Poll: Do you use forms on your Web sites?
Thursday November 30, 2006
I'm finding that forms on my Web site are generating more spam than they are helping improve my site. But I still use them.
Image courtesy yarranz from StockXchng #426123.
Do ... Read More
See how easily you can add characters like ♥ into your Web pages
Wednesday November 29, 2006
You might be surprised at how easy it is to add special characters like ♥ and № into your Web pages with just a few steps.
Image courtesy Henkster from ... Read More
Marvell chips could speed mobile Web browsing
Wednesday November 29, 2006
One of the reasons I'm not a huge fan of browsing on a mobile phone is because of the speed. But Marvell chips could speed mobile Web browsing. So now ... Read More
A new browser - better than all the rest!
Wednesday November 29, 2006
It's better now, like seriously! If you can't decide which browser you want to use, you should take a look at Microsoft(R) Firefox.
With all the features you've come to ... Read More
I've created a new layout
Wednesday November 29, 2006
One of the things I love best about Web design is how creative people can get. I was reading one of my blogs today when I came across an interesting ... Read More
Build the Ugliest Page
Tuesday November 28, 2006
So many Web design contests ask you to build the best looking page you can, but sometimes building something ugly can help people to understand non-ugly design better. After all, ... Read More
Gadgets can be silly or useful
Tuesday November 28, 2006
Any of my friends will tell you that I'm a gadget freak. Sometimes I even scare myself - as I think of new things that I must have - even ... Read More
Who else hates slow sites?
Monday November 27, 2006
I'm often asked how slow is too slow for a page to download. And if I provide times (4 seconds, 7 seconds, 10 seconds) someone invariably responds with a comment ... Read More
Free Video Sites
Sunday November 26, 2006
Putting video on your Web pages is getting easier and easier. And luckily it's also less hard on the bandwidth - not because videos are getting smaller but because more ... Read More
Featured Web Jobs - week ending November 24, 2006
Friday November 24, 2006
My first Web job I was a Web Writer, but once I learned to program in C I was promoted to Webmaster. But I've always thought of myself as a ... Read More
XSLT 2.0 is now a Proposed Recommendation
Friday November 24, 2006
That means that it only needs to meet final approval to become an official recommendation of the W3C.
Image courtesy clix from StockXchng #449243.
This is exciting news for anyone who uses ... Read More
Now that you know what's broken in IE 7
Thursday November 23, 2006
What can you do to fix it? As we learned a couple days ago there are three main reasons why sites break in IE7. But Vitamin is here to help.
Wake ... Read More
Poll: Do you have advertising on your Web site?
Thursday November 23, 2006
One of the easiest ways to make money on a Web site is to run advertising. Then "all" you have to do is get the page views to support the ... Read More
Use the Google Transcoder to simplify your pages
Wednesday November 22, 2006
Okay, the Google Transcoder was built as a search engine for cell phones, but it also can help reduce the complexity and visual clutter on Web pages.
Image courtesy star-one ... Read More
Who else is buying presents for Web designers?
Wednesday November 22, 2006
Do you have a Web designer in your life that you'd like to buy something special for for the holidays? Or maybe you just want to find suggestions to ... Read More
Three reasons sites break in Internet Explorer 7
Tuesday November 21, 2006
Okay, if you're like me you've been eagerly awaiting the day when IE 7 got popular enough that we could stop worrying about non-standards compliant browsers like IE 6 and ... Read More
The Secret of Web Accessibility
Tuesday November 21, 2006
The secret is in this book. But it's not really that big a secret. I've said over and over that Web accessibility is not something that should be hard or ... Read More
Did you know you can create multiple sites on Google Page Creator?
Monday November 20, 2006
The About Personal Web Guide has more information on how you can create
Multiple Sites on Google Page Creator, and hide your site.
Image courtesy srtelle from StockXchng #601932.
Google Page Creator
Finding ... Read More
If you don't learn how to set your rates now, you'll regret it later
Monday November 20, 2006
Freelancing as a Web designer can be a very fun and rewarding experience, but one of the hardest things to figure out how to do well is set your rates. ... Read More
Finding gifts for Web designers can be hard
Monday November 20, 2006
Why not Give the Gift of a DVD Burner? With Web sites getting larger and more multimedia appearing on them, a DVD burner is a good gift for any Web ... Read More
What everyone ought to know about HTML definition lists
Monday November 20, 2006
When people think lists, they usually think of numbered or bulletted lists, but there is another type of list that can be very useful to Web designers - the definition ... Read More
Web Developers have a 4% increase in pay
Sunday November 19, 2006
Computer World released it's 20th annual salary survey, and the average increase was 3%.
Image courtesy Modrobiz from StockXchng #643674.
But Web developers made a little more than average according to ... Read More
kuler - a Flash color picker from Adobe
Saturday November 18, 2006
kuler is a color picker in Flash where you can create a load your favorite color combinations, or browse through the colors other people have suggested.
Image courtesy foobean01 from ... Read More
Featured Web Jobs - week ending November 17, 2006
Saturday November 18, 2006
There are lots of jobs in the Web industry. "Web producer" seems to be the most popular term, but you can also be a "Web Database Developer" or a "Dashboarding ... Read More
What hardware do you have
Saturday November 18, 2006
Web designers have special needs for hardware. We need a strong video card for the graphics we build and we need a lot of memory to run all the programs ... Read More
Douglas Crockford on the Theory the DOM
Thursday November 16, 2006
I'm not a huge fan of JavaScript, but as I've mentioned in other posts, the DOM and scripting with it is growing on me.
Image courtesy clix from StockXchng #449243.
I ... Read More
Poll: Have you ever used a Content Management System (CMS)?
Thursday November 16, 2006
Content management sometimes seems really huge on enterprise Web sites, but even small Web sites can benefit from a CMS tool. CMS can be anything from a simple blogging tool ... Read More
Free icon set for Web designers
Thursday November 16, 2006
Sometimes, you might not want a full-sized graphic, but icons can be very difficult to make and look clean.
Icons courtesy Joseph North.
Luckily for all of us Joseph North has created ... Read More
8 Cheap and Easy Ways to Learn HTML
Thursday November 16, 2006
There are so many powerful Web page editors available these days, it's easy to think that you don't need to learn HTML.
Image courtesy xlucas from StockXchng #562989.
But while it's possible ... Read More
Some HTML and CSS questions answered
Wednesday November 15, 2006
I get a lot of questions from my readers. These are some of the interesting ones that have appeared lately.
Image courtesy hdoddema from StockXchng #619007.
How do I set up ... Read More
There's more to clip art than just images
Wednesday November 15, 2006
Image courtesy BlueVibe from StockXchng #116617.
If you're one of the 16% or so who primarily use clip art for images on your site, the About Web Clip Art's everything ... Read More
Book Review: CSS Cookbook 2nd Edition
Wednesday November 15, 2006
CSS Cookbook by Christopher SchmittImage copyright © O'Reilly
A significant increase in size, this second edition of CSS Cookbook is a welcome addition to any Web designer's library. There are a ... Read More
Popup Window Reference
Tuesday November 14, 2006
If you want to know how to open a new window with JavaScript, then you can't go wrong with the JavaScript Guide's
Popup Window Reference. This isn't done with HTML, just ... Read More
Today is World Usability Day 2006
Tuesday November 14, 2006
There are events and Webcasts planned throughout the day to celebrate usability. It's important that things work and work in a fashion that is useful to people. That is what ... Read More
You can validate for more than just code
Tuesday November 14, 2006
Image courtesy star-one from StockXchng #300688.
HTML validators are great - but did you know that you can validate your site for accessibility? An accessible Web site is one that is ... Read More
Freelancers Must Have Contracts
Tuesday November 14, 2006
If you're going to do freelancing, you don't want to get in trouble or have difficulty getting paid. The About Advertising Guide says
Tip: Freelancers Must Have Contracts and I agree. ... Read More
How do you spend your time when designing?
Monday November 13, 2006
According to this image many Web designers spend a large chunk of time swearing - whether at browsers or browser makers or just in general. Thanks John, for the laugh! ... Read More
Can you recognize page types when you see them?
Monday November 13, 2006
Web pages come in all shapes and sizes, but when it comes to the purpose of a Web page, most have one of four different goals: show off content, sell ... Read More
Are You a Designer or a Writer?
Monday November 13, 2006
The About Desktop Publishing Guide asks Are You a Designer or a Writer? But I would take it a step further - in Web Design, you can really be one ... Read More
Microsoft .NET 3 Framework Released
Sunday November 12, 2006
Microsoft .NET 3 Framework Released Find out more from the About C/C++ Guide.
Why haven't you started your own business?
Sunday November 12, 2006
Over the years I have known many people who have aspired to be freelance Web designers. Many of them have posted up a Web site announcing their services and then ... Read More
Are You an Indifferent Designer?
Saturday November 11, 2006
What makes a designer a designer and not just a hack? The About Guide to Desktop Publishing asks the question
Are You an Indifferent Designer? After all, some designers use templates ... Read More
Don't let it happen to you...
Saturday November 11, 2006
In just the last couple of days, I've received a lot of Web horror story submissions. Learn from their mistakes, or else just be glad that you didn't do anything ... Read More
Featured Web Jobs - week ending November 10, 2006
Friday November 10, 2006
If you live in the US, you know that this week was election week, and there were a lot of changes in our government. I was a bit concerned that ... Read More
There are plugins that also use Google Sitemaps
Friday November 10, 2006
If you use Google Sitemaps, there are a number of programs that can also use them. Google lists
Third Party Programs & Websites that support Google Sitemaps.
Help support accessibility and good design
Friday November 10, 2006
Joe Clark is asking for your help to get a new accessibility project off the ground - The Open and Closed Project. He is asking for micropatronage where lots of ... Read More
Anonymous Surfing 101 - What is Anonymous Web Surfing?
Friday November 10, 2006
Did you know that you can surf the Web anonymously? Or that you probably aren't anonymous right now, even if you think you are? The About Guide to Web Search ... Read More
Book Review: Information Architecture by Louis Rosenfeld and Peter Morville
Thursday November 9, 2006
If you're responsible for a large Web site, then you should get this book - that includes managers, designers, developers, and content authors. Understanding Information Architecture is crucial for everyone ... Read More
Use CSS and JavaScript to create a fading photo gallery
Thursday November 9, 2006
This
CSS Photo Shuffler Demonstration Site uses JavaScript and CSS to create a really nice photo album. The photo loads and then if you have CSS and JS enabled, it fades ... Read More
Poll: Where do you get the images for your Web site?
Thursday November 9, 2006
Images are an important part of most Web pages. But finding or creating the images to use can be challenging. Where do most of your Web images come from? (Please ... Read More
Planning Is Crucial
Thursday November 9, 2006
It's vital for Web pages and for podcasts. The About Guide to Podcasting has written a step-by-step tutorial taking you through Planning Your Podcast that is really helpful in generating ... Read More
Newly Supported CSS Selectors in IE7
Thursday November 9, 2006
Now we can finally use the child and adjacent sibling selectors in CSS and have them work in IE. Yay!
Newly Supported CSS Selectors in IE7
WebPlus 10 - Software Review
Thursday November 9, 2006
If you own a business or otherwise don't have time to learn Web design or money to hire a Web designer, then WebPlus 10 is a great Web editor. You ... Read More
How do you attract new clients?
Wednesday November 8, 2006
Attracting new business is vital if you're going to stay solvent as a freelance designer. Participate in the About Small Business: Canada Poll
What's The Best Way for a Business to ... Read More
Did I say 7-10 seconds? I meant 4...
Wednesday November 8, 2006
You want your Web pages to load as quickly as possible, but the accepted rule of thumb has been that 7 seconds was probably fine. Well, no longer. Akamai and ... Read More
Dynamic CSS Changes
Wednesday November 8, 2006
Have you ever tried to change styles on a Web page dynamically using JavaScript? It can be, um, challenging, even using the DOM. The article
Dynamic CSS Changes on Particletree explains ... Read More
Another possible Web business
Wednesday November 8, 2006
Everyone who posts a Web page needs a place to host their pages. And while margins can be very tight, it is possible to set up a business to resell ... Read More
A typo can take out your Web site
Wednesday November 8, 2006
Deleting live files is a popular theme in Web horror stories. You press a wrong button or maybe your cat walks across the keyboard and months of work is gone ... Read More
Top Digital Cameras Under $100
Tuesday November 7, 2006
If you're going to put photos on your Web sites, you can use a stock photo supplier or you can take your own photos. The About Digital Cameras Guide gives ... Read More
Flash Digital Clock
Tuesday November 7, 2006
For some reason, the little clock in the corner of my task bar is really hard for me to see. So I went looking for a clock that I could ... Read More
Why do Web pages always need to be done 10 minutes ago?
Monday November 6, 2006
Valentin sent me the first user submission for the Web Horror Stories. I'm sure many of you have received the 10 minute warning, as I like to call them. That's ... Read More
Some days it just doesn't pay to get out of bed
Monday November 6, 2006
Everyone makes mistakes, and Web designers are not immune either. I was talking to a friend of mine the other day who said that she had just deleted the entire ... Read More
Another interesting Ajax book
Monday November 6, 2006
Unlike some of the other Ajax books I've reviewed lately, this one delves a lot more deeply into the coding. It's not a book for beginners, but it does offer ... Read More
Get $5 off a Web Design book when it comes out
Monday November 6, 2006
Just submit your email address and get a $5-off coupon for this new book:
Five Simple Steps Designing for the Web
Image courtesy Modrobiz from StockXchng #643674.
The Hexadecimal Colours Game
Saturday November 4, 2006
If you're a Web designer, you've hex colors before. But can you recognize what color a hex code is going to be when you see it? The Hexadecimal Colours Game ... Read More
Some IE 7 installs are failing
Saturday November 4, 2006
Now that Microsoft has released IE 7 in the update cycle some people are experiencing difficulties during the install.
[IP] [ PFIR ] Important Warning Re MS Internet Explorer 7 Installation ... Read More
Featured Web Jobs - week ending November 3, 2006
Friday November 3, 2006
What is a Webmaster? Eleven years ago, I knew what it was because I wasn't one. :-) At that time, a Webmaster was the equivalent of a "postmaster" on a ... Read More
You want to be banned from Google? Here's how...
Friday November 3, 2006
The About Guide to Google has a list of
Google Don'ts - Dirty Tricks and Bad Tips that Will Get Your Site Banned. Don't be stupid - avoid these hacks and ... Read More
I never thought I'd say this
Friday November 3, 2006
But I'm actually starting to enjoy writing JavaScript. And it's not because of Ajax (although that helped). No, it's because the browsers are starting to standardize on the DOM and ... Read More
Challenge #2 - Helloooos! - Vote Now!
Thursday November 2, 2006
I received seven submissions for the second design challenge. The rules were that they should create a Web page based on the moose image shown here. Please take a look ... Read More
Poll: Should a business use free Web hosting?
Thursday November 2, 2006
A few weeks ago, I ran a poll that indicated that a lot of people felt that Web hosting should be free or you shouldn't do it. But do you ... Read More
Do you like to use image maps?
Thursday November 2, 2006
I had a co-worker who loved them. He would put image maps on every image if we let him. Personally, I think they are a bit too much work most ... Read More
You can build your own Ajax apps
Wednesday November 1, 2006
I got the chance to review Matthew Eernisse's new book Build Your Own Ajax Web Applications and it's got a lot of interesting stuff in it. He doesn't just stick ... Read More
Wondering what I've been doing lately?
Wednesday November 1, 2006
Yesterday I turned in all the chapters and text for my final deadline of my book "The About.com Guide to Web Design and HTML". It won't be coming out for ... Read More
Adobe - Education: 2007 Adobe Design Achievement Awards
Wednesday November 1, 2006
Are you an aspiring Web designer? Adobe has a call for entries for the 2007 Adobe Design Achievement Awards.
The Adobe® Design Achievement Awards celebrate student achievement reflecting the powerful ... Read More
Flash eSeminar series
Wednesday November 1, 2006
Five interesting seminars from Adobe about Flash, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, and Studio.
Flash eSeminar series