3 Web Sites Where Images are the Star Attraction

3 Web Sites Where Images are the Star Attraction

1.Stockfreeimages.com at www.stockfreeimages.com/?gclid=CObE-L74z8ECFVKPfgodjXMA8A

I thought this website was great because it provides a lot of useful images for website backgrounds and they are all royalty-free. I think this site is a great resource for web developers looking for background images. They were all very different and although I think it would be hard to use some of them as a background, I think some web developers could find a way to use any of the pictures in a website with some imagination (like the picture I featured. Maybe by shifting the photo down, you would find some blank sky space at the top, but I think the pic is really pretty). It's nice to have lots of options.  I also liked how they categorized the photos into groups for quick browsing. 

2. National Geographics Website - http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photos/underwater-wrecks/

National Geographics website actually has some free to use background images that are designated for desktop backgrounds but could be used for website backgrounds as well. I found quite a few images here that I thought were really cool. The pictures were quality because they were national geographic and they were unusual, and refreshing. Lots with a lot of solid background space that would be good for websites. 
This one stuck out for me, I thought it was awesome. They have a whole section on underwater wrecks that were amazing. 

3.  Free Digital Photos - http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

I thought this website was pretty cool. The main thing I noticed that stood out as different were the categories they had. Like holiday backgrounds, IE, the halloween one below. I think this website has a lot of backgrounds that are computer generated versus actual digital photos... (not sure why based on the name of the website) but I think that gives a lot of opportunity for a web developer to find something very specific. 
- This photo would be great to create a website for like a seasonal event, IE, a halloween party for a local business or company. It's simple, cool, and gives great blank space to include text. 

3 CSS Properties that Intrigue Me the Most

3 CSS Properties that Intrigue Me the Most:

1. p::first-letter

I viewed information about this first letter property from tutorialzine.com at the following link; http://tutorialzine.com/2013/10/12-awesome-css3-features-you-can-finally-use/    
I just think this one is pretty cool. I actually tried to use it for one of my previous web pages for this class and it didn't work. I think it's a cool feature that can add more style to any website. I really want to get it to work.

2. text-shadow  

I viewed a ton of text-shadow effects through the website line25.com at the link:
http://line25.com/articles/using-css-text-shadow-to-create-cool-text-effects 
I thought this text effect was awesome. The one I liked the most was the inset text
effect. I enjoy finding new ways to add text effects and think a website can be made really cool with mostly just text effects on a plain background. 

3. white-space  

The white space property seems really cool. I viewed info about it through smashingmagazine.com at the link: http://www.impressivewebs.com/css-white-space/
When I am making webpages using html in Notepad++, I tend to space things and use tabs to create the html to be more visually appealing. This seems to come naturally for me and a CSS property that will allow those spaces and tabs etc to happen as I type them would be really cool. There a lot of different white-space selectors, and I'd love to learn more about these.

  3 Online Resources for Learning More about CSS

Tizag - www.Tizag.com

 Tizag.com is a great site to learn CSS, especially if you are a beginner like I am.

 This site is awesome because it starts from step 1 and goes through tutorials to teach you how to learn, starting with copying a simple code in Notepad ++ and having you learn from there - hands on. The verbiage is simple, and the explanations precise.

2. Code Academy - www.CodeAcademy.com

I checked out and liked codeacademy.com because of how interactive it was. It's basically like taking an online class in how to learn HTML and CSS. It starts you at the beginning and on the left side of the page you will read and learn a certain task and then actually type it out in the middle with what appears to be an interactive notepad++. Then you can view if your code works through this site as well. 




3. html.net - www.html.net


 I liked the html.net website because the instructions were very basic. You can navigate through all the lessons on the left, go right to the part you want, and check out how to apply the code. For example, if I'm trying to just learn how to apply a background color, I click on 'colors and backgrounds' on the left and then 'background color' and it shows me how to apply it. Easy, good reference site. 

 

3 Examples of Web Sites I Like

1. Netflix  www.netflix.com

Netflix's website lets you rate different TV shows and movies that they offer so they get an idea of what you like and can make recommendations. Netflix.com also allows you to manage your queue of movies to be mailed, or stream video right from the site. I love Netflix's website because it's so easy to use and its visually pleasing. :) Right when you log in, everything is on the homepage, you don't have to go clicking around to find what you want. Also the webpage scrolls up and down and left to right.

2. Craiglist   www.craigslist.com

Craigslist is a website that you can use to search for things you need within your local community. On craigslist you can search for a job, a lost animal or a children's toy. Or you can find sporting tickets, a boat, or browse the personal ads. I like craigslist because the website is simple but serves it's purpose very well. The layout isn't covered with design details and ads. You can access the site and find exactly what you need quickly. Also, once you get into the category you want, they have changed the layout recently to sort using pictures. This helps find things you need quickly as well.

3. ESPN   ESPN.com

ESPN is a great website that allows you to catch up on sports news related to any mainstream sport. You can watch sports videos, broadcasts, and top ten highlights on ESPN.com. You can also just view quick scores on games recently played or currently playing. I use ESPN to manage my fantasy football team, and you can also manage any fantasy sport team you have through ESPN. I like their website, especially their recently updated version because it's pretty. :) and very informative! You can catch up on all the latest sports news right from their home screen. They are playing graphics and videos constantly, or have a live feed that is updating scores. Also, the fantasy app includes all the forecasts and news on that specific player all on your teams homepage.