No posts for a long while... well, keeping up this log has proved more work than I thought... Further to my exciting adventures of improving my html skills, I have been learning how to write flash. Honestly - it's a nice medium. BUT - it's too time consuming to prepare, and definitely has some usability problems (unless you are one skilled designer!!). A better option to create exciting multimedia? Sure - try Balthaser Studios. You'll need a good connection to use their web app...
posted by Tim Breen at 5:42 AM

Check out this excellent Information Architecture Tutorial from Webmonkey for tips on how to put a complete site together, starting from the basics of the information you are trying to present. Something a lot of web designers could do with trying, for once!
posted by Tim Breen at 1:49 AM

I've been experimenting with the format of this log. Finally all that css mumbo jumbo is starting to make sense. I think I like it... Now, if I could only get those tricky server side includes to work. Good to see blogger is still up and running! Otherwise this would have been in vain.
posted by Tim Breen at 4:49 AM

I heard today that Blogger is in trouble - they have lost a lot of staff and so on. What a shame... Nothing I have seen to date has come this close to being a killer app.
posted by Tim Breen at 7:38 AM

Wow! Disaster central... Try searching for clip art on the web and end up with a circle of guides to clipart sites, and no actual sites. As they say - Where's the beef? Any useful recommendations - please send them to me...
posted by Tim Breen at 5:08 AM

This is a fantastic domain name - I can't wait to find out what it's for...
posted by Tim Breen at 10:16 AM

Wow! Usabilty testing heaven. Check out useit.com which is a site by Dr. Jakob Nielsen on web site usability and related subjects. It gets a little scientific but that's ok - human response times etc. are pretty interesting reading. It also gives a good insight into why so much web design is still not getting the right message accross - bandwith doesn't make it work yet!!! Simple is most definitely better. Focus on what makes your site unique - its content.
posted by Tim Breen at 7:26 AM

I suppose I should credit dack.com for getting me onto Blogger. I also think that the blogger site is really well designed - and the whole user interface for posting to the logs is excellent. It's a shame we're not back in the days of sky-high valuations - otherwise these guys would be ruling the roost...
posted by Tim Breen at 7:53 AM

Web site design is getting so hard these days. Do you go minimalist or maximalist?? I really can't read the entire of a main portal page - but some of the 'trendy' minimalist sites are hard to get through too - not enough information. It's harder still when you're putting together a site concerning an area where most people are not familiar. The dangers of being an enthusiast.
posted by Tim Breen at 7:51 AM