Prof Melius Weideman, an acclaimed researcher in the Information and Communication Technology field, has recently authored a book that provides an in-depth look at website visibility.

The 222-page book, titled Website Visibility: The theory and practice of improving rankings, was officially released on 1 October 2009.

Aimed at students, academics and practitioners, the book focuses on identifying and evaluating the elements which contribute to an increase in ranking on a search engine result page.

Prof Weideman, who is the Head of Research Development in the Faculty of Informatics and Design, said: “The fight for the top spots in search engine result pages is intense - research has shown that 67% of users on average click on the first two results of a search engine result page.”

By securing one of the top spots on a search engine result page, website owners can be assured of increased exposure.

Although several books have already been published on the topic, this is the first one that marries the academic to the practical side of website visibility.

The book, which was published by Chandos Publishing of Oxford, UK is also the first sole-authored, fully peer-reviewed research book from inside the CPUT community.

Each chapter has been peer reviewed by two individuals. In addition, the book as a whole has been peer reviewed by another three experts.

The 10 reviewers were academics and practitioners from South Africa, the UK and the USA.

The book contains several real-world case studies and research on website visibility elements, and their effects on rankings.

Prof Weideman said it can be used as a research resource, a course textbook at a higher education institution or a guide to top management of a company with a commercial web presence.

The book, which took Prof Weideman two years to write, is a result of many years of research on website visibility and search engines.

During the past few years he has also authored several journal articles and delivered conference papers on the topics of website design and search engines.

This includes a Keynote Tutorial (July 2009) in Cambridge, UK, on website design for Visibility and Usability.

However, Prof Weideman said writing a book is a “venture not to be taken lightly.”

“The scarcity of focused academic books is proof of the difficulty of finalising this kind of task. However, it provides a vehicle for channeling one's research work and results into a highly useful product,” he said.

Parts of the book were written while lying in hospital after a high-speed crash during the 2008 ABSA Cape Epic extreme mountain bike event.

Some chapters were edited on his cellphone, while spending many hours on buses and trains in Munich during his 2008 three-month Fellowship at the Munich University of Applied Sciences.

""Some of the final proofreading was done with a headlamp at night, after eight or nine hours of hard cycling, lying in a small tent during the 2009 Cape Epic. This time I completed it after much suffering but without medical problems,” he said.

Prof Weideman said although the writing process was challenging, it was a good experience. He said CPUT academics with some accredited research outputs must consider this avenue of publication.

For more information on the book and to order a copy, please visit http://www.book-visibility.com.

By Candes Keating

Written by CPUT News
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Prof Johannes Cronjé, Dean of the Faculty of Informatics and Design, is set to play a key role in the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) entrepreneurs in the Western Cape .

Prof Cronjé was recently appointed as one of three new directors of Bandwidth Barn, an organisation that incubates and supports entrepreneurs and startup ICT companies.

He is joined by Arthur Goldstuck, director of World Wide Worx, and Brendan Hughes, director of Infology.

Launched several years ago, the Cape Town based organisation is a subsidiary of the Cape Information Technology Initiative (CITI) and supported by Telkom and local government.

Prof Cronjé said the support and services offered by the organisation is unique.

Although there are a number of organisations supporting entrepreneurs, Bandwidth Barn goes a step further by housing entrepreneurs and startup ICT companies at their premises. By offering entrepreneurs low cost office accommodation, they remove some of the hurdles faced when starting up a business.

At Bandwidth Barn entrepreneurs have access to services such as a shared reception, boardrooms, internet and telephone facilities. They also have access to a supportive ICT community and business development support.

By housing young businesses alongside established ones, entrepreneurs are able to share information and ideas. Once companies are completely established, they graduate from the Barn, making way for new entrepreneurs.

Prof Cronjé, who is focused on the training needs of entrepreneurs housed at Bandwidth Barn, said he is looking at developing a similar organisation that can support Faculty of Informatics and Design graduates.

“The idea is that designers, seamstress and other individuals who can make things are all housed in the same space,” he said.

The entrepreneurs will be offered various business support services.

Prof Cronjé said this type of support will help launch design entrepreneurs into the national and international markets.

By Candes Keating

Written by CPUT News
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A ground-breaking research project which looks at how factors such as race, gender, class and language intersect to create inequality among university students is on the cards.

The three-year project sees a team of academics from four universities exploring how these demographic characteristics combine to create inequalities among students and whether universities perpetuate the latter. The team comprises of CPUT academics Prof. Lungi Sosibo and Drs Agnes Chigona, Misiwe Katiya and Daniella Gachago as well as Drs Lorna Dreyer (Stellenbosch University) and Sadhana Manik (University of KwaZulu-Natal) and Prof Vuyokazi Nomlomo (UWC). Funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) to the tune of R661 975, this is the second NRF grant that Sosibo, the team’s leader, has been awarded in succession.

“Working on this multi-site and inter-disciplinary project, we are a team of experts in the different areas of language, Information and Communication Technology, education as well as diversity and transformation,” says Sosibo.
“Our research outputs will include articles in journals accredited by the Department of Higher Education and Training, papers presented at peer-reviewed conferences, book chapters as well as Masters and Doctoral graduates.”

She adds that the collaborative nature of the project makes it a unique experience as each participant brings a different perspective based on the history of the university and personal background.
“The project will be enhanced by the team’s diversity as we boast both intermediate and established researchers.” 

Nomlomo says the project talks to her passion as she has worked extensively with language in education.
“I’m excited about collaborating with colleagues from other institutions and in the end we’ll have a broader perspective of higher education, its past, present and future.”

Written by Kwanele Butana
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