The last few months have been frantic around here, but in a good way. Like a kind of Frappuccino- sugary-caffeine-induced-frantic. You love it, you’re getting a lot done, and it tastes like a little slice of heaven. ;)

We’re in the final stages of a new Squarespace release that is so huge it almost feels like we’re launching an entirely new product. To make another Starbucks reference, it’s like when you’ve been addicted to Caramel Frappuccinos for years, and then they come out with one that is calorie free. And it tastes better. With chocolate chips even.

It’s that good.

We promise previews as we get closer to our launch date, which will be in about a month.

Thanks for being a Squarespacer, and inspiring us to continually improve your web experience!

With Microsoft on the verge of releasing Internet Explorer 8, and the fact that we still see support tickets from people using Internet Explorer 6, I thought it might be a good time to talk about browsers and why you should ensure you’re using the most current version of yours.

Using older browsers can be dangerous to the security of your computer. Vulnerabilities are constantly found in older browsing platforms that could allow malicious websites to run programs on your machine. Also, newer browsers better support Web Standards, which means that most websites you visit will work properly, and look better, because it can read code written for the web as a whole, instead of requiring code to be written specifically for it’s idiosyncrasies and bugs.

You’ll have a much happier internet experience with the latest version of your favorite browser. You can find the newest version of your favorite here:

• Firefox is my browser of choice for both Mac and PC platforms.
• Safari is an excellent browser, and is also compatible with both Mac and PC platforms.
• Internet Explorer 7 is for Windows only. It’s the most secure version of Internet Explorer to date. (Note: If you haven’t recently, you’ll want to run Automatic Update to be sure you have not only the latest version of IE7, but proper security and utility patches for Windows as well.)
• Opera is a multi-platform product for a wide range of operating systems and embedded Internet products.

In his latest post, Kevin Kelly writes:

(There) are eight things that are better than free. Eight uncopyable values. I call them “generatives.” A generative value is a quality or attribute that must be generated, grown, cultivated, nurtured. A generative thing can not be copied, cloned, faked, replicated, counterfeited, or reproduced. It is generated uniquely, in place, over time. In the digital arena, generative qualities add value to free copies, and therefore are something that can be sold.

His post goes on to explain these eight generatives — immediacy, personalization, interpretation, authenticity, accessibility, embodiment, patronage, and findability — building blocks of new products and services that are required reading for anyone who creates products or offers services in today’s digital economy.

You can read more at Kevin’s site here:
http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2008/01/better_than_fre.php

We sincerely apologize for the sparse updates around here. In all honestly, it’s not that we’ve been lazy or forgetful, we’ve just been crazy, crazy busy. Those of you who subscribe to our service blog, frequent your Dashboard, or just pay attention in general have probably noticed there’s been a whole lot going on at Squarespace.

First, our programming team has developed a gorgeous new traffic system has been in development for a long time. It’s not just a pretty interface either — you’ll find the data to be more accurate and up to date with real time calculations of unique visitors, popular pages, referrers and queries, details like browsers and operating systems, and new RSS details such as how your subscriber count has changed over time.

There’s been a ton of other improvements and new features added in the last few months with the 4.1 and 4.1.1 releases. If you haven’t had caught up on it all yet, you’ll definitely want to make time to be sure you’re using all of the tools now available to you.

You may have noticed there’s been more layouts added in recent months as well. My newest, Playlist, addresses some requests we’ve seen come up in support tickets. There’s a wider content area (and a smaller sidebar), flexible padding settings (making it easier to add your own custom banner), and unobtrusive styling/graphics that won’t compete with your own site content, images or design enhancements.

We’ve also been working with talented designers and illustrators on layouts, including the Penelope and Katie layouts from Daphne & Clio, I Am Satisfied from Job Design, and Sunakku from Wolfgang Bartelme. These layouts address customer requests for designs as customized as some of our more advanced example sites. With these layouts, you can create a highly customized, graphically enhanced site without having to employ a designer or learn CSS.

Well, that about catches us up for now. We’ve made it a New Year resolution to post here more frequently, and I personally will be sharing some “behind the scenes” action in future posts. Stay tuned!

Smashing Magazine has posted a great article on RSS, including good usability-practices for design and placement of RSS-buttons on a web site.

To implement some of the ideas presented on your own site, check out these guides:

· Adding a Widget
· Inserting an Image
· Creating a Link