Code Style and Syntax Guide

When writing new code it's really helpful if developers adhere to a few basic rules and conventions. PHP is a fairly lose language which lets developers do things in a multitude of different ways, while this gives a creater level of flexibility and makes picking up PHP quick and easy…

The importance of keeping your website updated

We always preach to clients about the importance of fresh content, but recent results from a web service provider back up our suspicions! A recent survey by an online web tool SiteKreator has found that the small number of websites involved in their research that updated their site more than…

Another great review for muchbetteradventures.com

MuchBetterAdventures has officially launched now, after a soft launch gathering information for the extensive site. As as a result there's more great press coverage pouring in, talking about the wealth of functionality on the site and the tremendous amount of adventure holiday information already available there. The latest write up…

How to embed videos from YouTube on your website

It's very easy to add videos from YouTube to your website or blog, and it if you're concerned about hosting costs it's a great way to keep the load down on your site. Firstly I'm going to start this article with the answer to a question I get asked a…

How to generate your own QR codes

There's nothing particularly new about QR codes, they've been kicking around the web for ages, ever since they first popped up in Japanese car production lines all those years ago. At first - I have to admit, I didn't really see the point... Ok they're pretty cool... You can zapp…

How to make your website talk to you

If you're like me and you prefer listening rather than reading, then a new API from Ericson might be just up your street! Their new text to speech API lets developers quickly and easily convert strings of text into audio files. It's then just a small step to creating a…

Security threat in Internet Explorer

Microsoft have issued a warning that any Window's user who uses Internet Explorer to view the Internet should download a security patch whilst they work on fixing the problem for good. The patch is available for download from Microsoft's website, and is designed to stop websites you visit being able…

The devil is in the detail, as Google demonstrates

Google announced yesterday that they're going to change how URLs appear in ads on search results pages. The search engine constantly tweaks and refines it's offerings and way of going about things, and the latest announcement is that all URLs displayed in ads will be shown with the domain in…

How has the snow effected your work? Take our quick survey…

In case you haven't noticed, the UK is at a bit of a stand still this week due to the crazy amount of snow we've had. I've been speaking to several people over the last couple of days who have had to work from home because they couldn't get into…

Snowy website updates

Don't forget to keep your customers up to speed on your business operations in these snowy times! If you've got a blog or a CMS, consider adding a message to your website that tells your customers when you're open this Christmas, or about any changes to your normal operating times…

Get your own Google Places page

You may have noticed, when you use Google, that some listings appear at the top of the results as bullet points next to, or on, a map. If you want to get featured here, you need to sort yourself out with a Google Places page. Through this you can display…

18a Productions 2010 Christmas opening hours

It's been a busy year here at 18a HQ so we're taking a break over the festive period! Our offices will be closed from 24th December 2010 - 4th January 2011 inclusive.  Hosting: We might be on a break, but we don't get off that lightly! All hosting will continue…