The onepage checkout on Magento Commerce cms is really complicated but from a user interface perspective it’s as simple as one would make it with ajax loading and navigational breadcrumb que for the user.
There are however too many unnecessary input fields in the billing and shipping sections; including second address lines, fax number and telephone number. The worst part is the fact that required fields increase the ‘Checkout abandonment’ in your application.
Here are the instructions to remove the required from any field; I will use the ‘telephone’ field as an example.
For both the shipping and billing section open up the file to edit the css reference as well as the required asterisks.
In the past few years, there has been a substantial increase in small tech companies that have opened up for business, they have made a difference in the way we live, and the way we operate our organizations. Some have even managed to single-handedly destroy industries, like the newspaper business, of course none of it was intended to hurt industries as such, non-the-less their self efficacy has out performed and outplayed the giant corporations that have up until now controlled the rulebooks.
This morning I attended the Social Media Club DC breakfast blogging event, an event hosted by SMCDC, it’s a great opportunity to network and learn about what’s happening locally in the digital world. In DC we have plenty of Social Media enthusiasts, today I sat next to a very well known blogger by the name of Amy from FreeInDC. We discussed the important factors of building a successful blog.
Here are some tips I picked up from the event and from surfing the web;
1. First you have to know what you’ll be blogging about, a successful blog usually has a focus, or a niche audience
2. Choose a platform that best suits your needs, blogs can be created easily on numerous websites, the options they offer have to best suit your needs Continue reading a blog about blogging? »
Some of you techies might have heard about a big conference that integrates technology and the federal government, called Gov 2.0, a conference which will be held at the Grand Hyatt in DC from September 7-8. This conference is different from your typical tech event, it’s more than a networking event where you meet and greet. The government’s role is to enable the tech community to create platforms and web tools to become more affective in governance, doing it all without procurement.
The government is going after tech firms who can build solutions and create platforms that can simplify practical business practices, changing the way government agencies operate. Check out this page for more information. And if you were one of the lucky ones who will be attending the conference, please return to our blog and let us know what you’ve taken away from the summit.
Too frequently technology, particularly in the form of a mobile device, gets a bad rep. People are constantly taking a break from their mobile phones and going “off grid.” What may seem to some as technology disturbing the rhythm of life, is actually a weapon to others. I first learned about an organization called Ushahidi at Chirp the Twitter: Developer’s Conference, there I listened to one of the founders speak about an open source platform called Ushahidi, which means “testimony” in Swahili. The technology isn’t new, nor impressive, but what it’s used for and how it’s used, is simply brilliant. The platform was created for people to be able to report an emergency or crisis taking place around them. This open source platform is used all over the world in three different ways, SMS (texting), MMS (photo/video taken by a smart phone), and/or by submitting a report on the web, the idea was born when violence broke out in Kenya post elections, in 2008. People needed information and they needed it fast. Ushahidi kept followers informed with real time geographical data, it allowed swift organization, ultimately saving lives. The tool has since then been utilized in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Pakistan and India.
The tool is successful because its easy, accessible and deployable world wide, but that’s not the only reason it’s become successful, Ushahidi is a small organization, it wouldn’t be able to do what it’s doing with out its team of volunteers who design and develop all over the world. If you’re a designer or developer and would like to get involved, to help save lives, check out this page.
Last Thursday on July 29th, the Blen Corp Family hosted our first Happy Hour/Mixer of the year. We invited our friends, colleagues and most importantly our clients for a drink and boy did we have a good time. Here are some pics from our fun filled evening!
Thank you to all who attended and thanks to our new friends who came in an effort to get to know us, we look forward to a long lasting friendship. To see more pics from the Happy Hour please visit our Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/blencorp
Your wknd sounds like it was relaxing! Mine was great, go to chill and go to a cookout or two 
See you tomorrow! RT @