Unbiased Reviews by Real People
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Unbiased Reviews by Real People
Goodies has the goods on HTMLNov 12, 2000 Write an essay on this topic.Although HTML may look very complicated at first, there are certain codes you will learn that will help you understand the more advanced code, which, as you'll find, really isn't all that complex. HyperText Markup Language is exactly what it says: a language. Many people forget this, and learn only the codes they need. This is not a good idea. If you're going to write your own HTML, you might as well write it all. Otherwise, just look for a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor, like FrontPage or Netscape Composer. But these won't help you if you really want to learn HTML. Okay, I admit it, I do use FrontPage for my coding needs. However, I understand every single code I use, and if I wanted to (I wouldn't because I'm just a lazy bum *s*), I could hand-code my entire website and Epinions profile. The best resource I have found for learning HTML is <www.htmlgoodies.com>. A wonderful website, created by a great guy who is friendly, and makes the tutorials a lot of fun. Joe (the webmaster) writes all of his tutorials personally, and in a very conversational manner. Unlike many other sites, Joe does not simply tell you what the coding is for something; he will explain why that is the coding and how it works. By visiting HTML Goodies, you'll learn codes and how to customize them to your own needs. In addition to the HTML, Joe also has a few JavaScript, DHTML, and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) tutorials. Will this be enough information to make a professional website? Maybe. Joe's tutorials are mostly beginner/intermediate, although he does offer some advanced tutorials. However, this site will teach you pretty much all you need to know about HTML, and some extra stuff too. In addition to the tutorials, there is a help forum, and you are encouraged to e-mail Joe with questions/comments. Joe also runs <http://www.javascripts.com>, the largest resource for JavaScripts that I've ever found. You will need to spend a good chunk of time absorbing what you learn, which is why I say you may be able to make a professional website with this info. Joe does provide the basic tools, but it is up to you to put them into action. It takes a lot of time to practice and improve your web authoring skills, but in the end, it really pays off. There are some basic guidelines for writing HTML, and for making websites with it. These include: - Spaces don't matter (Unless you're writing a text section). Neither do paragraphs. Make use of this property of HTML by separating your HTML into manageable chunks. Have a table? Put a blank line before and after it, so you can easily find what you're looking for. A special piece of JavaScript (be careful with this one)? Do the same thing. However, be aware that in JavaScript and other types of code, spaces may matter. If you insert an extra space into some coding, you may end up with an error message when you preview your page. Again, be careful. Please note that for some strange reason which I haven't yet figured out, your Epinions profile won't allow a lot of extra space in your coding. Be careful that there are no spaces in your profile except between words in a block of text. - Always, always, ALWAYS put an "Alt" code onto your images. An alt code provides a little name for an image, so if (uh oh) your image breaks, or if someone is viewing your pages on a browser without image capabilities, they'll know what was intended to go there (instead of just a red x, they'll see the red x AND text describing the image). Also, include the height and width tags of an image. This way, if you have a large image at the top of the page, the rest of the page can load at the same time as the image, rather than waiting for the image to load first. - Don't go overboard on the images! Unless you're trying to do a gallery or photo album, minimal is best. No one likes a page with so many images that it takes 10 minutes to load, and then you find out that there isn't much text anyway. It's a big waste of time for your visitors, and they won't be back. Your writing is what should be the content of your pages, not the images. A general rule of thumb is one picture per two paragraphs of text. And the picture should be related to the text, not just some little doodad that you think looks cute. - Plan your site before beginning to build. Plan your navigation, especially. Also keep in mind WHO your target audience is, WHY you want to talk to them, and WHAT you want to talk to them about. If you're confused, chances are that your readers will be too. - A good navigational system is extremely important. Without it, people won't be able to find your content. Try to organize your pages into categories and subcategories for easier navigation. For example, look at the Epinions site. You can see the navigation tree laid out at the top; right now, you're in Home > Computers > Software > Internet > Learning HTML. Using a navigational tree like this makes it easy for your visitors to see where they are and find their way back again. Overall, HTML is a very easy language to learn. HTML is logical and methodical, and once you learn the basics, you'll be well on your way. Good luck with your future website!  |
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