Believe it or not, TinyURL has an API which allows you to instantly create TinyURL’s of links. Luckily it’s also free to use and currently does not require resistration.
All you need to do is send a request to:
http://tinyurl.com/api-create.php?url=URL_HERE
<?php
echo file_get_contents('http://tinyurl.com/api-create.php?url='.'http://www.example.com/');
/* For example
http://tinyurl.com/api-create.php?url=http://www.fullondesign.co.uk/
Would return:
http://tinyurl.com/d4px9f
*/
?>
Would it be possible for you to fill out my questionnaire for my dissertation?
This questionnaire is being carried out to find out about how popular fair trade food products are in the UK, the results of the questionnaire have the intent on highlighting the impact fair trade could have on retailers.
This is the link to the questionnaire:
http://freeonlinesurveys.com/rendersurvey.asp?sid=y2bung921aucgjq556066
Thank you for taking the time to feel out this short questionnaire, if you have any queries please contact me at
jr1206 (at) soton.ac.uk
Here is an overview of add-ons I consider essential to any web developer or designer who uses Firefox.
Have you ever seen a really nice colour on a website and thought “That is exactly what I need”. This add-on allows you to get the details about the colour.
Websites can be very annoying to code (especially if you use notepad), this excellent add-on for Firefox allows you to edit, debug and monitor code on a web page. It’s so useful it almost needs its own post.
YSlow (For Firebug)
Ever wondered why a website is being slow? This cute little add-on (made by Yahoo) analyses a web page and tells you (in simple English) how to make it load a little faster.
Normally when I use this, I notice a big improvement in rankings on Google and Yahoo.
Sometimes (especially when coding websites) it’s important to know the size of various elements. Essentially this is like an on-screen ruler.
An essential add-on for all web masters (and power users). This useful little tool bar adds everything a web master really needs to keep on top of a website.
I hate JavaScript; luckily the geniuses down at Google seem to know how I feel. Google Gears makes time consuming JavaScript run at least 40%* faster.
View and Modify HTTP/HTTPS headers, very useful when analysing a web page and working with CURL.
* Based on my benchmarking. Performance may vary from user to user. In general Google Gears is fantastic and should be used on all computers.
Here is a basic overview of little things that really bugged me on “professional designers and developers” websites.
This is from a real designers website…I haven’t the heart to contact them about it.
Seriously, as soon as a client sees something which has possibly been stolen from another person website, they will just assume you will screw them over and they will avoid you.
I love seeing a lovely portfolio with some clearly fantastic work, but it sucks when I can’t get a quote. Clients will tend not to bother poking around (or doing a WHOIS) for a way to get in touch.
Make sure you have a big “Contact me for a quote” link somewhere.
Clients tend to like to see you can do to check that you can actually do what you say. Make sure you have an accessible portfolio of work. If you need to build a portfolio, do some work cheap or even free.
Be honest with clients, if you’re a one man band, tell them! Clients will not punish you for not being a large corporate company (in fact, most companies will see you as lower cost labour).
Try and make your website reflect the amount of people who you work with. In some cases being a small company (or even a sole trader) can allow you to have a blog, twitter or even be a little more informal.
If your website does not work in the client’s browser (which will always be IE6, because clients are idiots) it is unlikely the client will think your worth £500 per hour. Make sure you cross browser test and use good CSS (also, advoid tables).
Here is a really easy way to make a drop down list using CSS instead of JavaScript. This has many advantages over a JavaScript method, mainly it’s more search engine friendly and does not rely on users having JavaScript turned on.
<style type="text/css">
<!--
/* Style the links */
#exmaplebox a {
float:left;
text-decoration:none;
font-size:14px;
font-weight:bold;
height: 22px;
width: 100px;
text-align:center;
display:block;
padding: 0 10px 0 10px;
margin: 2px 10px;
border:1px solid #CCC;
}
#exmaplebox a:hover {
text-decoration:underline;
}
/* this bit is the drop down bit */
#exmaplebox ul {
float:left;
margin:0;
padding:0;
height: 26px;
width: 150px;
overflow:hidden;
list-style:none;
}
#exmaplebox ul:hover {
overflow:visible;
}
#exmaplebox ul li {
float:left;
width:300px;
margin:0;
padding:0;
}
-->
</style>
<div id="exmaplebox">
<a href="#link">Link</a>
<ul>
<li><a href="#link">Link</a></li>
<li><a href="#link">Large Sub-Link</a></li>
<li><a href="#link">Sub-Link</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="#link">Long link</a></li>
<li><a href="#link">Sub-Link</a></li>
<li><a href="#link">Large Sub-Link</a></li>
</ul>
<a href="#link">Link</a>
</div>