Flash Help!

Hey again! I found this article about optimizing flash ads. It has 7 steps to follow in optimizing and things you should consider when creating ads in flash. Take a look if you're needing a little help.

Apartment hunting

If you are graduating in May, like me, I'm sure you are starting to plan for next year - like me! It's never too early to start the hunt for a place to live. This apartment search website was really good, I thought. It was easy to navigate, had clear instructions, and gave very thorough results. It also didn't give me apartment listings that were out of my budget range or fill my screen with pop-up ads for realty companies, like other websites have done. So, if you're starting to think about life after the bubble, give this website a try!

Church site idea

This summer I went to the Loop a lot, which is a Bible study in Memphis at Highpoint (the church whose web site we looked at in class). The Loop has a really cool web site at http://www.theloopmemphis.com and I thought it might have some cool ideas on it for our project!

Are you into Photography?

One of my passions is Photography and I like to experiment alot. One of the places I go on the internet is
http://www.nyip.com/ to look for tips on how to use your camera and changing a picture into art. They have free tips every month.

Time Management Skill

With finals quickly approaching and projects looming overhead I have found a website that helps individuals better manage their time and learn how to best arrange their schedule to reduce stress and increase productivity. They really do have some pretty neat ideas and resources. The web page design itself is not just overwhelmingly impressive, but the site is pretty easy to navigate. I am not a big fan of their bright green text box though. If you have the time to check out some time management skills visit http://www.mindtools.com/page5.html

christmas :o)

i LOVE christmastime. i know everyone else does too. christmas.com is amazing. it has everything anyone would EVER need for christmas. well, it has the websites to go to for everything you would need. from greeting cards to gifts to screen savers. it's really cool. i wish it would be advertised more. :o) i like it!

Blaire's other website...

I read Shelby's review of marryblaire.com and so i went to the site. it's hilarious and pathetic. this lady, in addition to her PLEASE MARRY ME website, has two other websites for all to enjoy. apparently, blaire is a love coach??? i don't understand. this woman and her websites just make her look insane!!! if she's looking for a normal man, these websites are surely going to keep her waiting and make her miss her December goal. maybe a summer wedding??? i really wanted to copy and paste a line from this website...but i couldn't. but to sum it up, blaire was raised mostly by men so she has a real grasp on the male mind. oh...one more thing. theloveguru.com also gives the readers tips on how to find a husband. hmmm....irony.

The Nanny Service :o)

So, when searching for a job, my friend Nicole suggested I look into the nanny business. She told me about this great website just for that! So if you think being a nanny sounds interesting, go to www.greataupair.com and post yourself for families to look at. It really is cool. It's an international site and you can view families YOU'RE interested in by state, of $$$, or whatever and they can find you!! So far I've gotten like 7 or 8 emails from different families who have added me to their list. I'm not quite sure what to do when you really want to meet up with the family...but if you want to get started....this website is perfect.

MarryBlaire.com

This could be the craziest site I've ever seen! I read about www.marryblaire.com in the paper, so I had to check it out to see how crazy this woman was. And since we have so many brides-to-be in our class, I thought they would get a laugh out of this site! Blaire is a 27-year old woman who is determined to be married by December, so she has actually set up a web site to find a husband. She even keeps a diary on her progress - as if the guys she dates can't sign on and read it! Anyway, thought y'all might find it amusing....

America's Most Dangerous Cities

I randomly found this list of America's most dangerous cities online the other day, and I was surprised to see that both Memphis and Little Rock are on the list! Check it out here: http://www.governmentguide.com/community_and_home/morganmostdangerouscities.adp

Bath & Body

so, i kind of work at bath & body works and i wanted to see what there website was like. you can learn about them through thelimited.com because they're owned by the same people. when you do that, though, you don't get the same website as you do when you just go to bathandbodyworks.com. especially now that the holidays are here, it's great to browse through before you go to the store and buy. it's so organized and easy to navigate. they also have a lot of new stuff so you should go and check it out :o)

If any of you babysit for extra cash like I do, I have found that a good way to keep kids occuppied is to let them cook with you. I found a website called Easy Recipes for Kids. It is a good site to visit for some quick ideas on keeping kids busy and out of trouble. Plus you get to eat when its done. http://www.cp.duluth.mn.us/~sarah/rdr020.html

NEW YORK, NEW YORK!!!

Sooo, I'm already making a list of vacations I want to take once I'm married :o) New York is one of my desitinations so I just looked at newyork.com just to see what all I could anticipate. This site was really cute! I liked the colors and it was really busy, but I guess to cover a city like New York, the site would have to be busy. Even though it was busy, it was really easy to navigate through and had a TON of info on like hotels, restaurants, night life, etc. If you're interested in visiting New York, may I suggest newyork.com :o)

Coca-cola

Went to the coca-cola site, but was not very impressed. It was an interactive flash site, but ran slow and was not very interesting. They did however have an international part to their site, which is neat to check out, because you can see the way Coke is advertised in different countries. Check it out at Coca-cola.com

Website Feng Shui

I was browsing around the internet the other day and I stumbled across a website design page explaing how the elements of Feng Shui can enhance the usability of the website as well as it's aesthetic qualities. This online article has 8 basic principles for making your web design user friendly. Some of them involve the placement of logos, font and illustrations. It was pretty interesting. If you are looking for a different view on webdesign visit http://www.webworksite.com/articles/article15.php

Digital Online Photos

It seems like a lot of companies have started offering online digital imaging services. One of the best online companies that I have found has been Mpix. They offer great prices for the quality of their services and their webdesign and layout is attractive and functional. I would recommend it to anyone willing to try an online photo developing service. Stop by at http://www.mpix.com

Design Guidelines

As I was searching the web for a little help with flash, I found this site. It has a lot of good things to keep in mind as you design a web site. Check it out. It's one thing to know how to operate the software, but you gotta have a good design for it to be useful!

The Clinton Library

Hey guys! I just visited the official website for The Clinton Presidential Center. I thought it was pretty good! It has pictures and tours of the library and really good coverage of the events of Opening Day. So, if you were like me and couldn't go to the historic event, then check out the site.

Bulid your own BMW

If you are a BMW fan you should really check out their site at BMW.com. If you are using a mac you must use Safari, because BMWUSA.com does not support explorer yet. You can pick a car and view it by just dragging over small numbers on the screen. This site is very smooth looking. You can find local dealers for new cars or find pre-owned cars. Check it out!!!

tutorials

I was looking the other day for tips on making flash sites when I came upon this website. www.ezwebdesign.com On this website they have tutorials for several programs, including DreamWeaver, Flash, and Photoshop. There is also a webdesign directory that has tips on writing HTML amongst other things. I found the site to be very helpful, so maybe it can help you too!

scrap booking ideas

If you are like me and you like working on scrap books then I think you should check this out.
http://www.scrapjazz.com/

Why eat meat?

As some may or may not know I am a vegetarian. I have my reasons the main being animal rights. But, what you might not know is what is in the meat that you are eating. I think that for everyone it is very important to know what you are putting into your body. I have found a site that introduces some of the chemicals and toxins that people are putting into their bodies. I'm not asking that you become a vegetarian, but I do believe you should see what you are putting into your body. So take a look and be the judge for yourself. Click Here

Unimpressed

We have been studying about big media companies in Issues in Mass Comm, so I decided to go to General Electric's web site since they own so many media outlets. Overall, I thought the site (www.ge.com/en) was rather unimpressive. It also shamelessly plugs TV shows that are broadcast on stations owned by General Electric. Considering the amount of money you would expect such a massive company to be able to spend on its website, I was disappointed.

More chit chat

Dr. Phil's website has a great message board that you can visit and it's organized into different categories according to subject matter. All the interesting subjects he talks about on the show and in his book are discussed by American's ALL OVER and you can read about it or join in with the posts. I love Dr. Phil! Go to www.drphil.com and find the message board

I'm Lovin' it

We have been recently been talking about flash and how it can be used. A really good site that I found was http://www.mcdonalds.com/. It gives you a choice of what country you want and once you are there you can find interactive play lands with Ronald McDonald or even find a McDonalds that you can work out. This is a very good flash site. Take a Look!!

Need help with paint shop pro!

There are many tutorials on paint shop pro that are really cool. Go to http://www.putertutor.net/paint/psplinks.htm and there will be many different tutorials. My favorite one is swan lake II.

Fun site

My dad is a member of the Memphis branch of Ad Fed, and he usually forwards me their newsletters. I found the link to their site: www.memphisadfed.org and it is really cool! They change the design of it all the time. If you click on the newsletters link, you can see some old newsletters, all of which have innovative designs and layouts. Hope you enjoy! :-)

Cell Phones

I am a current user of the Alltel phone company. There have only been a couple of times that I have to use their site for reference or to pay bills. I have found that it is not the easiest site to navigate, but is not the most difficult either. You can find what you are looking for it just takes a few clicks to navigate your way around. What is neat is that they have an Alltel specials link that allows you to look at special that they might be running for your phone or for that month. On a more personal level, I have found that they are easy to work with and offer a few perks that other companies don’t. CHECK IT OUT!

birthdays

I have the worst memory ever, so when I saw this link on bored.com I decided to share. I don't know how great it is, but its a database where you can type in someone's name and approximate age and it sends you their birthday! No more looking stupid when you forget the birthdays of some of your closest friends! www.birthdatabase.com

a new start

I've been a member of Regions Bank and I frequently utilize their website for various transactions such as transfers and balance inquiries. Lately, they have changed their look and features. Now if you want to make a transfer, the links have decreased to only one, with before it had like three. And when you enter which account you are choosing for money to go out or in, they have your account number for you to click on, instead of typing it, and a balance of that account...YEAH. Simplicity at its best.

Blockbuster - nevermind

I remember being so excited about the Blockbuster Online service, well - those days are gone. My free trial ended a few weeks ago, and I sent my videos back in what I thought would be plenty of time. Ok, well apparantly not in pleny of time because Blockbuster charged me $65 for not have the videos back (URG!!!!). I utilized their online customer service program, but it was not very useful. The response I got was generic and didn't address my questions. Blockbuster received my videos the very next day but didn't refund the total amount that was deducted from my checking account. My advice - Just go to the blockbuster store, don't bother with the online - it's too much of a headache!!!

Wait a minute....

Did you know that the FCC is planning on banning religious broadcasts from the radio waves? Using anti-persperants will cause you to have cancer and unless you help little Jade who needs a heart transplant and can't afford it, she will die. If you've ever gotten e-mails like these and wonder about the accuracy of them, go to Urbanlegends.com. This site lists many of the legends around and you can do a search to find a specific legend.

The cost of big business

I found an interesting article on Wired.com that discusses Google and the challenges it faces as it continues to grow as a company. Google was started by Sergey Brin and Larry Page in 1998. They had one rule: don't be evil. But what is evil? That is what Brin, 29-years-old and head policymaker, is trying to define. As Google becomes big business, it faces questions such as whether to link to hate sites and how to deal with foreign governments who don't want citizens to have access to anti-government websites. We will see if Google's size causes them to compromise on the purity with which they started their site.

happy with target and bed bath & beyond

I visited the target and Bed Bath&Beyond websites for some research...and i was very impressed. My research was for a gift registry. Once i clicked on only one link, the whole website designs changed based on your search preferences. Since mine was bridal, everything transformed into this beautiful and selective format. And my choice had eliminated unnecessary product...for example sponge bob square pants sheets! AAHH. Now it had stuff like fine china and appliances, things that the company knew I would be interested in based on my search patterns throughout the sites. Very useful!!

very disappointed

as you know, i'm engaged and so now is the time to register!! fun times, until Dillard's website came along and ruined the fun!!! I intended on registering through Dillards.com for my china, but the website is so jacked up and difficult to manuever through that i have decided to eliminate this gift-venue!! UGH. As i looked through for what i needed to register for, I clicked on a set of china then wanted to view other accessories, but only pictures of plates would come up instead of pictures of a teapot, for example. The website only had one picture related to the product, so no matter what you wanted to see, you would get some stupid plate! And searching was also very unorganized. If I wanted to look through bath linens, the link would go to the main dillards home page and then to the basic linen section. So as i sorted through spongeBob square pants sheets and washclothes, i decided this just wouldn't do.

fun and easy times

i recently visited the royal caribbean website and found navigation very accessible!!! the website included a main tab-menu bar with drop down menus for help on where to go throughout the website. but once you were real deep into the links and search engines, and what-not, then I thought it would be hard to get back to where I was earlier, but with the many links each page had, it just directed throughout the choices on the main tab-menu bar. I hope that makes sense. So instead of searching through the tab options, you can just search through any desired area/link on a specific page and it will take you there without having to go through alot of pages. YEAH!