In my last post, I noted how crazy it was that such a resource intensive site as Americorps Alums didn't have a search tool on their site. I also contacted the site admins to get their take on the issue, and here is their response:

Hi Soni,

Thanks for your constructive feedback. We are actually in the process of adding a site map, and the idea you present is another fantastic idea. In doing a little research, it seems that there are some reasonably priced “web site search” tools available, so stay tuned for its integration. Thanks again.

Regards,

Greg Heinrich
Member Engagement Manager, AmeriCorps Alums

First off, I'd like to thank Greg for responding so quickly to my comments. That proves that not only are there real people behind the site (which I already knew), but that they're promptly responsive to visitor input as well, which is always a good thing.

Secondly, I applaud the site's efforts to grow and improve, and to take feedback seriously. It's a good sign that this isn't going to be a "set it and forget it" endeavor, as is sometimes the case with resource sites.

But I do have to say, I'm a bit taken aback and somewhat bemused that my suggestion to include a search tool was received as a "great idea" that triggered some research into the prospect on their part (which is how I read it, anyway), because that's a core concept of building accessible, user-friendly websites that should have been a no-brainer for any web designer who hasn't been hiding under a rock since FrontPage rocked the Internets with those newfangled scrolling marquees and flashing graphics.

I mean, dude. Yes, real people are running the joint, but what people? Have any of them ever run a professional multi-level site before? And if so, how does something as basic as putting a search tool into a resource archive/member community not get on the drawing board well before even the color scheme and layout?

Eh, maybe I'm making a mountain out of a molehill. And I'm glad they're finally considering the idea (and I hope they pick a proven, brand-name implantation that actually works, and not some bargain-basement off-brand kludge that some back-alley programmer hand rolled because he just had to have a piece of software with his own name on it).

But for me, going into a site with the Americorps name on it and seeing these sorts of basic usability issues is like going into a supposedly upscale nightclub and seeing a plywood bar and cheap carpet - it gives the impression of either fly-by-night cheesiness or, more likely, big dreams being carried out by people who are in over their heads. Neither prospect is particularly comforting.

Been a web designer so long, sometimes forget how much I really love this game.

Yesterday I had the chance to see Molly Holzschlag speak in person for the first time. She blew us all away. Her passion and drive to push web design and search engines forward is very inspiring.

Molly, Jared Spool, Derek Featherstone, and Darrin Ward really humbled just about everyone in the room. It’s really strange to be involved with an industry the reinvents itself every few years. The greatest thing about this is you can be one of the best industry leaders one day and two years later be at a conference writing notes as fast as you can from a 23-year-old.

What an exciting, challenging, and tormenting life web designers lead.

Jeremy Vest

Ever wish you knew what people were talking about when they use terms such as cross-site scripting, RSS feeds and PHP?
If you want to get geeky with it, check out www.slashdot.com. This site contains all the techie jargon you’ve heard but not quite understood. If you have real questions about the terms, there are plenty of discussion forums and techies getting really excited about these hot issues. There is even a space for Mac users!
Now you, too, can be in on all the techie jargon and feel tech-savvy!

Yours virtually,
Heather Nelson
206.499.9674
www.championassistants.com

I attended several Dreamweaver workshops, and learned a few tips that I want to pass on.  First of all, Dreamweaver is a great tool for creating websites without getting into coding.  Sure it’s helpful to know code so that bugs can be worked out, but Dreamweaver is a major time-saver! 

To learn the basics of HTML  and CSS quickly, try www.w3schools.com.  This site is loaded with free website building tutorials!

In case you’re building your website before you have created content, try Lorem Ipsum www.lipsum.com.  You select how much content you want and it provides filler content for your work-in-progress website.  The great thing is it’s gibberish, so you won’t get distracted by words that don’t belong.

Yours virtually,
Heather Nelson

206.499.9674
www.championassistants.com

Web Design Firms Can Now Offer Free eCommerce by FastCommerce.com as an Additional Service to Increase Revenue

Small website design firms can now offer the e-commerce system by FastCommerce.com as an additional service to drive revenue from new and existing clients. FastCommerce is a complete e-commerce that is offered at no or low cost. At virtually no risk, design firms can offer to set-up web storefronts for small business entrepreneurs looking to sell online.

San Mateo, CA, September 27, 2007 --(PR.com)-- Web design firms have emerged as a fast growing client base for the free e-commerce applications offered by FastCommerce.com. The FastCommerce e-commerce system is easy to set-up, easy to use, and is offered at no or low cost. There is no risk to start, and in return web design firms get a state of the art, high performance ecommerce system to use as an additional product offering to boost revenue.

Small business design firms have been quick to sense a new and potentially lucrative business opportunity. Traditionally, web design has been only a part of a total ecommerce operation, a small part of the total software needs of the small business entrepreneur looking to sell online. Small business online retailers have traditionally used a number of diverse software programs to successfully run an ecommerce company. As e-commerce applications move to the web small business online retailers have greater access to single-system e-commerce services. FastCommerce.com is a powerful, low-cost Web 2.0 version of this new model.

FastCommerce.com has all the tools a small business needs to sell online. By simply signing up, online retailers have access to a full suite of tools that include an online store, online product catalogue, shopping cart, auto-email responder for order and shipping confirmation, as well as back office tools for order capture and processing, account maintenance in addition to automatic shipping calculations for USPS, USP and FedEx. Paypal will soon be offered as a payment option, and credit card transactions can be set up on the site through authorise.net.

But the FastCommerce.com ecommerce tools are free up to 250 products. By simply signing up, web design firms can quickly master the tools of setting up a complete online store, and then offer it to their clients as a service or product. Small business online retail continues to grow at an astonishing pace, and the FastCommerce.com ecommerce webstore has all the tools that small online retailers need to be successful.

The FastCommerce.com represents a new tool for website designers to offer to their established client base looking to extend their e-commerce capabilities. "We are finding the website designers have lots of clients require updates to their ecommerce systems" says Charles Han, FastCommerce.com CEO, "By simply learning the FastCommerce.com system, they can revisit their clients with a powerful and inexpensive ecommerce solution. For lack of time, many online retailers will be looking to third-party providers to set it up. And because it is easy to set up, and low cost, it's a win-win."

FastCommerce.com is also offering free additional training to all web designers looking to utilize the free e-commerce service to expand their business. Topics will include how to set up the store, and how to go live, setting up the store as a sub-domain of the existing website, etc. And since the FastCommerce.com e-commerce system is easy to use, website designers will find it easy to train their clients on the system to get them up and running quickly.

The response to the FastCommerce.com ecommerce system for small online retailers has been impressive. Small business retailers have been tremendously excited by having access to high caliber e-commerce software at little or no cost.

Fastcommerce.com provides business management software to small businesses, delivered on demand as a service via the web on a free or paid monthly subscription basis. We provide small businesses with a complete, fully integrated package that helps run their entire operations, including inventory control, sales and marketing, support, online catalogs, e-commerce, backend order processing, and built-in UPS and Fedex shipping tools.

The only requirement to use our software is an internet connection. Unlike a traditional software company, our small business customers do not need to buy and maintain expensive software and hardware.

You know, sometimes I forget about this site and don't post as often as I should. Instead, I'll tell you where I have been posting lately! You can read my article on increasing your web site traffic and creating community in 7 Steps to Creating a Waterfall of Traffic. Also you can read about Why WP-SEO is the ultimate Wordpress seo plugin, or Why the Boss TU-2 is the tuner every guitar player should have.

There - now you know what I've been up to (and I promise I'll try to post here more often)!

If you’re a fan of the Andy Griffith Show, you are sure to remember the town drunk, Otis Campbell, who was portrayed by veteran character actor, Hal Smith.

Hal Smith as the O Man!

Hal Smith has absolutely nothing to do with web design in Austin, Texas; my experiment is to see how fast Google will index this blog post.

It is now 9:37 a.m. Central Standard Time on Thursday, September 27, 2007. I’ll be searching on the phrase “Hal Smith Web Design” to find out if and when Google has indexed this article. Stay tuned for results.

Add comment September 24, 2007 <!--austexwebsites-->Edit

Categories

• Uncategorized

By Laura Milligan

If you’ve ever tried to design a website or blog, you’ve probably felt the need to add images to your creation. It can be easy to see the Internet as a free-for-all, but images belong to the people who created them. Staying legal means you’ll have to either create your own images or buy them from stock sites. Fortunately, there are a number of sources for free images, and we’ve collected them here. So read on for 100 sources where you can find free stock images: and don’t worry — they’re all legal!

Most Popular

These resources are some of the most popular free stock image sites on the Web and with good reason. If you’re looking for some mainstream images, these are the first place to try.

1. FreeFoto: FreeFoto.com claims to be “the largest collection of free photographs on the Internet.” They’re available for offline projects as well, as long as you’re not using them to make a profit.
2. KAVEWALL: Look for images and textures in unique categories like tattoo, smoke, and food.
3. Digital Dreamer: Free, royalty-free stock images can be found here.
4. Free Photos Bank: This features a handful of the newest photos in their directory, so check back often.
5. Free Digital Photos: Find gorgeous, easy-to-download photographs in categories like animals, celebrations, home & garden, and lots more.
6. PD Photo: Browse through the categories and subcategories in this site’s database, most of which depict the urban and rural landscapes of the United States.
7. Visipix: Search over a million photographs and fine art pieces.
8. Cepolina: On cepolina, you can choose to save photos in up to five different formats.
9. DexHaus: A wide array of beautiful images are found on this well-organized site.
10. FreeStockImages.net: Chances are you’ll find whatever it is you’re looking for on this terrific site.
11. TurboPhoto: TurboPhoto has 10 categories keep the high res photos easy to find.
12. Yotophoto: An immensely popular site, Yotophoto is worth checking out.
13. Stockvault: Search by photo subject or by the newest and most popular photos on Stockvault.
14. Dreamstime: While most of the photos on this site cost a fee (some as low as $0.26/image), Dreamstime provides a few free stock photos.
15. Open Stock Photography: This site offers over one million images for you to download and use however you want.

Community-Powered Content

In addition to being a great source of images, these sites host forums, file sharing and other features designed to nurture community spirit.

1. Image After: Search tons of free photos on this site while meeting other photography lovers on the forum.
2. Unprofound.com: Use the images however you want, just make sure you let them know where you’ve published it!
3. Font Play: This site has nearly 10,000 free photos for you to use any way you want. Look under the “Guests” heading to search by your favorite contributor.
4. Studio 25: This attractive site lets you upload and search images.
5. Vintage Pixels: Share your archived photos with other users. Download images that work for your Web site or blog.
6. Abstract Influence: Search for the stock images you want while talking about photography with other visitors on the site’s forum.
7. amygdela’s atmosphere: This site hosts a forum and a blog, as well as tons of stock images.
8. Every Stock Photo: A forum and blog keep this stock image site fun and informative.
9. Photocase: The good people at Photocase are “prettying up the world.” Check out their great library of stock images.
10. deviantART: Provocative photos spawn great debates on the site’s forum.

Artists Welcome

It’s probably pretty safe to say that every stock image site on the Web needs the help of photographers to keep it running. The following sites, however, really cater to the needs of photographers, designers, and other artists even though they’re donating their photos for free.

1. Stock.xchng: Check out the gorgeous shots organized into lots of different categories, making your search as easy as possible.
2. Morguefile: Browse thousands of beautiful photos in this site’s archives, but don’t miss their job board either!
3. Woophy: This site organizes photographs by geographical location. Enter into their contest for a chance to win great prizes.
4. The NOAA Library: Breathtaking science and nature shots are available at this site. Don’t forget to check out the “Meet the Photographers” page which includes short bios and descriptions of the featured photogs.
5. Pixel Perfect Digital: Get tons of free stock images and read the latest in photography news.
6. Free Range Stock: Photographers are rewarded for giving away their pictures by getting a percentage of the site’s total ad revenue.
7. AMG Media: As long as you give credit to the photographer somewhere on your site, these images are yours for the taking.
8. Free Photographs Network: Submit photographs for others to see, or download some for your own use.
9. FreePhotos.com: If you’re a photographer, submit your best pictures for a chance to win cool prizes.
10. PhotoRogue.com: If you can’t find a picture of anything you want, go to PhotoRogue.com and make a request for whatever it is you’re thinking of. Photographers will take pictures for you — and it’s still free!
11. Graphicsarena.com: Submit your photos for consideration.
12. Fotogenika: Send in your photos for other visitors to use on their personal sites.
13. Image Temple: Send in your own photos to be included in this site’s gallery.
14. Flickr: Most of the photos on this site are not free, but a clever search will turn up some real goodies.
15. FreeLargePhotos.com: Downloaders must link their chosen photo back to the site, which gives the photographer credit.

Less is Sometimes More

Just because the sites listed in this section aren’t as expansive as some of the others on our list doesn’t mean they’re not worth checking out. Sometimes less can really means more, especially when it comes to narrowing down your search or coming across hard-to-find treasures.

1. Mayang’s Free Texture Library: Download high-res textures from this site, which has categories like architecture, buildings, plants, wood, and stone.
2. Liam’s Pictures from Old Books: Discover hard-to-find illustrations from old books, “most with multiple high-resolution versions.”
3. Texture Warehouse: Find interesting textures at this great site.
4. Free Stock Photos: Nature shots and religious themes are abundant at this free stock photography site.
5. BurningWell: Totally free images are organized into categories like animals, bugs, cityscapes, people, plants, and textures.
6. Design Packs: New images and themes are added monthly, so this site may not be a well kept secret too much longer!
7. Amazing Textures: This site is a web designer’s dream. Browse hundreds of high res textures and backgrounds.
8. Aarin Free Photo and Digital Images: These site boasts nearly 1,000 fantastic images for you to choose from.
9. Image Base: On Image Base, breathtaking photographs are organized in categories like nature, concept, people, and city.
10. Majestic Imagery: All the photos on this site were taken by the host.
11. diwiesign studio: All the images are free, but if you’re a frequent user, you might want to consider making a donation to this photo entrepreneur.
12. Zurb Photos: Photographer Bryan Zmijewski uploads his own images onto this site.
13. tOfz.org: Find urban images for free, but consider making a contribution to this artist’s cause.
14. LIGHTmatter: These gorgeous photos were all taken by the same artist, who also hosts the Web site.
15. Insect Images: Find all kinds of photos of creepy crawlers here.

Stock Images Plus

There is a lot more to legal stock images than just a bank of free photos. The sites in this section all go beyond being a basic stock photography resource by offering more services that will help improve your search for and use of stock images.

1. Creative Commons: This nonprofit site shows you how to license your images once they’ve been uploaded onto your site.
2. Free Images: This British site offers free images as well as wallpapers, desktops, and a section of ideas and tips that will help you customize your image experience, whether you’re a photographer or not.
3. Creating Online: This stock images site is an excellent resource for any new blogger or Web site developer. Learn about editing your images, hosting, domains, and more.
4. ArtFavor: Find stock images, fonts, sounds, flash clipart, and more, are all on this terrific site.
5. Geek Philosopher: Find hilarious and beautiful stock images side by side. Also check out the site’s blog and web hosting capabilities.
6. Gimp Savvy: In addition to finding great images, Gimp Savvy also gives tips on photo touchups, making a collage, and more.
7. Creativity 103: Find free abstract images and videos on Creativity 103.
8. Afflict.net: Search photos and textures while learning about images in the tutorials section.
9. One Odd Dude: Download photographs, wallpapers, textures, and more on One Odd Dude.
10. Discover: Search for your favorite subjects or web sites, and hundreds of free icons, stock images, and other designs will appear.
11. Photoshop Support: On Photoshop Support, browse photos, read the tutorials, and check out the great imaging tools.
12. AncestryImages.com: Search antique portraits and use the geneaology resources link to connect you to even more tools.
13. Free Media Goo: Download free stock images, audio, and video on Free Media Goo.
14. National Park Service Digital Image Archive: Check out beautiful pictures taken for the NPS. This site also provides a link to the NPS official site.
15. <New York Public Library Digital Gallery: Browse through thousands of prints, illustrations, and photos. Read the photographic services and permissions page for more information on downloading high-res files.

Miscellaneous

These image sites don’t necessarily fit into one particular category, but they’ve still got a lot to offer.

1. Backgrounds Archive: Find beautiful backgrounds for your desktop or MySpace page.
2. USDA Agricultural Research Service: The government’s Agricultural Research Service sponsors this “complimentary source of high quality digital photographs.”
3. Holy Land Photos: Poignant photos of the Holy Land are available here.
4. Stockcache.com: This site makes organizing your downloads easy.
5. Four Bees: Browse through the stock images directory, or download royalty free music and video on Four Bees.
6. Clipmarks: Search for free stock images with this handy tool.
7. Yellowstone Digital Slide File: These beautiful shots of Yellowstone National Park are available for use by the media and public.
8. Plants of Hawaii: Perfect for any botanist, this site has over 45,000 images of Hawaiian plants.
9. Microshots: This site specializes in microscopic images.
10. IN TEXTURE: Free stock textures are plentiful on this site.
11. Trip Album: This site is all in French, but the photos are divided into categories based on country, making it easy to figure out.
12. Orange Trash: Find pictures about Hungary on this Web site.
13. Public domain stock photos: Browse categories like backgrounds, food, nature, objects, and seasonal on this site.
14. BAJstock: Written in both French and English, this stock image site has tons of photos for you to use for free.
15. NWYK Stock Image Library: This hilarious site provides free images that capture the drudgery and playfulness of office life.

General

These stock image sites offer a wide range of photo subjects, perfect for casual browsing or a way to get ideas before you plan out your site.

1. Public Domain Photos: Check out these gorgeous pictures of animals, cities, landscapes, and more.
2. Bigfoto.com: Find photos of beautiful places all around the world, as well as fun shots in the Christmas, grafitti, or food categories
3. Photogen: Look through the Top 10 gallery to find the most popular downloads in a preview-friendly thumbnail format.
4. Free Pixels: Find free photos, logos, or other images on this site.
5. DHD Multimedia Gallery: Search through thousands of basic photos.
6. PIX: This site is so easy, you don’t even have to register to download.
7. Photo Rack: New photos are featured at the bottom of the page, so check back often to make sure you don’t miss anything great.
8. Free Stock Photos: On Free Stock Photos, each image comes with a description detailing its size.
9. Barry’s Free Photos: This is a great site for finding all different kinds of images for your Web site.
10. Cromavista: This site is all in Spanish but still easy to navigate if you’re not a native speaker.
11. IronOrchid: Several different categories allow for an efficient search on IronOrchid.
12. Image Blowout: Have fun looking through these unique photos.
13. FreeImages.com: Tons of categories and subcategories make searching for photos on this site simple.
14. ilovefreePhoto: This fun, attractive site makes searching for that perfect photo a little less frustrating.
15. Free Photo Station: Loads of great photos are all free on this site.

To follow up with my previous post, here is my list of beautifully designed academic library websites, for your design inspiration:

• Yale University Library - just lovely.
• University of California at Berkeley Library - although it does seem rather scrunched up towards the top, it's a very clean design.
• University of Virginia Library - which is nice until you scroll below the fold - it gets all wonky at the bottom of the page (and it's not a FF vs. IE thing either, I checked...)
• Ohio University Libraries - I particularly like the way their color-coded "tabs" look

Yesterday, I read on Ubiquitous Librarian, that the Clemson Library website rates the highest for user satisfaction. I took a look at their website, and in terms of design it's only rather meh, which got me thinking: can you have a really well-designed library website which is both beautiful and functional?

Da domenica imparo Flash. Si, ho ceduto. Devo dire che non é cosí male come credevo, se usato col contagoccie. Si possono fare delle cose fantastiche. E di norma le animazioni sono grandi pochi byte. Mi piace proprio, perché unisce le capacitá delal grafica vettoriale con le potenzialitá della prorammazione.

Oggi ho trovato un sito. Un Sito. Con la S maiuscola. Va contro ogni mio principio: non é acessibile, ha suoni che partono da soli, é fatto interamente in flash, tratta di guerra. Ció nonostante, non posso smettere di guardarlo. Fateci un salto, é una ottima dimostrazione di che potenzialitá ha Flash 9.

p.s. se non vi piace la guerra, allora guardatevi questo:

Grazie iseth per la segnalazione.