Twitter teens, Phrase Based Optimization, and Canadian Copyright Craziness – Monday Aug 31st Roundup

Quiet week, but some good content. Sadly I’m a little too rushed this week to talk about it in detail, so you all will have to read it for yourselves.

We’ve got Google’s new phrase based optimization, teens on twitter, and Canadian copyright craziness.

• We start the week with one of those Huo Mah articles that remind me of why I read his blog:what you need to know about phrase based optimization.
• Next up, Techcrunch with Why Don’t Teens Tweet? We Asked Over 10,000 of Them. Lots of statistical data that’ll be good for anyone marketing to teens. My favourite? 67% of teens think Twitter is a passing fad.

• From csstricks, some neat tricks for avoiding widows (“a whole line before her and nothing in front of her”. Yes folks, typography is sexist). We need to use this…
• And from nettuts, a top ten list (ugh) of the most usable CMSs. Great for people (like me) who are in the middle of planning a new site.

• • Not much here today, but we do have a neat video from eMetrics via Lies, Damned Lies.

• We’ll start out usability with something more fun than useful, Some Fun Eye-Tracking Heatmaps from 90percentofeverything. As noted, what these really illustrate is not what people are thinking but how our eyes scan objects, even if we’re not actively thinking about those things.
• Another top ten list? Oh god I feel so dirty. Carsonified with The top 10 UX myths
• Finally Avinash Kaushik (in UX!? yeah I know) talking about testing your user experience. The point he illustrates—with examples!—is that no matter how good your design is, testing can let you in on insights that you would never otherwize know.

• Did you know that 98% of mobile devices used at coffeeshops are Apple devices? Well, they do have the majority share on the smartphone market in in North America. Lots of great mobile statistics as well.
• Finally, just to give you a taste of Canadian politics, the Toronto “town hall meetings” on copyright reform were on the 27th. After three attempts to reform copyright in the last few years (one dying as the government changed, one getting laughed out when the media found out that the ministers proposing it had been taking “campaign contributions” in exchange for his support, and one entered by our minister of the environment [a serious ‘WTF’ moment] and just barely failing at vote) the CRIA is at it again. This time, apparently, they both stacked the meetings with CRIA people, and threatened to have people (on government property) handing out fliers arrested (including NDP representatives!). Seems to be to be a tad anti-democratic, really.