Garrett M. Vonk

Week 15

gvonk@uga.edu — Fri, 02 May 2003 16:39:20 GMT

This week, another issue came up. I've been using absolute URLS on my site and when I moved them, they were referring back to the page on the NMI server where I used to have it. I had to change all of the URLs in my links to be relative ones so that they work even if all the files are moved. I didn't figure this out until I deleted the pages off the NMI server and the links no longer worked.

Week 14

gvonk@uga.edu — Fri, 02 May 2003 16:37:32 GMT

The products pages are now done. An issue that I am having with them is that when I create an image map, I can't really do any rollover effects with the individual sections (areas) in the map. I am looking into this.
I figured out the problem I had last week in Dreamweaver. I just had to check a box for "Update"
Next week, I will meet again with the owner of the hardware store to see if he likes the things I have done.

Week 13

gvonk@uga.edu — Fri, 02 May 2003 16:33:41 GMT

I learned a little more about the color handling that photoshop does. When designing for the web, you really have to be caresful to use a web-safe palette. Photoshop makes this easy by giving you an option to "Save for web", which gives you an image that is completely web-safe. I used this on the Ace images and I don't think they look any different but they do load a lot quicker.

Another thing is that the way Dreamweaver lays out your files for your site is really confusing. I can't figure out where it is storing them exactly and when it automatically FTPs them, it sometimes doesn't update files that it should be. I will ask for some help on this next week.

Week 12

gvonk@uga.edu — Fri, 02 May 2003 16:30:57 GMT

Now, the page is coming along nicely. I am now hosting the Ace page on my personal website, garrettvonk.com.
I read a little about dropdown menus on a tutorial on the internet. I would like to incorporate them in my site but I don't know if I will have time. The problem is that dropdown menus are not incorporated into HTML, and not even into Dreamweaver. They have to be built manually using CSS (cascading style sheets) and some rollover effects.
This week, I added some text and started working on the product pages for the site.

Week 11

gvonk@uga.edu — Fri, 02 May 2003 16:25:24 GMT

Spring break.
I am updating from the road as I brought my laptop. All I can show you right now is that I did upload some pictures from our trip!
Check them out!

Week 10

gvonk@uga.edu — Fri, 02 May 2003 16:23:47 GMT

We had a mandatory meeting to go to and we got to see a lot of projects from other groups. We talked about WebCT also and this is a new thing, having class completely on the web. I like it and hope to see it used more in other classes. Spring break will put a halt to development for me.

Week 9

gvonk@uga.edu — Fri, 02 May 2003 16:22:04 GMT

This week, I started looking at browser compatibility. Since the visitors to the site could be using any browser, from AOL to Opera to IE to Netscape and back, I had to look up some browser compatibility information. The fact is, Netscape doesn't support dynamic html the same way that Internet Explorer does. It's a shame, but I really like the IE way better.
I am looking into some ways to make these problems disappear, but some involve Javascript and I don't know if i need to go that in-depth. Maybe I will just make the site IE-compatible only.
This week, I updated the menu system a little on the site.

Company Tries to mimic Better Business Bureau Web Site

gvonk@uga.edu — Wed, 29 Jan 2003 17:59:38 GMT

From The Post-Standard
Privacy is paramount to online security today. With numerous reputable third-party licensing and trust organizations in business today, it’s not difficult to provide adequate privacy on your web site if you know where to look.

Parker Jennings, a fraudulent investment company, capitalized on this trust by setting up a site that mimicked the Better Business Bureau’s site. The Better Business Bureau, or BBB, has for years been the source for consumers to get information on a company with whom the consumer is unfamiliar. When a visitor initiates a search on the BBB site, the company name is linked to a database of nearly every company in the nation. Along with the simple business information, the site reports any customer experiences that people have relayed to the BBB. Based on bad reports, the visitor to the site can then decide not to do business with the company or just to be wary of any potential hazards.

The fraudulent web site was built to match the original Bureau web site exactly, with one exception: Instead of the current report for Parker Jennings(which warns consumers of the firm’s misdeeds, the fake web site listed the company as a member with a satisfactory record and no registered complaints. The company then “urged” consumers to invest between $5,000 and $20,000 using the Parker Jennings advising services. And many did invest in the fraudulent company.

Since the time and effort involved in setting up the fake web site are quite extensive, it is not a problem that could easily become widespread. Domain names are quite hard to come by nowadays, and Parker Jennings’ inventive use of “thebbb.us” would be difficult to duplicate with such a small pool of names remaining. However, this case shows the vulnerability that any company with established trust must deal with. That trust can be leveraged against them by scammers who bilk innocent people out of their money on the notion that they can be trusted. These malicious acts hurt not only the parties defrauded, but also the general component of trust necessary for the BBB and other licensing organizations to survive.

At this point, the fraudulent web site has been taken down. The state Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission both got involved and quickly brought down Parker Jennings and are investigating fraud charges against the company. The Better Business Bureau urges consumers to visit their web site before making a decision about an unknown company.