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Inside the mind of Midnet Media.

14 Jun, 2022
This month we are featuring the employee spotlight on one of the talented graphic designers at Midnet. Meet: Carly Caywood Carly is going into her Junior year at Bowling Green State University, studying Graphic Design. When thinking about future career choices, she knew she wanted to do something where she could create something every day.
25 Mar, 2022
This month we are featuring the employee spotlight on one of the talented graphic designers at Midnet. Meet: Tanya Helton
21 Feb, 2022
This month we are featuring the employee spotlight on our Multimedia Director at Midnet. Meet: Curt Albers
08 Nov, 2021
This month we are featuring the employee spotlight on one of our web developers at Midnet. Meet: Evan Prenger
30 Jun, 2021
A website can be an exceptional tool for reaching your audience and customers. That is a well-known fact. But, when you’re thinking about building a site, it can be less clear where to start. Sure, you can throw some HTML on a page, upload it to a hosting service, and call it a day. But building a site from scratch is undoubtedly the most time consuming and involved way to make your vision a reality. Fortunately, there are many alternative ways to avoid this path in the year 2021. Throughout the past twenty years, many new CMSs have appeared offering a variety of platforms which can be used as a foundation for a website. A CMS, or a Content Management System, offers an easier and more user-friendly experience for those who have little time to learn web development while still wanting to make changes to their site. However, not all CMSs are created equal, often going about similar functionality in different ways or providing a different range of functionality altogether. In this article, we’ll highlight some of the most prominent platforms we use to make sites and what goes into choosing the right CMS for the job. The three CMSs we’ll be highlighting are Drupal 8, Duda, and WordPress, all viable options for creating a website but rather different in their approaches. WordPress is undoubtedly the most popular platform used today with an estimated 61.8% of the market share of all CMSs while powering over 27 million active websites. That’s over 36% of all websites on the internet whether they use a CMS or not. Wordpress is a great option for someone who wants to get started quickly and without much of a headache or learning curve while offering a large selection of expandability options. However, it is important to mention early on that there are two separate ways to enjoy WordPress’s functionality. Although it appears to be the better and more attractive option, we suggest forgoing WordPress.com in favor of WordPress.org. The primary difference between the two is the level of control you’ll have over your site. Although WordPress.com seems more accessible at first, allowing its users to go in and create a site for free, you will find major limitations in monetizing, hosting, and theming your site. Your website will also technically be a subdomain of WordPress.com and will be locked in to using WordPress’s hosting plans which can lock core features like Google Analytics behind a higher pay wall. Although WordPress.com might be better for more temporary site needs such as school projects, for our purposes today, we’ll be focusing on the .org solution as it really offers the better WordPress experience. So what makes WordPress stand out among the competition? WordPress’s core strengths fall on its swift setup process and its easy accessibility. Getting started with WordPress is a breeze especially seeing as some web hosts (such as Hostgator) come with the built in functionality to setup a WordPress environment with one click. Once that is done, users can easily choose pre-built themes and add pages to their heart's content. Where it gets a bit trickier is when you want to expand the functionality and performance of your site. To expand your site’s functionality, you must select plugins which can be varied in their presentation, price, and stability. There is a huge selection of tried-and-true solutions for common needs, but many plugins have been discontinued, and the rest may leave you with frequent updates that may add additional work for your team. WordPress’s plug-in system can be quite useful, but it is also sometimes hard to separate out the good from the bad and can sometimes lead to unexpected results. This plugin aspect can require a bit of research, but ultimately, they’re pretty easy to add to the site, and just as easy to remove if you find you would prefer something else. Furthermore, because WordPress is so popular, that also makes it the biggest target for exploiters whether that means spam or a full site-wide hack. The latter is rare, but it's good to keep in mind that WordPress’s popularity can be a double-edged sword. Additionally, WordPress can be a tad heavy to load which results in slower page speeds and potential downtime. It also falls short in SEO functionality. Although its Search Engine Optimization methods are easy to use, the options available don’t allow as much potentiel for search engine dominance as some other site building methods might provide. All in all, the WordPress experience can be a solid choice if you want an easy to use and inexpensive website with a large range of improvements at your disposal. However, it is good to keep in mind that it can fall short in other important functions like fast page speed, search engine optimization, and advanced security measures. Similarly, our second CMS, Duda, also boasts simplicity at the expense of depth and creative freedom. Duda is quite new compared to WordPress’s 17 year long run. Duda only released in 2019 but is quickly becoming one of the fastest ways to set up a website. Duda sets itself apart from WordPress with a streamlined drag-and-drop interface and preconfigured section layouts that allow users to quickly and easily create an attractive website at the expense of more complex customization options. That doesn’t mean Duda isn’t powerful though. Unlike similar drag-and-drop site builders like Weebly or Wix, Duda offers a range of advanced functionality that really puts it in a unique position. It boasts a more user-friendly interface with a less-steep learning curve than WordPress while lacking in an over-abundance of extended functionality options. One of the essential differences for quick site-building comes from the fact that Duda doesn’t require a second webpage to view your changes, while WordPress does. This extra step of switching pages and refreshing to preview changes can add a lot of time when building out a website. Additionally, Duda and WP both offer similar functionality in the way of content blocks where you can add a preconfigured set of fields to a section in a defined layout. However, Duda’s widget system is better thought out for aesthetic and usability purposes and adds a lot of useful features from the get go. It also gives you access to create your own widgets in a way that isn’t as difficult or time consuming. This is possible by switching to Duda’s developer mode, which trades the Drag and Drop interface for a more customizable code-based layout. One of the drawbacks of Duda, though, is its pricing model. While both WordPress.org and Drupal are open-source and allow you to use nearly any hosting service, Duda comes with a subscription plan starting at $14 a month. However, this gives you complimentary access to AWS (Amazon Web Services) hosting, which means you won’t have to pay for a hosting service to get your site online. AWS is among the top hosting options though, so the trade off may be worth it for the ease of use and time saved. Marrying simplicity, efficiency, and potentiel functionality, Duda is quickly becoming an avid competitor with other top-name platforms. If you just need a simple site to display information and you aren’t a web developer, Duda should be a strong option to consider. This is not to say it can’t compete in terms of advanced functionality like payment gateways or email handling, but there will be less resources out there to assist you due largely to Duda’s “new kid on the block” nature. Finally, we come to Drupal, another veteran of the CMS market. Drupal has been around since January of 2001 and has since seen a lot of success in building sites with more in-depth needs such as Nasa, Tesla, and the Australian Government who all use Drupal for their websites. If Duda is the king of simplicity, then Drupal gets the crown for functionality. Not only does it come out of the box with a light weight design that outperforms WordPress’s page speed and SEO needs, it also boasts many features such as Webforms that allow you to create easy Contact Us forms with a lot of customizable options through visual editors. Its streamlined menu system adds a range of easy-to-access customization without having to write any code. However, basic web coding knowledge is definitely recommended if you’re going to build a site with Drupal. It has a steeper learning curve, and is more geared towards developers as far as building the layout of the site. Unlike the other two which come with pre-configured themes that make aesthetics easy, Drupal has more of a blank page approach to its visuals and allows the site editors to flesh out the details through traditional web development practices such as using CSS for styling. Drupal also has themes, but they are more of a base on which to build your own custom theme as opposed to a rigid structure that you must work within. Some themes come with simplified coding terms, such as UIkit, which takes common website needs (such as a sliding banner or image gallery) and makes them easier to code and customize. Drupal themes can be a double edged sword though, as you are given greater access to how the site functions while having to spend more time setting things up. However, once your Drupal site is configured and looking good, content editors can easily go in and add content without much trouble. Drupal makes back-end editing complex while making front-end tasks seamless. It also takes a scalable approach to page content compared to Duda’s more rigid Widgets and Wordpress’s Blocks, which means non-developers won’t have to go in and change how things work just to add content or images. With Drupal, you can do functions like pulling content from other pages to display them in a section with a huge list of results programmatically. An example would be if you wanted to pull all blog photos into an image gallery, then you can do that. Drupal has a smarter-not-harder approach to web development that allows you to build your site in a way that is truly unique to your needs. Did we mention it was free? Unlike Duda, there is no subscription fee to get a better product, and the Module system Drupal utilizes is also free and open-source. This means you’ll almost never have to worry about paying more to get expanded features. However, the difference may be limited by the time and knowledge it takes to build out the site properly. You may have to hire some developers at the offset, but, once the site is created, it's largely smooth sailing. Wordpress and Duda might be easier to build out of the box, but if you want a site done right and have a lot of specific ideas in mind for form and/or functionality, Drupal will definitely get you a lot closer than many other options (and will perform better doing it).  All in all, we recommend that you research these CMS options for yourself, as there isn’t really a one-size-fits-all solution to every need. Drupal will offer you functionality and creative freedom, while Duda will excel at simplicity and quicker build times. Wordpress is somewhat a blend of both options as it wields some of the simplicity of Duda but also harnesses some of the experience and extended functionality of Drupal. In a sense, they will all be able to fulfill most website needs, but there is a choice to be made between ease of use and complexity of customization. Ultimately, it is important to gauge what needs your site will have, so you can choose the option that is right for you.
23 Jun, 2021
In today’s technology scene, mobile devices are becoming an ever more popular way to browse the web, and why wouldn’t they be? Being able to browse the internet at any time and from anywhere without having to worry about a full-sized computer is incredibly convenient. However, there are still many websites out there today that are not optimized for mobile visitors. This can be a lost opportunity. When a mobile user visits a site that has not taken mobile devices into account, they can run into all kinds of problems. Users might have to scroll horizontally to see the entire page, or images and words can get crushed together, get cutoff, or be completely inaccessible. In essence, the non-mobile friendly user experience can make a website aesthetically displeasing and difficult to work with. Non-optimization can even knock a website down in SEO rankings like on the Google search platform. What has been proven effective time after time is a clean design and a clear delivery of information for all screen sizes. So how do websites and web developers plan for mobile interactions? They put additional effort into styling for different use cases. At Midnet Media, for example, we often use Drupal 8 as the foundation for our websites along with a theme called UIkit which helps to simplify many common web building functions including those which help with responsive web design. Using UIkit’s library of classes , Midnet can simply add these terms into the code to create certain behaviors. For example, uk-visible and uk-hidden are two classes we often use together in responsifying a web page for different sizes. When we add the class uk-visible@m to a section, this means that the section will disappear when a browsing window is under 50% width but will reappear when the window width is over 50%. Using this method, we can add uk-hidden@m on a separate section, so that one disappears at the same time as the other section appears. This allows us a great range of functionality to optimize for different screen sizes independently from other screen sizes. However, knowing that UI Kit is not the norm, site builders can achieve similar results as uk-hidden/visible by setting up media queries in their site’s CSS file. Setting the display attribute to “none” or “block” dependent on the width of the screen makes it really easy to optimize sections for different screen sizes. Similarly, you can also use media queries to generate dynamic widths for your elements. One of the key reasons websites aren’t responsive is because they don’t use widths that are a percentage of the section size and instead use static widths that will always take up the same number of pixels. However, in UIkit, we have a way of quickly creating dynamic widths through the uk-width class where we can write “uk-width-1-2” as the class to make our section render at 50% width of the section it is in. Using the CSS property, flex, in the parent element allows us to create side-by-side sections that we can easily size. Say we have an image gallery, and we want the images to be 3 wide when the screen is large, 2 wide when it is under half width, and a single stacked column when the screen size is at the smallest quartile. We would add uk-flex to the section along with uk-child-width-1-3@m, uk-child-width-1-2@s, and uk-child-width-1-1. This means that every child of this section will be 1/3 the width at medium, 1/2 over small but under medium, and full width when at the smallest size. This allows sections to be efficiently stacked so that images, words, and sections are always the proper size for visibility and functionality. Ultimately, swapping out sections and making your widths dynamic are the two most effective ways to get your website ready for any device. You’ll need both for best results. Having just percentages can be effective, but sometimes this will force side by side sections to squish together horizontally forcing text to overflow or images to shrink beyond optimal visibility. Using the section swapping allows you to go a step further and amend any weirdness that might only occur at one size. Consider what it will take to get your website mobile-friendly. What needs to stack, and what needs to be changed or removed entirely at smaller sizes? A little responsification can go a long way to improving your site’s feel and functionality for all users while making sure your website gives off the best impression possible. 
10 Jun, 2021
You may be wondering whether or not you should hire someone to help with your new website. With all the “free” website building tools out there now, it can be easy to get lost deciding which website building application you should be using -- if any. And while these applications seem tempting by being advertised as “free,” users of these applications miss out on a lot of needed functionality. They may want and even sometimes be limited to the number of pages you can have on your site. You might possibly come across some websites that do something you think would work well with your website, which is great; but then you’re left wondering how to get that. All these things can be daunting when you’re not familiar with building a website. But when you hire professionals, not only can they help you get what you’re looking for; but they take the stress off your shoulders on making sure it will look good and work properly. Here are some reasons why you should consider giving professional help a chance: Saves You Time Whether you’re just starting a business or have been at it for a while; you have more important things to do than spend all your time worrying about building your own website and making sure it works the way you want. Hiring someone takes that time off your plate and allows you to manage your business while being confident you are getting the site you want and deserve. Help When Things Aren’t Working/Go Wrong So, you built the site yourself, but now something is not working the way it should. Where do you go to fix this? Who do you reach out to? When you hire a professional, you know exactly who to reach out to and have confidence that they know how to fix the issue. There is no guessing game on what “contact” email you should reach out to. Oftentimes you only get access to email support with these “free” site builders. When it comes to your business do you really want to be stuck waiting for a response to not know if they will even help you fix it? Working with professionals gives you a personal contact who you have been working with from the beginning to help you when things are broken. Whether this be an email or a phone number, you know who it’s going to and takes away the guessing game of who is going to help. Access to Expert Advice When you hire someone, you have access to someone who knows what they are doing and can help you get exactly what you are looking for and offer other suggestions along the way. If you don’t know what you want your website to look like it can be difficult starting from a blank canvas on your own. Say you run across something on another website and want to know if it would work for yours, you can ask and have another opinion on things and help getting it done instead of doing guess work on your own. Better Web Security You can rest assured that when you hire someone to help with your site, they are going to take the steps necessary to make sure your information stays safe along with your customers. Nothing’s worse than worrying if important information can get into the hands of the wrong person. When working with someone they want your information just as secure as you. When you have security threats you know you have someone to help you take care of them instead of no one to reach out to.
27 May, 2021
My name is Carly Caywood I am a Sophomore at Bowling Green State University, and I am studying Graphic Design. I chose Graphic Design as my major because I love making things look “nice” and “pretty.” When thinking about future career choices, I knew I wanted to do something where I could create something every day. My dad is a graphic designer and once I saw what he did, I was really inspired to take the graphic design route over other options. From this internship, I hope to gain more experience with photoshop and illustrator and to learn valuable skills to help me with my design classes as well as in the future. Overall, I hope to gain a glimpse of what my future career could look like.
18 May, 2021
Interested in working for Midnet Media? Apply Today!
Branded Midnet Media image describing the blog article,
25 Mar, 2021
Writing for websites can be a daunting undertaking to those who are new to the medium. The process seems simple in practice, but many soon discover that there is more to it than first meets the eye. A blend of factors go into considering a good content strategy. Between good marketing and design practices, writing for Search Engine Optimization, and informing your audience in an engaging way, the process of writing effectively can get a little hectic especially when considering all of the potentiel web tools at your disposal for presenting information. We’ll go over some of the finer details and give some guidance on how to get the most out of your content. First off, an important rule of thumb to remember is that content should fit the purpose of the page. A home page, for instance, has the purpose of establishing what the website is about and guides users to relevant information and resources. Because of this, a front page should often follow a less-is-more strategy of phrases, keywords, links, images, and diagrams that help users to quickly understand your business at face-value and to generate searches for some of your more important keywords. You may put in a short introductory synopsis to the brand, company, or institution, but straying away from long-form text is recommended in this situation. Doing so can cause an overwhelming first impression or distract site visitors from navigating further into the site. Similarly, you wouldn’t overload a Contact Us page with content, as the purpose of that page is to seamlessly direct users to contact information, so clutter should be avoided. On the other side of the coin, informational pages such as About Us pages, product pages, FAQs, or articles can be a lot more long-winded. One mistake websites can make is that they apply a less-is-more philosophy to the entire site which can deny site visitors from being able to find out important information and can miss potentiel SEO opportunities. Informational pages are important because that’s where you can focus on more specific subject matter that can help your site become relevant to different niches within your field of expertise. For example, writing about a specific product can draw users to the site who are searching for that product through Google or another search engine. Informational pages are important for generating SEO, building credibility for your website, and informing visitors. However, even with informational pages, it can still be good to organize information in a way that is easy to navigate and digest. You will often see website content broken up with bulleted lists, images, section titles, and website implementations that can make a visitor’s life easier. For example, on FAQ pages, we often utilize a website tool called a drop down to only present relevant information. The way it works is that the questions are displayed for the reader to browse, but the answers are hidden until a user clicks on the question they’re interested in. Once they click on the question, the answer is displayed below. This avoids clutter and allows a visitor to go directly to the information they’re looking for. On the subject of SEO, there are a few things to be aware of when writing for the web. The first is that page titles matter quite a bit. Titles are given specific priority in search engines, as they are considered the most important keyword/phrase for the page. Titles should be under 60 characters long to fit within Google’s teaser text that can be found when searching on their site. It is important to pick relevant and descriptive keywords for each page as this helps pull visitors to the site. Another important thing to remember is that you don’t want to use the same keywords too often. It might sound like you can game the system by utilizing keywords more than the competition. However, keyword stuffing can actually hurt your SEO potentiel, as search engines can identify a page as spammy and actually knock it down in search results. To counter this, you’ll want a focused, yet well-rounded set of keywords that open up the possibility of different keyword combinations being found. This should actually come naturally for a skilled writer, as repeating words can create a sense of boredom even when SEO isn’t a factor. Using a good diversity of words while making sure those words are relevant to your site can be a huge advantage and act as a double whammy for both SEO and engaging writing. Finally, it is important to talk about in-text hyperlinks, a tool that is largely unique to websites. Using links within text can be good for both establishing your credibility with search engines and in helping users to find further information about a subject either externally or within another part of your site. This is a tool that should be used somewhat sparingly, as too many links in long-form text can be overwhelming as well, but, in small doses, they can show a user references or get them to stay on your site by taking them to a page they may have not found otherwise. Using hyperlinks in meaningful ways can be just another way to build up your website’s reputation with both search engines and site visitors. That is basically the goal of content on a website, to build out what subjects are relevant, build credibility within these subjects, assist in easy navigation, and ultimately drive users to trust your services enough to utilize them. A strong understanding of a page’s intent can go a long way towards knowing how best to write a section, and following steps to write respectable, yet, relevant copy can also go a long way towards driving traffic to your site. Follow these guidelines, and you’ll be climbing the search engine rankings in no time. 
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