This site was last updated on 4 October 2006
Purpose: This site is specifically geared towards webmasters of chess web sites, and will be updated frequently. FREE resources given are my specific recommendations, based on many years of experience.
Anti-SPAM Measures | FREE Webmaster Tools | On-Line Replay | Chess Graphics | Other Graphics
FTP Client | HTML Editor | Color Picker | Graphics Editor | FLASH Tool | MISC. Tools | HTML Tutorials
Desk-Top Publishing | Free Web Templates | Free Web Hosting | E-Books | Free Stock Photography
Free Syndicated Chess Article Feed | Free Merchandise Store | Tips and Tricks
Problem: SPAM is a big problem for any webmaster. SPAM-bots regularly harvest email addresses from your web site, even if the email addresses are encoded.
Solution: Use advanced encoding to foil the spam bots.
Examples:
Bad choice. Using unencoded "mailto" links on your site. Here is an example. Any bot can read this text email address with ease.
Better choice. Using a freeware javascript encoder like E_Cloaker 2.0 to encode your email addresses. Here is an example. Notice that this encoder substitutes javascript ASCII characters for the text characters in the mailto link. A human cannot tell the difference (because the browser re-assembles the address when the link is clicked) but the text in the source code appears to be gibberish. Unfortunately, spambots can now easily read encoded mailto links. It is therefore not an ideal, total solution.
THE MISSING LINK IS TO REQUIRE HUMAN INTERACTION!
Best choice. You simply add email encoding and human interaction to your code. The reason for this is quite simple. Most bots are stupid, and crawl around sites automatically, harvesting email addresses. If you add a step which requires human intervention, coupled with scrambled javascript, there is no way a bot can read this. Here is a practical of what I am getting at. What is happening here? Firstly, a javascript code is created. Then, a graphic with a user-test code is created. When the user clicks on the hyperlink, a pop-up box comes up with the user test. Once the user completes the user test, the default email client automatically opens, and the email is ready to be sent. Examine the code - there is no way for a bot to read this.
Where to find this wonderful on-line tool
Another "best choice." Check out SpamButcher, a free tool which uses a similar system to make your email address invisible to bots, spammers and other scum... Thanks to Rich Olson from SpamButcher for this tip!
Other options. Using a secure form is good, as is using a graphic (which is not hyperlinked!) with your email address on it. Caution - some spambots can (using OCR technology) grab email addresses from graphics... Another downside to graphics is that it is not particularly user-friendly, i.e., the user has to write down the email address, and cannot copy and paste into their email client.
Test your spambot factor. Here is another super on-line tool which will help you identify the risks on your site. Just plug in a URL and this script will tell you which email addresses on that page can be retrieved by spambots. Give it a try... Notice in particular that if you chose either bad choice or better choice above for your email links, the bots would see the email addresses! But, not with the best choice above.
Want to take revenge on SPAMers? Make their spambots choke on their own vomit? Just set up a couple of thousand (or 50,000 or 100,000) bogus email addresses on your domain somewhere. Do a search to find a program to do this, or here is a ready-made one (simple HTML files) that are easy to install - just upload them to a directory on your domain:
At CORRESPONDENCECHESS.COM, I've put up about 50,000 fake email addresses so far, in this directory:
Important chess data. Feel free to copy these generated HTML files to your domain...
Death to SPAMers and other Electronic Terrorists!
Whether you need free web space for your site, or interactive gadgets to keep your visitors coming back, here are some tips and tricks. Static web sites do not draw traffic as much as active ones do. With almost all free off-site tools, you have to make a trade off. Basically, what that means is that there will be some kind of advertising associated with any free off-site tool that you choose.
For all-around ease of use and functionality, I recommend the Bravenet suite of web tools. You can start out with the free options and then pay for enhancements (and to remove ads or branding) on a tool-by-tool basis. One of the best reasons to use an off-site suite of tools is because they are located off-site, i.e., they do not use your own web space or other resources. They are also easily absorbed into your web site scheme and theme, with practice.
Ideally, you will eventually want to obtain paid web hosting, etc., for your site. Even after you do this, it is often a good idea to use remotely hosted resources, such as Bravenet, because it doesn't use your host resources, and is often more easy to configure, than using your own scripts. Most of the configuration is web-based and easy to do. If you do possess paid web hosting, chances are your control panel already offers you some tools or scripts, which you should definitely check out.
The bottom line is that there are plenty of free, remotely hosted resources out there. The price you pay, whether it is free web space or free tools, is that there will be some kind of advertising or branding associated with it. Some providers offer enhanced options to get around this, for a low-cost (and low-hassle) all-around solution.
On-line replay of chess games, positions, problems, etc. make a chess web site come alive. I have 3 recommendations here, more or less in the order that they are recommended:
Palview. Most likely, the only replay tool you will ever need. FREEWARE
PGNtoJS. Another useful tool. FREEWARE
ChessBase. ChessBase comes with a built-in replay generator. You probably have it already. COMMERCIAL
In summary, I strongly recommend Palview from this list, for ease of use and functionality.
Here is a great source of chess graphics. Be sure to get permission to use unless it is specifically authorized.
I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I found a superb site where you can get software to use off-line to help you with your other than chess graphics requirements. It is David Pye's FREEWARE site. Particularly useful are the following programs you can download: Smiley Vault, GIF Vault, and Graphic Vault. Don't forget the Javascript Vault while you are at it (along with David's other programs of course). All freeware. What makes these programs unique is that you download them as stand-alone software. If you are like me, you will find yourself using these resources repeatedly. Buttons, banners, animated gifs, backgrounds, misc. graphics, etc. The biggest problem you will have is choosing what to use on your web site! Be sure to send David an email if you like this resource.
In order to upload/download files to/from your web hosting provider, chances are you need a good FTP Client. There are some great freeware ones out there. The one I use is called CORE FTP Lite and is freeware for personal and business use, with restrictions. If your hosting provider requires using an on-line editor, you won't be needing an FTP Client.
These range from the simple to the complex, with many bells and whistles. I usually use MS Front Page 2000 (COMMERCIAL) for drafting and ideas, and then edit in a simple text editor program. Novice and intermediately skilled webmasters might find a full-featured HTML Editor useful for everyday HTML coding. Here are some good editors:
Arachnophilia (CAREWARE)
Ma Web Page (FREEWARE)
EZpad (FREEWARE)
Easy HTML (FREEWARE-suggested by Rob Leemans)
...and there are many, many others. A good one-stop resource for freeware and shareware tools is NONAGS. Another excellent freeware/shareware resource is SnapFiles.
Color pickers help you design color schemes for your web site. I have two different recommendations for freeware, depending on your skill level:
Novice/Intermediate Webmaster
Advanced Webmaster
To manipulate graphics without too much fuss, you will want a good graphics editor. Windows Paint, which comes with most computers, is okay for fast and easy editing/conversion between different graphic formats, etc. Soon you will need a more featured-enhanced editor. My recommendation for a full-featured freeware graphics editor is:
which is probably the only advanced graphics editor you will ever need.
Another excellent possibility is "the GIMP" (FREE GNU Image Manipulation Program) Thanks to Richard Rajchel for the tip.
Do you need a 3D Modeling/Rendering Studio? Try
Art of Illusion (FREE GPL License) Thanks to Rob Leemans for the tip.
FLASH is cool. You can design whole web sites, animated banners, on-line presentations, whatever. You don't need to spend thousands of dollars to get a FLASH generator, either. I highly recommend the following free program to help you with your FLASH needs:
which is fun to use and extremely powerful. Give your web site some FLASH today!
Anti-Virus. You simply must have a high level of virus protection nowdays. There are many low-cost or free solutions out there. I can recommend AVG Anti-Virus (free edition) from Grisoft, which has lots of great features and is easy to use. You will probably want to eventually upgrade to AVG Professional.
Spy and Ad-ware. You probably have alot of spyware and adware on your computer right now. A good, free, tool is Spybot - Search and Destroy, which is donationware. It identifies and disposes of these pests...
Email Anti-Spam Protection. There are many decent programs out there. A good freeware one is Spamihilator Anti-Spam-Filter. Most of these filters involve pre-screening of your email headers, away from your email client. You have blocked lists and white (safe) lists, and also formulas that you can use to help screen out Spam. Then, once you have dealt with the incoming Spam (deleting them before running your email client), you run your email program and download only the desired/safe emails. Such a program is very much needed today, and you will be glad you have it.
Disposable Email Accounts. These are a good idea, because you can get in and out of them easily. Both Yahoo and Hotmail offer large free accounts (hundreds of MBs storage) and have fairly decent Spam filters. You can use these email addresses in your web travels (forums, USENET newsgroup postings, etc.) and never have to worry about your personal email box at home getting overwhelmed with junk. They can be utilized on-line, so, whenever you are able to access the web you are able to access your disposable email accounts. If one starts getting filled with junk, close it out (by not using it anymore) and start a new one somewhere else - a very simple process. Eventually, the previous disposable account will be deleted because of inactivity.
Learn HTML the easy way. There are many excellent on-line tutorials to help you learn all about HyperText Markup Language (HTML). Here are a couple of good ones:
Eric Meyer's Introduction to HTML
Downloadable E-Book from 2CreateaWebsite.com
If you need some software for all-around DTP, check out RAGTIME solo. For Windows and Mac Operating Systems. Totally free for personal use (ONLY!). Comes in four languages - english, german, dutch, and french. Thanks to Rob Leemans for the tip.
There are dozens of web sites devoted to web templates out there. Basically, you just pick out a desired look/feel (template), download it, and adjust it to your liking. If you are not using FTP to upload the pages for your web site, these will not interest you, as you will be using some kind of on-line editor from your free web hosting provider. Although you can find many free templates out there, you should read and understand the terms and conditions of use for each, before you actually use a template on your web site. Most require, at a minimum, a link back to the template author's web site. Here is a site where you can browse through hundreds of free HTML and FLASH templates:
A free web host can be useful, especially if you are just starting out. Here are a few recommendations:
Bravenet FREE Web Hosting - 50 MBs of free web space.
Yahoo/GeoCities - 15 MBs of free web space.
And there are, of course, many other possibilities out there...
You can easily join the E-Book revolution. E-Books are like regular books, except that they are done electronically. The reader reads the product on their computer. It is very tree-friendly. There are loads of software tools out there that help you generate E-Books. Some are expensive tools, some are free for personal use (i.e., you can't sell the E-Books you make with the software) and some are free or shareware. Why would anyone want to give away a free E-Book, you might ask. Well, a well-designed and popular E-Book could draw traffic to your web site, as well as have people notice you. It is a good advertisement for your site. E-Books are fun to make, if you are the creative type. The software I have listed here is freeware; and should work on all Windows platforms.
EBook Builder (text, RTF only) - NO RESTRICTIONS ON USE
SbookBuilder (text, HTML, images, sounds) - NO RESTRICTIONS ON USE
You may also want to publish in Adobe PDF format. You don't have to spend several hundred dollars to do this - here are a couple of good generation tools:
CutePDFWriter (FREE for personal and business use) Basic writer that you can use right from MS Word - you just print documents to the CutePDF Writer printer... Unfortunately, this free software will not execute hyperlinks in the PDF document.
pdf995 (FREE). This one does it all (download and install all three files!). Generation involves a two-step process. First you generate the basic document, then you use the editor to enable hyperlinks, enable security, enable all sorts of things. Only price you pay for free usage is that some advertising pops up while stuff is being generated - no spyware or adware is introduced to your system, though. Or, to not have to look at the ads while it is processing, just register it (registration is USD $19.95 for the whole suite).
PDF will become more important in the future, as Adobe has introduced a freeware Reader for hand-held devices that makes PDF documents readable by tons of PDAs... You heard it here first!
Yes, you heard right - free stock photography. Free to use - no fees. Here is a promising resource, with at least 150,000 images, and hundreds added every day. Be sure to read the terms of use and comply with each individual's terms before you use any of these photos. Tip: Do an advanced search on chess...What a goldmine resource this is:
FREE SYNDICATED CHESS ARTICLE FEED
Content is king. You can obtain constantly-changing chess content from this new feed by inserting a two-line javascript include code on one of your site's pages, or by subscribing to the RSS feed:
You can easily set up your own online store, and sell chess-related (or non-chess-related) merchandise. Just follow the link below for a free account. These folks take care of everything - production, shipping, returns, credit cards, you name it. All you have to do is design your products! You set your profit margins! And, you get a monthly commission check. International store owners and customers are no problem!
Or, you can just affiliate yourself with the CORRESPONDENCECHESS.COM online store, and start earning commissions:
You can learn alot from other webmasters, and their web sites. This section will offer articles, suggestions, tips and tricks.
Check out award-winning webmaster J. Franklin Campbell's Your Chess Web Site -- Some Useful Hints article.
The point of contact for this site is . He is the owner of CORRESPONDENCECHESS.COM . Please send your tips, tricks, suggestions, and resources to this email address. All contributions will be properly acknowledged and credited.
May all of your webmastering dreams come true!
Entire contents Copyright © 2005-2006 by John C. Knudsen - all rights reserved.