Simple web design, web development, information technology, & technical communication

Articles and resources for web developers and the average person. Topics include web development, web design, technical writing and communication, and all aspects of information technology.

Graphics

iStockPhoto
Excellent, affordable site for getting stock graphics to use in your Web designs.
Stock.XCHNG
Large selection of free stock photography.

Information Technology

DNS Stuff
Nifty site for doing domain lookups and checking IP addresses.
Slashdot
Ultimate Nerd Haven. Resource for IT, video games…. hell, they might even talk about robots. For true geeks only.

JavaScript

Online Marketing

Google Trends
Google’s tool for seeing exactly what people across the Web are searching for each day.
Yahoo! Search Buzz
Yahoo! alternative to Google Trends, though it includes a strong editorial element and commentary.

Search Technology, SEO, and SEM

John Battelle’s Searchblog
Thoughts on the intersection of search, media, technology, and more.

Web Design

A List Apart
In the site’s own words: “Explores the design, development, and meaning of web content, with a special focus on web standards and best practices. ”
CoolHomePages.com - Web Design Examples
Features a database of the best sites on the Web. This is a great resource to see design elements and programming features that are preferred by users.
CSS Zen Garden - Beauty in CSS Design
Excellent site that displays the very best in CSS, standards-based, accessible web design.

Web Development

Experts Exchange - IT Professional Network
The ultimate resource for programmers, IT professionals, and generally nerdy computer users. Subscription-based site, but well worth $10 a month. A must if you find yourself talking angrily to your computer.
Netbulge.com - Design and Development
Nice resource for PHP, CSS, HTML, and general web development. Also covers larger IT and general computing topics.
w3Schools Online Web Tutorials
Great tutorials and quizzes, especially for beginners. Covers HTML/XHTML, JavaScript, PHP, ASP, ASP.NET, SQL, etc..

Web Usability

Jakob Nielsen
Many of Nielsen’s ideas can be debated ad nauseum… But he is the founding father of Web usability. Plenty of helpful tips can be found here, as well as statistics and studies.