FlyCast interactivity and reach makes it easy for AMSi to create custom channels. In January, the company announced its revolutionary content network that delivers digital broadcasts to portable cell phones and media players.

FlyCast claims to offers its broadcast server software to CDNs and ISPs for free, which dramatically improves quality of service for stream delivery. Its currently has more than 800 channels of music, local and national news, top local personalities, weather, video, and podcasts to smartphone listeners in 130 countries.

“With the popularity of smartphones and the mobile Web, AMSi has been interested in offering listeners the ability to enjoy our online music channels while they are on the go,” said Charles Andrew Whatley, president of AMSi.

The company says that, AMSi can provide guidance and services for radio station owners and operators on turnkey strategies and formats. It was launched by the founders of American Media Services, LLC.

AMSi is a digital media firm whose services include solutions for emerging media, engagement strategies for audio/video streaming, customized and branded music channels, HD radio formats, content management systems, custom application development, Web site programming and design and corporate/retail “Store-casting” at point-of-purchase.

AMSi’s solution “Tap It” helps use the most relevant technology to bridge the gap between traditional media, digital media and the entertainment industry, in a way that addresses consumers consistent with current media usage trends. It is a supplement to media Web sites that delivers access to independent music with a forum of artists to sell and promote music discovery. Tap It also features independent fashion designers, artists, authors and more.

By Jyothi Shanbhag TMCnet Contributing Editor

With guides such as Dive into Accessibility and calls to arms on designer websites like A List Apart, the aim is to make every page on the internet readable for those with sensory disabilities, ie the visually or hearing impaired.

It’s not out of charity or even legal obligations that the movement has had so much success: it’s because there are compelling business and technological reasons for creating websites in this way. It turns out that the best way to get your website widely picked up by search engines and easily maintained in the future is the same method that enables you to reach users with disabilities more easily.

Why is this? Well, the first reason is that users with disabilities use different web browsers from the rest of the world. Visually impaired computer users often use programs such as Jaws, which speaks aloud the contents of the webpages it downloads.

Obviously, it cannot translate images, but it can use hints that some web designers place around images. Similarly, it can often do a good job of skipping the irrelevant parts of a webpage if they are flagged correctly. A browser for blind people might only read out the key headings of a text page instead of all of the text, and let the user pick which part to read.

However, these browsers cannot manage everything. Most notably, if you embed your entire website in a Flash movie or refuse to include hints on the structure of your webpage, non-mainstream browsers will run into difficulties.

As it turns out, the typical browser for visually impaired people is similar to the typical search engine.

Search engines also look at your webpages through the prism of a “non-mainstream browser”: their automated website spiders.

Search engines can’t deduce much from a website embedded in a Flash movie, but they can use correctly marked headings and tagged imagery to help categorise your website for their search listings.

Mark Pilgrim, one of the strongest advocates for accessible websites, says it better than anyone else: “The Googlebot [the program that collects website information for Google] is just another blind user - with 100 million friends.”

Search engines are not the only ones that benefit from designers thinking about non-mainstream browsers. In the past few years, the idea of what a “mainstream” web browser is has changed radically.

Just five years ago, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer had an overwhelming lead in the market and shortsighted designers were building websites for that one piece of software.

Now, the market is split between Explorer, open-source browser Firefox, Apple’s Safari and the Norwegian Opera browser.

One of the only ways to future- proof webpages is to use the standards developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) - and these are exactly the same standards used when building accessibility into a website.

The hints and organisation added to a webpage by thinking about accessibility also make it more maintainable. Webpages often look clean and simple in a standard browser, but if you check their HTML structure (just choose “View Source” in your browser), you’ll often see a mess of confused code underneath.

Accessible websites are designed so that the underlying structure is just as clear as the final result. That means new web designers (or the same designers returning to re-edit webpages) can more easily understand how to fix or modify an accessible webpage than an inaccessible one.

Not only is it easier for designers to deal with accessible webpages, but it’s easier for programmers too.

Programs can understand accessible websites better than inaccessible sites, so programmers can more easily write code to test and interact with disability-friendly websites.

There are also legal reasons why you should consider making your website accessible: if you want government contracts for work, they will often require accessibility to be included (especially the US federal government, which has strict rules in this area).

But perhaps the best business reason is this: why exclude any customer who has gone to the effort to find and explore your website?

There should be no reason to turn anyone away, especially if, by making your website accessible to people with disabilities, you make it easier for everyone to find.

As Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the web, has said: “The power of the web is in its universality. Access by everyone, regardless of disability, is an essential aspect.”

© 2008 The Irish Times

As is so often true, Target will end up spending a lot more to modify its site than it would have spent to design it to be accessible from Day One. There’s plenty of help online for companies trying meet the needs of the disabled. The World Wide Web Consortium, a group that develops voluntary standards for the Web, has been publishing accessibility guidelines for almost a decade, including to help designers make their sites work with the specialized equipment used by the disabled. The blind rely on expensive software that reads aloud the contents of each Web page, so images and forms on the pages must include some identifying text. They also can’t navigate with a mouse — try using one with your eyes closed — so pages need to be designed for navigating with a keyboard. That’s not much to ask.

The problem is that, like Target, too many companies didn’t focus on accessibility when they made the leap into e-commerce. If they had, they would have found an underserved audience of disabled shoppers. A website can be a far more inviting place for a blind person than a crowded mall, if the site is designed the right way. And the number of vision-impaired Americans (at least 1.3 million are legally blind) is expected to grow as the population ages and the incidence of diabetes climbs. With more commerce and services moving to the Internet, it’s increasingly important that companies make accessibility a part of everything they do online. If that’s not clear in federal law, it should be. And although Target may have needed a push to embrace the disabled, at least it’s showing the rest of the retail world how it’s done.

- Los Angeles Times

http://blogs.computerworld.com/alt_targets_task_tags_to_add

As part of the settlement announced yesterday, Target will establish a $6 million fund from which plaintiffs can make claims. In addition, Target also agreed to update the site to accommodate sight-impaired online consumers, and to let the NFB regularly test those improvements once they are completed early next year.

According to the settlement, Target must ensure that blind Target.com users running screen-reader software can obtain the same information and perform the same transactions as all other users. Target also agreed to provide periodic training sessions for its Web developers and a quarterly summary of complaints received about accessibility to the NFB, the settlement noted.

The plaintiffs in the case — which also included the NFB of California and a blind college student Bruce Sexton — claimed that Target’s Web site was inaccessible and in violation of federal and state laws prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities. Experts have said that this case may serve to expand the scope of how disability laws affect Web sites.

“The National Federation of the Blind is pleased to have reached a settlement with Target that is good for all blind consumers, and we recognize that Target has already taken action to make certain that its Web site is accessible to everyone,” said Marc Maurer, president of the NFB, in a statement.

“We look forward to working with Target in the coming months to help make additional improvements that will enhance the experience of blind visitors to Target.com. It is our sincere hope that other businesses providing goods and services over the Internet will follow Target’s example,” Maurer added.

Steve Eastman, president of Target.com, said in a statement that as the company’s online business has evolved, the company has made “significant enhancements” to provide an accessible shopping experience. “We are pleased to have reached an agreement with the NFB regarding the accessibility of Target.com for individuals who use assistive technologies and will work with the NFB on further refinements to our Web site,” he added.

H. Scott Leviant, an attorney who handles class-action lawsuits and who writes The Complex Litigator blog, noted that the Target settlement should help bring the question of how the Americans with Disabilities Act applies to Web sites “into focus.” He suggested that owners of commerce Web sites quickly make them accessible to visually impaired persons.

“Other companies have decided to avoid litigation (probably to foster more goodwill with consumers),” he added. “Following Target’s settlement, I think it is likely that online retailers can expect a rapid surge in litigation of this type.”

A DISABLED Brisbane man has lodged an official complaint against the Federal Government’s new grocery price watch website, claiming the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is in breach of the Disability Discrimination Act.

Les Kerr, 53, of the suburb of Wooloowin, is vision and mobility impaired and says the GROCERYchoice website is inaccessible. His complaint is about the difficulty in using the website.

“I have lodged a formal Disability Discrimination complaint against the Federal Government’s new GROCERYchoice website, www.grocerychoice.gov.au,” he said.

“This website has been poorly designed for disabled accessibility and is in direct breach of the Federal Government’s own Disability Discrimination Act.

“That website should be a great benefit to people like me,” he told AAP.

“As most disabled people are on pensions and money is always an issue, this website had the potential to be of great assistance to us if it had been designed correctly.

“The Federal Government has no excuse for the site not being accessible.

“It appears that the site was put together in a hurry with little thought of allowing disabled people access and most certainly was not tested by disabled people before it came online as any good website should be.”

Mr Kerr said the website failed the most basic level of the acceptable International Standards for Website Accessibility, the W3Cs WCAG 1.0 guidelines.

“Disabled people are once again put in a situation where able-bodied people are deciding what disabled people can or can’t access on the internet,” he said.

In his complaint against the ACCC lodged with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, Mr Kerr lists 18 causes for complaint.

“It’s very easy to make an accessible website,” he said.

“I’m sick and tired of taking 30 times longer to find my way around a website than an able-bodied person can whip around.

“It’s the one place where able-bodied and disabled people should be equal,” he told AAP.

“I accept that I can’t read newspapers anymore … but at least if websites are designed properly I can read a newspaper on the internet.”

Mr Kerr, who has a degenerative illness, said he was contemplating further complaint’s against the Government’s websites which he says do not comply with the Act.

Documentation and code samples available on Blackbaud Labs site to support developers

Charleston, SC (Vocus) July 31, 2008 — Blackbaud, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLKB), today unveiled a new release of Blackbaud® NetCommunity™ that includes major enhancements in both function and features. From improved site design features to enhanced web accessibility and a native social networking feature called “Wave,” it will provide nonprofits with an opportunity to further engage their constituents in the vital Internet channel. Additionally, the company unveiled a new set of NetCommunity Open Platform APIs for creating custom parts, integrated web services, and custom transactions.

“With Wave, Blackbaud has introduced a new way to leverage social networking—both within the application and by integrating to social network services like Facebook—which will add to the viral nature of our work,” said Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Director of Information Technology Michael Sola. “Being able to have an easier way to reach out through social networking channels will help us extend our audience as we move more and more in that direction.

“Additionally, the ease of integration between Blackbaud NetCommunity 5.5 and our other Blackbaud systems will help us close the loop between our online and offline direct marketing efforts and really take our reporting, data management and usage to new levels.”

“We designed Blackbaud NetCommunity from the ground up as a content management and online fundraising solution to serve the needs of the nonprofit community,” said Marc Chardon, Blackbaud’s chief executive officer. “Since it was introduced in 2004, more than 600 nonprofits have selected NetCommunity to create an online presence and recruit and retain donors in the online space.” Tight integration with The Raiser’s Edge® enables nonprofits to customize web visitors’ online experience while capturing key information in their CRM systems.

Wave, Blackbaud NetCommunity’s new social networking feature, is the first natively-developed social network in an Internet solution designed for nonprofits. It helps nonprofits create mission-specific online communities with high levels of interactivity that also integrate with popular social networking sites like Facebook®.

“We are very excited, as this is a major upgrade to NetCommunity that will introduce many new groundbreaking features, like Wave, as well as build on and improve the existing solution,” said Steve MacLaughlin, Blackbaud’s director of Internet solutions.

Additional enhancements include:

•    Content Approval – allowing workflow approval processes for content publishing and versioning
•    eCards – allowing website visitors to send electronic cards for free or for a donation
•    Improved site design features – including an improved site designer, multiple image uploads, enhanced document management, and a Mozilla Firefox® accessible admin site
•    Web Accessibility – support for WAI (Level A and AA) and Section 508 compliancy on various website components
•    eReceipts – extended support for online gift receipts
•    Page sharing – allowing users to submit NetCommunity pages to social bookmarking sites such as Facebook, Del.icio.us, Newsvine®, etc.
For more information on the many user suggestions and new features incorporated in this release, visit www.blackbaud.com/connections.

Blackbaud Labs, a developer community maintained by Blackbaud’s product development department and built on the latest version of NetCommunity, features an introduction to the new open platform APIs and source code samples.

“A lot of effort has been put into expanding the API into new areas of the platform,” said Michael Andrews, Blackbaud’s distinguished engineer, “primarily around giving the custom part developer much more access to core platform features like RSS feeds, document libraries, built-in dialogs, donations, user accounts, and programmatic part creation, to name just a few.”

For more information, visit http://labs.blackbaud.com.

About Blackbaud:
Blackbaud is the leading global provider of software and services designed specifically for nonprofit organizations, enabling them to improve operational efficiency, build strong relationships, and raise more money to support their missions. Approximately 22,000 organizations — including University of Arizona Foundation, American Red Cross, Cancer Research UK, The Taft School, Lincoln Center, InTouch Ministries, Tulsa Community Foundation, Ursinus College, Earthjustice, International Fund for Animal Welfare, and the WGBH Educational Foundation — use one or more of Blackbaud products and services for fundraising, constituent relationship management, financial management, website management, direct marketing, education administration, ticketing, business intelligence, prospect research, consulting, and analytics. Since 1981, Blackbaud’s sole focus and expertise has been partnering with nonprofits and providing them the solutions they need to make a difference in their local communities and worldwide. Headquartered in the United States, Blackbaud also has operations in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. For more information, visit www.blackbaud.com.

Media Contact:
Melanie Milonas
Blackbaud, Inc.
melanie.milonas @ blackbaud.com
843.216.6200 x3307
Source: Blackbaud

Forward-looking Statements
Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations, and assumptions contained in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Although Blackbaud attempts to be accurate in making these forward-looking statements, it is possible that future circumstances might differ from the assumptions on which such statements are based. In addition, other important factors that could cause results to differ materially include the following: risks related to the expected financial or other benefits of the recent Kintera acquisition; uncertainty regarding increased business and renewals from existing customers; continued success in sales growth; general economic risks; management of integration of acquired companies and other risks associated with acquisitions, including the recent acquisition of Kintera, Inc.; risk associated with successful implementation of multiple integrated software products; uncertainty regarding increased business and renewals from existing customers; continued success in sales growth; general economic risks; the ability to attract and retain key personnel; risks related to our dividend policy and share repurchase program, including potential limitations on our ability to grow and the possibility that we might discontinue payment of dividends; risks relating to restrictions imposed by the credit facility; risks associated with management of growth; lengthy sales and implementation cycles, particularly in larger organizations; technological changes that make our products and services less competitive; and the other risk factors set forth from time to time in the SEC filings for Blackbaud, copies of which are available free of charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov upon request from Blackbaud’s investor relations department. All Blackbaud product names appearing herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blackbaud, Inc.

###

Blackbaud
Melanie Milonas
843.216.6200 3307
E-mail Information
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Here is the trick:

In Firefox make sure Advanced > General Accessibility “Always use the cursor….” is UNCHECKED and in Apple System Preferences> Keyboard and Mouse> Keyboard Shortcuts make sure “All Controls” radio button is selected.

Happy tabbing. No excuses now for making sure your web pages are keyboard accessible! If you can get to the content and navigate with keyboard controls, you are meeting the underlying needs of a lot of assistive technology. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/27elevatorswe.html?ex=1374811200&en=879e17e8a7450803&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

AN ACCESS Eastbourne event to discuss ways of making the town more accessible for the disabled was held at the Congress Suite this week.

The event, opened by the council’s disability champion Councilor Andrew Goodwin, was attended by a number of disabled people and groups in the town, local businesses, organisations and hoteliers. Councilor Goodwin said, “We want to enable people in East bourne and around the world to have full access to our town. “If it means looking on a website and finding out which restaurant has an accessible toilet, then we need to provide that information. “The event was just one opportunity for Eastbourne residents, disabled people and businesses to provide feedback to the Council on the options we should go for.
“We are committed to improving access to Eastbourne ensuring it is a friendly, welcoming and inclusive town for everyone.” The invited audience received detailed presentations from Brighton and Hove’s Federation of Disabled People and DisabledGo a national web-based enterprise. Two very different options were put forward of how Eastbourne facilities could be reviewed for accessibility and how this would help to raise Eastbourne’s profile as a more accessible town.

The two options can be viewed on websites www.bhfederation.org.uk ‘City Guide’ and www.disabledgo.info.

The council is keen to know how people feel about these two different approaches and how they could work for Eastbourne.

If you have a view please share it by email to equality@eastbourne.gov.uk or by telephoning Denise White on 415265.