Entries Tagged 'Web development' ↓

Download 3-column
Copyblogger Theme

After receiving a few questions regarding the way I redesigned Copyblogger theme by adding leftbar and making it 3-column template, I decided it will be the easiest way to make it available for everyone to dowload from SharingMatters.com.

To customise the theme, just replace images/header.jpg (990×146px) with your own image. To remove text from the header, go to header.php and delete the following line:

<a href=”<?php bloginfo(’url’); ?>” title=”<?php bloginfo(’name’); ?>”><?php bloginfo(’name’); ?></a>

Let me know if you found any problems so I can improve it and please keep all the links in the footer (you can remove SITEMAP or add your own in the pages section and it will link to it automatically). Just recently I have fixed a few bugs that occurred in IE6.

Edited on 30/04/2008: Below is a list of basic plug-ins that I recommend installing in the first place:

• All in One SEO Pack - to make sure your blog structure is search engine friendly
• Sociable - automatically add links on your posts to popular social bookmarking sites
• Askimet - a must-have spam protector
• FeedBurner FeedSmith - FeedBurner tracking tool (only if you use FB for your RSS)
• Subscribe to comments - Allows readers to receive notifications of new comments that are posted to an entry

Copyblogger has recently published a post regarding text formatting with a very specific picture in the beginning. This example is to demonstrate why you should be creative in using images on your website. Just have a read the second comment to this post:

Eric: Best. picture. ever.
The article was OK too

What is our target, Sir?!

If you have a website or a blog you quite likely visit Google Analytics or any other stats often wondering how to improve the following:

• number of visitors and visits
• pages/visit rank
• avg. time on site
• bounce rate

Probably you are addicted to these stats, like I am, checking them to often wondering if you are closer to your targets.

Continue reading →

I finally decided to reorganize this blog and start writing regularly. Thank you for all positive feedback I received. I appreciate your support and I can promise that from now on you will see more serious content.

After my first months in blogging I found my way in doing this and I hope you will like it.

Redesign needed

My first decision was to change WP theme. I didn??Â?Â?t like the previous one and I couldn??Â?Â?t improve it as easy as I would expect. So I was looking for some well-prepared theme and, lucky me, I found it ??Â?Â? Copyblogger theme! While reading different blogs I stopped on Pearsonified.com and it took me just a few seconds on the site to realize this page is going to end in my Blogroll.

Continue reading →

It is tempting. Very tempting. You work for the Man and dream about being on your own, working flexible hours, choosing projects you like, calling yourself a full-time webdesign freelancer. Before you make your decision to “jump”, living your current employer, find out what professionals have to say about realities of being a freelancer. Maybe it is not the right moment for you? Maybe you are not good enough yet? Or maybe you don’t see great advantages of your current workplace? Good research is the key point so you can base your decision on facts not feelings and expectations.

Here are a few links that should be useful:
Cameron Moll - http://cameronmoll.com/
- Full-time freelancing: 10 things learned in 180 days (Cameron Moll)
- Full-time freelancing: 10 more things in 360 days (Cameron Moll)
- Farewell to freelancing: Final lessons learned (Cameron Moll)

Digital-Web - http://www.digital-web.com/
- Redesigning the ExpressionEngine Site (Jesse Bennett-Chamberlain)
- To Dance the Dance of Freelance (Matthew D. Jordan)

You Suck at Web Design - http://www.yousuckatwebdesign.com
- The Freelancer Employee Handbook (Matthew D. Jordan)
- Seven Ways to Get Your Client to Pay (Matthew D. Jordan) - don’t read it at work because you won’t be able to stop laughing!

Mainframe.gr
- 24 Freelancing tips (or the alphabet of a freelancer)

Do you know any other useful link? Feel free to leave them in the comments.

For my projects I use Google Analytics because it answers all the questions I have about the traffic on my websites. Although I realised it is worth to have a deeper look into the available stats solutions when I found Crazyegg on the Internet. It allows you to “Get a clearer picture of where your visitors are clicking and enhance your site’s results”.

I haven’t tested it yet but it is worth attention.

One of the reasons I have started sharingmatters.com was to collect links of ‘must-read’ articles found on the internet.

Does Your Copy Hold Up To A Quick Glance? is one of such editorials. It is a professionally written article, based on eyetracking researches, aimed on explaining how to keep the visitors on your website and let them read your content insted of just scanning it. If you have anything to do with webdesigning, you’ve got to read it!

This post is also a great occasion to recommend you the website where the above article is published: www.digital-web.com

When surfing the Internet many times we click on images to see an enlarged versions of them. Usually it is done using simple pop-up window that appears on our screen. But there is a nicer way to achive this. Lightbox is the answer. Simply click on the image, the screen goes dark and you can see an animation revealing bigger picture you wanted to see. It looks pretty and allows you to save a lot of effort and place because it has a slide show option implemented as well. Useful solutions for webmasters (you can donate the author to show your appreciation) and for users. If you build a website and want to use a Lightbox on it, think how much time you save as ready-to-go solution is waiting for you.

There are two great places just made for sharing images in the Internet.

Stock.xchng - Stock.XCHNG was launched in February 2001, as an alternative for expensive stock photography. The idea was to create a site where creative people could exchange their photos for inspiration or work. In about two years the site evolved into this massive community you see now - there are about 500.000 registered users and more than 180.000 photos online!

I used this website many times when needed photos for my projects. It is very painful, especially for non-profit web creations when you lack for good quality pictures. SXC was always an answer for that and it is the only such good place with free photos on the Net. This is one of the greatest examples how sharing can benefit to all the participants. With my new camera I hope I will upload there some of my pics soon.

A List Apart Magazine (”For People Who Make Websites”) explores the design, development, and meaning of web content, with a special focus on web standards and best practices.

It is one of the most popular places in the Internet for people designing websites. You can find there lots of articles with advices, solutions and ideas written by experienced webmasters, helpful epsecially for those who want to stick to the web standards.