Speed vs Reliability in e-Commerce Sites

Macy's, Borders, and HP have some of the fastest retail sites on the Web, but it's Saks Fifth that gets it right every time.

The Keynote Online Retail Transaction Performance Indices regularly publishes its findings on execution time and success rate in top 40 business sites and as well as top 40 government sites.

The index is based on hourly measurements conducted from 8 a.m. to midnight (EST), Monday to Friday. How long does it take to log in, search for an item, apply a filter, read product description, add to shopping cart, and proceed to checkout.

Keynote subscribers also receive reports on detailed and aggregated measurements on DNS lookup time, TCP connect round-trip time, etc. conducted round the clock seven days a week.

Among others, American Express and broker sites like Wells Fargo and Scottrade were added in 2006.

As far as developing your own e-commerce site goes, does it have to be a choice between speed and reliability?

Proving that you can have it both ways, Google is currently ranked first among the top 40 business sites, with a 100 per cent success rate and a response time of 0.47 seconds. Facebook doesn't do as well, with a success rate of 99 per cent and a response time of 0.52 seconds.

At the bottom of the pile are MSNBC with a response time of 8.02 seconds; and NY Times, which has a better response time of 2.56 seconds but has the lowest success rate of 89.7 per cent.

Keynote also conduct industry research, including a study of online groceries in the UK in 2008. Five grocery sites and 2000 respondents participated in the study, which focused on customer experience and service level rankings.

Ocado's e-commerce site was ranked first in terms of brand impact, with Sainsbury second. In turn, Sainsbury's site was ranked first in terms of customer satisfaction, with Ocado coming in second.

Keynote are offering its measuring and research capabilities as well to retail web sites in the US and UK. The studies would look into site performance in terms of brand-building, opinion and behavior, speed and reliability, best practices, and customer satisfaction.

The Truth about Mold Removal and Bleach

There are many myths that are associated with mold removal but one needs to be properly understood by anyone. There are many people that think that a bleach based solution is going to kill mold while the truth is that this is not always true. In most cases it will remove mold but there are some things that can happen. Some mold types will just be removed at a surface level while the actual problem is still there. In addition, on some mold types the bleach formula does not actually work properly.

The myth about bleach appeared due to the fact that some mold types can be killed but we have to understand that nowadays this is not a solution that you want to consider. The only event in which this should be done is when you are 100% sure that the mold is going to be killed. Even in this case there is a very strong chance that you are going to have mold come back as you will most likely forget to eliminate the cause. Few people even consider this highly important fact.

Mold appears because of a reason and you need to make sure that the reason is going to be taken care of. If you do not do this then the mold will come back. The truth is that you should seriously consider hiring a professional mold removal Atlanta firm in order to have them perform the mold removal process for you. Contrary to what you might imagine, the entire process is not going to cost you much at all and there is a very strong chance that the mold will be completely removed. You will even receive a guarantee from the best companies in the world so there is absolutely nothing that you might lose.

Lead testing in Atlanta

If you are in the area of Atlanta, GA, you would probably be living in a building that has been constructed in the 80’s or 90’s. If that is the case, then there is every possibility that the paint has not been changed in a long time. The reason behind this would be that the paint still looks fresh and so there was no need for the change. This would be because, in the past, the paint that was used on your walls contained lead in it which makes it look new even after a long time. Therefore, it is important that you get lead paint testing done.

You may be wondering why you need to get lead testing done if you live in an old building. The reason is that having lead in the paint used on your walls could prove dangerous to the people living under it. This is especially true if you have children below the age of 6 years in your house. The lead that is used in the paint can cause harm to the nervous system of the children. Therefore, you need to be sure that no such substance is present in your house.

Even though there are many lead paint testing kits available in the market, it is best if you get this done through a professional company. This is the better option as they would have the necessary expertise required to ensure that the test is conducted in the proper way. If you do not know how to do the test and yet try it yourself, you may end up getting the wrong results. Therefore, having a professional to do the job is the best way of getting things done. You can also be sure that the results that you get are authentic and without doubt.

Lead paint certified professionals are the best

Till the early 1970s, Lead Paint was predominantly used for painting homes and offices in every area. But as the decade came to an end, around 1978, the world came to realize the potential health hazards that were associated with the usage of lead paint and stopped using it for the purpose. Today, its use is unheard of but structures and houses painted before 1978 can as well contain traces of this toxin. Lead chips, lead dust or lead fumes if released from these can easily lead to lead poisoning in children, pets and adults. Lead Paint Removal is therefore extremely essential for up keeping the sanctity of a structure and the health of the residents of a house or an area.

Why is lead harmful?

Lead is harmful because it is highly toxic as a metal. Lead can emit fumes or release dusts that can enter our body through-

Breathing

Swallowing (lead chips can easily get mixed with the edibles and water that we consume)

This can contaminate our blood stream with lead and cause lead poisoning at the end. Children aged below six and pregnant women are most at risk. Lead paint Removal is extremely essential as it can lead to various health adversities in individuals, ranging from learning disabilities and behavioral abnormalities to deaths and convulsions.

Removal of the Lead Based Paint seems to be the only solution to check all such hazards.

EPA approved Lead Paint Removal procedures implemented by the experts in Atlanta are the best since the RRP guidelines propagated by the institution are followed in the course of these and specialists proficient in the trade do the work with the right tools and technologies.

Post removal, the experts take care to collect the debris, seal them, label them and dispose them off in specially segregated areas.

Chinese Drywall Testing An Absolute Must

One of the major problems that have cropped up in the recent times is the presence of Chinese drywall in a lot of homes; this is a major health concern as the walls are known to emit harmful fumes that can cause various allergic reactions. Having a home go through Chinese drywall testing is an absolute must. Chinese drywall testing reveals the presence of harmful chemicals such as sulfur and other degrading ionic compounds that pose a threat to health and well being.

This low quality Chinese drywall entered the Jacksonville, FA area and a lot of other parts of the country from China between 2001-2007 and unfortunately this low quality and harmful product is a part of many American homes today. This means there is a good chance of unsuspecting homes actually emitting these harmful fumes and making its residents vulnerable to the risks involved. 

Testing homes for Chinese drywall can prove invaluable not just to diagnose problems in air quality but also to assist home owners at the time of home sales, rentals or legal settlements; this is because a home that is free from Chinese drywall threats has more value among prospects. Drywall testing is a must to save residents from the threat caused by irritants and the impending stench that reminds residents of lab-ammonia or rotten eggs. These drywall sediments can do extensive damage to electronic appliances by corroding the metal in them, jeopardize copper wiring and plumbing links and damage equipments owing to the high level of mined Gypsum and Stromium that they contain. 

The best solution that home owners can get is to access the services of a testing company that will test homes for Chinese drywall, remove the harmful components of the drywall and sanitize the entire household for better hygienic conditions to prevail.