Web Design community...
The idea here is a common exchange between web designers and non-designers from all walks of life. First, post a site for review, everyone sees your site posted here for review. Hopefully readers will use this form to critique of your site. When they do, if it's appropriate, we'll post the Critiques for everyone to read. Be sure to see "How to Review a Web Site"
If you're really serious you can obtain a formal critique directly from the WDR (Web Design & Review) staff.
Top Level Domains - ICANN pushes forward
ICANN and internet domain news and updates -- The Second Interim Report of the Board Review Working Group has been presented and ICANN appears to be moving forward to offer huge range of new top level domains -- allow almost any string of letters to be used for a global gTLD! This and other news from the world of internet DNS and Domains Top Level Domains - ICANN pushes forward
The Dark Side of Social Networking
When it comes to social networking, it's not what you know, or even who you know, it's who knows you. ZATZ Publishing, in partnership with FrontLine Security Magazine has released David Gewirtz's latest Special Report, The Dark Side of Social Networking
60-Seconds: Who will own the internet?
Speaking of doing good... The unquenchable greed for personal gain has blinded the internet community from the brutal reality that an unregulated internet is chaos. If the U.S. government looses control of the internet we're all in for a big surprise. Who will own the internet?
Even Faster Web Sites
Steve Souders, web performance evangelist at Google and former Chief Performance Yahoo!, provides valuable techniques to help you optimize your site's performance -- another important title for web publishers Even Faster Web Sites
Complete Web Monitoring
Alistair Croll and Sean Power, demonstrate how to measure every aspect of your web presence. You'll understand what it is and how to do it. Essential for web publishers Complete Web Monitoring
Killer RapidWeaver Themes
If you use RapidWeaver, check out TW002 r4, a new theme for RapidWeaver 4. This once limited theme into a versatile RapidWeaver template capable of fitting the needs of just about any industry. TW002 is ExtraContent enabled, featuring width options, split navigation, comprehensive color control, custom headers, header effects, font control, and RWmultitool ready -- it's the Ultimate Theme for RapidWeaver
Voices That Matter: Web Design Conference
A tough economy can be a great opportunity to increase skill sets and make valuable contacts -- like the 3rd annual Voices That Matter: Web Design Conference, to be held April 27-30, 2009, at the Grand Hyatt in San Francisco. Voices That Matter: Web Design Conference
Search Engine Optimization for Flash
For years the major misconception is that Flash-based applications are SEO-unfriendly and can't be indexed by search engines. And that's the myth Flash expert Todd Perkins dispels in this highly anticipated new Adobe Developer Library book Search Engine Optimization for Flash
Build Your Own Web Site The Right Way
Using HTML & CSS widely regarded as the definitive beginner's guide to building web sites. This step-by-step guide takes you from scratch, through the basic tools, right on up to a fully functioning web site. Build Web Sites Like a Pro
Creating a Web Site
Think you need an army of skilled programmers to build a website? Think again. With this book, in the true tradition of Missing Manual books, you'll learn how to create Web pages using all of today's important tools... Creating a Web Site
How environments, real and virtual, influence us
Is it time to clean up your act? Web Design Specialist Kyle Mueller says yes! "On a web site, color, typography, iconography and other imagery should be considered as carefully as an interior designer considers surfaces, furnishings and art." See how your web environment can affect your bottom line
Web Critique: DAILY SAVINGS
This is one of those side-scrollers we all love to hate. When first arriving, this site seems to cry out "Help, I'm Tacky!" -- but then playing with the controls, and navigating back and forth, it actually becomes cool! Follow along with out quibbles, then add some of your own feedback on The Daily Savings Website
How to be a Geek Goddess
What a great gift for the women in your life! (Or, for yourself!) Christina Tynan-Wood, the Geek Goddess herself, (of Geek Girlfriends fame) teaches you how how to use computers with smarts and style -- and How to Be a Geek Goddess
Developing Facebook Platform Applications
Facebook changed the internet landscape forever. More than 12,000 Facebook applications have been launched so far, with over 60 million captive users. Now you can develop your own application for Facebook using the explosively popular Rails framework. Developing Facebook Platform Applications
Make a Splash on YouTube
Probably the most popular web site since the introduction of Yahoo back in 1994... YouTube! Now an Insider's Guide will help you make a splash on YouTube --- YouTube veterans Alan Lastufka and Michael W. Dean will tell you how to get your video noticed by thousands. Make a Splash on YouTube
Resizing Images Online
If you email or blog with images, they should be sized correctly. Web developer Alex Don shares advice for using online services that can do a great job of automatically resizing your images! No image processer needed. Resizing Images Online
Online TV Doubles
Online TV viewing has been gaining in popularity. Nearly one-fifth of American households who use the internet watch television broadcasts online, double the viewership from 2006. Here's a peek at some interesting statistics ... Online TV Doubles
Getting video to FLASH the easy way
Have you ever wanted to convert your video files to Flash without expensive, difficult to use software programs? Macvide has come up with a tidy solution, and you'll get great results minutes after launching a video project QuickTime to Flash
Mastering XML Transformations
XML went from a strange new idea to entrenched buzzword in record time. Its flexibility as a language for presenting structured data made it the lingua franca for sending data across the web. Mastering XML Transformations
RapidWeaver themes you'll want to see
For web gurus, this is the first commercially available RapidWeaver theme to offer three separate but very usable levels of navigation. If you use RapidWeaver, then you'll want to check this out... New RapidWeaver themes
Geotagging for Aperture
Maperture is the easiest, most intuitive way to add GPS data to your digital photos ... edit plug-in for Aperture that makes geotagging your photos a snap. Whether you're geotagging a few images, or your entire library ... Geotagging for Aperture
Tumult HyperEdit WYSIWYG HTML Editor
If I've heard it once, I've heard it a thousand times: "Give me a WYSIWYG html editor!" HyperEdit solves that problem and adds a lot of coding power as well ... continue reading...
News: Private File Sharing
More than 100,000 Beta testers have now proven that there is a real market for privately sharing personal media. A unique new service now available continue reading...
Backscatter Spam or BOUNCE spam
Dirty, rotten spammers are sending increasing amounts of specially crafted bounce emails that appear to be sent by the message recipient. In reality, it's a way the spammer can successfully skip anti-spam checks. We got hit. You will too. continue reading...
CutX Content Filter site blocking plugin
Parents! Employers! If you're running Macs, you'll want to check out this new utility for blocking internet sites based on many criteria including keywords! This is a great development for families ... app4mac CutX continue reading...
Codeless web sites
If you would rather not dig under the hood and work directly with web html code, then Freeway 5 could be for you. With its traditional page layout approach, Freeway makes it easy to create dynamic websites without the need to write code.
Instantly build sites from Photoshop Files
This easy-to-use plug-in for Adobe Photoshop, effortlessly lets users convert their Photoshop designs into CSS-rich, standards-compliant webpages from within Photoshop with just a click of the mouse ... on Windows for a while... now SiteGrinder comes to MAC
Review: Zero-configuration CMS
I've had bad experience with Joomla... it's geek CMS for geeks -- not normal people. If you want a high-power CMS without the geek, get MovableType... I'm setting up a SkyBlue blog now! And I'm learning that if you want really easy, quick CMS, then you need to check out SkyBlueCanvas
Tutorial: How to build tabbed navigation in CSS
If you've ever fumbled over setting up good, accurate CSS coding for navigation buttons, then you'll really appreciate this article by Rachel Andrew, excerpted from The CSS Anthology: 101 Essential Tips, Tricks & Hacks, a CSS book by Rachel from SitePoint.com... Creating tabbed navigation in CSS
Web Design for ROI
What if you could change one button on your site and increase sales or leads by 10% to 50%? Making small, simple design changes to a web site can significantly increase profit margins according to a new book, Web Design for ROI
Instant Storefront
RocketLife Technology creates an "Instant Storefront" that lets everyone, including individuals, businesses, educational and other institutions, launch a revenue-generating photo products and gifts website in less than 15 minutes. Instant Storefront
Top Level Domains
When you're starting to craft a website these days you have to hit the URL running -- even before you've started the planning and coding process. In this essay, Tim Clukey of the Plattsburgh State University Communications Department, shares these insights into domains on the web. Taking it to the Top: A Short Survey of Top Level Domain Options
Is usability a fact or fantasy?
Fred Showker cites the works of Dr. Colin Ware called Information Visualization: Perception for Design. serious questions about web design, usability, and what makes a great web site great. But Is usability a fact or fantasy?
Getting One-Way Inbound Links
With search engines putting a damper on direct reciprocal links, the hunt for the elusive one-way inbound link is on. Content syndication expert Joel Walsh shares five major strategies for getting valuable one-way inbound links
Image Cut (Image Splitter)
Here's a creative tool for professional webmasters who want a foolproof method for splitting images including html for faster loading, easy building web sites.
Learning Web Design
Learning Web Design - cultivating a beginner's mind for creating beautiful web designs -- Jennifer Niederst Robbins brings you clear, easy-to-grasp text, user-friendly graphics, and hands-on exercises to teach primo design techniques
Adobe GoLive 9
With GoLive 9, designers can master the basics of web design and then grow into building more sophisticated web experiences using the industry-leading tools in Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 software.
Adding Ajax
Easy Ways to Rev Up Web Applications -- Shelley Powers skillfully reveals the myriad advantages of adding Ajax
Safari for Windows
Considering the successes of Apple's other Windows products, we knew it wouldn't be long before they would be playing in the big boy's browser sandbox. Apple has introduced Safari 3 for Windows PCs and Macs.
Anime Studio Rose Agent
Rose Agent is fully vector-drawn and "bone rigged" with video clips that will help even the newest users draw and create compelling animations
60-Seconds: Giving up on Google
In my own search for answers about Google's AdSense sharp decline, I ran across Sramana Mitra, a bright, young author associated with MIT and internet marketing strategies, who has graciously provided this article for all our benefit. She explains why she is Giving up on Google
Creating Information Architecture
Author Ivy Hastings shares her insights into building information architecture -- the easy and best way! The beauty of her technique is that you don't need an Information Architect for Creating Information Architecture
Do colors influence web site visitors?
Adriana Iordan from Avangate B.V. joins us to share professional insight into choosing colors for your web site -- including the meanings of color, societal impact, rules to follow and how color influences web site visitors!
Website Critiques
This month we took a look at the Black Home Owner News and Creditor Web.com web sites, and came out with some happy web owners! Check'em out and get your own site reviewed in Web Site Critiques
Web Critique: Art works by Mark Vatnsdal
Beth Rogers shares another of her insightful critiques -- this time a site with great art work, but difficult to understand... join us for this critique of Art works by Mark Vatnsdal
Great mistakes made going online
Simply having a Web site is not enough -- just as merely getting e-commerce capabilities will not result in increase of sales. You have to successfully market it and get a lot of attention Mistakes in going online
Marketing with RSS
In a world dominated by widespread Internet access and chronic information addiction, the number of websites that a person visits on a regular basis increases daily. Adriana Iordan from Avangate B.V. joins us to share professional insight into Marketing with RSS
BACK TO (WEB DESIGN) SCHOOL...
Here are the latest books that make great self-learning in web design, CSS, blogging, content management, and more:
Web Design, Concept, Development & Content Management
SURF's UP.. on the web
Cool sites we found this month ... including: TijuanaFlats.com... HOT'cha! * The Seventh Sense * Big Happy Fun House * Chill In The Ville * Norma Jean Markus * minimal and you're not going to believe the Virtual Body Jam -- amongst many others sent in by readers... Let's Go Surfing
Web Critique: First United Methodist Church
Beth Rogers is back with us to share one of her thoughtful web site critiques. This time we travel to Richmond Indiana to find a nice web site for a change... join us for this critique of www.firstumcrichmond.org
Optimizing for MSN? Is It Worth the Effort?
Whenever you need to find something on the web, you "Google" it. Most of the web surfers do this, and the percentage of those who "Yahoo" or "MSN" for information is considerably lower. Adriana Iordan from Avangate B.V. joins us to share professional insight into optimizing for the search engines... Optimizing for MSN? Is It Worth the Effort? MSN vs. Google!
Looking for Visuals at Visual Orange
Bernard Peh takes a look at the www.visualorange.net web site -- while having a common corporate look, the striking words "Visual Orange" lead us to believe we would be seeing lots of visuals. See if you agree with Bernard's summation of The Visual Orange
Simplicity is the heart of effective web design
Keep it simple. Will ya? - Seasoned web designer Deepak Sharma shares the five major points of designing an effective web site -- by keeping it simple and dynamic. Web design tips and tricks. Simplicity is the heart of effective web design
CoffeeCup Software
Review by Sheryl Folkert - CoffeeCup Software is an extremely easy program for new and experienced web page designers to use -- a user's view... CoffeeCup Software
Wrap-around Web Site Solution
without having to pay hosting fees - Website Complete is the first Website development software tool that allows users to have full control of creating, hosting and managing their Websites - without having to pay hosting fees. Wrap-around Web Site Solution
WildPresenter Gets an Upgrade
improved Flash SWF screen recording and more - The update is part of Wildform's commitment to creating the best presentation software on the market. WildPresenter Gets an Upgrade
Web Critique: Deco Spirit
Reviewer Steve Dallape finds this site lacking in readability, and period flavor. Neither Steve nor Fred liked the flash intro, and both it's time to do some real research on the art deco period for Deco Spirit
How to Build a Quality Website
Building a web site can be very simple or very complex... Nowshade Kabir puts it into perspective and gives us tips on how to How to Build a Quality Website
HEX Conversion Charts
The WEB department is forever getting inquiries from readers about how to build this or that color. Many want to have a matching PMS color too. Mr. Pixelsmith has gone to great effort to build these 21 HEX Conversion Charts
Web Critique: Tightline Design
Reviewer HLM takes a look at this designer's web site and provides a good and friendly critique... Fred isn't quite as nice and says: it's back to the drawing board for Tightline Design dot com
Web Critique: India Gift Services
In this critique, reviewer Jason Ronca takes a look at an international gift site that may be too cluttered for its own good... the lust for search engine rankings may be turning away customers at India Gift Services dot com
Web Design: Scan-ability
Scan-ability is a measured, objective, scientifically proven criterion of successful written web content. By making content easier for users to scan rather you can yield stunning improvements. Proven Web Content Success Factor: Scan-ability
Web Page in a Day!
Design in Fireworks and build in Dreamweaver - A complete web page from conception to delivery - You can pick up all the books you like on the topic of Fireworks and Dreamweaver -- and learn it yourself... or let Joyce Evans lead you through with her all new Web Page in a Day Training CD
Web Critique: The Beginner Site
In this critique, Bennie tackles one of the most difficult types of sites to critique: the beginner's photo album site. Fred then steps back to look at the big picture and offers even more opportunities for Lori's first web site
Seven Steps to Web Design
Web Designer and founder of SmartMonkey Media, Ani Phyo brings some serious lessons into focus for web designers. Today, more people and businesses rely on the web, making it even more important to learn these Seven Steps to Return On Design.
Web Critique: The Nanny Finder
In this critique, reviewer Walt Clarke zeros in on a fundamental issue with all sites -- meeting consumer expectation. Winning the hearts of parents requires impeccabe professionalism. Parents need to feel comfortable before they'll trust and rely on The Nanny Finder
Web Spyware & Malware Quiz
Most people who think they know all about spyware, Trojans, viruses, and other malware really don't. Joel Walsh helps you make sure you know who your enemies are with his Spyware & Malware Quiz.
Web Critique: Photographer's Site
In this critique, Bennie is quite charitable with a site claiming to be a "photographer" and "designer" ... good lessons point to why this site isn't working. Fred follows with a brief commentary on where to look to turn Photography into Photography
Points to Consider before Web Promotion
Doing business online is not as easy as it seems! Nowshade Kabir points out some important points of consideration. before Web Promotion
7 Search Engine Mistakes
Many websites and webmasters understand that a major sources of website traffic comes from the search engines. Search engine expert, Jimsun Lui, points out some common mistakes made by web crafters; and shares insight into solving those common search engine mistakes.
ForGiftable doesn't mean Forgetable
This month reviewer Mike Swoop of Swoop Design digs into the ForGiftable.com site: "...many things are immediately attractive, and there are things that can be improved " in the Forgiftable Web Site.
How to run a successful link exchange program
- Mr. Seo writes the finer details of setting up a link exchange program with compatible sites.
Safe Eyes comes to the Mac
Safe Eyes, the No. 1 Internet Filter for Windows is now available for the Mac to eliminate those unwanted sites, content, popup windows, and chat rooms. This could be the best news for Mac-using families in a long time.
How to get un-banned from Google
I am banned from Google...Help! What did you do to get banned? Can you get un-banned? Yes! But first you need to know what you did to get banned. Google will not tell you. Here, Joe Balestrino shows you how to fix it!
Web Content Strategy 101
Your web content makes or breaks the profitability of your site. In this article, Joel Walsh shares tips and tricks on how you can develop a strategy to make the most of your site's content.
MX Kollection
Joyce Evans, Nancy Gill, Barbara O'Neal and Steven Redden review this killer Dreamweaver extension for HTML designers that want to take a plunge into database-driven development... it's the MX Kollection
An Identity for FlexBox
This month Bennie takes a look at the FlexBox mailbox web site and comments: "This is a neat little site with interesting content and easy navigation -- it works. But it does not live up to the goal "showcasing" the product, FlexBox Mailboxes.
Thomasina Music Site, Round 2
You may remember our last visit to the Thomasina web site, and the rather harsh critique that ensued. Well, the web designer took it to heart and did a complete makeover! Bravo! But there's more work to do on the photos and typography of "Thomasinamusic.com"
The Delicate Art of (Web) Design Critique
How do you constructively critique someone's work without being taken the wrong way? How do you accept criticism without feeling hurt or angry? Here are just a few ideas, gathered from observations and comments from others. Special guest author Makiko Itoh shares her wisdom on the The Delicate Art of Web Design Critique
5 Steps to a Stand-Out Website
Tim Clukey has been teaching web design for over 6 years at the Plattsburgh State University Communications Department in Plattsburgh, NY. He shares som insights into web design ... when crafting messages for the web, it's the steak and not the sizzle that makes a difference. Follow along with Tim's 5 Ways to Get Your Website to Stand Out
Lessons in Color
In this critique Bennie C. Taylor visits the "Night Photography by David Baldwin" web site and sets the stage for a lesson in color. The photography is striking, but the presentation may be improved with some brief Lessons in Color
Catering Site without a mission...
In this critique Bennie C. Taylor and Donald Peterson, two distinguished designers take on a Catering site. But they're too nice and Fred has to get tough. You got to be tough to make a tender Catering Web Site Critique
Real Estate Web Site Done Well
it's a pleasure to run across and nicely designed web site. This month we visit one that is done quite well, so all you realtors and real estate sites -- if you want to see a real estate site done right take a look at the DC Living Real Estate Portal
Karen Dodds on: Audience & Content
Karen Dodds first wrote for DT&G back in 1995 after we discovered her considerable skills in identifying the true essence of design. Here are her views on Karen Dodds on: Audience & Content
Designer & Photographer sites
About a third of all sites requesting a review are design or photography sites. They almost always share some common characteristics that may not be to their best interest. In this student design site we point out some serious considerations for improving the Abyss Arts Design Studio
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About The Design & Publishing Center: First established in 1994 to provide an online web site for DT&G Zine. DT&G was originally published each month on AOL and Compuserve for attendees of Fred Showker's design and publishing seminar and conference appearances.