Tools for more effective blogging

Last week I posted four suggestions for improving your blog (or website), this time I thought I’d recommend a few tools that go along with those suggestions.

  1. Screen Size Tester – check what your page looks like on different sized screens. While this tool does not simulate different browsers or include the blog explosion banner, it will give you an idea who other people will see your site.

    Checking the statistics for my blogs it looks like : 800×600,  1024×768, 1280×1024 account for 80% of my page views, with 1024×768 in the lead by a long way (4x the next most popular screen resolution). So minimally, I’d check out my page on a simulated 1024×768 screen, although all three settings would be a good idea.

  2. Web page Analyzer – find out how long your page takes to load on different types of Internet connections:

    This tool lets you know how long (in minutes and seconds) your page could take to load on different types of Internet connections. It’s not definitive, but it produces pretty good optimal times. It’s a fair bet you page won’t load faster then these estimates.

  3. BrowserCam (free trial) – see what your page looks like on different computers and browsers

    BrowserCam rocks, no two ways about it. The free trial is enough to let most people know how their site looks, and lasts long enough to fix any problems with your site. If you have lots of blogs, or develop webpages for a living, then the monthly subscription is probably a worthwhile investment.

  4. I don’t have a tool to help you include a mute button on your website, but if you’re looking for some cool tunes to surf (or blog) by, check out Apple’s iTunes Music Store.

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