Web User Experience Blog

We have been looking into getting a digital asset management system to house, manage, and retrieve our graphical, marketing, and other files. In researching this online, we found that there wasn't a lot helpful information out there. So, to save you some time, here are some things to look for when picking an asset management system:

• Hosted (SaaS) or in-house client-side application
• Ease of use and user-friendly interface - This one was key for us as we found many solutions with complex, multi-stepped, and poor UIs.
• Disk space - default capacity and scaling up options
• Subscription and setup fees
• Number of users and admins supported and upgrading options
• Ability to brand interface
• File upload & download options - single file, batch uploads, ftp
• Basic and advanced search capabilities
• Supported file formats
• Preview mode of static versus multimedia files - being able to view a streaming file snippet within the tool is a great feature
• Ability add metadata, keywords, captioning, etc.
• Auto-rendering multiple file sizes of a single file
• Report generation and alerts
• Localization support
• Lightbox/favorites
• Third-party access - e.g. for agencies you work with, you can send them a pick-up link for a file without the need to login to access the file.
• Access rights - security and password protection capabilities.
• Customer references

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We have rolled out our new homepage redesign today! Select users will see the new page initially; some may see different versions of the new homepage as we are conducting tests. The final redesign will be switched over in the coming month when it will be available to everyone.

The goals of the redesign include improving the usability and usefulness of the homepage. Our hope is that it helps you to be more successful and productive as a gateway to accomplishing your tasks.

What hasn't changed on our homepage:

• Positioning of the contact us and worldwide sites links, and search utility.


• Top level navigation menu functions in the same way with dropdown menus.


• We didn't really remove anything although we improved the content.

Here are the main changes you can expect to find:

• Interactive banner: An informational section to learn more about Internet-related issues which affect you and your business and how VeriSign can help.


• SSL Certificates box: Quick and easier access to select and manage certificates.


• Featured items: Carousel slide show highlighting products, events, and more.


• Quick navigation: Accordion panels allowing you to self-select based on your role (Information for), task (I need to), or simply jump links into popular/key sections (Quick links).


• News bar: News ticker to get the latest VeriSign news.

Test drive it for yourself and let us know what you think: www.verisign.com.

Stay tuned for future posts on the new homepage!

REDESIGNED HOMEPAGE:

CURRENT HOMEPAGE:

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 4:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Phishing. Online Fraud. Identity Theft. Online Safety & Security. Personally Identifiable Information. Virus Protection.

These are all the realities of navigating the Web today. For information on how to stay safe on the Web and ultimately, enjoy a good user experience in the online world, check out this latest VeriSign resource: Trust the Check.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 1:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The top left corner of the VeriSign homepage made an appearance on the news. Cool!

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 2:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Research indicates that the majority of users are unable to spot phishing Websites. In a study commissioned by VeriSign in the U.S., researchers asked users to identify fraudulent phishing sites from images of Websites placed side by side. A whopping 88 percent of users frequently missed the most obvious "tell tale" indicator which was the misspelling on the site which would have identified the phishing site.

How do you ensure that your online user experience is not affected by fraudulent sites? Here are VeriSign's top five tips to distinguish a real site from a phishing site:

1. https:// in the URL: The "s" in https:// means the site is encrypted,
so the information you enter is secured. While some phishing sites
do have a secured Web address, many do not. Therefore, site visitors
should be on the lookout for missing security on sites that should
have it.

2. The padlock icon: To be meaningful, this icon must appear in the
actual browser interface and not inside the content of the page itself.

3. Trust marks: Simple visual cues in the form of popular logos can show
that a Web site is authenticated and secured, and that a company is
reputable.

4. Check the Web address: Be suspicious of any site with an unknown domain
that contains the name of a well known site in the latter part of the
Web address.

5. Green address bar: Signifies that a site has undergone extensive
identity authentication so that you can be confident it is the site it
claims to be.

And, to test if you can tell tell the difference yourself, take the Phish or No Phish Challenge.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 3:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Startup Idol is an interesting Conference coming up on July 23, 2009 at the Sofitel Hotel. Registration is free of charge!

Startup Idol is focused on the Web startup community and will feature expert panel discussions, a startup competition, and a networking reception on the Bay. Anyone looking to stay on the cutting-edge of the Web field, explore new customer and partnership opportunities, and network, this is a can't miss opportunity.

- Connect with venture capitalists, investors, entrepreneurs, service providers, and talent.
- Network with others in the space, discover opportunities, gain exposure, make contacts, and find customers.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 8:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There are now 183 million domain names registered across all Top Level Domains (TLDs) which represents a three percent increase over the fourth quarter of 2008 and a twelve percent increase over the same quarter last year. This means that nearly 11.8 million new domain names were registered across all TLDs in the first quarter of 2009. While this reflects a 17 percent growth in new registrations over the fourth quarter of 2008, it is a 17 percent decline from the same quarter in the previous year. While domain names registered do not necessarily mean the equivalent number of Websites created, the numbers point to approximately 91 domain names registered per minute and if about 88 percent resolve to Websites, that would mean that roughly 80 new sites were created a minute or one a second.

Country Code Top Level Domain Names (ccTLDs) registered increased to 74.1 million, an 18 percent increase year over year and a four percent increase quarter over quarter. There were nearly three million ccTLDs added in the first quarter of 2009, representing a 38 percent growth over the previous quarter, but a 39 percent decline from the same quarter of 2008.

In terms of total registrations, .com continues to have the highest base followed by .cn (China), .de (Germany) and .net. Following these are .org, .uk, .info, .nl (Netherlands), .eu (European Union), and .biz.

View the entire report (pdf).

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 8:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mother's Day is around the corner and millions of you will be sending flowers and gifts to your mothers and wives to the tune of $14.1 billion according to the National Retail Federation. As you scour the Web for sites to order flowers - at the last minute, of course - be sure you've hit the right sites and not potential phishing or spoofing sites. And what's one way to do that?

Look for the green address/URL bar as a visual cue that the site is protected by an Extended Validation SSL Certificate. The green bar signals that you've reached a site whose authenticity has been verified — and not a fraudulent, copycat Web page created by identity thieves to steal passwords, credit card numbers and other sensitive personal data. You do need the latest versions of the leading Web browsers to see the green bar.

What You See In Internet Explorer:

What You See In Firefox:

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

VeriSign is at Information Security Conference, RSA® Conference 2009, this week in San Francisco. If you are attending the Expo, check us out at booth #1332. Jugglers, uni-cyclists, and guys in straight-jackets are on-hand to entertain. And, you get a chance to win encrypted thumb drives, iTunes and Starbucks certificates, and T-shirts.

We've decided go green with no paper collateral this year. So, in case you are looking for our RSA related content and collateral, here is where you can find that: VeriSign.com/VeriSignGoesGreen.

If you are interested in attending the exhibits, please email event_passes@verisign.com. Schedule: Wednesday, April 22nd, 11:00a.m. - 6:00p.m. and Thursday, April 23rd, 10:00a.m. - 4:00p.m.

Here are some pics:

More photos

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 2:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tax season is upon us and many of us are scrambling to meet the deadline for filing. And not surprisingly, more and more people are filing their taxes electronically. Approximately six out of every ten taxpayers filed online in 2008 and this number is expected to increase in 2009. There are many sites enabling taxpayers to file their taxes online for free. But how do you protect yourself from online fraud, scams, and phishing attacks?!

Here are some easy to follow tips:

1. Be skeptical of emails that feature Web links. Those links can be part
of a phishing scam that takes you to look-alike Web pages designed to
steal your sensitive personal information, from Social Security Numbers
to credit card account information. If you need to log-in, do so
independently and through the usual log-in Web page -- not by clicking
on a link.
2. When you go to file your taxes, make sure you've reached the correct
site. One easy way is to look for the green address bar that is used
today by leading tax filing sites. The green address bar, which is
recommended by the IRS, is displayed on sites protected by EV SSL
Certificates. Don't see the green address bar? Make sure you are using
the latest version of your Web browser.
3. Make sure you're entering your personal information in a secured
session by looking for https://
4. When you finish your taxes, be sure you've logged out of your session.
If you don't log out, fraudsters can potentially log-in to your session
after you leave the site.
5. Do not respond to any tax issues or requests using fax. A recent email
scam received by hundreds of taxpayers called for a fax with personal
information to be sent back to "the IRS." The IRS will never request
personal information via fax.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Social Security Awards Finalists have been announced! Two VeriSign bloggers are among the 25 finalists: Tim Callan who is nominated for "Best Corporate Blog" and Branden Williams who is up for "Most Entertaining" Security Blog.

Five finalists are listed in each category and there were nearly 500 nominees. We are proud to see Tim and Branden's dedication pay off as they are included amongst highly respected bloggers like Schneier on Security and the Security Now Podcast.

Congrats Tim and Branden! Just making it to the finals is a huge honor. Here's hoping you both take the prize at RSA!

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Domain Name News Blog decided to play an April Fools' Day joke on everyone, including us. Preying upon the paranoia induced by the Conficker C worm, these pranksters knew that the mention of it would catch people's attention.

We are honored that the notion of our servers being infiltrated is incredible enough to be the basis for an April Fool's Day prank. Good one!

Here's the gotcha from them:

Happy April 1st!

Sorry to say, but when you end up on this page it's very likely that you clicked on an external link from one of our April's fools posts for April 1st.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 9:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Imagine being able to use your iPhone to protect and authenticate your identity online. Well, now you can - cool! VeriSign today announced the launch of VIP Access for Mobile, a FREE downloadable app on the Apple App Store which generates a one-time password to access participating sites. In addition to your username and password, the iPhone application will generate a six-digit security code which dynamically changes every 30 seconds and which you input as your second factor of authentication when signing into your online accounts. Initially, a 'Credential ID' specific to your iPhone is generated and SMS text-messaged to that phone number for verification. This credential is only entered when you first register for the network's sites such as Paypal, eBay, AOL, or Geico.

Similar pilot tests are also being conducted on other mobile devices such as the Blackberry in the U.S. and India.

Here's a Demo:

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As part of the Security Bloggers Meet-Up at the RSA Conference, the Social Security Awards will recognize the best blogs in the security industry. Two VeriSign bloggers are in the running - Tim Callan's SSL Blog for 'Best Corporate Security Blog' and Branden Williams' Security Convergence Blog for 'Most Entertaining Security Blog'.

If you would like to vote for these blogs, submit your vote by March 31!

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 12:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, has found himself a victim of Internet fraud. Having invented the Internet twenty years ago with the noble intent of linking documents together, the Web has evolved and also become a haven for fraud. Sir Tim, who purchased a Christmas present from a Website which never arrived, called the phone number on the site only to discover that the number was not valid. As he puts it "The worst thing that has happened to me was when I tried to buy a Christmas present from a company that looked like a bona fide company on the internet and then actually they were a completely fake company. I think I am yet to get the money back, but it wasn't a lot."

Clearly, no one is immune. As we surf the Web daily and transact on sites, we mostly take it for granted that the sites we are on are legitimate and trustworthy. We might look for trust marks like the Better Business Bureau Online, the VeriSign Secured Seal, and Truste as indicators of authenticity and security but we mostly assume positive intent. Unfortunately, this is when we can fall victim to cyber crime.

According to the Telegraph:

Sir Tim called on the authorities to put as much effort into fighting cyber crime as they do into conventional crime.

Sir Tim said he felt that online crime needed to be enforced as rigorously as crime in the real world, within international agreements to help prevent internet criminals escaping prosecution by hiding in countries outside the jurisdiction of the law where their victims live.

He said: "There have been many positive things about the web, but there are also some nasty things out there too. You can find out how to cure diseases, but you can also find out how to make bombs.

"Sometimes we need new laws, but in other cases we need to realise that old laws can still be applied to the web.

"We need to tackle issues of enforcement instead, as the laws on fraud, for example, already exist but is hard to find and catch the people responsible."

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 1:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The economy is hitting businesses hard all round and certainly no one is immune. However, there are some companies which are faring better than others even in the current harsh economic climate. Ranked as one of the ten IT vendors defying the gloom and doom is none other than VeriSign.

Even in tough economics times, internet security is still critical. In fact, some might argue it's even more so important given that crime rates have been known to increase in periods of economic downturn. Online identity theft and fraud are on the rise and undertaking precautionary measures to safeguard online identity is key. Whether it's outfitting a Website with an SSL certificate for encrypting transactions or a Secured Seal trust mark or a mechanism for verifying a site's authenticity, these security measures bolster trust and confidence. As a result, online businesses stand to benefit by way of possible increased revenues.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 8:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Twenty years ago this month in March 1989, Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web by following his dream of a better, easier way to communicate via computers on a global scale. And what an invention it was! The initial project, dubbed ENQUIRE referred to 'Enquire Within Upon Everything', a book Berners-Lee recalled from his childhood. Berners-Lee created a browser-editor with the goal of developing a tool to make the Web a creative space to share and edit information and build a common hypertext. Names considered for this browser included 'The Mine of Information' and 'The Information Mesh' and eventually decided on the WorldWideWeb in May 1990. The world's first web site went live in 1991. A copy of the original first webpage created by Berners-Lee can be found here.

In a recent interview with a co-author of Berners-Lee, it was said that to Tim "the whole point of the Web, to him, was not to just see information but to publish it, too. This didn't really happen until blogs emerged, followed by sites like Facebook , where people can easily post content. And, in answer to what the future holds for the Web, " It's hard to implement controls on the Web--because it was created in the ethos of the Internet--in that it's totally open. But for Tim, confronting issues like privacy and protection of intellectual property is not a matter of a technical fix. First, you need a social fix. If the Web is open to good people, it's open to bad people, too. The way you deal with security and other problems on the Web is the same way you deal with it in society: You need laws and social conventions that guide people's behavior. Once those are developed, then the technical ways to implement them can be created."

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 8:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As of the two-year anniversary of the launch of the VeriSign Extended Validation SSL Certificate, there are now more than 11,000 such certificates deployed on Websites around the world including the likes of PayPal, eBay, Travelocity and Schwab. The Extended Validation certificate lights up the Website address bar 'green' and displays the name of the site operator to verify the site authenticity to visitors. Only users with current versions of Web browsers such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome, and Opera will see the green address bar if a site has this certificate. This helps to protect users from fraudulent sites which may arise as a result of phishing, spoofing, and other scams. The Extended Validation certificate is a step-up from the standard SSL Certificate.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 8:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Internet continues to grow! There were 24 million new domain names registered in 2008 and 10.1 million new names in the fourth quarter of '08 across the all top level domains (TLDs). This brings the total number of domain name registrations across all TLDs to 177 million for 2008 - a 16 percent increase over the previous year and a 2 percent increase over the third quarter of '08. The five largest TLDs in terms of base size were .com, .cn (China), .de (Germany), .net, and .org.

The number of .com and .net domain names continues to climb as well. The overall base of .com and .net domain names grew to 90.4 million in 2008 - a 12 percent increase from 2007 and a 1 percent increase from the third quarter. Country Code Top Level Domain Names (ccTLDs) reached 71.1 million domain names - a 22 percent increase YOY and a 3 percent increase from the third quarter of 2008.

New domain name registrations across all TLDs have been growing at a decreasing rate compared to 2007 due to slower growth in both gTLDs and ccTLDs.

Domain Name Industry Brief (pdf).

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you haven't seen this before, this is a funny video. It's from an '08 VeriSign campaign featuring a self-proclaimed 'Cart Whisperer' who goes out rescuing abandoned shopping carts and then setting them free. The underlying message is that online shoppers fill up their shopping carts and abandon them before hitting the 'Buy' button because they don't feel the site they are buying from is secure...maybe because they don't see a trust mark like the VeriSign Secured Seal or evidence of SSL encryption :). Enjoy!

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 1:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In a recent survey of 919 U.S. adults, 18 years and older who spend at least three non-work hours a week online, 85 percent of consumers state that trusting a site is most important to them when interacting with a Website and sharing confidential information. In contrast, nine percent deemed competitive pricing as most important and another five percent thought ease of use was most important. Additionally, a whopping 93 percent of respondents said they would stop transacting on a site that was not secure.

The survey findings also concluded that 76 percent of consumers claimed that identity theft is a "major" concern for them. When asked how they felt about brands that did not protect their online identity, 56 percent felt "distrustful," 17 percent felt "disappointed," 13 percent felt "betrayed," six percent felt "indifferent," and four percent felt "let down." Finally, one in five engage in fewer online activities due to security concerns.

And how do consumers protect their online identities? According to the survey:
- 86 percent use a simple user name and password to enter accounts
- 62 percent look for the lock icon in the address bar
- 55 percent look for a logo or seal from the firm providing Internet security
- 52 percent look for https:// in the address bar
- 26 percent look for a green address bar

The findings suggest that Website credibility is key to consumers and they are willing to pay a little extra online for the peace of mind of knowing that their identities are protected. The survey was conducted by Synovate and commissioned by VeriSign.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Welcome to the VeriSign User Experience Blog. This is the first-ever such blog for us and I am very excited to get it started. Through my posts, I look forward to sharing what we are doing and engaging with and hearing from you on how we are doing in our quest to better serve and meet your needs via our Websites. After all, we are building our sites for you, not us. I will also share insights, ramblings, musings, and the like on user experience that may be of interest.

If you have any feedback on the types of content you would like to see covered on this blog, I would love to hear from you. I look forward to meeting you all online. Thank you.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 8:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)