Newsletter: March 2004

In this issue:

Studio Director's Note: Spring Break

Ah, spring time. From what I see on the weather channel, those traveling to the Florida Panhandle for Spring Break this year will be especially glad to see the sunshine. It's already warming up here, but it's not humid yet. Spring is easily my favorite time of year - all that promise and potential budding everywhere. So this month we're going to take a look at the 3W garden, and give you some tips and tricks to make the most of the season.

Jeremy Spinks, Studio Director

Feature: The Spring Garden

There's plenty going on in the studio at the moment. It's a busy time with a lot of work needing to be tended too. We're sharpening the shears and oiling the lawn mower. Here's what we are turning our green thumbs to.

Reap the rewards of early bulb planting
We have a few bulbs about to bloom here. Planted before the winter, these projects take time to germinate, but their promising shoots are reaching for the sky. The projects range from a CMS installation, to a large reference database, to several complete redesigns. Stay tuned for news of their bloom in next month's edition.

Add color with some blooming annuals
We have a large number of medium to small projects in-house right now from a cross-section of our clients. Spring is a great time to add to an established garden, and that's just what we've found our clients doing. A small registration form here, a new section there. Mas De Gancel, a rental property in Provence, has been joined by four other villas at www.masdegancel.com. The Florida Department of Health is now accepting online registrations for their abstinence rallies at www.greattowait.com. The Able Trust has expanded its site with a newly created Planned Giving section.

Maintain your hardy perennials
Other clients are finding this a good time to undergo some maintenance, both restorative and preventative. Houston Medical Center has recoded its site to bring it up to current standards of accessibility and usability. More details are available in our project case study. Godfrey Vaughan continues to prune its sleek topiary of a site, having recently recoded it to be driven by PHP. Countless other sites are budding on a daily basis as we help our clients keep a tight and tidy garden.

Need some planting tips? Concerned about pest control as summer approaches? Hoping for a bumper crop in the fall? Drop us a line.

Web News: Internet Usage Reaches 75%

A Nielsen/NetRatings survey published in February finds that 74.9% of the U.S. population* has internet access at home, or roughly 204 million users. This is up from 66% a year ago. Women hold a slim lead over men, between 1 and 2% depending on age group.

Microsoft and its MSN portal gather the most eyes each month. Users spend the most time on AOL, staying an average of 6 hours and 20 minutes. Google, the web's most popular search engine (by number of searches), grabbed the fourth spot in audience share, with users averaging only 30 minutes.

You can get your own take on the numbers from the Nielsen website.

*Above the age of 2 and living in a household with a fixed-line phone.

In Case You Missed It: K2 Urbancorp

K2 is a different kind of development company. They build authentically designed and crafted cottages and bungalows that revive the most treasured homes of the past with unprecedented style and elegance. 3W Studios launched the new K2 web presence just before Christmas. Visit it to discover the joys of a new urbanist home at www.k2urbancorp.com.

K2 Urbancorp

Other News: 100 Years of Security

For those of you looking to the future, Network Solutions has begun offering 100-year domain name registrations. Although the 70% cost savings might appeal to your CFO, we're not convinced it is worth it. Nonetheless, if you are planning on being around in 2104, you may want to consider protecting your domain name in advance. Network Solutions will be happy to help.