Accessibility Revisited

I want my websites to be at least WCAG1 Priority 2 (Level AA) compliant to accessibility standards but getting them checked and passed by a quality assurance accessibility checker (I use Truwex Online 2.0) is driving me nuts. Especially regarding colour brightness, difference and luminosity of backgrounds and text.

I came across a great little tool today that should save a lot of time and heartache in the future and thought I would share it here for anyone interested. Its a Colour Contrast Analyser and while you probably wont be able to have your design in the colours you prefer, if you want it accessible, at least you can check what will pass validation before you change them a hundred times until you get it right. Enjoy!

I hate the real world :( lol

wow... what a month of ups and downs

The random didn't pay for his Resume and haven't been able to contact him since... still waiting on content for the love jobs and made my first real quote but didn't receive the curteousy of a reply to it one way or ther other, or my follow up email requesting feedback.

As well as all that, #1 son applied for several jobs, half of which also did not have the professionalism to return contact with a "thanks but no thanks" or even acknowledgement that his application had been received. ?? what's that all about?? Have I missed a major shift in professional etiquette while i've been studying? sheesh...

oh well... that IS the real world I guess and I better get used to it... kinda disheartening though after being so motivated last month.

Who knows what April will bring...

Learning in the real world and Lovin' it

Well its been a couple of weeks since I started sending my website to friends and colleagues and already I have three confirmed projects to commence and two waiting for a decision.

The first one is a not-for-profit, a love job to get my portfolio started, the second is a discounted site for breeding Alpacas and selling products produced from their wool and the third is an online resume for an overseas fellow I met randomly on the internet.

I think I can kiss a few weekends and early nights goodbye for a while but I'm sure the experience will be worth it - I'm learning so much as I go which is great.

I would love to get a day job in web development!

My Resume

Sharla's Web Development & Virtual Assistance

The Carnival is over.. or is it just beginning...

Well... TAFE is finally over for me, for the time being anyway...

kinda sad really but I've been burning the midnight oil to develop something that might generate some prospects which has been a big enough learning curve on its own.

I think I'll still blog here just to keep up with whats happening at Bathurst TAFE and to keep an eye on Peter's great resources.

Anyway... all the best to all the teachers for 2008 and to the new students: I hope you enjoy your further education at Bathurst as much as I did. Visit my first real website at http://www.sharlasweb.com/ :)

Cheers

3756U - Ethics Privacy and Copyright

Ok ... here's your explanation of the difference between European and American notions of privacy as it relates to websites:

The United States and the European Union share the goal of enhancing privacy protection for their citizens, but the United States takes a different approach to privacy from that taken by the European Union (See Appendix A in my full Report below). The United States uses a sectoral approach that relies on a mix of legislation, regulation, and self regulation.

In order to bridge these different privacy approaches and provide a streamlined means for U.S. organisations to comply with the European Union Directive, the U.S. Department of Commerce in consultation with the European Commission developed a "safe harbor" framework.

The safe harbor — approved by the EU in July of 2000 — is an important way for U.S. companies to avoid experiencing interruptions in their business dealings with the EU or facing prosecution by European authorities under European privacy laws. Certifying to the safe harbor will assure that EU organisations know that your company provides "adequate" privacy protection, as defined by the Directive.


See my full report for this module here: 3756U Ethics Privacy and Copyright.

hmmm... contemplating if I can claim 'fair use' of other website content in my research for this assignment.... There's soooo much to be careful about in relation to the law on privacy, security and copyright... I'm scared!!

I've become aware of a lot I didn't realise doing these last two reports. Wasnt sure about some of the listed performance criteria headings again. Anyway... let me know if you have time.

3755F - Ensure Basic Website Security

The end is nigh :(

I'm really gonna miss this!! and you, Peter Shanks! You have been a great inspiration and mentor... Thank you so much for everything.... I just hope I do something with it now :)

I'll be recommending Bathurst TAFE to anyone interested in an Information Technology course. Over the last few years I've studied with a number of TAFE Colleges and in my experience all the teachers in general and you in particular have been the most encouraging and helpful of all.

Please keep in touch for a while so I dont suffer separation anxiety! lol

Ok... basic web security... once again I'm a little confused with the wording of the dreaded Green Book (which I now look upon with kindness) so do read and make sure I've understood as much as you say.

Now I'm off to make sure my netBios over tcp/ip is disabled lol and research copyright.


Cheers and Happy Holidays and New Year and all that jazz.

3755B Maintain Website Performance

I hope I've covered the requirements for this assignment. I'm still not sure if I've fully understood parts of it - some guess work happening...

Anyway... happy reading. Berate me harshly if I've got it all wrong and I'll try again when my text book arrives hahah. Cant remember what format you prefer so here's both:

Maintain Website Performance (pdf)

Maintain Website Performance (doc)

sheeesh... I just saw Rany's Flash site... way to make me feel inadequate lol... i've got no idea how she must have made that... how come you didnt make me do something that interactive? :)

I'm feeling like a looohuuuuserrrrr this week
so do call again...
and cheer me up! lol