Themes in Web design?
Tuesday October 31, 2006
I received this comment from Jason the other day:
In fact, my best designs come from good content ...as I like to call: The Theme
And it got me thinking about ... Read More
Why I write valid XHTML
Tuesday October 31, 2006
I have seen a number of comments about writing standards-based HTML documents and not using tables for layout that make me wonder why people got into Web development. Personally, I ... Read More
Construct a Page That Gets Attention
Tuesday October 31, 2006
Whether you're creating a printed page or a Web page, the goal is usually to get the reader's attention and keep it. The About Desktop Publishing Guide has an interesting ... Read More
Poll: Have you downloaded Firefox 2?
Tuesday October 31, 2006
Now Firefox 2 has been out for around a week. Have you downloaded it yet?
Yes
No
View Results
Happy Halloween
Tuesday October 31, 2006
It's Halloween, so of course I have to scare you just a little. The designs listed here are some of the designs that scare me the most. Which design style ... Read More
How fast is your connection?
Tuesday October 31, 2006
Al, the Python Guide here at About just told me about Speedtest.net. It's a pretty neat tool. You can use it to test your connection to the city where your ... Read More
Optimizing pages for search isn't that hard
Monday October 30, 2006
There are really only five steps you need to take to optimize a page for search engines. But sometimes, it is nice to see it visually. So I took a ... Read More
If you use MSXML 5, please stop...
Friday October 27, 2006
According to
IEBlog , MSXML 5 is not pre-approved in IE 7 and so if you use it, your customers who use IE 7 will get an error message and have ... Read More
Featured Web Jobs - week ending 10/27/2006
Friday October 27, 2006
One of the questions I get asked a lot is how to get into Web design and development. Well a good way to do it is as an intern. So ... Read More
Do you need a new computer?
Friday October 27, 2006
While most of you are probably looking for a new laptop computer, I've found that for the money, desktop computers are a better value. The
Top Budget Desktop PCs listed on ... Read More
Poll: What is most important when looking for a Web job?
Thursday October 26, 2006
When you're looking for a new job, there are lots of things to consider before you take the job. Money is of course important, but what else? Personally, if a ... Read More
Web Design: Interaction Design vs Visual Design
Thursday October 26, 2006
According to the About Web Usability Guide, Web design is a two-stage process: interaction design and visual design, but I actually think he's missing a stage - specifically the content ... Read More
Using IE 7
Thursday October 26, 2006
I got this comment from roni:
Unfortunately, I've had a few pages load errors with the response I am using ie7 and it is causing problems. My question is, ... Read More
Disabling right-clicking is ugly
Thursday October 26, 2006
I got a comment from Brad today:
I find that Flash and other techniques disable something I use really regularly, like 2 to 20 times an hour -- the right click. ... Read More
Enhance your online presence with podcasting
Wednesday October 25, 2006
When Symantec got into podcasts a few months ago, I was somewhat surprised, as I didn't really think that people would be interested in listening to security, but it is ... Read More
id= parameters are now okay with Google
Wednesday October 25, 2006
Previously the Google Webmaster Guidelines said Don't use "&id=" as a parameter in your URLs, as we don't include these pages in our index. But now that's okay - they ... Read More
Are you a professional Web designer?
Wednesday October 25, 2006
Chances are, even if you answered yes to that question,
Jeff Croft would probably disagree with you. He's written a very interesting article about the craft of Web design and what ... Read More
Name the Visual QuickStart Bunny
Wednesday October 25, 2006
You can win an iPod and 20 books from PeachPit press - all you have to do is
Name the QuickStart Bunny.
Firefox 2 is now available
Tuesday October 24, 2006
Web developers have yet another browser version to worry about.
Firefox 2 is now officially released. Some of the new features include:
Phishing protection, so you'll be warned when you're on a ... Read More
Poll: Have you downloaded IE 7?
Tuesday October 24, 2006
IE 7 was released last Wednesday and according to the IE Blog over 3 million people have downloaded it already. Have you?
Yes
No
View Results
Can you write a useful Ajax application?
Tuesday October 24, 2006
The About JavaScript Guide would like to know. If you can, why not submit it to the
Javascript Coding Challenge #1:A Useful Ajax Application.
How do you protect your online images?
Tuesday October 24, 2006
There are many ways people have tried to protect online images. Do you use any of the techniques mentioned here? Find out how secure your graphics are and what you ... Read More
W3C Validator updated
Monday October 23, 2006
The W3C Markup Validation Service has been updated with bug fixes, documentation, and usability improvements. You can validate your documents online, by upload, or by directly pasting the markup into ... Read More
Google adds new features to the Webmaster tools
Monday October 23, 2006
Now, if you use Google's Web Developer tools to evaluate your site, you have a bunch of new features to play with:
Googlebot activity reports - complete with charts.
Control the rate ... Read More
My XHTML validates, but you say it's not valid
Monday October 23, 2006
I got a comment from Justin the other day:
Why would you say that we have to get rid of tables if they are valid XHTML and not being deprecated (according ... Read More
Put shadows on your elements
Monday October 23, 2006
It's possible to put plain drop shadows onto elements using CSS. And you don't even need to use images. This means that you can have simple drop shadows on your ... Read More
Learn JavaScript
Sunday October 22, 2006
There are so many pre-made scripts on the Web that it can be very tempting to just wait for someone else to build what you're looking for and then use ... Read More
Featured Web Jobs - week ending 10/20/2006
Friday October 20, 2006
This week I decided to see what types of jobs would request Dreamweaver as a requirement.
Web DesignerThis is a contract-to-hire position in Kansas City, MO. It's clearly a graphical position, ... Read More
Internet Explorer 7 is here
Thursday October 19, 2006
Have you downloaded it yet? Internet Explorer 7 has moved out of beta status. What's next to wait for? Why not Firefox 2.
Poll: Do you run a business on your Web site?
Thursday October 19, 2006
There are lots of reasons to build and maintain a Web site. Personal sites are very popular, in fact I have 3 that I run for myself (when I'm not ... Read More
Webcams can still be fun
Wednesday October 18, 2006
Okay, after I moved, I took my webcam down and I haven't put it up again yet. But now I'm inspired, as the About Digital Cameras Guide has posted a ... Read More
"Everybody" knows that Flash Web sites aren't searchable, right?
Wednesday October 18, 2006
It's almost a guarantee that if something is universally known, then it will be proven wrong. And the adage about Flash Web sites not being search engine friendly doesn't have ... Read More
Clean up your HTML with CSS equivalents
Tuesday October 17, 2006
If you've been reading my site for a while, you know that I advocate standards based design. While that does mean getting rid of tables for layout, it also means ... Read More
Have you ever done spec work?
Monday October 16, 2006
I've been working on and off as a freelance writer and Web developer for the past 11 years, and it's always interesting to me when the topic of spec work ... Read More
Form your business online
Sunday October 15, 2006
Web designers probably know better than most people the amount of work that can be done online. In fact, I've been working remotely from either corporations or freelancing for six ... Read More
Here's an interesting twist on building CSS Web pages
Saturday October 14, 2006
Markup Maker is a tool I found when browsing around today - it takes a list of ids and creates a valid XHTML document based on them. In other words, ... Read More
Challenge: Create a Haunted Halloween Page
Saturday October 14, 2006
Whether you've finished creating a site for my Web Design Challenge #2 or not, now is a great time to participate in the About.com Guide to Personal Web Pages
Challenge: Create ... Read More
Featured Web Jobs - week ending 10/13/2006
Friday October 13, 2006
I get a lot of questions about how to break into the Web industry. And while I have done some freelancing, most of my work in the Web has been ... Read More
Poll: How much is too much to pay for Web Hosting?
Thursday October 12, 2006
I think we've established that most people feel that domain registrars should be inexpensive. While I still don't have a clear picture as to why someone would choose GoDaddy ($8.95 ... Read More
Is your site Web 2.0?
Thursday October 12, 2006
This is the funniest validator I've seen in a long time! Web 2.0 Validator : We're the dot in Web 2.0 - after all, just by adding this blog post, ... Read More
Having fun with image optimization
Thursday October 12, 2006
You know, I learned something about GIF optimization yesterday - I didn't know that GIF files would compress smaller if there were few or no vertical lines in them. It ... Read More
What you comment here can bring you readers to your own site
Thursday October 12, 2006
Comments on my site can bring you readers to your site. But only if you are smart. For example, a week or so ago, I had a long comment discussion ... Read More
SpamSpan20
Wednesday October 11, 2006
The About Email Guide has found a great protection tool for your email addresses that you might post on Web sites.
SpamSpan 1.01 - Email Address Encoder. If you don't protect ... Read More
Many more submissions are CSS layout
Tuesday October 10, 2006
The Web Design Design Gallery is getting a lot more submissions that are CSS layout as well as the table based layout we're used to. There are 18 new sites ... Read More
Question about GoDaddy
Tuesday October 10, 2006
I received a comment from Stephan asking some questions about GoDaddy. Since I've only been a customer of GoDaddy for 5 days, I thought I'd let the rest of you ... Read More
In search of the missing run-in value
Monday October 9, 2006
There are so many features in CSS that it's easy to miss one or think you'll never need to use it. The display: run-in; property is a good example of ... Read More
IE7 Is Coming This Month...Are you Ready?
Monday October 9, 2006
Hopefully, all the preparation and standards compliance stories will become a reality later this month when IE 7 is finally released. According to the MSN IE Blog, IE 7 will ... Read More
Use the right graphic format for your images
Monday October 9, 2006
When optimizing your images for size, one of the first decisions you should make is what format your image should be in. GIF and JPEG files have different uses, and ... Read More
Attracting New Clients
Sunday October 8, 2006
Attracting New Clients is always an important part of a freelance Web design business. And most of us are probably not spending enough time doing it. Luckily, the About Small ... Read More
Tip: Write Your Marketing Plan
Saturday October 7, 2006
This is really more than a tip - your marketing plan is your strategy, whether you're opening a business or just starting a new campaign. The About Advertising Guide explains ... Read More
What do you value in your domain registrar?
Thursday October 5, 2006
Okay, based on the comments in my last post, cost per year is really important when choosing a domain registrar. But what else do you care about? Is that the ... Read More
Poll: What Web ad technique is the most annoying?
Thursday October 5, 2006
The ad takes over the screen
The ad covers or blocks content
The ad doesn't have an off button
The ad pops a window above the current one
The ad pops a window below ... Read More
Design Challenge Number 2 - Helloooos!
Thursday October 5, 2006
VOTE NOW
What if your customer came to you and said "I want a Web design based on this image"? How would you design the site? This is the Web Design ... Read More
Do you use polls in your blog or Web site?
Thursday October 5, 2006
The About Weblogs Guide would like to know. Vote Now - note that you have to login to the About forums to vote.
Put Google Gadgets on your web site
Thursday October 5, 2006
Google has annouced that you can put their Google Gadgets (definition) anywhere - not just your Google homepage. Learn more at the About Web Search site:
Put Google Gadgets on your ... Read More
Commenting Tips - lifehack.org
Thursday October 5, 2006
These Commenting Tips from lifehack.org were an interesting read for me, especially now that About has turned on comments on our blogs. The analogy to your dining room table is ... Read More
Your Web photos should look as good as the ones on your walls
Wednesday October 4, 2006
If you don't have any photos on your walls, but you have a Web site then this still applies to you. I've written a lot of articles explaining how to ... Read More
State of Web Development
Wednesday October 4, 2006
Sitepoint and Ektron sponsored a survey of Web designers and developers to find out more about the industry. In doing the analysis, they found that there are four types of ... Read More
Hearts For Bloggers
Wednesday October 4, 2006
Do you love bloggers or love your blog? Well, the Web Clipart Guide at About has some fun clipart images that you can use to show off your love. Hearts ... Read More
10 Things That Will Make Or Break Your Website
Tuesday October 3, 2006
Make your app easy to use - then make it easier. That is just the first thing that can make or break your Web application. If you're trying to build ... Read More
Common Javascript Errors
Tuesday October 3, 2006
Sometimes the reason JavaScript can seem so difficult is because we've made errors that make the code not work. If you watch for these common JS errors in your code, ... Read More
About Web Design / HTML Redesign Challenge - Vote!
Monday October 2, 2006
I only got a few entries for this redesign challenge, but it's fun to see what people can come up with. All the redesigns are very different.
The Designs
Entry 1 from ... Read More
Which is Better for Readability: a Serif or Sans Serif Font?
Monday October 2, 2006
When you're trying to decide what font to use on your Web site one of the first choices you need to make is serif vs. sans-serif. Gene, the About Guide ... Read More
How to Buy a Domain Name with Network Solutions
Monday October 2, 2006
I admit it, I'm a domain name junky. I go and look up possible domain names all the time. I own more than one domain (more than Mark wants me ... Read More
10 Programming Languages You Should Learn Right Now
Sunday October 1, 2006
While not all of them are directly Web related - most of them are. In fact, I started writing CGIs ten years ago using C and C++ so it could ... Read More