Burnie & Earl: Can You Dig It?!

Recently, Softway Solutions had the privilege of creating a coloring book for the up and coming animation stars, Burnie & Earl. The idea for Burnie & Earl originated from Kid Energy USA. The purpose of Burnie & Earl is to educate adults and kids regarding how much oil and gas related products impact our lives. Burnie is a flame-shaped character, while Earl looks like an oil drop.

Background Story of Burnie & Earl

Burnie and Earl originally lived under ground. Unfortunately, both of them have been pulled out of their homes and have been placed above ground in a new city, exposed to the modern world of a working society. In this “new world”, Burnie and Earl will be going on different adventures while conveying the message of the usefulness of oil and gas.

Development of Burnie & Earl

Kid Energy USA decided that “811 Call Before You Dig” would be the first way of bringing Burnie & Earl to mainstream America. The “811 Call Before You Dig” project was developed because PCM saw an immediate need to educate the public about 8-1-1, a hotline where people can call and get information about the location of any gas pipes or lines. Often, this info is requested by construction companies or even home users when they plan to dig into the ground.

Kid Energy’s USA idea is to inform children about 8-1-1 through the cartoon characters of Burnie & Earl. In turn, children would bring the knowledge and materials from school or daycare centers to parents, thereby also informing their parents of 8-1-1.

Softway Solutions and Burnie & Earl

Shortly thereafter, Kid Energy USA asked Softway Solutions to develop promotional material for the “811 Call Before You Dig’ campaign. The first piece that Softway developed was a coloring book. Our Houston 3D Animation team was able to bring to life the adventures of Burnie & Earl through stories and activities contained in the coloring book.

The project, which included all concept design and the coloring book, took about a month and half to develop. Currently, the 3D Animation team is working on a cartoon/animation project of Burnie & Earl which is scheduled for completion July 1. For this first leg, we had nine people working on different parts of the Burnie & Earl project; however, we plan to expand the number of people on the project once the things take off.

Future of Burnie & Earl

Kid Energy USA and Softway Solutions are working together to expand Burnie and Earl into a series of short shows, cartoons and toys for children.

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Necessary Steps to Change Your Web Programmer

Not getting along with your web programmer? Making the switch to a new web programmer can be a daunting task. Before you do, consider the following list to ensure a smooth transition.

 Web Programmer Switching Steps:

  1. Having a firm grasp of what you are trying to accomplish with your website will enhance the integrating process when looking for new web programmers.
  2. Ensure you have obtained all the passwords, such as user name and login information to the control panel, ftp access and any other password protected files or systems.
  3. Make sure your data in the website, such as website and database(s) files, is backed up.
  4. Make sure your domain and hosting name are under your name and not your web programmer.
  5. Prior to electing a web programmer, make sure to ask for references or work experiences; then elect a web programmer to work with. References are important because they will be able to provide credibility to their knowledge and security of work.
  6. Set a meeting with the web programmer you have elected to verify that you have provided everything to the company you are going to transition with, such as server files or database files.
  7. Pick a date to switch companies and change passwords.
  8. Inform the old web programmer that his services are no longer needed.

Once you have switched web programmers, allow ample time for the new web programmer to understand the language of the old web programmer. Once the new web programmer has gone through the old code, have a meeting to discuss the developers finding and future milestones.

Many web programmers do not take the initiative to stay up to date with new technology. This in turn can affect your current website and the rankings of your website. To ensure your website is up to date with modern technology, contact Softway Solutions at www.softwaysolutions.com or 281.914.4381.

 

 

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Website Security Features to Protect Your Website

An alarming amount of infiltrators is breaching website security measurements and accessing personal information of others. As a result the concern of people’s privacy and security when inputting information in a website has risen dramatically, placing increased pressure on web developers to ensure that their client’s website security features are up to par. Arif Sayyad, Director of Website Development and Jayasimha Subbu, Website Development Team Lead, explain the features related to security that every website should and should not have.

Website Security Features to Protect a Website

  1. Use of HTTP SSL Servicer Certificate for pages that will require users to enter private information. This security feature is demonstrated when the url starts with https:// rather than http://
  2. Use of Captcha on publicly available forms. Captcha are helpful in blocking spam from websites, requiring the visitor to enter information into a box, such as characters or text as seen below.
  3. Use appropriate folder permissions to stop hackers from uploading their files and executing them in the server. Every folder has a read, write and execution option; for the public only allow the read and execute permissions.
  4. Make sure the passwords used on your website are stored in an encrypted format as a complex passwords. An encrypted format means translating the password into an MD5 format.
  5. Review web server access logs to make sure there are no suspicious activities, such as persistent attempts to login to the server from a common IP address. If you have spotted suspicious IP addresses make sure to block them.
  6. Install a firewall on your server. A firewall is like a shield that prevents someone from hacking the server.
  7. “Enabling Directory Browsing” is the process of securing your files from the public. More specifically, this will prevent giving access to the server’s folder structure through the browsers.
  8. Practice regular security updates and patches.

Website Features to Avoid:

  1. Do not keep the server environment information accessible for general public through a web URL.
  2. Do not leave any secure area or access to the database on your website without setting a password.
  3. Inject SQL coding to prevent hackers from infiltrating your website. Do not allow any page on the website where a user can enter data to display without HTML encoding as that could lead to JavaScript injections. In addition, JavaScript injections could be targeted to perform a Cross Site Scripting attack.

At Softway Solutions we understand that security features are paramount to the success of any website. We have been developing secured websites since 2003 and can ensure your website will receive the utmost security features to protect it from hackers. Contact Softway Solutions by visiting us at www.softwaysolutions.com or 281.914.4381

 

 

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Website Checklist

You have hired a company to build your website and it is ready to go live. STOP! Have you checked their work to make  sure they did everything right? Have you tested the functionality of the website to make sure everything works as expected. Many people neglect this process, only to realize later on that the website development company made mistakes, and the website development company cannot provide any more services without more money. Prior to writing that last check, make sure to use the following website checklist to make sure all is in order with your website.

Website Checklist

-Check the site yourself to ensure everything is working properly

-Check functionality. For an eCommerce site, check the following for functionality

  1. Make sure items you have added in the shopping cart add up accordingly.
  2. Verify that tax calculations are correct
  3. Validate credit card transactions to see if payments are being processed correctly.
  4. Make sure that payments are conducted under a secure mode by seeing https:// rather than http:// in the address bar.
  5. After a payment has been processed, make sure customers receive an email thanking them for their shopping. This provides more security for the end user.

-Make sure the links are going where they are supposed to go.

-Make sure anchor text is directing the user to the correct page.

-Visit your website using different internet browsers to check for browser compatibility.

-Check that design elements are aligned, including logos and text.

-Make sure the website does not jump when navigating through different pages.

-Definitely perform a spelling and grammar check.

Although the website checklist may seem easy, many companies do not have a quality assurance or quality control system implemented. Even if the company uses testers they won’t necessarily see what is important to you. At Softway Solutions we have various people ensuring that the final work we present to the client is error and bug free. To get a quote for your website, visit us at www.softwaysolutions.com or call 281.914.4381.

 

 

 

 

 

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Softway Solutions Mobile App, iScout, is featured in local news again

Page Parkes, a client of Softway Solutions, was interviewed by Houston’s ABC 13 evening news on February 22, 2012. Parkes, co-founder of Page Parkes Corporation, is receiving national exposure through her role on the show Scouted with airs 10/9 Central Monday nights on E!. Page Parkes Corporation had Softway Solutions create a scouting mobile application searching for models, artists or singers for the iPhone called iScout. The iScout app allows Parkes, her team and every iPhone user to scout on the go.

The IScout App allows for the general consumer to create an account and submit pictures, video or audio of themselves or potential models, actors or singers. Once you log in to your account, you have the option to send information on the applicant. When submitting information for modeling or singing, you will be prompted to enter personal information including height, weight, eye color and shoe size. After answering these questions, you will then have the option to upload a picture or video of the applicant. When submitting information for a singer, you will be prompted to upload the same information as for a model or actor, but you will also be able to upload a video or audio of the vocalist.

Page Parkes Corporation has a designated person reviewing all of the daily submissions in order to find the next top celebrity. Currently the iScout App is available to iPhone users across the globe. Download it today and find out if you can be a super model!

To view Page Parkes interview visit www.abclocal.go.com.

 

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