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Loading ...Top 15 Online Website Development Resources
As a website developer, I utilize several online resources on a daily basis to gather facts, check code syntax and share ideas. There are some resources that I just couldn’t live without. I use the following fifteen resources so often that I’ve dedicated an article to them and would like to share with you my thoughts on why they are important. I’m also hoping that others can read this and learn from it, or possibly even teach me a thing or two. Anyways, here’s the list of the top 15 online website development resources that I use, in order of importance:
 Google: Google is my homepage. It should be everyone’s homepage. Isn’t it your homepage? There are very few questions in this world that Google can’t help you find an answer to. |
 Adobe Devnet: I do the majority of my web development using Adobe Dreamweaver CS3. I have the web premium suite that also includes Photoshop CS3, Flash CS3, and Fireworks CS3. The Adobe Devnet is an excellent resource not just for the tools I’ve just mentioned, but development in general. I get a lot of use out of the blogs, exchanges and forums there. |
 Dictionary.com: What webmaster is complete without a thesaurus and online dictionary? I often find myself beautifying text with the thesaurus on dictionary.com. Not only is it great to make sure you don’t use where instead of wear, it’s a hunky-dory way to utilize words like disgruntlement instead of anger. |
 Bluehost: Do you design websites? Have you ever used Bluehost? These guys have excellent customer service, affordable prices, and a ton of hosting features. I use Bluehost for hosting whenever possible and have used them for several years now as a very happy customer. Their services also include a very useful support forum. |
 Google Adwords: Let’s face it, if you’ve got a product to sell you’re going to need Google Adwords. Since we know that everyone has Google for their homepage (see above), we also know that the first thing they’re going to do when they want to buy something is search for it on Google. All bow before Google, the king of online advertising. |
 iStockPhoto: Do you need an image for a website? Does it have to be high quality? Do you want to be able to search for it based on concept keywords? How about low cost? iStockPhoto does all of this and they do it well. iStockPhoto, for those times when you need to find an image of ‘goth nosering‘ for a company website. |
 Flashkit: I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent digging through ActionScript code on this website to find ways to accomplish what I needed to do. Let’s be honest, the Flash CS3 software has really poor built-in actionscript3 reference material. No worries, we’ve got Flashkit, our savior! PS: They’re great for other things, too, like sound clips and example movies. |
 osCommerce Forums: There’s a bit of irony here. You’re selling a product, trying to make a quick buck, and the tool you’re using to do it is completely free! Crazy world we live in, I know. Sure enough, osCommerce is a free shopping cart solution that works marvelously and it’s completely customizable via PHP. |
 Google Code Search: I’ve always liked the word snippets. Why couldn’t they have called this Google Snippets? Maybe if Google hadn’t turned down my resume for a position in their company a few years ago, things would be different. Oh well, their loss, my gain! In any case, even though I don’t work for Google, and it isn’t called snippets, I still find their code search a useful tool when hunting down bits of PHP, ASP, ColdFusion or JavaScript. |
 SQL Dialects Reference: A quality SQL reference, for times when ‘Select * from Widgets’ just doesn’t go deep enough to get the job done. |
 PHP: Manual Quick Reference: PHP is fun. This online PHP reference manual is a shining example of just how fun it really is. |
 VBScript Forum: When you need a piece of VBScript code, chances are good that the crazy guys at VBScript Forum can help. |
 Web Design Forum: No mystery here, it’s all in the name. |
 WebDeveloper.com: The ONLY thing I don’t like about this site is the bland appearance. Everything else rocks, especially the depth of topics and the history of information contained within. |
 Whois.net: I used to be a big fan of the Network Solutions whois tool. Not anymore, I’ve tasted the glory of whois.net! |
So there you are, 15 web design resources packaged nicely into this Tech Club wordpress blog. Develop until your fingers peel away my friends! Are there are resources that you use regularly for website development that you’d like to share? Let me know, I’d like to hear about them.
