Link Digest

I don’t usually do link digests, but I see so much good stuff daily, that I feel as though I almost have to so I can keep track of everything. Big news is coming down the pike, watch this space for updates, but for now, here is some great reading.

• Why use semantic HTML? / Guide to Semantic Use of HTML Elements - Great stuff from Joe Dolson, real clear breakdown of his learned opinion on using the right tag for the right job and why you should do it anyways. Using tags semantically really helps break down proper usage, and reminds people that using dl tags for laying out your site is not really the right way.
• What Is the Open Web and Why Is It Important? - Kinda similar to the above in some ways. I strongly believe in the “Open Web” and the technologies that power it, so it’s nice to read someone who believes the same.
• Secret shortcut: personal vs. impersonal - Seth Godin, as always, right on target “Do you know what most people want? They want you to care.”
• CSS Adjacent-Sibling Selector - Something I started using a few months back, especially since I always define my margins for most elements, it’s handy to drop the margin-top of p tags when they fall directly underneath a heading tag. Remember, no IE 6 support, but also remember jQuery could take care of this all for you if you want cross-browser support.
• Holy Grail: SEO Model for Flash and Flex Content - A nifty method for using XSLT transformations to serve up a SEO friendly version of the same content you’re pulling in through your SWF. No two versions to update constantly. I would be curious to see how well this method performs vs. building a separate site.