Killersites gets a new skin!
November 8, 2015
It had been 4-5 years since Killersites.com’s site design was updated – it was time. There are still a few tweaks to be done, but it is live.
More to come.
Stef
Killersites.com
Stefan Mischook
Web Design – Start Here!
October 7, 2015
Hi,
About 2 months ago, my new beginners web design book hit the stores in North America and the UK. It’s been selling really well … beyond my expectations.
If you are interested in learning web design (HTML5, CSS3, Mobile design and more …) from scratch, with an easy going conversational style, buy my book!
Right now, you can buy it for $16.26 on Amazon. It’s some of the best writing I’ve ever done.
You can download the project files for the book on the book’s website.
If you have any questions, you know how to reach here, or through the books website.
Thanks!
Stefan
New Beginners HTML course on Studioweb
July 26, 2015
Hi,
I just released my new Beginners HTML 2015 course on Studioweb.com.
Here is first of 57 video lessons – what exactly is HTML:
The video lessons are only one part of the training package. My courses include:
- Interactive gaming environment – track your progress, unlock chapters and badges.
- To reinforce the lessons, we provide hundreds of quiz and code challenge questions.
- Support material for teachers and parents.
… And more.
Studioweb has subscription options for schools and individuals. Please feel free to contact me if you any questions.
Stef
Keeping your Website Hack Free
May 8, 2015
I decided recently to dig into the Killersites website (on the directory level,) to see what I could clean up. It is one of the oldest web teaching sites in the world, it’s been online for over 19yrs now, and so it has had many changes over that time.
After 19yrs, you find yourself with a website directory structure that is deep and riddled with many nooks and crannies. So I went on the hunt and found some bugs down deep inside.
… 4-5 hrs later, I was able to clean house. I think! In the process, I gave Killersites a much needed spring-cleaning, if you will. I got rid of a bunch of pages and sections that might have some historical/sentimental value to me, but was filled with dated and irrelevant information. Besides, these are spots that hackers can leave their smelly eggs behind!
Some words of advice:
- Keep your sites clean in terms of the directory structure.
- Use a consistent naming convention for files and directories. This will make easier for you to spot malicious planted code.
- Delete your cgi-bin if you are not using it. Malicious code can be dropped into those.
- Don’t use PHP pages unless your site absolutely needs it. Each new PHP page is a potential attack point.
- Once your site is up and running where you want it to be, create a clean copy of it on your computer and zip it. This backup might come in handy if you need to wipe out an infected site. Of course, backups after each change is a must do.
Stefan
Killersites.com
Making your Website Mobile Friendly and Google Happy
April 21, 2015
Hi,
I was recently asked this question from a student:
What do you think of Google’s new rating system to favor search results towards sites which are mobile-friendlier than other sites? Will there be a course to address this type of mobile-centric design in the future?
Yes, we have courses, both on Webmentor.org and on the killervideostore.com. Mobile friendly sites are called ‘responsive’ … because their pages respond and resize based on the device being used to view them.
Our Webmentor courses:
introduction to Twitter Bootstrap
Responsive web design
And on the killervideostore:
And I plan on more later this year.
I think Google’s move makes sense when you think about it. Google always wants to cater to a broader audience, and web surfing is more of a mobile thing today, than it is a desktop or laptop thing.
We ourselves are slowing making our sites responsive, so far the following have been converted:
– Studioweb.com
– Webmentor.org
– Killervideostore.com
Thanks!
Stefan Mischook
My Web Foundations Course completely free.
March 25, 2015
Hi,
It’s good to try before you buy, so all our courses now have free videos you can watch. Of course, we do have a 7 day trial for any subscription … but nonetheless, you can now view dozens of free videos right away.
By the way, if you are totally new to web design, check out my Web Foundations course. And it’s completely free now!
Thanks for reading!
Stefan Mischook
Web Foundations Part 3 – Domain Names
March 10, 2015
Hi,
Just to let you know that I released Web Foundations part 3 (on Domain names) on webmentor.org. Here is the link:
What this video covers:
– choosing a good domain.
– pricing domains.
– should you buy premium domains?
… And much more. Yes, a beginners subject … but remember this is part of the Web Foundations course. 🙂
Stefan
killersites.com
Web Foundations Part 2 – ready to watch
March 3, 2015
Hi!
Part 2 of my new Web Foundations course is out – What is Web Hosting? Yes a basic topic, but I go into some detail that you might find interesting:
– hosting choices
– hosting cost
– Should you set up your own web hosting?
I hope you like it!
Stefan Mischook
killersites.com
Web Foundations Course Out!
February 24, 2015
Hi,
My new Web Foundations course has been released and the first lesson is available for free – now. Get it while you can:
https://webmentor.org/course/web-foundations/1
Thanks!
Stefan
killersites.com
Why you should be teaching kids PHP, and not Python or Ruby
February 15, 2015
These days, Python and Ruby are popular programming languages with the tech startup crowd, and so, many of the venture capital backed ‘teach code’ startups have ruby or python courses targeted at kids. The problem is, that these are not the best languages to teach programming with – especially in K12.
Why is PHP better?
