I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, readers! In honor of this Black Friday, I have a deal I wanted to let you all know about. Another blogger and friend of mine posted about Shutterfly recently and the sale they are having on holiday cards. They have a nice selection of photo cards, from sweet and whimsical to elegant designs. See below for some great offers and examples of designs that you can choose from.
In the spirit of Halloween I thought I’d share some blogs and websites that are good for a few laughs. It’s important sometimes to step away from your work and enjoy a few stress-relieving chuckles. Some of these sites may be NSFW, so enjoy these over the weekend.
Sometimes it seems no matter how many computer programs I have, my clients always manage to have different ones. And not just different versions of the same programs, but programs that result in unique file types that I can’t even open with the many programs I use. Microsoft Publisher documents (PUB) are the type I come across most frequently that I am unable to utilize. However, my clever husband introduced me to a helpful website that converts files into PDF documents and delivers them via email, thus solving my file format dilemma.
I first blogged about the wonders of HTML5 back in May, and I think it is time for an update. There has been progress both in the available features and browser support for HTML5. With these new features there have also developed a number of tutorials and facts to aid in modern web development. Read on to for some of the best HTML5 resources that I have come across so far.
While it is always the goal that your viewers never get an error page from your website, it is best to be prepared. A 404 Error indicates that the file or page requested cannot be found. Unlike a server error, a 404 or Not Found error occurs when access to the site is granted, but the address called for is missing. This type of error can occur for a number of reasons; sometimes it is simply a matter of the viewer spelling your URL wrong, and other times it is due to either external or internal broken links. A broken link is usually the result of updating and/or moving pages and files around on your website. Read on for tips on creating and executing a unique and helpful 404 page.
I had a brief moment of dread earlier this week when I visited one of the sites I manage, only to find a disturbing “That page cannot be displayed” error page. Like I said, though, my fear was short lived thanks to today’s featured sites. These three websites reliably (as far as I can tell) test and report whether a web page is down universally or it is your own computer/system creating the error. Down for everyone or just me? is the most well-known of these resources, though they are all similar programs. CheckSite and Down.io also report the status of a web server to determine if a website error is affecting other viewers or only you.
A web icon is the small symbol or picture displayed on the left side of a browser tab, in your bookmark menu and/or in the web address bar. Commonly called the ‘favicon’, short for favorite icon, the web icon can be a variety of file types and is recognized by most modern browsers. The icon is a small graphic with big impact; the presence of a unique icon helps viewers easily recognize your site among others, and increases brand recognition. Every major website has a recognized icon, and there is no reason your site can’t (or shouldn’t) have one too.
A valuable aspect of your website is how well people respond to the site and remember it later. One of the best ways to distinguish how well your site accomplishes these important attributes and more is a critique. While it is great to have your mom, significant other and BFF take a look at your site and provide feedback, it is unlikely that any of your favorite people will be as honest and free with their critique as a total stranger. Not to mention, it is likely that those closest to you have inside knowledge about your company and/or website and will view the site with a well-intentioned but unavoidably biased eye. Lucky for us, there are a number of websites that offer solutions to this dilemma.
Today’s find focuses a couple different websites with a common theme. Like a lot of professionals, creative and otherwise, I often have music playing in my office while I work. Depending on the task at hand, I find that certain music makes my quiet office a happier place to work. In my personal work environment, I enjoy quiet background music while I design, edit and take care of things around the office. Since the music I listen to usually has lyrics, I tend to turn it off while writing or copy editing as I find the lyrics to be more of a distraction in such cases.
Friday Finds is a new section where I will pass on to you one product, blog, website or other item that strikes me as worth sharing. And, you guessed it, I’ll be adding to this list of little treasures every Friday. Usually these posts will be web, graphics or photo related, but you never know what may catch my eye. Did you find something worth sharing? Feel free to send an email or leave a comment with suggestions for future Friday Finds features. (Try saying that three times fast!)
