Trending CSS Techniques in a Web 2.0 to 3.0 World

CSS has an important backseat role when it comes to website design. Recently businesses have been hearing a lot about Web 2.0 to 3.0 and the importance of creating a web experience that is rich and interactive for users. But how does CSS come into play in this Web 2.0 trending world?

There are new ways to improve CSS that can have an impact on the look and feel of a site as well as the loading time. Some of the ways that CSS can be improved is through loading time fixes and layouts that are conducive to an ever more burgeoning Web 2.0 web-oriented users.

How to improve the loading time of your website through CSS

When using javascript and CSS files, it can sometimes become a bit hairy with the amount of characters and features that need to load. What makes the 21st Century a great time for users to gain control of this issue is the fact that there are now minification and compression tools available that work in PHP and/or C# to speed up site loading times through using less characters with the same functionality.

Compressing CSS and javascript can help speed up the website for those unexpected spikes in traffic where users might experience longer loading times. The loading speed might not be 100% manageable as a result of outside resources that might be in use on the website (a twitter flash component for example), but for the most part compressing the CSS and javascript files can have a noticeable impact on loading time for the website.

Gearing CSS for a Web 2.0 to 3.0 online world

A lot of the popular link-sharing sites such as Digg and Reddit have a specific layout that users come to expect when visiting these types of online trend-setting sites. While there are templates available that have similar layouts to these link sharing sites, a company website can take note of the specific javascript features and CSS layouts noticeable on the websites.

For example, Digg and Reddit both have very simple layouts that show tabbed browsing as well as a horizontal menu bar at the top that the user can navigate through. The menu bar on Digg also uses javascript to allow users to click through the categories and explore the sections. This look and feel is an intuitive and Web 2.0-friendly design that facilitates interaction with the website content and dialogue.

The best way for companies to work with a Web 2.0 type of style in a professional format is to brand the CSS with a design that makes sense for the business, while also creating ease-of-use for the visitor.