The Killer Webapps

All of these highly useful webapps are open-source (meaning free to use in most cases) unless otherwise noted. This is important for the goal of keeping costs down.

• WordPress - I use WordPress to run all of the blogs I've installed, but that's not all it can do. I've already customized it to work as a directory site, and I'm pretty sure you can turn WordPress into nearly any sort of content management you need. Or at least, I can try.
• Open-Realty - Though I discovered Open-Realty while looking to fill a need, I've already come up with a number of ideas of uses for this killer webapp. I don't know if I'll ever have the time to implement them all, but to me, that's what makes a killer webapp - it's inspiring.
• Zen Cart - Looking for an e-commerce solution? Zen Cart is the most feature rich Open Source cart out there. It's a bit of a bear to get a grip on, and takes some time to learn, but in my humble opinion it's the best offering out there. Especially when you consider it's free! (Though donations are strongly encouraged, by them and me.)
• phpBB - Free forums are actually pretty easy to come by, as long as you're willing to deal with someone else's idea of good design, control over features, and advertising. But if you want your own customizable forum... without paying a ton of money... phpBB is the place to go. Pretty easy to install and moderate, even for novices. (A bit more knowledge is needed if you want to modify the base though, so of course, that's where I would come in!)

Resourceful Sites

When building web projects, there are many times I call on these sites for bits and pieces, both tangible (pictures) or inspiration (design ideas).

• iStock Photo - While iStock images are not free, the pricing is more than reasonable, and I've not found a site - for more or less - with as much to offer.
• Free Website Templates from Jimworld - Though many of the designs are built with deprecated code, they are useful for inspiration or as a building starting point.
• Free Website Templates from Andreas Viklund - This is where the real action is. Beautiful, valid, semantic website templates. There's others out there, but Andreas Viklund is one of my favorites.
• Listamatic - Provides the base code needed to make pretty lists using CSS, the way all things should be done. This simple demonstration of what's possible has saved me a lot of trouble.
• WordPress Theme Viewer - Nearly every WordPress theme out there can be found here and you can test drive them. Great place to spice up a blog.
• phpBB Styles - They make the most beautiful standards compliant styles for phpBB out there, along with useful mods. Also happen to be some pretty nice folk.

They learned me good

Over the years as web technologies have changed and grown, the one thing that never changes is that I need to keep learning. I'll never stop.

• So you want to make a webpage! - This excellent and easy to follow HTML tutorial is the one that first taught me HTML way back in 1995. Things have changed since then - and I haven't reviewed the text to see how current it is - but I would still point any true newbie to this site to start. I have much love for Joe Barta.
• W3 Schools - An invaluable tool for learning and reference. I can honestly say I've learned all I know about CSS from the fine folks at W3 Schools.
• Hex Hub HTML Color Codes - It's not like I could remember all the hexadecimal color codes in my head. Even I'm not that much of a geek. Great reference to work with.

Hosting that rocks the house

• Though I actually wouldn't recommend them for Internet novices, Dreamhost is the one host I've truly been happy with. You get far more than you pay for, and though there are some drawbacks, I find the advantages far outweigh any issues. The fact that I have unlimited domains is the number one reason I chose them, but there are lots of reasons I've stuck around.
• Another host I've recently worked with that made me very happy is Sashbox. Again, novices should probably seek help elsewhere, but with a modicum of know-how, you can do some amazing things with Sashbox. They've got top notch support and offer nearly every service you could ever need. I hope to be able to work with more in the future!