Metafluence

Highly useful web development resources that you’ll want to ctrl p

I suck at bookmarking. I’ve tried a number of times to get social bookmarking accounts going for me, but I’m never quite sure when it’s time to save a resource nor what to tag or rate it. Over time, though, I have noticed a few key resources that I seem to reference often when discussing strategy and projects with clients and colleagues. These are the resources that I ended up printing out. I thought I would assemble some of them and share with the collective.

History of the Internet from those who made it: This one is hugely important to me. Knowing how the Internet progressed from its origins to modern day helps me explain concepts all the time. Very valuable knowledge.
The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine: The original research paper from Sergey Brin and Lawrence Page on Google from their time at Stanford. Pretty much the bible to the original algorithm cracking search engine optimizers.
26 steps to 15k a Day: This was one of the original SEO resources written by the famous Brett Tabke, founder of Webmaster World, which is the largest online forum in the world and an amazing source for SEO knowledge. (This is a reprint article at this link and I’m not sure how long it will be available as it may be a copyright violation, you can always Google the title if the link dies)
Theme Pyramids: Another Brett Tabke resource that is also no longer available at it’s original location, theme pyramids breaks down how to organize a site based on themes in order to become an authority site on search engines. Authority sites get the most search engine traffic love.
Inside the Mind of a Searcher: The report is located at the bottom of the page and you’ll have to register to download it. It’s really worth it, though. I use it to not only explain searchers’ habits, but it also has a research supported example of how generic information has high traffic volume, but doesn’t achieve high conversion rates like niche information. Basically an argument for quality over quantity.
Information Architecture Resources: This collection of sweet infographics breaks down key IA from the master himself, Jesse James Garrett. He’s the one that coined the term AJAX, which changed the web from a page based medium to a state based one.
Enterprise Information Architecture in context: James Melzer breaks down the parts and process involved in developing enterprise level IA.
User Model Diagram for Flickr: Holy crap this one rules! It’s an infographic that explains Flickr’s functionality, community, and objects in a beautifully clear way. I love sharing it with clients to demonstrate the complexity of a community site and why things like proper planning are necessary.
Stanford Guidelines for Web Credibility: I love this resource because it is a Standford research project, which has all kinds of credibility in the minds of clients. And me too for that matter. It outlines 10 things backed by multiple research projects that validate things we had to say were common sense in the past, such as “Design your site so it looks professional.” Now you can provide evidence to say a good site design makes a difference.
The Ebb and Flow of Social Networking: The newest member to my collection, this one is a great explanation for the social network lifecycle. I use it to discuss growth patterns for any project where a client wants to start a community in order to clarify expectations for what’s involved and how it might pan out.