If you're looking to create a professional-looking and visitor-friendly site, Matthew MacDonald's Creating a Web Site: The Missing Manual, 2nd Edition can show you how. "Bookstore shelves are packed with Web design books written years ago. These older books don't cover the up-to-the-minute techniques your site needs to distinguish itself, make money, and show up in search results. Creating a Web Site corrects those mistakes--and includes all the advice and guidance you need to build a modern Web site," explains MacDonald, an author and programmer extraordinaire.

Here we share MacDonald's hot list of great Web sites where you can download handy software or get valuable information, when creating your web site. The following list (Appendix B in the book) contains the links found in each chapter--and in the same order they occurred in the MacDonald's book. Some point to useful tutorial sites and articles, others to Web curiosities, and still more to handy free tools or downloadable pictures and media.

Chapter 1, Preparing for the Web

The history of the Internet
www.isoc.org/internet/history
www.walthowe.com/navnet/history.html

Internet Explorer (browser)
www.microsoft.com/windows/ie

Firefox (browser)
www.mozilla.org/products/firefox

Safari (browser)
www.apple.com/safari

Summary of Mac browsers
http://darrel.knutson.com/mac/www/browsers.html

Opera (browser)
www.opera.com

Google Chrome (browser)
www.google.com/chrome

Netscape (browser)
http://browser.netscape.com/releases/

Browser usage statistics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_web_browsers/

Spybot Search & Destroy (spyware removal tool)
www.safer-networking.org

Windows Defender (for Windows XP)
www.microsoft.com/defender

Lavasoft Ad-Aware (spyware removal tool)
www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware

One of many free blogging services
(see the Chapter 17, Blogs link list for more)
www.blogger.com

What not to do in a Web page
www.angelfire.com/super/badwebs

The ultimate examples of bad Web design
www.worstoftheweb.com

Chapter 2, Creating Your First Page

Java checkers
http://thinks.com/java/checkers/checkers.htm

Flash games
www.ferryhalim.com/orisinal

XHTML validator
www.validome.org

Chapter 3, Putting Your Page on the Web

Smartdots (free subdomain names)
www.smartdots.com

Domain Direct (Web host)
www.domaindirect.com

Brinkster (Web host)
www.brinkster.com

DreamHost (Web host)
www.dreamhost.com

GoDaddy (Web host)
www.godaddy.com

HostGo (Web host)
www.hostgo.com

Insider Hosting (Web host)
www.insiderhosting.com

Pair Networks (Web host)
www.pair.com

Sonic.net (Web host)
www.sonic.net

WebHostingTalk (discussion board)
http://tinyurl.com/5zffwp/

Web host research
www.consumersearch.com/www/internet/web-hosting/review.html

TinyURL (URL-shrinking service)
http://tinyurl.com/

Directory of free Web hosts
www.free-webhosts.com/user_reviews.php

Chapter 4, Power Tools

Shareware programs
www.download.com

List of Web page editors
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_HTML_editors/

Nvu/KompoZer (Web page editor)
www.kompozer.net

Amaya (Web page editor)
www.w3.org/Amaya

HTML-Kit (Web page editor)
www.html-kit.com

CoffeeCup (Web page editor)
www.coffeecup.com/free-editor

Expression Web (trial software)
www.microsoft.com/Expression/try-it

Dreamweaver (trial software)
www.adobe.com/products/dreamweaver

Chapter 5, XHTML Text Elements

Firefox Web Developer add-on
http://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/60/

Learn about the semantic Web
http://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/60/
http://logicerror.com/semanticWeb/

Special characters in XHTML
http://www.webmonkey.com/reference/Special_Characters/

Chapter 6, Style Sheets

CSS compatibility tables for different browsers
www.webdevout.net/browser-support-css www.quirksmode.org/css/contents.html

Online color pickers
www.colorpicker.com
www.colorschemer.com/online.html

Information about font support on different operating systems
http://web.mit.edu/jmorzins/www/fonts.html
www.upsdell.com/BrowserNews/res_fontsamp.htm

Chapter 7, Adding Graphics

Free image editors
www.gimp.org (all platforms) www.getpaint.net (Windows-only)

Free backgrounds
www.grsites.com/textures www.backgroundcity.com www.backgroundsarchive.com

Google image search
(pictures aren't necessarily free to use)
http://images.google.com/

Stock.XCHNG (free pictures)
http://sxc.hu/

Overview of places to find free pictures
www.masternewmedia.org/where_to_find_free_images_and_visuals

Commercial picture sites
www.istockphoto.com
www.fotolia.com
www.dreamstime.com

Microsoft Office clip art
http://office.microsoft.com/clipart/

Chapter 8, Linking Pages

Link checker http://validator.w3.org/checklink/

Chapter 9, Page Layout Tools

A huge catalog of style sheet layout examples
www.csszengarden.com

CSS tutorial
www.w3schools.com/css

CSS validator
http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/

Style sheet templates
www.bluerobot.com/web/layouts
http://glish.com/css/

CSS resources
www.westciv.com/style_master/house

Chapter 10,Multipart Pages

How to force frames with JavaScript
http://javascript.about.com/library/blframe.htm

EBook about Expression Web page templates
http://any-expression.com/expression-web/ebooks/expression-web-dwt-ebook.htm

Chapter 11, Attracting Visitors

The Open Directory Project
http://dmoz.org/
http://dmoz.org/add.html (submission rules)
http://dmoz.org/guidelines/ (editor guidelines)

Google Directory
http://directory.google.com/

Yahoo Directory submission guidelines
http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/directory/suggest/listings-03.html
www.apromotionguide.com/yahoo.html (unofficial)
https://ecom.yahoo.com/dir/submit/intro/ (Yahoo Directory Submit)

How Google works
www.akamarketing.com/google-ranking-tips.html
www.markhorrell.com/seo/pagerank.html
http://infolab.stanford.edu/~backrub/google.html

Google site submission guidelines
http://www.google.com/addurl/ (submit a site)
www.google.com/webmasters/tools/removals (remove a site)

Search Engine Land (industry news)
http://searchengineland.com/

Webmaster World (industry news)
www.webmasterworld.com

Google AdWords
http://adwords.google.com/

AdWords poetry
www.iterature.com/adwords

Wayback Machine (archived Web pages)
www.archive.org

List of Web robots
www.robotstxt.org

Google Analytics
www.google.com/analytics

Chapter 12, Letting Visitors Talk to You (and Each Other)

A tool for encoding mail-to message text
http://meyerweb.com/eric/tools/dencoder/

Introduction to CGI
www.cgi101.com/book

ASP and ASP.NET introductions
www.w3schools.com/asp
www.w3schools.com/aspnet

HTML forms tutorial
www.w3schools.com/html/html_forms.asp

Generate server scripts for form submission
www.tele-pro.co.uk/scripts/contact_form

Form submission services
www.emailmeform.com
www.response-o-matic.com

Examples of discussion groups on the Web
www.microsoft.com/office/community/en-us/flyoutoverview.mspx
http://survivorsucks.yuku.com/
http://www.officefrustration.com/
http://forums.delphiforums.com/JLTechSupport/

Google Groups
http://groups.google.com/
http://groups.google.com/googlegroups/overview.html

Chapter 13, Making Money with Your Site

Google AdSense
www.google.com/adsense (sign up)
www.google.com/services/adsense_tour
www.google.com/adsense/taxinfo
www.google.com/adsense/policies

Amazon Associates
http://affiliate-program.amazon.com/
http://associates.amazon.com/gp/associates/network/build-links/banner/main.html (banners)

PayPal
www.paypal.com
www.paypal.com/chargeback
www.paypal.com/SellerProtection
www.paypal.com/fees

Chapter 14, JavaScript: Adding Interactivity

JavaScript tutorials
www.w3schools.com/js
www.echoecho.com/javascript.htm
www.htmlgoodies.com/primers/jsp
www.webmonkey.com/tutorial/JavaScript_Tutorial

Text effect examples
www.codejunction.com/detailed/sequential-fly-in-text-effect.html
www.javascript-page.com/tickert.html
www.flooble.com/scripts/animate.php

JavaScript events
www.w3schools.com/htmldom/dom_reference.asp

EarthWeb (JavaScript samples)
http://webdeveloper.earthweb.com/webjs/

The JavaScript Source (JavaScript samples)
http://javascript.internet.com/

JavaScript 2 (JavaScript samples)
www.javascript-2.com

Dynamic Drive (JavaScript samples)
www.dynamicdrive.com

JavaScript FAQ
www.javascripter.net/faq

Chapter 15, Fancy Buttons and Menus

Button image generator
www.buttongenerator.com
www.grsites.com/button

Flash button generator
www.flashbuttons.com

Button-making software (Windows)
http://free-buttons.org/

Navigation bars
www.dynamicdrive.com/dynamicindex1
www.dynamicdrive.com/dynamicindex1/topnavbar.htm
www.dynamicdrive.com/dynamicindex1/topmen3

Chapter 16, Audio and Video

Winamp (MP3 player)
www.winamp.com

Classical MIDI Archives
www.classicalarchives.com

Audacity (sound editor)
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

WAV/MP3 editors
www.goldwave.com
www.fleximusic.com

iTunes
www.apple.com/itunes

Sound effects
www.grsites.com/sounds www.freeaudioclips.com

Flash player
http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/

E-Phonic www.e-phonic.com/mp3player
www.e-phonic.com/mp3player/documentation

Flash background music loops
www.flashkit.com/loops

Impressive Flash examples
www.ferryhalim.com/orisinal
www.zapdramatic.com

Flash tutorials
www.w3schools.com/flash

YouTube
www.youtube.com
http://code.google.com/apis/youtube/player_parameters.html (configuring a video window)

Chapter 17, Blogs

Definition of "blog"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog/

Examples of popular blogs
www.andrewsullivan.com
http://dear_raed.blogspot.com/
http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/
www.schneier.com/blog
http://roseandsnail.com/

Online feed readers
www.google.com/reader
www.bloglines.com
www.newsgator.com

Windows feed reader
www.newsgator.com/Individuals/FeedDemon

Mac feed reader
http://ranchero.com/netnewswire/

Browser feed readers
www.microsoft.com/windows/IE/ie7/tour/rss (IE)
www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2005/05/31/safari_rss.html (Safari)

List of blog software and blog hosts
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog_hosting_service/

Movable Type (blogging software)
www.movabletype.org

Bloxsom (blogging software)
www.blosxom.com

WordPress
http://wordpress.org (blogging software)/
http://wordpress.com (hosted blogs)/

Windows Live Spaces (hosted blogs)
http://spaces.msn.com/

TypePad (hosted blogs)
www.typepad.com

Blogger (hosted blogs)
www.blogger.com
http://help.blogger.com/ (information)
http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?answer=46870/ (template tag reference)
http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=41469/ (create a BlogThis bookmark)

Blogger discussion forum
www.bloggerforum.com