I've just launched a brand new Flash-based Hex HTML Color Code generator. It replaced that awful, low res JPEG image I had before (YUCK!) :-)

It's pretty fun to use. Just use the slider to select the desired color. Then adjust the brightness/saturation. Finally copy and paste the Hex value that is generated into your HTML page.

View the Hex Color Code Generator here.

One of the keys to long-term traffic, is to make your website "sticky". In other words, give people a reason to return over and over again.

Of course, useful content that is updated regularly is a great way to increase website stickiness. However, you can also host some kind of application that can also make your visits stick.

An online gaming site is a great example. They provide an interactive application that keeps people coming back for more. Another example would be adding a mortgage calculator to a finance related website. Whatever kind of application you add, it should be related to your site's theme so it has some interest to your visitors.

Here's the problem, though. If you're like most webmasters (including me!), you may not have the technical expertise to create such a fancy application. After all, it takes quite a bit of programming to create some of these tools.

There is a solution! Try going over to Rent A Coder.

All you do is post what you need done for your site and dozens of programmers will bid on your project. You choose the bid you want, the programmer works on your project, and then you pay him/her at the end. (The money is held in escrow until you are satisfied with the finished product).

Just think...if you can provide some kind of free application that your target audience values, you can really start racking in the repeat traffic over time.

Every now and then I get an email from someone who has read my article where I warn people to stay away from creating free websites.

I would suspect some of the emails come from owners of these hosts, and others are simply from people that have had great experiences with their free websites.

If you haven't had any problems with your free host, that's great. That article was written based on my own experiences and I personally think it's very risky to create a website (particularly one you want to keep for a long period of time) using a free host.

Plus, it does not rid the fact that you are often limited in what you are allowed to do in terms of enhancements and site functionality. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. :)