- Posts from Recommended Web Tools for 01/28/2012 – http://t.co/iWLWMoP6 #
- Posts from Recommended Web Tools for 01/21/2012 – http://t.co/1XlxXB6w #
- Posts from Recommended Web Tools for 01/14/2012 – http://t.co/a1vtXSKM #
- Posts from Recommended Web Tools for 01/07/2012 – http://t.co/TuDgippo #
- Posts from Recommended Web Tools for 12/31/2011 – http://t.co/QIYR3OBT #
- RT @gadgetopia: "Gartner found that 46 percent of people 18 to 24 would choose access to the Internet over access to their own car. " #
- RT @gizmosfreeware: This PDF to Word converter is fast/free. It works well but don't expect miracles on complex docs. http://t.co/iBQveD0r #
- RT @kissmetrics: New blog post: How I Keep My Bounce Rate Under 2% ?http://t.co/eWvpYdsP #
- RT @b2bbloggers: 7 Factors To Consider Before You Follow Someone On Twitter http://t.co/zPUzYwHP #
- RT @thegrok: 5 Ways to Make the Incredibly Useful Dropbox Even More Useful http://t.co/0sUiW0L2 #
- Tools for identifying Photoshopped photos and a "Photoshopped" ranking mechanism: http://t.co/q2waaAZk #
- RT @webdesignledger: RT @DesignerDepot: The top 25 books for web #designers and developers – http://t.co/x1t2Xeud #
- 3 Reasons Why You Should Be a
Formulaic Blogger http://t.co/gcUpyRCq # - sell back your books on Amazon: RT @gadgetopia: Found this on a book page on Amazon today. Never seen it before. http://t.co/bNglBpo7 #
- Posts from Recommended Web Tools for 12/03/2011 – http://t.co/XSDfCiqX #
- Cool, I'm about to reach 1,000 tweets! See the rest of my stats at Twitter Counter: http://t.co/0buzxmy4 #
- Why Conventional Blogging Wisdom Sucks (And What to Do Instead) http://t.co/L4ZDFJjd #
- been wanting to add bbPress myself, so here is help: Getting Started With bbPress http://t.co/a7seIXa3 #
- RT @opendns: Tour the new http://t.co/9x67d3yU. The site now offers rich resources and insight on OpenDNS technology. http://t.co/8ybept57 #
- RT @appsumo: Learn everything you need to know about HTML / HTML5 with this 42-lecture course for only $49 http://t.co/XEqLZU7g #
- 13 Usefull and Free WordPress PDF Plugins http://t.co/4VlJFfYm #
- One man's decision: RT @domainnamewire: Why I No Longer Include Affiliate Links on Domain Name Wire – http://t.co/BHQI2SsQ #
- RT @copyblogger: 3 Reasons Why You Should Be a Formulaic Blogger – http://t.co/e5D6HO3J #
- RT @adsense: We've redesigned our Help Center, making it easier for you to access materials to answer your questions. http://t.co/RYTSbtd2 #
- Great graphic. Love the thin red line! Wish Opera was more popular! RT @minervity: The History Of Web Browsers – http://t.co/9A46DFiK #
- RT @opendns: How good are you at detecting online scams? Take our phishing quiz to find out! http://t.co/BhVNmX8W #
- RT @zoho: 8 Counter-Intuitive Ways to Improve Your Well-Being & Creativity http://t.co/RyeZfgnN #
- 5 Ways Your Old YouTube Videos Can Triple Their Visibility http://t.co/FV6yHtSz #
- Happy Thanksgiving! #
- Happy Black Friday! #
- Posts from Recommended Web Tools for 11/26/2011 – http://t.co/o6OM5QuI #
- 140 characters can't hold all the swag that @Tripod is giving away. Sign up to build a website with #Zeeblio today http://t.co/1gLZnlxF #
- The pleasures of late night tweeting: its slow and you can keep up with what is coming in… #
- I have to be honest. I do not think paper.li "dailies" are worth it. I have yet to see someone produce one that is worth clicking over #
- RT @copyblogger: Newsjacking: How to Inject your Ideas into News Stories to Generate Tons of Media Coverage – http://t.co/aeOiOzRJ #
- RT @remarkablogger: RT @mattcutts: An experiment in radical transparency: revealing 10 changes to Google's search algorithms:… #
- RT @pluginbuddy: It happened overnight! #BackupBuddy now at 50,000 licenses. We'll be notifying #50 000 soon! http://t.co/3JSu7Pm1 #
- RT @alexkingorg: The Kindle Fire is hands down the most elegant Android device I've used (and I've used at least a half-dozen, phones and… #
- RT @copyblogger: How to Generate Massive Traffic, Excitement, and Even Jealousy with a Hollywood-Style Launch Trailer -… #
- RT @latestonwp: How to Add the Entire Google Webfont Library to the WordPress Post Editor http://t.co/jovtimT7 #
- RT @webdesignledger: Have you seen our latest giveaway? Win an iPhone 4S and 10 copies of Steve Jobs Biography http://t.co/RKkLmXWC #
- RT @problogger: New edition of 31 Days to Build a Better Blog is ready – http://t.co/Q8fSqXVY… #
- RT @copyblogger: The Amish Guide to Intelligent Web Design – http://t.co/p4AvK8Aa #
- How to secure WordPress http://t.co/rqtqSt8B #
- Translator Plugins: 5 Ways To Translate WordPress http://t.co/9TWPKUVd #
- .Com prices jump 7% in January: RT @domainnamewire: 60 Days To Renew Your Domains Before Price Hikes – http://t.co/PWiY8d33 #
- RT @opendns: How good are you at detecting online scams? Take our phishing quiz to find out! There's a quick refresher on the blog:… #
- RT @kikolani: What to Do When Your Business is Stuck: 7 Ways to Rescue Your Freelance Career http://t.co/zdQWQLVj via @PassivePanda by… #
- Posts from Recommended Web Tools for 11/19/2011 – http://t.co/QNFtTOrI #
- Enter to win Evernote lifetime account http://t.co/bs5MolIH #
- A List of Local Search Directories: http://ow.ly/6KFIA #webtools #
- List of RSS/Blog Directories http://ow.ly/6KFKw #webtools #
- RT @studio1c: Using Internet Radio to Promote Your Website http://t.co/NPpMzcmy #
- Posts from Recommended Web Tools for 10/08/2011 – http://t.co/TlaLQMCN #
- WordPress Development to Production Deployment Software: http://ow.ly/6vka3 #
- RT @copyblogger: How to Become an Unforgettable Writer – http://t.co/iI7z2PpO #
- How to Use Words as Images to Explain Yourself: http://ow.ly/6vkkN #
- Web Analytics Books You Should Be Reading: http://ow.ly/6vkUr #
- Sitepoint offering PHP Tutorials: http://ow.ly/6vk59 #
- Link Building with the Experts – 2010 Edition: http://ow.ly/6BlHa #
- RT @wibiya: What if social media were a high school? http://t.co/oeSNRqUy #
- RT @zoho: The 6 Excuses Entrepreneurs Use To Justify Their Struggling Business: 1) The competition is too established http://t.co/wfNkaVzu #
- RT @remarkablogger: Maximize the life cycle of your blog posts – http://ow.ly/6tYmI #
- As a manager, I couldn't agree more! RT @socialmouths: The Myth of Performance Metrics http://ow.ly/6uQXt #
- RT @sengineland: Oh Good Grep! Web Grepper: A New Web Intelligence Feature From Blekko http://t.co/Vcgp7L4S #
- What does it mean that your business is "data driven"?: http://ow.ly/6vlZ3 #
- RT @kikolani: 11 Essential Elements Of A Basic Marketing Plan http://t.co/uVli4Qkc via @CompanyFounder #
- Should your company have a formal social media training program? http://ow.ly/6vK1E #
- RT @webdesigncom: What does it take to master #WordPress WebDesign? http://t.co/16UCqail #
- 20 Questions Which Will Stimulate Activity In Your Online Community – The Online Community Guide http://ow.ly/6BlIR #
- Link Development vs. Traffic Development and Staying with the Times Link Development forum at WebmasterWorld http://ow.ly/6BlOM #
- If she can make quilts sexy, you can make ANY kind of content/product sexy: http://ow.ly/6vK7O #
- What kind of blogger are you? http://ow.ly/6vL1N #
- Five Link Building Experts: A Group Interview http://ow.ly/6BlMJ #
- Cool evolution of the web infographic: http://ow.ly/6vKHI #
- 34 Google+ Resources for Your Business: Advice from the Pros http://ow.ly/6vKtF #webtools #
- Posts from Recommended Web Tools for 10/01/2011 – http://t.co/9b5yQLbc #
- RT @domainnamewire: Go Daddy Responds Over Compromised Hosting Accounts – http://dnw.com/49v #
- RT @zurb: The Big Windows 8 Compromise That Nobody Is Talking About http://t.co/EeFKqTRK #
- Freelance Tips: When to Walk Away: http://ow.ly/6uG2q #
- How to Embed Video Using HTML5: http://ow.ly/6uFWm #
- RT @sedo: RT @Heather_at_Sedo: "What’s in a name? Maybe a lot." Great article on the importance of memorable #domains … #
- RT @domainnamewire: Registrar Renewal Notices: Damned if you Do, Damned if you Don't – http://dnw.com/499 #
- How to Take Better Pictures for Your Blog: http://ow.ly/6uF6L #
- Free CSS3 Video Tutorials: http://ow.ly/6uEhd #webtools #
- RT @monikersnap: Now that you have purchased a domain and set up your blog or website, how are you tracking its performance?…… #
- Can CSS Create Art: http://ow.ly/6uGpJ #
- Verified: Amazon's New Homepage Is Headed For Trouble: http://ow.ly/6uFys #webtools #
- RT @domainnamewire: Thoughtful Analysis on the Current State of the New TLD Program – http://dnw.com/48m #
- RT @vandelaydesign: How To Add More Storytelling to Your Daily Social Media Diet – http://ow.ly/6wz3w (via @inspiredmag) #
- RT @monikersnap: It's important to know how to turn your domain name into a blog or website. This video will discuss how you can…… #
- Cool Infographics showing a wide variety of Ecommerce Trends: http://ow.ly/6uGKE #
- 11 Retail Emails Web Designers Should Subscribe To: http://ow.ly/6uGPo #
- Make Your HTML Email 5½ Times More Mobile Friendly: http://ow.ly/6uGzI #
- RT @fanextra: Members Area Tutorial: Design a Multi-Page Portfolio Website http://t.co/JxKyBEDB #webtools #
- Why #affiliate programs for domain name services may not be worth your time: http://ow.ly/6xkar and http://ow.ly/6xkaC #
- RT @copyblogger: A 7-Step Extreme Blog Makeover – http://t.co/AORFlJKT #webtools #
- How to Find the Clients That YOU Want http://ow.ly/6uGWA #
- Cool, I'm about to reach 900 tweets! See the rest of my stats at Twitter Counter: http://t.co/SebZiPHX #
- 12 Reasons to Assess your desire for doing web analytics: http://ow.ly/6vjG4 #
- 25 Examples of Big Typography in Web Design http://ow.ly/6uH1E #
- Site Speed gets an upgrade. Hello Performance tab: http://ow.ly/6uHvJ #
- Neuro Web Design: What makes them click: http://ow.ly/6BlyR #
- Broken Link Building: Feast On Your Competitors This Thanksgiving | SEER Interactive http://ow.ly/6BlAO #
- Really really really easy SEO | Wordtracker: http://ow.ly/6BlBR #
- 11 Experts on Link Development Speak Out http://ow.ly/6BlG4 #
- Where is web analytics going?: http://ow.ly/6vjMO #
- Google Adsense Ads will display +1 button: http://ow.ly/6Dov2 –do they think people will REALLY vote on ads?? #
- Posts from Recommended Web Tools for 09/24/2011 – http://t.co/7MNjTtrf #
I have the privilege of being able to hear from a number of developers and companies who email me about their new software products.
Introducing Swipeable Technology to The Web
A while back, Razdog, sent me a blurb about their CloudMotion Swipe Technology.
The goal of the technology is to turn a “regular” website into a swipeable interface that is similar to using a smartphone.
I wanted to take a moment and introduce you to the concept and then ask a few questions.
You can see the technology used on the Razdog website.
You will notice the cloud icon underneath the main menu:
The magic happens here with the swipeable logo
Left Click and Hold the icon. Now drag to the left or right and Release. Click, Drag, Release all in one motion works best. See my brief video below:
A few thoughts:
Is this similar to using a smartphone interface? yes and no. Yes, in that pages swipe to the side. I can quickly zoom through content without having to wait for pages to load and re-load. No, in that I use a mouse and the action is a little more difficult to perform than using my finger on a smartphone. It definitely takes some getting used to. It is cool that this kind of interface is available without the use of a touchscreen.
Is this the future for websites? I believe there are key challenges that need to be overcome. This technology, while similar to a smartphone interface, is a totally different user experience that most desktop or laptop users are used to. Can users overcome the learning curve? People will have to be trained on using the special icon. I think that step alone could be a killer. People pick up a smartphone and the interface is intuitive (for the most part). People seeing an icon on a website that needs explanation seems to counter basic usability. It makes people think.
What about search engine optimization? Most of the content of the site is viewable within one page of code. Great for coders, but I can’t link to a particular page, only the home page. Not necessarily a bad thing, but neither can you optimize your “page” for particular keywords. You are limited.
Lengthy content creates scroll bars on the web page. I will scroll my browser, not sure I am cool with scrolling within the page. Seems like extra work. It is also visual distracting.
What could they do differently?
I like the swipeable idea. But are we ready for the swipeable web on our desktops? Will it matter when we no longer have a desktop and all have a tablet? It seems the idea is linked to the future of desktops and laptops and tablets.
Leave you comment below and tell me what you think.
Don’t forget to tweet this out to your friends and get their opinion.
- http://t.co/FtPo3Dm PDFs in Google search results #
- Local Link Building Strategies http://ow.ly/6sqsG #
- RT @woothemes: A detailed tour of the powerful WooThemes machine & it's new features – http://t.co/nS3Qnwa… #webtools #
- Awesome list of free ebooks: RT @chrisgarrett: Have you grabbed this awesome free stuff yet?
http://t.co/BbMljUh #webtools # - RT @mattmcgee: What Do You Look For When Deciding Whether to Follow/Like Someone? http://t.co/auXPiw4Y #webtools #
- http://t.co/Vmn4waFQ You Can Now Embed Wufoo Forms on WordPress.com! #webtools #
- http://t.co/jNINupFs Finally making the switch from Outlook Express to full blown CRM #webtools #
- RT @wpmayor: New post: A Guide to WordPress Post Formats http://t.co/KqrQwzf #wordpress #newpost #webtools #
- 12 Ways to Turn Your Old, Dusty Blog Archive into Cold, Hard Cash http://t.co/YhtJ6gTY via @copyblogger #webtools #
- State of the Word: http://t.co/0szevPC6 #webtools #
- http://t.co/cx0djFru bbPress 2.0 RC 5 Released #
- http://t.co/U8LAFIZa How to Spot a Fake Web Review Online #
- Question: why do people write a full blog post when "commenting" on a blog? Wouldn't it be better to write your "post" on your own blog? #
- RT @thegrok: While they botched plenty in the relaunch – 9 Things Designers Can Learn from Target’s Checkout Form http://t.co/GTX3W8Y7 #
- RT @seosmarty: Five Ways to Quickly Build Backlinks (and Get Relevant Traffic) http://t.co/PlJf0RvW… via… #
- RT @woothemes: We've just released a beautiful business theme called "Buró" with a completely responsive layout -… #
- 31 Online Resources for Better Writing: http://ow.ly/6uF2g #
- RT @gizmosfreeware: This free mail attachment downloader could be very useful indeed. Read the article to see why: http://t.co/2Cxj6Wzd... #
- What does it say if a Pricing and Plans page, does not have ANY pricing on it? Translates: I will leave your site. #dontlietome #
- Thoughts on where you get your SEO info: RT @graywolf: The SEO Community – A Tale of Friends and Scorpions http://t.co/B0ZoroOD #webtools #
- Good Tips on Understanding the Freelance Market: http://ow.ly/6uFUf #
- RT @kissmetrics: 8 Elements of an Organic #Marketing Strategy http://t.co/4MfNK0s5 #webtools #
- RT @thelinkmedic: 7 Reasons You Should Use #Hashtags In Your Tweets – http://t.co/o3cwWdu6 – #socialmedia #blogging #webtools #
- Awesome List of the Best CSS3 Tools: http://ow.ly/6uFQI #
- Posts from Recommended Web Tools for 09/17/2011 – http://t.co/EWgC6nxG #
- Because I write a blog about technology does that mean I am dry? #
- Why is it in my head I am excited about something but fail to communicate that on paper errr the screen. #
- Checkout out cloud: niche from ViperChill. http://t.co/6QWmBbuh #
- Posts from Recommended Web Tools for 09/10/2011 – http://t.co/1pTxGKY #
I am always on the lookout for good resource websites to pass along to my readers.
For those of you looking for additional assistance sharpening your CSS and web design skills, then CSS-Tricks is the website for you.
Let me break down all that CSS-Tricks offers.
On the surface, CSS Tricks offers regular how-to content via their blog. Examples, include such topics as Rounding Out Borders or how to rotate headers 90 degrees.
It would be easy to glance over the blog and miss a lot of excellent content.
First, they have organzied their content according to your level. They have level based learning based on Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced CSS concepts.
Second, they offer Code Snippets, chunks of code you can implement on your own website. These snippets are not just reserved for CSS code, but cover .htaccess, HTML, JavaScript, jQuery, PHP and WordPress. This is quite an awesome collection of handy code bits to help you accomplish a wide variety of tasks. Examples:
- Standard CSS Font Stacks
- Define canonical URL in .htaccess
- HTML5 Page Structure
- Make HMTL5 Elements work in old IE
- Use JQuery to cycle through a list
- Build a Calendar Table in PHP
- Apply Custom CSS to the WordPress Admin Area
In the Downloads section, you have access to larger chunks of code. For example, you can download the code for a fully functional Jquery Slider.
For those of you who are visual learners, there is a whole section of screencasts where a wide variety of how-to’s and tutorials are offered.
Lastly, if you can’t find what you are looking for, post your question to the Forum.
I really appreciate the effort sites like CSS-Tricks have put into building a very solid resource website. AS you can see, it is FAR more than just CSS. The site covers all the key components of web development and design. Add it to your short list of reference websites.
- RT @econsultancy: Mozilla turns its attention to the tablet http://t.co/EqmyTpt #webtools #
- RT @minervity: Where Google Is Making Money [Infographic] – http://t.co/AJBPSLX #webtools #
- Google Algorithm Change History: http://ow.ly/6jkIV #
- is it just me, or do the current versions of #chrome and #firefox have issues with javascript? #
- RT @smashingmag: Email marketing best practices to double your response rates and profits – http://t.co/O3coBDc #webtools #
- RT @chrisgarrett: Check out this WordPressbackup software http://t.co/B6yxmvL I paid $97 for something that does 5% of this #webtools #
- RT @kikolani: Guest Blogging Faceoff: MyBlogGuest and BloggerLinkUp http://t.co/xyFFTbO via @LiveUrLove by @SHurleyHall #webtools #
- Optimize Images with HTML5: http://ow.ly/6jl7F #webtools #
- Posts from Recommended Web Tools for 09/03/2011 – http://t.co/R3zBhTq #
- My @Peerindex is 40. What is yours? Why not get your personal profile here? http://t.co/THc3Vzi do i feel dirty when i tweet this stuff #
- Posts from Recommended Web Tools for 08/22/2011 – http://t.co/eDNwS2j #
- Read this RT @mattmcgee
on’t Get To The Point Where You Need to “Reclaim” Your Blog http://t.co/q4heamF then this: http://ow.ly/67WAv # - Google Plus invite: http://ow.ly/69py7 #
- RT @pwringger: This is a great tool for web developers: Remove unused CSS with "Unused CSS (http://t.co/R0aPMFP). #css #webdesign #
- How to Conduct a Social Media Review: http://ow.ly/67VYr Signup to get this whitepaper. Interesting stuff. #
- Tweet Optimization: http://ow.ly/67PdY #
- RT @kissmetrics: The Conversion Optimisation Toolbox http://t.co/rvgfWWE #measure #
- How to Write Awesome Blog Post Headlines: http://ow.ly/6aY64 #
- 30+ Cool Content Curation Tools for Personal & Professional Use http://ow.ly/6bN13 #
- RT @remarkablogger: The Complete Guide to E-mail Marketing: You won't believe what you will learn http://ow.ly/67Ixo #
- Some good solid, basic, #WordPress #SEO. Good little intro for beginners http://ow.ly/6aX69 #webtools #
- Mega Collection Of Cheatsheets for Designers And Developers | Sp… http://t.co/C23nTMa via @pearltrees #
- Wordle – Beautiful Word Clouds http://t.co/ecM9rJr via @pearltrees #
- Tiled backgrounds designer http://t.co/kBzIESt via @pearltrees #webtools #images #
- RT @portentint: Buffer Finds Tweet Scheduling Can Increase Clicks by 200% http://t.co/fS6b1z5 #
- RT @kissmetrics: New blog post: 10 Twitter Tools Used by Social Media Experts ?http://t.co/ZTtRjg7 #
- Firefox 6 is ready for download: http://ow.ly/62SgY #
- Firefox 6: no major interface changes. Breaks a boatload of addons. #
- FF6 Tip: RT @goodguydan:Most addons can be easily hacked to work by changing maxversion or installing Add-on Compatibility Reporter #fxhelp #
- My answer on @Quora to: Does internet traffic tend to decline over the summer? http://qr.ae/7yhBt #
- Posts from Recommended Web Tools for 08/15/2011 – http://t.co/h3xJgPi #
- An oldie but a goodie: Co Citation – understanding how it effects your SEO http://ow.ly/60SUj #
- Didn't even know Google had its own merchandise store: http://ow.ly/63SXr via RT @rustybrick: Earlier today Google Ankle Socks ser.bz/qbevkH #
- Things I want from the #googlestore http://ow.ly/63T3r, http://ow.ly/63T6r, http://ow.ly/63T72, http://ow.ly/63T8d #
- Idea: Google Merchandise might be good blog give-a-way stuff depending on your audience: http://ow.ly/63Tak #
- Link Development vs Traffic Development http://ow.ly/60T9Y #
- RT @copyblogger: Stop Talking About Yourself on Twitter – http://t.co/uwagO2T #
- Check this Out: http://t.co/Apn0tBD | 7 Reasons You Should Use #
- Twitter Psych: Some TIps herein to improve your tweeting: http://ow.ly/64Vn8 #
- Note to self to check this out. RT @chriscoyier: Been using http://t.co/uwaviaz forever to back up my cloud stuff. #
- Eclipse Link Cloaker Review – for affiliate marketers http://ow.ly/62W1T #
- RT @studio1c: 10 Tips on Getting and Keeping Permission http://t.co/oeUZSPh #
- RT @ashmarketing: Great tutorial on how to track social actions on your website using new feature on Google Analytics. http://t.co/fc0q4Jt #
- Learn Photoshop with PSDFAN: I discovered this handy site the other day and I thought I would… http://t.co/Fh0aA7S #
- http://t.co/rO0SJrO Transitions and Animations on CSS Generated Content #
- http://t.co/Xuh50dn A Whole Bunch of Amazing Stuff Pseudo Elements Can Do #css #
- Cool, I'm about to reach 800 tweets! See the rest of my stats at Twitter Counter: http://t.co/WFjbFi5 #
Photoshop Tutorials and Resources
I discovered this handy site the other day and I thought I would pass it along to all the potential PhotoShop Gurus out there. I confess that I am not a highly skilled Photoshop kinda guy nor a PSD to website kinda guy. HOWEVER, I know many people who are and I left compelled to find a good resource to recommend. I was impressed with the clean look and feel of the PSDFAN site as well as the clarity of the articles and tutorials.
PSDFAN is an Adobe Photoshop Resource and Tutorial website that offers a lot of great information for free as well as a member supported section for premium content.
Let me break down what they offer:
Tutorials
Tutorials are broken down into the following categories:
Designing
Text Effects
Drawing
Photo Effects
Web Design
Icon Design
Basics/Tools
All tutorials are very easy to read with lots of images. Here are a couple of examples:
Master a Professional Photo Retouching Workflow
Complete Guide to Photo Sharpening in Photoshop
If you are a member (see below), you can download the corresponding file(s) (if any) for each tutorial.
Articles
Just like any blog, PSDFAN offers regular content on topics such as web design and product reviews. One of the more unique features is a regular series called 30 Minute Redesigns, which according to Tom, the site owner, is “a weekly post series where I take a visitor’s website, analyze it’s design and then provide a redesign free of charge – all in just 30 minutes!”
It is pretty cool to see what he does with websites. Plus, if you get selected, you get the PSD he designs for free!
PSDFAN also offers Free Thursday Textures.Every Thursday they offer free downloads of .jpg image textures. A little something each week to spur your creativity.
Downloads
Similar to downloading the Free Texture Thursday images, PSDFAN offers a fullset of downloads for premium and free members. You can download a variety of brushes, wallpapers, vectors, icons and textures.
Member Content
If you decide to become a member, it costs $9/month. Your membership includes:
- Over 100 Source files to accompany our huge collection of Photoshop tutorials
- Weekly members-only tutorials
- Dozens of high-res textures
- Members-only brush sets
- Members-only vector packs
- Regular discounts from design-related sites/services (these alone save you more than your membership fee.)
If you work with Photoshop either as a web designer or a graphic artist, then
PSDFAN is worth a look. I recommend it for the beginner as it is very easy to navigate, all the tutorials are pretty straight forward and content is very current.
CSS3.info will provide you with the core knowledge you need to begin learning and using CSS3.
CSS3.info keeps a very handy list of all the modules that exist in the CSS3 specification.
Why check the status of a module? If you are just being introduced to CSS3, this list will help you know which modules are being recommended and thus, eventually supported by modern web browsers. For the beginner, you may not want to learn particular modules that are considered low priority and have not been updated in eight years.
Since there are pieces of the CSS3 spec that may not be implemented by particular browsers, it is helpful to check to see if your particular browser will work. Use the CSS3 Selectors Test to see your browser compatibility. As of this writing it runs 550+ tests, testing 41 different CSS selectors. Selectors that pass are shown in green. A moderate level of failure is shown in orange. A total failure is shown in Red.
Chrome Version 14 results:
IE 8 results:
As you can see, the CSS Selector Test will give you a heads up in dealing with any issues in a particular browser.
The CSS Preview section is where you can begin to learn and play with CSS3.
Choose the particular feature you are interested in:
Each features has a lengthy page that provides a code example and then a very verbose explanation of that feature. The beginner should be satisfied with the example. The advanced user will gain from reading the more detailed explanations.
Box-Shadow example:
CSS3.info is a good place to begin to dip your toe into the water. If you have not been exposed to CSS3 now is the time as most major browser have been making inroads to implementing the CSS3 spec.
Visit our CSS Tutorials page for other CSS tutorials and information.
Killersites has been one of my recommended web design tutorial sites for a long time. I thought I would take the time to write a little bit more about this excellent resource.
There are two things about Killersites that I appreciate.
First, the tutorials are offered either as a monthly subscription OR as a package download (or DVD). I think it is helpful to offer customers a range of possibilities. For those on the go, a web based monthly subscription may make more sense. If you are more methodical, the DVD’s may fit your need to watch things over and over.
Second, they understand the difference between a designer and a developer and offer separate courses for each. Plus, they also teach the necessary ancillary database skills (MySQL) and JavaScript.
I am going to focus on two DVD packages as well as discuss their online subscription service.
The two packages below focus on taking someone from a very beginner level to an intermediate level.
The Complete Web Programmer focuses on learning PHP and Javascript skills. If you are interested in being more of a coder than a designer, than this series of classes are for you. Topics covered:
- PHP Basic
- PHP Misc.
- PHP and MySQL Basics
- PHP CRUD + Pagenation
- PHP Login
- PHP Tag Cloud
- PHP Shopping Cart
- PHP OOP discussion
- PHP Login Using OOP & MVC
- PHP and Javascript Form Validation
- Advanced PHP
- Advanced MYSQL
- Beginners Javascript
- JQuery
There is a total of 33 hours of video.
The Complete Web Designer takes a different approach and focuses on core skills of web design: CSS and Photoshop. These modules also introduce the user to basic javascript and PHP. The modules included:
- Web Design 1 – the basics.
- Dreamweaver CS5 – learning how to web design with dedicated software.
- CSS Layouts – going deeper into web layouts using CSS.
- CSS Lists – learn to harness the power of HTML lists with CSS.
- Photoshop for the Web – learn to transform your Photoshop based layouts into web pages.
- HTML Forms – learn to create HTML forms to collect information.
- Horizontal Lists with CSS Sprites – go deeper into creating cool menus with CSS.
- Beginners Javascript – learn the basics of this key tool in modern web design.
- Beginners PHP – learn the basics of language that powers so many web sites.
- WordPress Basics – learn how to set up and run this powerful blogging engine.
There is a total of 29 hours of video.
Lastly, at a greater value for the price our the subscription packages. Two are offered. The basic subscription is $29 for 3 months. This includes access to 700+ videos. The premium subscription is for 12 months, costs $99, and includes access to 900+ videos plus project files. The list of videos is too lengthy to include here. However, you can get a taste of the material as they offer several demo samples on their website.
I promote resources like Killersites because they offer an outstanding value to the potential pupil. I remember when I first broke into the field of IT. I took a 6 month classroom course at the cost of almost five thousand dollars ($5000). Crazy!!!
Consider Killersites the next time you are looking to improve your web development and web design skills.
See my recommended web design tutorials, html tutorials, and css tutorials page for additonal resources.
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After a series on HTML Kit Tools, it should be clear what I think is the best html editor. However, I want to take a step back from that and look at the field of HTML Editors and give you some guidelines for doing some of the research on your own.
First, understand the two basic categories of editors: WYSIWYG and Code based editors. WYSIWYG editors hide the code and provide drag and drop capabilities. While these might be suitable for total non-techies, they have some inherent problems. Generally, they produce crappy code and if you need to troubleshoot something, it almost becomes near impossible to find the bug in the code that is generated. Code based editors are for those of you willing to learn to hand code your own stuff. Even if you don’t feel comfortable coding something from scratch (which I admit, I am not very good at), a Code based editor is very helpful for seeing what is going on, understand the code, and make minor adjustments and customizations (something I am very good at). So if i am to answer the question: what is the best HTML editor?, I would automatically throw out the WYSIWYG editors and focus only on Code based editors. You may have a different opinion.
Second, consider that MOST modern websites are not serving strict HTML pages (as in, the pages don’t end in with a .html or .htm suffix). These days, HTML is a generated language, having been generated by some other server side language like PHP or ASP.NET. Any content management system uses some other language to generate its HTML. This opens up a whole other world of editors. I will mention some below.
So where can you go to find out about other HTML Editors?
- Of course, start with RWT and check out our recommended free html editor as well as my series on HTML Kits Tools.
- Head over to Gizmo’s techsupportalert. They maintain a good list of html editors.
- If you are coding in ASP.NET, then you really should be using the latest version of Visual Studio. Just makes sense. Though I would love to know if there were other ASP.NET IDEs and editors that developers used.
- If you happen to be a PHP Developer, then check out CodeLobtster. While it is meant to be a PHP IDE, it can be used to do your basic HTML editing. Can be integrated directly with WordPress or Drupal.
- If you use a CMS of any kind, chances are you may not need an editor of any kind. Many are coming with the functionality to peer into and change the CMS code from within the CMS’ interface.
If you have a favorite editor, please post it in the comments. If it is half-way decent I will add it to this list.
Some folks prefer just using a power text editor to do their HTML work. But that is a post for another day…
Web Development Tutorials to Increase Your Skills
Seeking to improve your HTML and CSS skils? The resources below can help you become a better web developer and designer and help you make your website superior to your competitors:
- Learn CSS3: In CSS3 First Look, staff author James Williamson provides an in-depth introduction to the newest CSS standard, detailing its modular format, history, and current level of browser support, while also demonstrating its capabilities and applications. The course includes tutorials on using new selectors, modifying typography and color, working with the box model, and understanding media queries.
- XHTML and HTML Essential Training: Bill Weinman helps designers and coders understand XHTML and HTML. In the process, Bill covers document structure, block and inline-level tags, floating images, controlling white space, phrase and font markup, and tables and frames. He even provides a good introduction to CSS. Bill offers step-by-step guidance for building a complete working web site
- Learn HTML5: Author James Williamson introduces the newest HTML specification, providing a high-level overview of HTML5 in its current state, how it differs from HTML 4, the current level of support in various browsers and mobile devices, and how the specification might evolve in the future.
- The Complete Web Designer: Ten modules/courses compiled to teach you everything you need to know to become a commercial web designer. Hands-on practical training that simplifies and targets the key techniques needed to build modern web sites. Training from experienced web designers who KNOW what is required in the real world of web design
- The Complete Web Developer: With so many languages and technologies out there, it is really hard for someone to know what to study and in what order - especially if you want to be able to make a living at it! Course focuses on using PHP and MySQL. The Complete Programmer package is designed to guide you along to the way, step-by-step, towards becoming a professional web programmer.
There are a few features of HTML Kit Tools I thought would be worthy to highlight. These are a little more advanced but are helpful to know about. The following are all video based tutorials.
Versioning Your Files:
Working With Snippets:
Working with Lists:
For additional help with HTML Kit, visit the HTMLKitSupport channel on YouTube.
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