Working with multiple user names and passwords on your web site can be a frustrating experience, but here’s how to reduce the stress:

Rather than retyping your user name and password into the appropriate text input boxes (and then having them be rejected time after time because of errors), always HIGHLIGHT the user name and/or password from the original source, then COPY the user name/password into the text box. This way, you avoid typos.

If you are verifying the information or giving the user name and password to someone else, follow the same routine as above: COPY and PASTE the user name/password into the email that you are sending them — but before you hit “send,” be sure to VERIFY that you have copied the information correctly by testing those SAME user names and passwords that you have on your email against the actual log-in page on the web site. If your user name and password work after HIGHLIGHTING and PASTING the information from your email into the user name and password input boxes on the log-in page, then you know you have the correct information — and that you are giving the correct information out.

Browsers will display your web pages differently — there’s just no way around it. Text will wrap differently, images will align differently — everything will be different. And sometimes, the difference will be significant.

For example, Mozilla will read the default for horizontal alignment of a cell as “left” while IE will read the default for horizontal alignment as “center,” unless you set it specifically to “left.” This will mean a HUGE difference in the way the text displays within the cell.

Subtle things, like the look of a border that has been coded in your style sheet, will look different, depending on the browser. At least once a week, I run into something new that I have never seen before — and the list changes as new releases of the browsers come out.

I had one client come to me because their cascading menu javascript would no longer display the main navigation structure with the newest release of IE — essentially rendering their web site completely useless. It’s surprising what one small difference can make when it comes to html.

Always, always, always check your developing website under various conditions to ensure functionality.

It’s a common mistake for Web designers who are starting out to become too preoccupied with making a “perfect picture” on the Web page, without understanding how important it is to develop a user-friendly Web site that is easy for the first-time user to navigate.

Beginners in Web design might find the tips at:

Web Design Do’s and Don’ts

and

What Makes for Good Common Sense Web Design

to be useful.

A good web designer always keeps an eye toward the future — always anticipating even before the client does what components the client is likely to need as time goes on.

It’s very easy to become trapped by thinking too much about the visual impact of the site without regard for the practical matters involved in creating a site that will be able to change with the times. A Web design should be able to “breathe” — and not be too confined by any one visual element to the point where changes and updates cannot be made without disturbing the overall design.

I provide initial consultations free of charge to evaluate your present Web site. If you would like to make an appointment, please don’t hesitate to contact Christopher Merrill.

If you are looking for a freeware version of Photoshop, try gimp.org. Many of my clients have found this free software package to be extremely useful.

Gimp gives you the ability to do most of the basic image editing and image optimization functions that you might need if you are starting out in web design.

Plus, working with Gimp is a good way to get your feet wet if you are thinking of purchasing Photoshop or Photoshop ImageReady.

Also, if you are thinking of starting out in web design, Gimp can be an excellent “introductory course” to the basics of image and photo manipulation. You can get started right away making your own websites without having to invest an arm and a leg in image-editing software.