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Useful Downloads

Useful Links for Building your Website

At Interactive Village, we want you to have all the tools necessary to help you develop a websites you'll be proud of. With that goal in mind, we've put together some carefully selected links we think you'll find useful and/or interesting.

We also offer complete website design and content management services. Click the Web Development link at the top of this page for more info.

Webmaster Resources
If you're developing your own websites, there's tons of help out there. The trick is to separate the wheat from the chaff. We've chosen some of the best resources around and have put them all in one place for your convenience.

  • 123Webmaster.com - Free webmaster and web developer resources. The Webmaster Resource Engine.
  • About.com's HTML/XML Resource - Learn about HTML, frames, web development, PHP, ASP and tips and tricks of the web trade, with Jennifer Kyrnin, your About Guide to HTML. Despite the pop-ups, About.com is still well worth the visit.
  • Cerebus Webmaster Resources - A searchable directory with hundreds of freebies to help webmasters enhance, promote, design and make money from their sites. Also some onsite features like meta tag generator & a scripts archive.
  • Useit.com - Jakob Nielsen's site on usability and web design.
  • WebmasterBase by SitePoint - Articles, tips, expert advice and more. The ultimate webmaster resource online.
  • WebmasterWorld - News and discussion for the independent web professional.
  • Webmonkey - The web developers resource. Includes articles, detailed HTML tutorials, links to other helpful resources and more.

Articles on Building a Website
Confused about websites in general? Need some information on what to do and what NOT to do when it comes to designing your own site? The links below are some articles that might help you out.

  • ABCs of Building a Website - Web pages aren't just for geeks any more. If you're in business, the chances are good you'll be involved in building a website in one way or another. But what if you don't know HTML from H20?
  • Avoiding The Internet Death Penalty - Michael Reene explains that neither business nor consumer sites are fully meeting expectations. He gives reasons as to why this and suggests solutions to the problem. A must-read if you have a business website you want to improve.
  • Design Basics - Jim Frew explains the fundamentals of graphic design on the web.
  • The Foundations Of Web Design - Jeffrey Veen gives advice about navigating the places where art and technology collide and concludes that the most important elements of any good website are speed, simplicity and clarity.
  • Tips For Avoiding Bad Web Design - Gayle Pyfrom discusses the mistakes that have been known to drive visitors away and discourage their return.
  • Top Ten Guildelines for Homepage Usability - A company's homepage is its face to the world and the starting point for most user visits. Improving your homepage multiplies the entire website's business value, so following key guidelines for homepage usability is well worth the investment.

Content
Content is still king. If you have a site that just needs that little something extra, here are some sites that can help you provide it - for free!

  • 7am Ticker - Add a news ticker (small java applet) to your site for up to date news 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Free for the general service. A yearly subscription fee for more customization.
  • JClock - A free, customizable java applet that displays the time on your website.
  • Moreover - Dynamic news headlines in various different categories that can be added to your site for free. Again, more customization requires a fee.
  • Weather Underground Fast Forecast - Add a weather finder for any US city. For more customization, see their  http://www.wunderground.com/autobrandinfo/ autobrand option.

Software & Script Archives
There are lots of software programs and useful scripts out there to help you create a compelling website. Check out some of these resources for ideas.

  • Matt's Script Archive - Offering free CGI scripts to the web community since 1995. This database is a premium spot to check for great Perl & C++ based scripts.
  • NeverExpires.com - A FREE software directory site with a difference. All the software listed there never stops running. They work hard to make the software you want easy to find. Software changes all the time and they remove any listing that don't meet the Never Expires criteria.
  • The CGI Resource Index - Over 2,600 CGI related resources in more than 240 categories. A truly impressive database and well worth a look.
  • The PHP Resource Index - Over 2,600 PHP related resources in dozens of categories. An excellent resource if you are looking for a great PHP script.
  • Tucows Downloads - Over 45,000 software titles that are tested, rated, reviewed and ready to download.

Sources for Helpful Advice
NW Networks Web Hosting has a FAQs that will help you with many questions. But if you need some advice in a more general vein, here are some great places to start.

  • Allexperts Web Clipart Advice - Bobbie Peachey can help you quickly find the topic specific clip art you need and are searching for-- everything from alphabets, people and sports, etc. to web basics of menu buttons, banners, image maps, words and sayings.
  • Allexperts General HTML/Web Design Programming Q's & Q&A - There are about 30 different experts here that can help you with any questions related to the building of your website. Topics include design, HTML coding, CGI scripting, Java script, CSS, SSI, XML and lots of others.
  • Allexpert's Internet For Beginners - These folks have offered their services if you'd like to ask them about chatting, web security, downloading and a variety of other topics.
  • Ask the Expert - CIO - Internet - Offering you the opportunity to pose questions to industry leaders. Every two weeks a new discussion topic will be posted. Specific questions will be selected to be answered by that month's expert. Covers a wide variety of subjects including content management, Internet privacy, online retailing, web development trends and more.
  • Information Outpost - Free human powered search engine and Internet directory. Research usually completed within 24 hours. Your Internet help desk for all your business and marketing research, prospect research, research paper and homework assistance needs.
  • Pitsco's Kid-Friendly Ask An Expert - Askanexpert.com connects you with hundreds of real world experts, ranging from astronauts to zookeepers. These experts have volunteered to answer your questions for free. You can search for specific topics, or, if you're looking for Internet or computer related answers to questions, try clicking on "Browse The Expert Categories". Once you get to the categories, you'll see a section called "Internet / Computer".
  • SageBase.com - A searchable database of articles on every topic under the sun. Ask specific questions, browse the articles or become a Sage and get paid for it.