15 Great Webmaster Resource Sites

As a self-taught webmaster, I began building websites by teaching myself HTML code and searching the Internet for free clipart, fonts, image hosting and web hosting. The Internet has grown a lot since 2003 when I first began building my simple webpages. Knowing HTML code has allowed me to be more creative in the construction of my websites. Although things have gotten more complicated, it is still possible to produce an independent and inexpensive website that is creative, professional and clear in its presentation.

There are many different webhosting companies on the Internet that offer free to low cost hosting packages. I stayed with Zerocatch.com for many years but the popups became too annoying so I then switched to Angerfire. Angelfire does have popups and banner advertising but the popups are easily controlled by a blocker on my tool bar . Both of these webhosting companies utilize the FTP uploading software or they offer premade templates to help you build your website if you don't know HTML code.

I started using an image host when I got my MySpace page. My two favorite hosting companies are: ImageCave, which is free, and Flickr, which is also free and is easy to add to your webpage. ImageCave's free accounts give you 250K GIF of storage and you can create albums with 200 images or less. Uploading is super easy and they produce the URL, HTML code, EZ code and Thumbnail code automatically for you. It is important to check in with your account, however, at least once a month or it will be deleted. Flickr is really popular with the bloggers because you can embed your RSS feed into the HTML code of your blog so that people can subscribe to your images. It's not just for bloggers!! Anyone who wants to share their images can get a free account at http://www.flickr.com/. One of my favorite features of Flickr is 'Everyone's Photos' which gives you a taste of the pictures that other folks have uploaded. It makes me feel really connected to the world!

Another important resource for webmasters is knowing where to get great fonts. My favorite site for this is FontFreak. FontFreak offers so many different kinds of fonts for both the PC user and Mac user. All you need to do is choose a font, pick PC or Mac download mode and then save it to your computer. I created a special folder for fonts in my C: drive just to make it easier to find. Once you have extracted the zipped file you will need to add the new font to your 'Fonts' folder. Go to the Control Panel and open 'Appearance and Themes.' In the top left corner under 'See Also' there should be an option called 'Fonts.' You will need to click on 'Fonts.' After 'Fonts' is opened, go up to File and click on 'Install New Fonts.' You will then need to find the file that you just installed and click on it's folder. The new font should automatically be detected and you then just need click on the font and then click on 'OK.' The new font should then be installed and you will be able to use it the next time you use your WordPad. Tip: Some fonts work better than others for websites. It is best to test them in multiple browsers.

The best part about knowing HTML code is the ability to be creative with the contents of my webpages. I often make my own banners using an animated .GIF program or simply by using an art program. Two good software programs that allow me to do this are Artweaver and Easy GIF Animator. Artweaver allows me to edit images or even photos by filtering, adding special effects or text to the image. I can also customize the size of the image. Artweaver is a great program for easy banner creation that does not require animation. When I do want to add an animated GIF to my website, I use my Easy GIF Animator software. I am still utilizing my 20-use trial but it is only $19.85 to buy. It is great for beginners, intermediates and even advanced users who want to produce something effective and professional in a short amount of time.

FlamingText is a website that I have been visiting since I first began building my webpages. They offer free clipart, cool custom image creation such as banners, buttons, navigation tools and awesome headings. If you don't want to download a bunch of software just to get your website started, FlamingText is a great site where you can create the tools you'll need to produce a professional website.

I often visit Downloads.com for all of my freeware or shareware. They always have lots of software that is either free or allows you a generous trial period. The best part about this site is that you can feel safe knowing that you are downloading from a secure server. There are always risks when downloading from the Internet so be sure to read any information provided with your download of choice.

Finally, I would not have gotten as far as I have being an independent webmaster if it weren't for the wonderful webmaster resource forums and communities online. Here are a few of my favorite sites: thefreecountry.com, geekvillage.com, walshaw.com, thewebmasterschannel.com and webmasterstreet.com.

It can get frustrating at times but I always love stepping back and looking at the end result of my hard work and research as a webmaster.