More Than Just Giving Credit...

Giving credit for things you put on your website but didn’t create is very important. The image I use in this layout was created by a designer on iStockPhoto, which I purchased. Because of the licensing of the file, I don’t have to disclose that I got the image from there, but I don’t see any reason not to. The way that site works, you can purchase an image for individual use, or you can pay a higher price to be able to put it on templates, shirts, etc. Because I’m only using it in a layout, I don’t need to pay the higher price. If I decide one day I want to set up a CafePress and use the girl image, I’d have to pay the $150.

illegal image

Today I happened across a site (link removed on site owner’s request) that uses some iStock images illegally. You can see she copied the image from the thumbnail preview because it still has the grey line through it in the exact place it is on the thumbnail at iStock. On her site (image to t he right incase she removes it) she lists a credit to iStockPhoto for the images, but does not link them. Their license does not say that you may use the image if you say you got it from here. It says you must purchase the rights to use the royalty free images, or you may not use them at all.

The point in my post is not to lecture her, maybe I shouldn’t have linked her at all, but to tell everyone else how important it is to follow the rules of the site you get your material from. If credit is necessary, make sure to link them on your site. If purchase is necessary, shell out the money or don’t use it at all. Once you get the stigma of being a copier or stealer, it’s very hard to dispell it.

If you are ever caught doing something like this, or are doing it now and didn’t even realize.. the best thing to do is publish an apology and remove the material or correct the situation by following the rules of the site you got the material from. I hope by the time anyone reads this she will have noticed what happened and removed it from her site.

If it was your hard work sitting on someone’s site that didn’t follow your rules.. what would you do?

#1 Validate Your Code...

One of the first things you should do when coding your website is make sure it’s valid. It’s very simply to go to the HTML Validator and check for errors. The only errors you’ll see for Lala Land are those around the Twitter code, which I can’t change. Some exceptions like that are allowed, because Twitter uses the correct codes inside theirs (and it all works out in the end). You’ll want to check your validation often, especially if you update your site often. Valid code can be helpful in many ways, including search engine optimization. Most importantly, though, it will help you keep any visitor that comes to your site.

If you want help in validating your code, try installing EditPad Lite, and use it as your default text editor. When you view your source, EditPad shows you the line number. If you validate your site and it says “Line 220, Column 4″ then you go to your site, view the source, and scroll down to line 220. Then you will be able to see what’s on that line (which the validator also shows) and what’s on the lines around it. Usually this is all you need to fix those errors. Remember, valid does not make your coding work across all browsers, but it ensures you’re on the right track.

The number one mistake everyone makes that throws up red flags in their valdiation is not adding the alt=”" attribute to their image codes. Every image code must have this, it tells the browser and the user what the image is if it doesn’t load. Many people also think that an image code is like this <img src=”file.gif”> and completely leave out the end. A proper image code should include the image source (file name), the alt tag, the height and width, and the end. The height and width are not absoluately necessary, so at the very least it should look like <img src=”file.gif” alt=”file info” />.

How many errors does the validator give your main page?

Theme Forest...

If you’re looking for a quick design change and don’t have a lot of money, take a look at Theme Forest. They have a great selection of HTML Templates and Premium Wordpress Themes that have been fully coded and include PSD files so you can make basic customizations. They also have PSD Templates, for those who wish to do their own coding but don’t have the time, patience, or will to create their own design.

convergence

One of my favorite themes, and the one that inspired me to reopen Lala Land, is convergence. I was actually looking into using it before I showed Anna and she directed me to another site where I fell in love with another design that was very similar.

Convergence has great placement for pages and category navigation, along with a great ad placement above the fold. Each entry is limited in size on the front page with a thumbnail, while the entry page shows the full entry and some information about the author. Under the entry it lists related posts and popular posts to keep interest on your site.
Only $25

clean portfolio

A great HTML Template I found that I really liked was Clean Portfolio. It reminds me of someone sophisticated, like a teacher or a even freelancer. I’ve noticed that many coders create great codes, but because designing doesn’t come so easy to them, their applications and scripts are left looking bland and boring. This is a great template for you if you want to show your work, but can’t muster up the creativity for a design.

This template has room for up to 4 pages and includes a working Contact Form. It also uses jQuery Lightbox to give your gallery images some life. The coding is valid XHTML and uses no tables (faster load time with less coding). At the bottom it has links for popular social networking sites to help you keep your visitors interested and coming back. Only $12

I could spend all day on this site telling you what I think looks nice and where I think you should use it, but you’ll have to go take a look for yourself. I’m sure you’ll find something there that works for you. Theme Forest has a standard of quality that will keep you coming back. Please use my links so I can gain referral credit.

Is It..?...

Mwahaha. I’m so excited to finally be done messing with this and to be able to move on to content. There’s still more design elements I want to work on (like bullets in the sidebar), but I think it looks good enough now that people can come. Anyway, I really need you people to post on the plugboard.

I was planning to add some stock photos (the page is already listed up there under Graphics), but the photos I have aren’t as wonderful as I had hoped. I do have a few, though. And I’m going to work on more. Right now I’m looking for an old layout I had once released on Radkitten, so I can fix it up a bit and release it here. It’s a million times better than any of the old layouts I had on this domain before. But maybe for fun I’ll upload a few screen captures for you.

I just tried to turn on my old computer and found that it won’t turn on. I have an extra power supply so I’m gonna try changing that out. I really hope that’s the problem and I can just remedy it right away for free. Never works that way, but let’s all keep our fingers crossed.

I can’t believe it’s 9 o’clock all ready. Gotta get some sort of content up tomorrow. Maybe I’ll do double to make up for my slacking today! Who knows..

Side note, I’m working on getting As A Star, my personal domain, back up.

My Tantrum...

Grrr. I’m so frustrated with this design. I wish I couldn’t played around with it before I paid for the image. I just can’t make it work. I can’t come up with a nice way to do the logo or the categories. The categories look nice, but they don’t really go very well with the background? What color will? None! Should I change the background? I don’t know. I’ve spent the last hour working on just the logo, and 2 hours before that on the categories. I need to come up with some good colors that worth with the colors included in the girl image. I’m totally lost in this. If you’re here (why?) give me some suggestions!

I’m going to bed for the night. Maybe I’ll have an epihpany tonight in my dreams. Goodnight everyone.