Here’s a presentation I saw recently about the “fold” and whether it matters as much as designers (or clients) may think. I don’t think we should abandon our concern for the fold, but I do think it doesn’t carry as much weight as it did six or seven years ago. Plus, the point made in the presentation about how users are consuming sites on a greater variety of devices (mobile for example) with different screen sizes and resolutions is important to remember and underlines the fact that the traditional notion of the fold is changing.

Obviously, it’s up to agencies to educate clients and make layout considerations per project as to how the fold comes into play. Web standards are constantly evolving, and the old adage that “everything must be visible above the fold” needs to be examined in the light of current online conventions.

 How are you handling the fold these days? 

Checking in with my peeps on Facebook the other day, a familiar face caught my eye. It was my brother-in-law, grinning out at me from the right column...but no, he hadn’t posted new pics of the nieces. It was Facebook (on it’s own volition?!) suggesting that I "reconnect" with him.

My first thought was that he'd unfriended me! Now, I’m a big girl. I’ve been unfriended before...mostly without my ever noticing. And that’s the way I prefer it. If you don’t want to be exposed to my pithy updates, that’s fine. I certainly don’t need to have rejection pointed out to me!

Then I’m thinking...is Facebook prompting any of my ex Facebuds to go ahead and make a play to win me back?! Ewww. The whole thing stirred up latent fears I'd rather not contemplate. Namely that I simply do not know what Facebook is doing — or might do — with the things it knows. And I’m pretty certain that this is not how Facebook wants me to feel about Facebook.

My fears were unfounded, of course. A quick search revealed my brother-in-law sitting right where I left him, squarely in my friend category. Whew. Still, Facebook feels that I should take action to deepen my connection with him. This is thought provoking, if irritating.

Does Facebook detect a specific lack of activity between us that triggers the suggestion? Why my brother-in-law, and not all the other friends with whom I maintain a lazy acquaintanceship rather than an active friendship on the ‘book? And why is Facebook becoming such a busybody all of the sudden?

Today, Facebook is asking me to write on my brother-in-law’s wall, as if it detects that he’s feeling down and could use a virtual pick-me-up. From his sister-in-law. Right.

Next thing you know, it'll be nagging me to reconnect with my husband. I guess I'm just thankful that my actual mother isn't on Facebook...yet.

Traditional brand guidelines are the visual "law" for a company's visual image. They dictate logo usage, color palettes, typefaces, layout and more. As it stands right now, the idea of digital branding guidelines isn't really addressed in most traditional brand guidelines. Online companies such as Netflix, Facebook, eBay and Yelp offer something to digest because they have to, but most non-digital companies are pretty quiet on the digital front. And it's difficult to determine how their brand will translate online when the only documents they have in place for governing brand standards are print and overall identity guidelines.

Most companies are being required to increase their online presence and ramp up their marketing efforts through social media and other digital channels. It's probably a good idea to invest in crafting solid digital brand guidelines, too.

Here are some best practices to consider when creating your digital brand guidelines:

1. Essentials. At the minimum, they should be at least two pages of specific rules that dictate hex color palettes, logo usage, compatible typefaces and general layout practices. They need to correlate styles to the ones established in the traditional guidelines as much as possible. The essentials could also scale up to larger subsets, as done by the BBC.

2. Inspiration. Digital brand guidelines should inspire the spirit of the brand for the online world, as seen on Keebler's site. The essentials are great for the corporate website and e-newsletter, but some amount of flexibility should be expressed as the brand may move into interactive kiosks, iPhone apps, online ad campaigns, Flash micro-sites, social media and beyond.

3. Pitfalls. Guidelines should show examples of what not to do. For example, for social media, logos may need to scale to a size smaller than what the traditional guidelines planned for, so digital rules should anticipate how to handle such situations. And digital guidelines shouldn't generalize web design, like what's shown on pages 28-29 of this university's guidelines.

The aim of digital branding guidelines should be to ensure consistency online and to instill best practices for the digital world. When you've got various people designing email newsletters, making website updates and creating online ads, it might be safer to provide them with more instead of fewer guidelines. Your brand might suffer from a bad Christmas penguin e-card sent out to vendors and clients because it's off-brand and unfocused, or reap great word-of-mouth from a smart campaign like Elf Yourself from Office Max.

So what's it going to take to ensure your brand's consistency in the digital space?

1. Actual Guidelines. A stand-alone digital brand guideline PDF, or at the very least, a section about digital branding that is integrated into the existing guidelines. It should be flexible enough to begin conversation about all kinds of digital projects (social media, kiosks, iPhone apps, online ads, etc), but concrete enough to provide the basics (typefaces, colors, layout suggestions, logo usage, etc).

2. Continued Partnership. Brands should partner with a design agency that understands guidelines and implements them with integrity, responsibility and excellence. Also, having a good brand manager who understands diverse digital platforms can help to facilitate the online implementation and share in the responsibility. Both parties should be asking questions throughout the process to get the best results.

3. Flexibility for the Future. Brands change. The way consumers enjoy products and services is changing, too. And the platform where they are talking about your brand has shifted. All you can do is be flexible enough to change with the needs of your business and the market position of your brand.

By meeting the digital brand challenge now, you'll be making a statement that says, "I'm for the future of our business and want our brand to engage people with lasting and powerful messages.”

Whether we’re talking simple star ratings or in-depth analyses, user reviews have become an ingrained part of the online experience. According to Nielsen Online (PDF), 81% of online shoppers use product reviews when making purchasing decisions, while 19% of shoppers post reviews themselves.

When the peer group becomes this large, however, savvy users begin to question if their needs are the same as the reviewer’s. While a high school quarterback and a 34-year-old father might have vastly different needs, they may both purchase the same 4-door sedan. Their reviews of the car could well be polar opposites (and with good reason); nevertheless, both reviews are equally valid. The average customer can become lost in a sea of conflicting reviews.

There are a few ways to keep user reviews useful, helpful and targeted:

Qualified Feedback. With over 1,400 positive customer reviews on Amazon, the Three Wolf Moon tee shirt is at the center of a massive meme that calls into question the validity of the site’s reviews. Qualified feedback has become increasingly popular as an alternative. In order to leave a review on Angie’s List, for example, you must be a paid subscriber. The site also certifies every review to prevent fake or fraudulent feedback; as a result, it has quickly become one of the internet’s most trusted sources.

Expert Reviews. An uptick in astroturfing has caused the trustworthiness of product reviews to falter, but expert reviewers can help online shoppers regain their confidence. Trusted experts provide shoppers with consistent levels of knowledge and experience while they read about the pros and cons of a product. Integrating customer reviews alongside expert reviews, as CNET does, gives consumers the best of both worlds, allowing them to hear what the experts and the general public has to say.

Experienced Users. By promoting their top users and best reviewers, companies can increase the reliability and consistency of the reviews, content and feedback they display. Motherboard (a collaboration between Dell and VBS.TV) promotes high-quality material and attention-grabbing comments by creating theme leaders. People who continually push the conversation and post interesting content receive the rank of theme leader, which is called out every time that user posts. The hierarchy within Motherboard’s community rewards its most active contributors, who in turn feel motivated to continue posting high-quality content.

User reviews will continue to grow in popularity. Online shoppers want confirmation that their future purchases are wise, and one of the best ways to get this kind of confirmation is through the experiences of like-minded peers.