Free For Your Site

Everybody has an opinion on something. And what better way to present them than by having your very own poll in your site. If it's poll you want, Chipmunk Poll may just be the thing for you.

Chipmunk Poll is a free PHP poll system for your site. It lets you create, edit, and delete choices and polls. To install, just extract the files from the downloaded zip file in your web server. A simple text file will guide you how to fully configure the poll. Once done with the installation, you may now create your poll question and the choice answers as well. Here lies the biggest caveat of Chipmunk Poll as it only allows you a single poll question running at any given time, though the choice answers aren't limited. The interface is bare bones, with no hint of any design. There is almost no documentation, but the simplicity of the software removes the need for it. If you are planning on running just one question for your poll and you need a fast way to do it, Chipmunk Poll is ready to take on the job.

Chipmunk Poll requires a web server with PHP and MySQL installed. Knowledge on basic editing of PHP files and MySQL login details also required.

Go to Chipmunk Poll

Creating a web site and finding out that it wouldn't display properly on some browsers can be quite a pain. If you can relate to this, then it's time for you to check out Litmus.

Litmus is a commercial tool that generates screenshots of your web page as well as email newsletters from popular browsers and email environment, all in just a manner of seconds. To start working with Litmus, you must create an account. A special web page under Litmus will be created as well, and this is where the screenshots will go. Full page snapshots of your site on different browsers will be displayed, letting you see how your audience sees your site. You can also get a preview how your HTML emails are viewed on different platforms. However, it must be noted that there is currently no way to test Litmus if you don't have a valid credit card or PayPal account, as it requires one to sign-up even if you plan on just trying it out. Also, the email testing and web page testing services are availed separately, requiring you to shell out more if you want to use both. All in all, Litmus is a very good application, but a bit pricey for small-time web designers and bloggers.

Litmus works on most browsers.

Go to Litmus

Using videos is a great way to convey messages across the ‘Net. In fact, web designers and even bloggers have been exploiting the media for quite some time now. However, commercial video editing software doesn’t come cheap. The solution? Go free with VirtualDub.

VirtualDub is a video capture and processing utility for Windows. Downloaded as a stand-alone program, there is no need to install the software. Just extract, run the software, and you are ready to edit. It must be noted however that not all video formats are supported. Currently, the program only supports AVI and MPEG-1 files. No video yet? You can use the software to capture your video using your web camera. Once you have the supported video, you can start editing. Though it evidently lacks the power of commercial editing software, it is capable of simple editing chores. You can move around frames by cutting and pasting them along the timeline. Also available are different filters to further enhance your videos. And if the included filters aren’t enough for you, third-party filters are also available for use with VirtualDub though getting them to work with VirtualDub can be quite a chore due to the lack of documentation. But if it’s cheap and easy to use editing software you are looking for, VirtualDub is just a download away.

VirtualDub is compatible with Win9x/ME/2000/XP.

Go to VirtualDub

Web designers and even bloggers can be a picky lot when it comes to colors. The shade must be perfect, complementing the main idea behind the site. However, there will be times when the right color is found on another site and there is no way to know the exact color value. If you do find yourself in that situation, never fear, ColorPic is here.

ColorPic allows you to pick any color in your screen and save it in a custom palette. To start picking colors, just download and run the installer. Getting to use the program is as simple as choosing an empty color slot, grabbing the desired color, and it’s now part of your palette. Eight different custom made palettes are also available for those basic color needs. The information screen for ColorPic gives you details about the chosen color. The WebSnap and Hexadecimal codes are clearly shown for easy copy and pasting. If you are not satisfied with the shade, sliders for the Hue, Saturation and other options are available. With ColorPic, there is no need to grope blindly for that perfect shade.

ColorPic is compatible with Win9x/ME/2000/XP. Basic HTML knowledge is needed to apply the color values in HTML.

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For SEO enthusiasts, knowing the statistics of their site is second nature. And to accomplish that, web analytics tools are employed, one of which is phpMyVisites. The name may sound a bit weird, but don’t let that fool you. This software is crammed with features. Downloaded as a zip file, you just extract the files in your web server. Installation is totally automated, and once you are done, a code will be generated which you need to paste in the site you want to track. Once you have pasted the code, the reports will start coming in.

The beauty behind the phpMyVisites is the ease of operation, the depth of the reports, while being free all at the same time. The interface of the site is very simple and easy to understand. It gives you a wealth of information: where the user came from, what OS was he using, what browser was used, among others. The newest feature of phpMyVisites is the ingenious ‘ClickHeat.’ Viewed as an image, it shows you where the clicks on your page are most concentrated. If you are looking for a comprehensive web analytics tool and you don’t want to fork up loads of cash, phpMyVisites may just be the thing for you.

phpMyVisites requires a web server with PHP 4.3 or greater and a MySQL database. Basic knowledge of copy and pasting scripts in HTML and MySQL database details are required.

Go to phpMyVisites

Whenever designing a web site, it is important to see how it would display on different browsers. After all, no two browsers are made the same. However, manually checking every available browser how it displays your site is almost impossible. Sounds trouble? Not with BrowserShots.

BrowserShots is an Internet service that lets you view your website using different browsers available. With 21 available browsers for Linux, Windows and even the Mac, it can give you great insight on how your site looks from any angle. And what’s even better, the service is free of charge. Taking advantage of BrowserShots is very easy: just enter the URL of the site you want to test and it will be immediately added to the job queue. Once the queue reaches the limit, the URL will be opened by a certain number of distributed computers and a screenshot of the browser displaying the site will be added in the main server of BrowserShots. You can now view the screenshots and see how your site appeared in a certain browser. Despite the drawback of having to wait for quite a while for popular browsers such as the Firefox, the results are definitely worth it. If you want a painless way to check your site on 21 browsers without having to install them all, BrowserShots.org is ready to give you a hand.

BrowserShots.org works on most browsers.

Go to BrowserShots.org

The words “vector graphics” usually bring to mind images of graphic design artists with lots of talent - and rightly so. Working with vector graphics is no easy task. What sets vector images apart from normal images is that you can easily increase the size of the image without losing quality. That is why when these great looking works of art are offered for free, you just need to have a look. One place you shouldn’t miss is Vecteezy.

Vecteezy showcases creations of different artists around the world who are kind enough to put up their work for free. The homepage shows the latest submissions, which are based on important web site elements such as RSS feed icons and the like. Clicking on a thumbnail will bring you to an image’s download page, which lets you look at detailed previews, as well as the usage limitations for each image.

A handy search bar and filter option allows you to search for a particular vector image. To open and edit the downloaded vector image, you must have an application that is capable of doing so, such as Adobe Illustrator. With these free, yet high quality images, you can change the way your web site looks. With Vecteezy, searching for new and trendy vector graphics is simple.

Vecteezy works on most browsers. You need a vector graphics program such as Adobe Illustrator, Freehand, or Inkscape to open some files.

Go to Vecteezy

The Internet has become a large venue for discussions for almost any topic under the sun. If you want your site to get a piece of the action, you might want to have your own chat program. And if it’s chat programs you are after, give PHP Free Chat a test run.

Free Chat is a PHP script that allows the creation of a chat system in your site. Getting the script running is very simple and only involves copy and pasting a few lines in your source code. No need to setup an SQL server as the chat system uses files to store nicknames and messages.

Worried about bland and rigid designs for your chatroom? The program lets you design your own. You can fully modify how the chat room looks by creating your own CSS style sheets. With the featured AJAX system, gone are the worries of delayed and eye-straining window refreshes. Controlling the chat’s environment is also a breeze since all chat functionalities are customizable. Since it’s an open source program, there’s no need to shell out a single buck.

Whether you want to be a host for lively discussions or you need a chatting system for a collaborative project, the PHP Free Chat will get you up and going in no time.

PHP Free Chat requires a web server with PHP 4 or later installed. Knowledge of copying and pasting lines of code in your site is needed.

Go to PHP Free Chat

Clever use of animation in your site can bring in the traffic. However, not everyone is well-versed with Flash or other animation software. If you are blogger or a budding web designer with little or no knowledge in Flash animation, then the Advanced Effect Maker is for you.

Forget about stages and frames, Advanced Effect Maker makes creating animations for your site effortless. The freeware version offers 40 applets while the paid version offers 70 or 234 applets, depending on the package you paid for.

For the freeware, just download the executable file, install and having animated graphics in your site is just a few clicks away. All you have to do is choose what kind of animation you’d like to work on. There are 3-D images, animated menus, and other available choices. Once you have chosen your animation, click on it and new options on customizing it are revealed. If you are done with the customization, click ‘Create Applet’ and a browser will pop-up, containing the HTML script that you can paste in your source code. It must be noted that some of the available animations are quite outdated, leaving only a few worthy to add in your web site. But for those who are in need of a quick fix of animations, the Advanced Effect Maker won’t let you down.

Advanced Effect Maker is compatible with Win98/ME/2000/XP. Basic copy/pasting knowledge in your source code is needed.

Go to Advanced Effect Maker

In the arena of SEO, getting listed in a directory is one thing. Having your own directory is another. If you decide to get up and purchase a link indexing software for your own directory, the first thing you should check out is Chipmunk Directory.

With commercial link indexing software in the market easily fetching up to hundreds of dollars, getting one free of charge is no laughing matter. Chipmunk Directory is a PHP script designed to create your own link index. Installation is straightforward, with the directions written in the only form of documentation available, the readme.txt file.

Apart from your own web space, you need to have basic knowledge of SQL as it requires an empty database for storage. Once you are done with the installation, you are now ready to add links in your directory. Visitors can easily add links as well, and, if validation is enabled, you can review submitted links before they are displayed in your directory.

Changing the colors of different site elements is as far as you can go in terms of customizing how the directory looks. For web designers, bloggers, and SEO fans looking for a free, fully-functional link indexing software with minimal design needs, Chipmunk Directory may just be the thing for you.

Chipmunk Directory requires a web server with PHP, SQL and requires knowledge in database creation.

Go to Chipmunk Directory