Thomas Multimedia is pleased to announce the official launch of our web auction software, TM Auctions.

Why did I build TM Auctions? Because their is an abysmal lack of easy to use auction software for every day business. It seems like everyone else is focused on feature on top of feature, slapping on a price tag and mass releasing their software, and leaving it to their customers to figure out the rest.

I thought to myself – why not offer web auction software as a service? What this means is that Thomas Multimedia takes care of the technical aspects – hosting, server maintanence, scaling issues – while the auction site owner can focus on what matters to them, building up an online auction community.

Besides the lack of availability of a true auction website service, I think i’m not alone in thinking online auctions are alot of fun. It’s a win-win for the buyer and seller. The buyer bids only as much as they want to bid, potentially saving big bucks compared to traditional retail buying, while the seller sets a minimum acceptable selling price with the potential for a bidding war and healthy profitibaility from the sale.

Our product is designed with a wealth of auction site production experience to learn from. We figured people really like to use web software that is easy to use and does the things an auction site should do, without bloating the whole process with a million seldom used functions, and buttons left right and center. As well as being able to customize your TM Auctions auction site design however you like, you can also have us customize it in all sorts of ways for you.

Sounds great – but what about the pricing? TM Auctions removes the big barrier to entry by being priced on a monthly basis, starting at just $49 Australian dollars per month with no startup fees.

You get to use a product with thousands of hours of development already in it, a constantly evolving product that grows on user feedback – without paying big bucks up front.

In fact the first 30 days are free!

Read more about our niche web auction software on the official TM Auctions website.

Here is a target – at least one blog post per week on the Thomas Multimedia news site starting today, Tuesday 17th March.

Unfortunately our business blog has been gathering cobwebs for a while now, and its really time to keep our customers up-to-date!

I would like to address some of the misconceptions about online security. First lets start with some facts.

• 11.3 million Australians access the internet
• 61% of the 11.3 million have shopped online
• The majority of shoppers are aged 35-54
• Around 18% are over 55
• Visa International has found that online credit card transactions make up less than 2.5% of all credit card fraud
• Research indicates online merchants are at less risk than retail merchants of fraud
• 72% of personal information theft occurrs offline
• 50% of all identify theft is committed by friends, family members and neighbours

Sources: Purchasing of Goods and Services via the internet (2006-07) Australian Bureau of Statistics www.abs.gov.au, Visa International, www.ecommercewebsites.com.au

The dangers involved in online payments is generally exaggerated in the popular media and as a result alot of people I talk to are still uncomfortable sharing their credit card details online.

I see the risk break down into two main areas:

The Client Computer

A website and web server can be designed to take all the precautions in the world to protect your sensitive information, but that is only half of the picture. Your personal computer can be infected in ways that can capture your details BEFORE if even reaches the web server. Some general guidelines:

• regularly update your anti-virus and anti-spyware software
• regularly scan your computer for infections
• keep your operating system and software up-to-date
• make your passwords hard to guess, do not use dictionary words, combine letters and numbers

The Website

A website can securely communicate with a visitor. The golden rules to securely transmit data are based on encryption and common sense. For example:

• credit card details should never be emailed
• Sensitive information should always be transmitted on a secure connection (SSL)
• Encrypt passwords with an encryption algorithm that virtually eliminates the chance of them being decoded
• Do not store credit card details unless its absolutely necessary – the details can be instead stored with a 3rd party payment gateway with guaranteed security
• Always hire reputable website developers to build all systems – solid development practices make for rock solid websites

After working and studying in the web development field for a decade, it has become apparent that the internet landscape is not so different from everyday life. There are certainly dangers in dark alleyways, but on the other hand the majority of people are simply enjoying interacting with the wonderful online world.

It is certainly frightening to learn just how much spam and malicious robot activity trawl the internet trying to collect and pry information, but the reality is the success rate is very very low. Unfortunately there are enough insecure websites and insecure personal computers out there to sustain the hacking industry – and that is not going to change.

If some simple rules are followed by both the visitor and the web development team, the potential risk is reduced to virtually nil.

Just a quick note to advise that Thomas Multimedia has now reopened for business after business owner Steve Thomas returning from a 5 week holiday in Asia.

Feel free to contact us regarding any of your online requirements.

After nearly 3 years of hard work – with virtually no breaks – it’s time for us to recharge our batteries at Thomas Multimedia.

For April 2008, business owner Steve Thomas will be backpacking around Asia and we do not expect any new work will commence in this period. Our existing clients will still have access to our extended network of staff should any urgent work arise.

If you are visiting the Thomas Multimedia website for the first time, please do contact us, just be advised that  your question will not be answered until the start of May 2008. If your website is just a rough idea, we highly recommend you flesh out your idea as much as possible to get the best idea about what will be involved.

Regards
Steve Thomas

Due to an unexpected volume of new enquiries in recent months, coupled with several large long term projects, Thomas Multimedia is ready to expand!

Our plan is to first establish a larger local (South East Queensland) network of like-minded web professionals who are interested in work sharing and sub-contracting opportunities. If this is of interest to you, please make a comment below or head to our contact us page.

Phase 2 will involve hiring staff – stay tuned for more on that, hopefully just around the corner!

I have recently witnessed in some discussions amongst fellow web developers regarding the quality of code of the application; in other words, how well all the behind the scenes stuff is put together.

The knee-jerk reaction for the “smart” developer is to say “we build web software that meets the clients requirements – if it works it works”. While the clients wishes should always be number one priority when developing a web project for them, it is also true that the web developer has the responsibility as a professional to ensure that all security, scalability and adaptability factors have been implemented into the code architecture.

This means that the client should trust the developers judgment – that is what they are paying them to do. A developer who agrees to everything under the sun without a hint of disagreement or at the least “re-working an idea” is not acting in a professional manner. It is the developers job to know what will work and what will not work. This is one aspect of a professional web developer I feel should always be paramount.

The second aspect is quality of code. If you prefer to visualise things (as I do), consider the “quality of code” as the quality of the foundations. For example, consider your website as a house. What if I was to tell you that because of the way your house was built, its going to take 50 hours of man hours to add those renovations instead of 15, because the original architect didn’t make the effort to observe some common practice values of house design, that simplify expansion. If you could go back to square one and start your house from scratch, would you rather the potential of it becoming a mansion by literally slotting in new rooms and floors, or would you rather be limited to the original tin shed with no potential of growth?

The sad reality is that so many individuals and businesses around the world claim to be web developers and yet they are no more professional than your average home handyman. That is, the type of home handyman who thinks watching home renovation style television accredits him with the same skillset as the local professional builders, when we all know that sadly sooner or later something will be done incorrectly, and the project cost will blow out hiring a pro to fix it.

Because the internet and websites are such a relatively new innovation, there is no strictly outlined entry requirement, such as a certificate, apprenticeship or degree that are commonplace in most occupations. That is why alot of people think that their 16 year old next door neighbour can build websites.

But hiring the wrong web developer is equivalent to letting the primary school art class give your shopfront a makeover with their crayon collection – I cannot stress enough how valuable a website can be, whether by providing that extra bit of information to prospective customers, engaging in e-commerce, or making the electronic side of your business cutting edge and giving you a massive boost over the competition.

As with any industry, the web developer community is full of wannabes… it is a case of buyer beware. If you would like any further info on this topic or have any questions or comments, please enter them below.

Regards
Steve Thomas
Thomas Multimedia

Thomas Multimedia is embracing the GoPHP5 initiative which aims to get web hosts and php developers alike serious about upgrading to PHP5. Our full range of products will be compatible with PHP5 by the cutoff date of February 5, 2008.

It is time for the hosting and development community to move forward as a whole and keep PHP competitive with alternate languages. PHP5 has been out forever, time to get on board people.

I see endless possibilities for integrating the internet into all sorts of existing businesses. Indeed, in many cases, business is slowing (or quickly) venturing into the online world, realising the infinite benefits of basing their database online.

Take a conventional video store for example. Clearly they usually run a program on a local PC, that is more-or-less restricted to the physical store. Customers usually will require an individual membership to the various stores of the same franchise, which seems to be mind-numbingly stupid. We all know that disappointing feeling when you’ve made the effort and the movie or game you want is all hired out.

Lets bring the internet into this equation: you have a single membership for one video store chain. You can login to their website, and view the same data that is available to the staff behind the counter regarding what videos are currently available, how much money you owe on your account, or which movies you currently have reserved.

Of course as far as traditional video stores go, they will slowly become obsolete as all such content (movies, games and previews) will be transmitted through the internet, when broadband speeds are faster than jumping in the car and heading to the local movie store.

There are some things that just cannot be done online; for everything else, we can only wait with great anticipation.

Thomas Multimedia has several applications designed to make an easy leap into the online world, or expand on your existing site.

Our Content Management System allows you to update your sites text and images from any internet capable computer with a modern browser in the world!

The Thomas Multimedia Mailing List & Auto-Responder software allows you to take control of your marketing by creating tailor-made emails to send to your customers. Create a campaign of emails, select the frequency and recipients, and sit back while our system sends them out automatically! The system couldn’t be easier to use. To take a look, simply contact us for a temporary username and password!

We develop products that have an emphasis on usability, functionality and above all can be used in a multitude of situations. Our Booking System does exactly that – Create a resource (eg. a room), then add bookings to it! It’s as easy as that. The behind the scenes code ensures that you do not double book resources, and allows for all the customisations you’d expect from a booking system. There are several add-on modules to add special features like invoicing, client bookings, and more.

Welcome to the Thomas Multimedia Web Design Blog!
First Topic: Web Design Standards

While this topic might sound boring already, there are some good reasons why websites should be developed to comply with web design standards. Web standards are created and modified by a group called the W3C.
The W3C, AKA the World Wide Web Consortium are an organisation that has been around since 1994, fine tuning how website language should be written. They are the recognised authority on web languages.

Some common languages can be used to create virtually any website or application. You may have heard of HTML. HTML is the predecessor to the recommended XHTML. Other languages include CSS which controls the style of a website and XML/RSS which can be use to syndicate content across different sites.

The benefit of writing a web standards compliant website are many;

• cross-browser compatability: The website will display correctly in all web browsers (eg. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Netscape and Opera). This may seem a non-issue… doesn’t everyone use Internet Explorer anyway? Well the short answer is NO! More on the crimes of Internet Explorer later but in short they have made little effort to enforce the official web standards.
• cross-platform compatability: As the internet moves onto new platforms such as handheld-PC’s, mobile phones and other strange and not so strange appliances (think fridges), they need and should have a common language whereby the same site will render correctly.
• Performance: The less work the device has to do working out how to display the web page, the quicker it can do it! This can only be achieved with standard languages

It is alarming to note that the vast majority of websites would be in trouble if overnight internet browsers became 100% standards compliant. What’s more, Internet Explorer 7 (soon to be released) is set to make some substantial updates to its compliance level, and will likely leave many website owners wondering what happened to there website display next time Windows Update upgrades their system.

Unfortunately applications like Microsoft Frontpage have abused the web design standards for some time, as well as many content management systems. Microsoft seems to think that they can make up their own standards to the detriment of the entire internet. They have lost that battle, and expect to see many display quirks in the near future.

Is your site compliant with the latest W3C guidelines? Thomas Multimedia takes the obligation to write website language according to the standards that have been set out by the W3C seriously. You can be confident of future compatability if your site has been written correctly.