In this issue:

PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
1. Webmasters: Want Free Dynamic Content for Your Site? 
2. Developing for the Web? 

NETWORK ANNOUNCEMENTS
3. Developer Tales Status
4. PerlAccess: Site Modifications
5. FreeWebTemplates: Hot New Design
6. FresherImage.com: New Tips
7. Looking for Submissions

WEEKLY FEATURE
8. Keep Your Fonts Simple

DEVELOPER TALES
9. A Stone, Alone: Part II - A New Oracle

============================================================
PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
============================================================

Check out our winter advertising specials for big savings on advertising on The Big Resources Network at http://www.bigresources.com/advertising.html

1. Webmasters: want Free dynamic content for your site?
http://x.moreover.com/123webmaster/wizpop.htm
In one minute, put the latest news headlines on your site...Always fresh, fully customizable, totally free! 123Webmaster has partnered with Moreover.com, the world's most comprehensive online news aggregation service, to provide you with the 123Webmaster WebFeed Wizard. With the wizard, you can choose from almost 300 different newsfeed categories, and match the look, feel, and content of your site. Paste the webfeed JavaScript code seamlessly into your website and keep your visitors coming back.
http://x.moreover.com/123webmaster/wizpop.htm

2. Developing for the Web? 
Need the latest HTML, XML, ASP, and JavaScript code, content, and insights ASAP? 
How would you like it all… for FREE?!? Check out the Web Development section 
of EarthWeb’s IT online community at 
http://www.fresherimage.com/rank/out.cgi?earth

============================================================
NETWORK ANNOUNCEMENTS
============================================================

3. Developer Tales Status
This week we bring you part II of our new ezine feature "Developer Tales", which continues last week's story of 123webmaster's "Stone". This feature is located at the bottom of our ezine. Feedback of this new feature has been good so far. If you would like to encourage the continuation of this storyline, send an email to jason@bigresources.com. Last week's story can be viewed at the bottom of last week's ezine, located at:
http://www.bigresources.com/Ezine/Ezine_4_Vol_II.html

4. PerlAccess.com: Site Modifications
http://www.perlaccess.com
This week, perlaccess webmaster Brett Roberts, has made some major improvements across the site. The width of the page has been expanded to 770 pixels, to help support some great new perl related content. Among the improvements, comes a new tutorial category for perl programmers to add their own perl scripts to our archives. This will allow us to feature new content much more quickly, and showcase the great programming talent of our users (that's you)! If you would like to submit your own original perl tutorial to PerlAccess, then just head on down to the submit page located at: http://www.perlaccess.com/tutdb/add.cgi

5. FreeWebTemplates.com: Hot New Design
http://www.freewebtemplates.com
Doni Ronquillo, of freewebtemplates.com, has given the site a complete overhaul this week! In addition to a phenomenal new design which proudly displays our full mascot lineup in it's navigation (or first site to do so), Doni has also added a download/user review database. More specifically, this database will track downloads for each template, and allow our users (that's you again!) to vote for and rate each template. This gives a voice to the graphics community, by allowing you to express your opinions. It will also help Doni figure out which templates are most popular, so he knows which ones to add more of. See this design for yourself at http://www.freewebtemplates.com

6. FresherImage.com: New Tips
http://www.fresherimage.com
We've added two new Photoshop tips to FresherImage.com this week. These tips are a part of a long series which is basically a big "how to", breaking apart the new design of the site, and how it was made. The new tips feature a 3D sphere, and chrome pipes. Special thanks to Doni Ronquillo (the designer of FresherImage's new layout) for taking the time on creating this Photoshop tip series. If you'd like to check out the tips yourself, you can check out the FresherImage main page, or view the tips directly from the links below:

Chrome Pipe Tip:
http://www.fresherimage.com/Tips/Photoshop/pipe/

3D Sphere Tip:
http://www.fresherimage.com/Tips/Photoshop/sphere/

7. Looking for Submissions
We're looking for original articles, and product review submissions to be featured in both our ezines, and on http://www.123webmaster.com. If you feel that you are a talented web writer, and are knowledgeable with website promotion, webmaster tools, graphic design, webmaster tips, or web scripting (any language) then please send your article submissions to jason@bigresources.com. All approved articles will be published with full credit to their writers (including a link, email address, and any other information that you would like included), and will be read by thousands of webmasters. Submit today, and get published!
I'd like to thank our most recent contributor, Candice Pardue of http://www.webmastercourse.com, for this week's feature: Keep Your Fonts Simple.

Jason M. DesRoches
jason@bigresources.com
Editor In Chief, Big Resources Ezine.

============================================================
WEEKLY FEATURE
============================================================

8. Keep Your Fonts Simple
by Candice Pardue 
http://www.webmastercourse.com

Whether you just started designing your website or have had your site up and running for months or even years, you may want to check your fonts. 

For beginners, let me take just a moment to explain what fonts are. Fonts are the style of lettering you use to write the text on your web page. When you add text to your web page, you'll choose which "font" style you want for your letters. Most programs have hundreds or even thousands of fonts to choose from. Some that you are probably familiar with are "Times New Roman", "Arial", or "Impact". 

Here are a couple of reasons why you'll want to steer clear of using fancy fonts on your website: 

Problem Number One: 
Though the fonts may look great on your computer screen, they may look totally distorted on your visitor's screen. Because everyone has different fonts installed on their computer, your list of fonts may not be the same as others. Therefore, if you select a font that another person doesn't have, the words won't look the same on their computer as it does yours. 
Safe fonts that most programs have, and that are okay to use are Times Roman and Arial. Netscape Composer has a default font called "Variable Width" which is the same as Times New Roman. I leave my font at this default setting any time I'm writing content text for my web pages. I also use the Comic Sans font for my "headlines only" on my web pages and haven't had any complaints so far. But I wouldn't recommend using Comic Sans for your entire website text... just to be safe. 

If you want to use a certain style of font like Comic Sans, Futura, etc. and you want it to look the same on every person's computer that views your web page, you will need to type your words in the font style you want and save it as a graphic file. This is the only way to make the font look the same for everyone. 

Xara offers a program called Xara Webstyle that allows you to create your own graphics, banners, bullets, buttons, and backgrounds using graphic templates no matter what your skill level. You can go here to see some examples at Xara... www.xara.com/products/ 
Otherwise, your web page may look messy and will be totally unformatted if you use fonts other people may not have. 

Problem Number Two:
Some fonts are very difficult to read. The best "reading" fonts are in print, clear, and concise. When writing long copy, consider the fact that your reader may wear glasses and have difficulty reading, and that reading fancy writing actually places strain on the eyes. 
Remember, you're writing to a potential customer, and you want to make reading your website as pleasant as possible. Plain fonts may not be "pretty", but your visitor will read it. He/she is there to find information. 

I'll give you a quick illustration... I visited a site once that was written completely in cursive. The site had long text paragraphs and all was written in fancy cursive writing. It was very difficult to read and tough on my eyes. Reading that kind of writing can give you a headache very quickly! 

So please try to avoid these two "fancy fonts" problems, and keep your site's writing simple and plain. It will show your reader that you designed it for him/her, and help increase your potential for success tremendously! 

To review this article online, please visit:
http://www.123webmaster.com/Articles/Fancy_Fonts.html

============================================================
DEVELOPER TALES
============================================================

9. A Stone, Alone: Part II - A New Oracle
by Jason M. DesRoches

**This week we continue our saga on our webmaster "Stone" in the storyline "A Stone, Alone"**
Stone continues into the woods, which have become a forest of twisting, and misleading trails. He has been querying the great oracles known as Hotbot, Lycos, and Altavista for hours to help him collect the raw resources that he requires to settle the web. Finally realizing that he is unable to meet the financial obligations and commitments for the sparse web building equipment that he has found, he postulates a new formula which he will use to query the great oracles. 
This new equation will help Stone to view the paths that will lead to his conquest of the forest, widening the trails for others to follow, turning scattered timber into a new empire. What formula could be so potent it could help guide the thousands that have been stranded in the unconquerable woods? What equation could be so powerful that it could change the very nature of what it means to be a developer? The answer is easy enough, Stone knows that if he will be able to have access to what he needs, it must be... FREE!

Based on this new equation, Stone feeds the great oracles variations of his formula, utilizing his powerful new word "free". Though it is still not a simple task, Stone buries many misleading paths, and opens many new productive ones. Stone eagerly logs this new information, path after path, making special notes about the advantages and drawbacks of each trail taken. He spends days creating a new oracle, utilizing the tools which his new formula have helped to produce. This new oracle is much smaller than the others that Stone has used to create it. Stone has also connected this oracle only to the trails which have led to the most productive fruits of the forest. It is a good day for Stone, his new oracle has already attracted much attention. Many developers have started to take advantage of Stone's powerful formula, and the web has become a little less scattered.

However something is dark and brewing for our hero Stone. While he continues his queries of the great oracles, working away the days and nights, an evil force enters into the woods. There is trouble ahead, which will change the very nature of Stones activities, and will forever impact the new oracle. 

*End Part II*

Don't miss Part III, as our storyline progress. Next week: Enter, The Evil Wizard.
( To read Part I check out the "Developer Tales section of last week's ezine:
http://www.bigresources.com/Ezine/Ezine_4_Vol_II.html )