tone was about to be completely normal — and I mean a totally non-plussed kind of normal. Not the kind of tone that you’d expect from a child who knows he’s about to say something he’s not allowed to, but also knows that he’s managed to find a loophole in the rules of language that govern children and wants you to know that you just got gamed. This is normal normal, like he’s about to tell me about his bike or something.

Anyway, let’s back up a bit for the sake of continuity. We wrestled. He stopped. He spoke. Out his mouth came, “Baba, don’t say bad words. (‘One Mississippi’ pause) Don’t say ‘fuck’ anymore. ‘Fuck’ isn’t a nice word. Okay?”

The amusing thing (Yes, all I found it was amusing) about this was that I hadn’t said anything that involved the word all day. I have no idea what prompted him to say that to me at that moment.

I responded in the way that I think one should respond in these situations. I looked back at him calmly, without any bemusement or anger, and told him that I wouldn’t.

He then snuck in a quick punch-slap to my face and we resumed the wrestling.

I’m sorry for posting gossip-rag-fodder here, but Paris Hilton bothers me.

She’s been busted for violating her probation for a drink-driving conviction and is meant to start serving her time on June 05.

Read the rest at the BBC website, but before you go, let me quote this little fun fact.

Despite prosecutors saying the heiress deserved a jail sentence prior to Friday’s hearing, Ms Hilton arrived at the court at least 10 minutes late.

If you’ve been driving around Karachi’s Clifton or DHA Phase 5 today, you will have noticed that McDonald’s has done a pretty good job hanging their banners on every pole they could reach. Now, you and I know that their drive through service is available 24 hours a day. That’s good news for people who are hungry in the wee hours of the morning.

What’s even better news, and what they don’t tell you on the banner (they really should have, since it’s an as-good, and maybe, better offering), is that the home delivery service is also available round the clock to people in the Defence and Clifton area.

The banner also fails to mention that it’s only the McDonald’s at Seaview which is open 24 hours a day (and the airport, but that happened long ago).

Yes, I called 111-BIG-MAC and asked them. I was just curious. You now know and have me to thank for it.

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