Miscellaneous Free Webmaster Resources
In this category, you'll find a selection of miscellaneous Webmaster resources that are available on the Net. If you happen to stumble across an outdated link, we'd very much appreciate it if you could report it
Response-O-Matic - Response-O-Matic "free" edition lets you create online feedback forms quickly and easily (and you needn't have any HTML knowledge whatsoever). In around 8 minutes, you'll have a fully functioning contact form that you can cut and paste into your Web site. Submissions are e-mailed to you every time a visitor submits a form, and they can also be customised with your own message, check boxes and radio buttons.
> Response-O-Matic has a built-in spam blocker that helps to prevent form-based spam from entering your inbox.
> You may ask your visitors as many questions as you like in whatever style you like. Once set up, your form will handle an unlimited number of submissions.
> Once a visitor has submitted a form they can be forwarded to a Web page of your choice (i.e. a "thank you" page). The "free" package displays an advert each time your form is submitted, but this can be removed by upgrading to a commercial one.
ZeroWeb.org - This well-designed and clean looking Web site offers a great mixture of free graphics and Webmaster services. They provide free Web site templates, graphics and also clipart images, including buttons, banners, backgrounds, dividers and free icons. ZeroWeb also provides a number of Webmaster services, such as a free URL redirection service, feedback form generator and guestbook service.
Wix.com - A simple, free and surprisingly effective Flash site builder. If you're a fan of Flash-based sites and wish to establish a quick Web presence, whether that be for personal or business use, be sure to try Wix (over 700,000 users can't be wrong!). Their drag and drop editor requires no technical expertise and you can select from hundreds of ready made templates, or create one from scratch.
LiveZilla - Have you ever wanted to add a live chat support service to your site? LiveZilla is not only free - it's freeware, meaning there are no restrictions on the free version. Numerous features are offered here, some of which include: real-time visitor monitoring, offline messages, ratings/feedback form, webcam support, security filter, customisation and branding, and more.
Free Arcade Script - This free arcade script is perfect for webmasters wishing to set up their own arcade gaming site. The script is completely free (although donations are most welcome by the author), and this permits users to remove the "powered by" link in the site footer. For such a small script, the features are numerous and cover all aspects of running an online games site.
WPzone.net - This site features a selection of our favourite free themes for Wordpress, the immensely popular blogging platform. Six different themes are available to download, featuring both light and dark backgrounds. They might not be the most complex themes you can find, but they are certainly amongst the most usable. If you want a simple and practical WP theme, be sure to check these out.
Browsershots - If you are a Web designer, ensuring your site loads correctly in the popular browsers is crucial. Browsershots displays screenshots of your pages in numerous browser versions, including IE5, IE6, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Konqueror, Chrome, and also lesser-known applications (and even those based on Linux and Apple Mac).
pForm Free HTML Form Builder - This free and simplistic form builder service allows you to create an online HTML form within minutes, whether that's to process e-mails or gather opinion from visitors. pForm includes three easy stages: select your form colour scheme (25 to choose from), design/customise your form with fields, buttons and drop down boxes, and then download the HTML ready to paste into your Web site.
Conduit - Have you ever wanted to offer your own browser toolbar to your Web site visitors? Conduit provides a simple and free method to create a customised toolbar with various features, including: RSS feeds, radio player, alerts, various gadgets, temperature, and even company logo. XML feeds can be used to integrate the bar with a database (their API is able to assist with advanced features such as this).
> No advertisements appear on the toolbar. Instead, the service is funded by the integrated search box: "Conduit earns revenue by monetizing the search box on the community toolbar. This revenue funds our operation and lets us provide an excellent service with no setup or maintenance fees."
Pollverize - Polls are a great method to gauge opinion and if you would like to implement one for free on your own site, check out Pollverize, a service that provides easy-to-use polls in an instant. Simply register for your account, create a question and then add the answers. You can create multiple polls and track the number of responses. They add a small "get a free poll at polverize" tag to each poll.
SiteUptime - Web site hosts can be notoriously unreliable at times. If you have little downtime, count yourself lucky! To assist you in monitoring periods where your site may be offline or unresponsive, visit SiteUptime, a Web monitoring service. Their "free" package allows you to monitor one domain with 30 and 60 minute checks, which e-mail you in event of any downtime. Excellent commercial upgrades are available.
CSS Generator Wizard - A well-designed site, offering a free CSS code generator wizard for Webmasters. The free generator is available online but if you prefer, you can also download it to your desktop. The wizard allows you to quickly create CSS style definitions, which can be used to determine the presentation of your pages. They also include some free articles related to the topic of CSS.
Free Web Monitoring - This monitoring service will alert you via e-mail in the event that your Web site goes offline. Once your site is live again, you will receive another e-mail notifying you that this is so. Although not quite as robust as similar commercial services, Free Web Monitoring is adequate for even some larger businesses. Your designated site will be tested every 60 minutes, and you can even add multiple URLs to your account.
Sparklit Web Poll - Offers a fine Web poll that can be customised with your own questions, colours and designs. It's ideal for gaining feedback from visitors and increasing your site's interactivity. You can implement up to 25 different questions, choose from 12 different designs and play around with more features than any other service. You will also find a variety of other Webmaster services here.
> Sparklit's free survey service, Mini Survey, is also a great way to gain valuable feedback from visitors. Mini Survey is both fast and effective.
> Other Webmaster services available include a free counter, message board, guest book and newsletter.
FormSmarts - A free Web site form service that allows you to create, customise and then implement feedback forms on your site. FormSmarts, with its neat and user-friendly interface, allows users to create a fully functioning form within minutes thanks to their online form builder. You needn't have great technical knowledge and spam (junk mail) protection is available as standard.