Website Hints

[Rudey]

Originally posted by ISUKappa
Actually, Photoshop can be a very strong design tool, if you know how to use it correctly (which also means using it to resize your large photos since a large low rez photo decreased in size looks much better than a small low rez increased in size.)

So a professional program that is so costly should be used to resize photos? That's like sending in the green berets and Navy SEALS if there is a fight in a high school.

-Rudey

[_Q_]

Originally posted by _Q_

7) It's usually a good idea to use editing software with digital images. You can experiment with cropping and adjusting levels and color balance. Adobe Photoshop is the industry standard, but if nobody has this, then The GIMP is very nice for free software.

BTW, most web designers do more than resizing with photos. But this has also been mentioned in the thread, and I don't especially feel like repeating myself. The URL for The GIMP is http://www.gimp.org .

[Rudey]

Originally posted by _Q_
BTW, most web designers do more than resizing with photos. But this has also been mentioned in the thread, and I don't especially feel like repeating myself. The URL for The GIMP is http://www.gimp.org .

So really do tell us, how should we password protect our websites? And should I buy any other special programs? I was thinking you should recommend to sororities and fraternities that they host the website off of their own server. Should they use Apache for this?

-Rudey

[_Q_]

Originally posted by Rudey
So really do tell us, how should we password protect our websites? And should I buy any other special programs? I was thinking you should recommend to sororities and fraternities that they host the website off of their own server. Should they use Apache for this?

-Rudey

*yawn*

[Rudey]

Originally posted by _Q_
*yawn*

Are you going to recommend that I visit a vintage car restoration website this time?

-Rudey

[_Q_]

Originally posted by ariesrising

[...]
I prefer Arial as a default, but there are other fonts out there like Tahoma and Verdana that look just as nice. So experiment with fonts, but remember that everyone might not have the font you use on their computer - if it's an unusual font you like, it may be better to make graphics with it and use a common one for big amounts of text.
[...]
Make sure you always have some form of contact - whether it be a guestbook, the webmasters email, a general email account for the entire chapter, a feedback form....anything so that people can email you with feedback, questions or comments. If you have a guestbook, make sure you police it on occasion, I've seen some where there's lots of spam or people making rude comments etc.

IIRC, sans serif fonts (like Arial) are easier to read on a screen and serif fonts (like Times New Roman) are easier to read in print. As far as the contact information, one way to reduce spam is to create a small graphic with the email address. The ALT tag for the graphic could be a mangled version of the email address, e.g. Q "at" yahoomail "dot" com .

[_Q_]

Originally posted by Rudey
Are you going to recommend that I visit a vintage car restoration website this time?

-Rudey

Well, there's always http://www.pornolize.com

[Rudey]

Originally posted by _Q_
Well, there's always http://www.pornolize.com

-Rudey
--You are the queen of posting irrelevant info.

[chideltjen]

Originally posted by _Q_
IIRC, sans serif fonts (like Arial) are easier to read on a screen and serif fonts (like Times New Roman) are easier to read in print.

Interesting... I've heard from a professor that serif fonts are easier to read on screen rather than sans... more for long blocks of type.

Actually I'm just the opposite of ariesrising... I can't stand Arial and sans serif fonts. But TNR bugs me too... if everyone had it, I'd put Adobe Garamond on sites... but I can't... so TNR it is.

[Rudey]

Originally posted by chideltjen
Interesting... I've heard from a professor that serif fonts are easier to read on screen rather than sans... more for long blocks of type.

Actually I'm just the opposite of ariesrising... I can't stand Arial and sans serif fonts. But TNR bugs me too... if everyone had it, I'd put Adobe Garamond on sites... but I can't... so TNR it is.

http://www.efuse.com/Design/web_fonts_basics.html

-Rudey

[jharb]

Originally posted by Rudey

Jesus would have to agree.

[kappaloo]

_Q_ & ariesrising - great hints!

A couple points though:

1) Digicam - if you're using your digital camera for 4x6 photos and the website alone - you can get away with a 2 megapixel camera. You won't be able to tell the difference and can probably pick on up really cheap!

2) Music is bad. No no no music. *pet peeve*

3) On the drama that is which Graphics program to use: Adobe is great, but is very expensive even when purchased through a educational licence. Elements is a great package from Adobe which has most of the things you'll actually use for a better price. Those on a Mac can use Graphics Converter, which often comes bundled with their OS.

And now, some questions for the up and coming website developer:

1) Have you filled out your alt attributes on all images? Someone who uses a screen reader will love you forever if you do, and it's such a simple thing to do!
2) Does your website look decent on other screen resolutions other than your own? - make sure it looks good on 600x800 and up. Yes, people still use 600x800.
3) Does your website work in other browsers? Many many people no longer use IE. Test your website as many browsers as possible!
4) If someone does not have a flash/shockwave plugin - does your webpage still convey information? If not, consider creating a text-only page (in addition to the flash enabled page) which portrays the neccessary information easily.
5) Would you like to spend extended amounts of time on your website? Sometimes we forget that visitors to our site will spend a good deal of time exploring it (especially if they are a PNM). That Mousetrailer might be fun for the minute you spend checking the site, but will annoy your indepth visitor immensely!

[chideltjen]

Originally posted by Rudey
http://www.efuse.com/Design/web_fonts_basics.html

-Rudey

Thanks!

Never thought about Georgia. It is a little easier to tolerate than TNR.

Although I have done text blocks in graphic form, apparently it's not recommended. Keywords wouldn't show up in Google et al. searches.

[tunatartare]

*BUMP*
If you are a fraternity, DO NOT put pictures of girls sunbathing in bikinis on Spring Break under the chapter photos of your website. Everyone who looks at those pictures will understand that the girls aren't actually in your fraternity, and it'll just make you look like a bunch of horny, slobbering dogs that you put it on there.

[decadence]

Everyone who looks at those pictures will understand that the girls aren't actually in your fraternity, and it'll just make you look like a bunch of horny, slobbering dogs that you put it on there.

You mean guys then?