Links

Web Authoring | Macromedia | Graphics | Web Design
Usability | Technical Communication

Web Authoring Tutorials

• WYSIWYG Editor Shootout 2001 by Michael Calore
• Designing for Different Resolutions
• The Counter.com provides up-to-date stats on browser usage, screen resolution, operating systems, site referrers, etc.
• Webmonkey's How-To library
• W3Schools web authoring tutorials
• Webmonkey's Browser Comparision chart
• Computer Art's Web and New Media tutorials

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Using Macromedia Dreamweaver, Fireworks, and Flash

• Macromedia's Dreamweaver Support Center (includes links to print/PDF documentation and online tutorials)
• Macromedia's On Demand online video tutorials (great 10-20 minute streaming videos, but need latest browser and high bandwidth. You also need to register to Macromedia site, which is free)
• Tips on Working in Dreamweaver MX by Kate Agena
• Advanced Tips for Working in Dreamweaver MX by Julia Romberger
• Dreamweaver MX Overview by Michael Calore
• Tips on Working in Macromedia Flash by Kate Agena

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Buttons, Backgrounds, Images, and Photographs

• Freebuttons.com
• Yahoo's "graphics" directory (alphabetical list)
• About.com: Web Clip Art (webclipart.about.com). Click a category in the left-hand navigation column to see a list. Site also maintains its own collection of free graphics.
• Barry's Clipart Server (www.barrysclipart.com). Llarge collection of clip-art, animations, photos, templates. Lots of holiday stuff.
• Animation Factory (www.animfactory.com). Can customize animated images. CAUTION: most users find cheesy animation annoying.
• MediaBuilder (www.mediabuilder.com). Look under the "Free Image Files" heading in the left-hand navigation menu for links to MediaBuilder's background, border, icon, and line image libraries. Also lets you instantly preview how the background or border will look as a Web page background!
• Stuff!! (www.stuff.uk.com/index.shtml). This is a network of sites providing background textures (including paper, metal, rock and brick) along with buttons and clip art.
• Microsoft's clipart and media page http://office.microsoft.com/clipart/default.aspx
• Free Images Co. Good free photo images
• Photos Gratis. More free pics! http://www.licencephoto.com
• Fotosearch. Excellent source of photographs http://www.fotosearch.com/
• EyeWire.com image site used by professionals (you have to buy images, but you can get away with using the copyright-protected sample images. You can also get lots of good ideas for themes, designs, etc.
• Corbis.com another image site for professionals

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Web Design

• Good Documents.com, discusses philosophy and technique to designing good pageshttp://gooddocuments.com
• Jakob Nielsen's “Alertbox” columns includes "top ten Web design mistakes," differences between print and screen reading," and other useful discussions of Web design. http://useit.com/alertbox/
• Usableweb has a directory on Web site design tips http://usableweb.com/topics/000445-0-0.html
• Vincent Flanders’ “Web Pages that Suck” maintains that the best way to learn good design is to look at bad Web design. http://webpagesthatsuck.com/
• Yale’s Web Style Guide http://info.med.yale.edu/caim/manual/contents.html
• Web Page Design for Designers http://www.wpdfd.com/index.htm
• Jakob Nielsen’s “Ten Good Deeds of Web Design” http://www.useit.com/alertbox/991003.html, which includes his ealier “Top Ten Mistakes in Web Design” http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9605.html and 1999 top ten update http://www.useit.com/alertbox/990502.html
• Criteria for Web Site Evaluation http://webdesign.about.com/library/weekly/aa071801a.htm
• SystemConcepts’ usability checklist http://www.system-concepts.com/visitors/healthcheck.html
• RobinWilliams' Tips on Designing Web Pages (Peachpit Press has other articles in "features" archive and sells excellent tutorial books).
• About.com’s Elements of Effective Web Design http://webdesign.about.com/library/weekly/aa091998.htm
• IBM’s design guidelines http://www-3.ibm.com/ibm/easy/eou_ext.nsf/Publish/574
• U of Albany’s Basic Web Design Tutorial http://library.albany.edu/imc/webdesign/
• About.com’s Web Design Directory http://graphicdesign.about.com/msubwdes.htm
• Cnet’s Critique of the Week archive http://builder.cnet.com/webbuilding/pages/Graphics/Critique/
• Web Review, online magazine for Web developers http://www.webreview.com/index.shtml
• Dmitri Kirsanov’s "Designing a Designer's Site"  http://www.webreference.com/dlab/9810/
• Dmitri' Kirsanov’s "Designing Site Navigation"  http://www.webreference.com/dlab/9705/index.html
• Hal Shubin and Margaret M. Meehan’s “Text Matters "Problems with Navigating in Web Applications" http://www.emdash.com/webapps_new/webapps.htm
• Design Glossary--graphic and Web design related terminology http://www.grantasticdesigns.com/glossary.html

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Usability Testing

• The Usable Web http://www.usableweb.com/
• UseIt.com, Jakob Nielsen's web site http://www.useit.com/
• Usability.gov http://usability.gov/
• The Association for Computing Machinery's (ACM) pages on usability and Web design http://www.hcibib.org/accessibility/
• Society for Technical Communication’s usability Web site http://www.stcsig.org/usability/
• WebWorld.com, usability newsletter http://www.webword.com/
• Keith Instone’s “User Test Your Web Site” http://www.webreview.com/1997/04_25/strategists/04_25_97_1.shtml
• Keith Instone’s “Conducting Your First User Test http://www.webreview.com/1997/05_30/strategists/05_30_97_8.shtml
• Seth Gordon’s “User Testing: How to Plan, Execute, and Report on a Usability Evaluation” http://builder.cnet.com/webbuilding/pages/Graphics/Evaluation
• Jakob Nielsen’s “Collecting Feedback About Your Website's Search Interface” http://webreference.com/new/searchinter.html
• Usability.gov’s “Usability Basics”  http://usability.gov/basics/index.html
• Usability.gov’s “Conducting and Using Usability Tests” http://usability.gov/methods/usability_testing.html
• Sim D'Hertefelt’s “Observation methods and tips for usability testing”  http://www.interactionarchitect.com/knowledge/article19991212shd.htm

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Technical Communication

• Tech Comm Career Outlook (2001) by Employment Review Online
• TechCommCareers.org solid overview of field
• Society for Technical Communication
• Strategies to Succeed in Technical Writing by School of Champions
• TECHWR-L Magazine w/ archives

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