Added Tools/Services and more

[Terminator1138]

I'm thinking this is most appropriate area to post this. I've been thinking about some sites and what they offer. I have a general question to all who come here and read, post, visit etc...

What kind of extra services, online tools, wizards, do you like to see added to a website. Do you like a bunch of copy and past scripts, online menu maker stuff etc. Do you like to have a place to download extra proggies that relate or are similar to each other?

I'm adding a subdomain for just such an area. I place that is added of my main site that others can come and download at free will. OR do you like hunting around for stuff and visit 100 sites to get the things you need'; what would you think of something like this?

Thanks for you feedback. I know there are a lot of sites for scripts and that is not what I'm trying to do. What I'm thinking about is added services. Here is a for-instance:
A site that sells a major program and has online tools for menu or button creation also and has tools for webmasters the help them make a better site. Like I stated, I"m just thinking what you would like to see and your thoughts.

[D856C]

My unorthodox take on things...

-- There used to be a couple of tools, one by Deloitte for the PC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3014702.stm) , the other an online service you could point a URL to. Now both gone, they provided an invaluable function. Rather than check code or even spelling, these checked for correctly spelled but meaningless buzzwords (http://www.buzzwhack.com/) . I especially miss the online one, as gave the ratio of suit/geek buzzwords. This would check and evaluate that content thing eveyone talks about.

-- An auto calculator/code generator for calculating some of the fancy image replacement (http://www.stunicholls.myby.co.uk/menus/flickerfree.html) rollover gags the new way. (http://www.alistapart.com/d/sprites/ala-blobs2.html). This is, of course, inviting abuse, but for the one tenth of one percent who might use it for diagrams, maps and such, useful.

-- Form layout (http://mx.coldstorageonline.com/csslinks/formlayout/formlayout.htm), a CSSformgarden kind (http://www.aplus.co.yu/css/styling-form-fields/) of resource, but some useful working examples for actually getting something useful in through the form (insert gag (http://www.37signals.com/svn/archives/000717.php) ). Add the usual banter about my code is better than your code, and presto - real fun.

[Terminator1138]

So you would like to see the same examples or similar works then for the CSS form building, CSS stuff relating to imagemapping?

I did find this link to the bull fighter program, but I'm sure it got way to popular for them to offer it online.
http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/article/0,1002,sid%253D43049%2526cid%253D49889,00.html

[Terminator1138]

Well I think I might be misunderstood a bit. I'm not refering to content, what I kinda asking is if users who visit sites that deal with web stuff like to use generators, addon on programs that have honest reviews and the ability to download them also. I know and I'm not trying to create the best CSS resource or anything that deals with coding. I'm looking to add services in one location for many. A place where they can utilize many things overtime. I'm not wanting to be popular and if someone mentioned my site on another, then so be it.

I have 100 sites I go for the best in HTML, CSS, JS, etc so why even try to compete there. My goal is a simple one, the opinion of offering besides my main site, a little extra bit of stuff. Then what kinda of stuff do you want to see or would be nice. I hope I cleared that up. This site project is just to add a subdomain worth of extras and is not part of main content. AS is stands, I have enough to work on for long time.

I agree with the information part, that is why I have a forum and soon to integrate archive of tips and tricks type of stuff with the ability to passer bys to add their knowledge. But I think many can agree that there is a lot of info. Many a link repository would be nice to nOObs.?

[Terminator1138]

I plan to have a coding area for just such a thing with comments from others....if you want to share that will be great Stilts. No problem on the other stuff. I should have made myself more clearer earlier :) All is good.

[poodle]

If I'm following you - which I guess technically I am, - then you would like to know what kinds of things we find helpful...

Well, if you want a newbie perspective, you don't get much newer than me. I touched my first HTML project about two weeks ago. In my online experience in quest of knowledge I have been very happy to stumble on several sites, including this one, which have had one thing in common. They all gave me some clear benefit. I don't necessarilly mean free stuff, although that can be nice too, but they helped me take another step forward toward understanding all this crazy design stuff.

At first, I thought that code samples were a waste of my time, but now I'm looking for them to try and figure out how they work. One site had some cool tutorial stuff that just broke down some simple scripts. I would like to find more side-by-side examples of code that does essentially the same thing and hear why one is a better way of coding than another.

It's also nice when things are grouped together simply. For example, all the downloads in one place with a front door way in and also linked back to related tutorials, or whatever. Free stuff is cool... unless you have to spend three days figuring out how to make it run.

I don't know if this is what you were asking or not, but I hope it helps.

[Terminator1138]

You have grasped what I'm refering too poodle, thank you, some of the tools I'm iplementing this year is a SEO optimizer, which is simple. I'm not going to add free programs to download, but mearly provide a link on some of my favs and users to give comments about them. I think the main goal is getting lots of things from one site and keeping them there. There are many good sites that list online graphics and menu creators, but I"m wanting just to add a few so that they can use it and then understand. Im in process of makin a few tuturials, but with some of best sites already doing this, why make just another one. I will be doing a favorite links area that talks about some of the best sites I have come across. Thanks for the input.

[poodle]

I really like the idea of a favorites list with comments or reviews of the links. There's so much stuff out there that the most valuable information is the kind that helps you narrow down the search a bit.

For example, when I started to try this whole website thing I started with a visual layout program from Coffee Cup. With it I was able to throw together a quick webpage, but then I wanted to make a few tweaks and found that the coding was so messed up the only way to do what I wanted was to start over with a template and an HTML editor.

That led me here and to several other HTML editors like a Coffee Cup one, HTML Kit and others. After playing with them, I found I liked First Page 2000 best.

Then I found that I hated the upload addon for FP2000 and back onto the web I went, only to find more and more options. After trying a bunch, I found that I liked FTP Explorer just fine... until I realized that there were even easier programs to use and I ended up with Direct FTP which has a nice little built in editor.

If you then think about how much more complicated it can be to slog through all of the available scripts and such, you can see where a person could spend hours looking for ways to learn something like HTML, CSS, or whatever, than actually learning it. So, any bits of wisdom that make the process easier are awesome...

Sorry, that was a long-winded way of saying, "Hey, good idea..."

[Terminator1138]

no problem poodle, trust me, I have spend lookin for hours for one exact script I wanted. It also takes time to figure out what you like and dislike. Trial and error is best. Not only do I want to share links I have found as an example, but I want to get them all of my comp so I can organize better and have others add links that I have not found. I'm working on the links page soon and will announce my site when I think its mostly done.. I' m always adding.