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If You Want A Web Site, First Comes HTML
by Bob McElwain
HTML (Hyper-Text Markup Language) is the language in which
web site pages are written, and the language used by
browsers to read pages visited. So unless you have scads of
bucks, enough to hire someone to create and manage your web
site, you will need to learn the basics of writing HTML code.
Some may disagree, for there are some good web page editors
available that handle the HTML code for you. I use one. And
likely you will too. But it is unwise to do so until you
have a good understanding of the fundamental code structures.
At some point, the best editor will fail in some way. When
that happens, your option is to toss the page you are working
on, else dig into the code itself, find where it broke, and
fix it.
Besides it's not all that hard to do. It takes a little time,
is all. And patience. It isn't obvious at first. But you
will come to discover it is really quite simple. Almost
primitive, in fact. When you come to this realization, you
can turn to a web page editor with confidence.
So how should you start? You need nothing more than a text
editor such as Notepad, a browser, and some notes about HTML.
You write the code in your text editor and use your browser
to load the page to see what it will look like on the Web.
As for some help with the code, there is a dandy free tutorial
at www.cknow.com/cktutorials/cktutorials.htm. For
others, go to your favorite search engine and check for
"html tutorial." Or visit WebsiteResources.Com. I have not
done more than explore a little, but there are lots of links
to good information (most of it too advanced for beginners).
Still, go to, www.websiteresources.com, look down
the list of links on the left side of the page and click on
HTML. This takes you to a set of annotated links to be
explored. Some look very, very good to me.
I personally prefer a book. I can fold down pages for easy
reference, make notes, etc. I can't recommend the book I've
got, for it is not very good. I suggest Amazon Books at,
http://www.amazon.com, and search on HTML.
Once you get a good start, you will find it very helpful to
look at the code behind pages you find on the Web that you
like. Once a page has fully loaded, click on the option in
your browser to view the source code. Copy any part of it
that interests you, load it into your editor, and experiment
to find out how it works.
Note you can not actually use what someone else has written,
for that is a violation of the copyright laws. Worse, it's
dishonest. However, there is nothing wrong with copying a
piece of code so you can try it yourself to see how it works.
It's no different than writing down some problems from a math
book to see if you can figure how to do them. If in doubt
about something in particular, drop a note to
webmaster@whateversite.com and ask for permission to use the
code. 99% will say yes, and a surprising number will offer to
help.
At some point you will become quite bored with all of this,
and want to see your pages on the Web. For real! Now what?
First you need a host for the pages you create. Check with
your ISP (Internet Service Provider) through which you have
access to the Web. Most offer free home pages to their
customers. If that doesn't work, look around for free hosting
services. Geocities.Com, recently bought by Yahoo, will do
http://geocities.yahoo.com. (A Caution: A freebie hosting
services is great while getting started; it won't do at all
for a serious business site.)
Next you need a way to load the pages you create to your
new site. If your ISP has provided a free site, check with
them first. They may have a program that will do the job.
And some free site hosting services also provide adequate
software; just now no name comes to mind. But even if you
have to buy a program, it's a good investment for you will
need it later when you build a site for real.
Probably the two most popular programs for handling FTP
(File Transfer Protocol) are WS_FTP ($37.50) at
http://wsftp.com and Cute FTP ($39) at http://cuteftp.com.
Either of these programs will provide efficient transfer of
your files to and from your site. I happen to use WS_FTP,
but Cute FTP is also an excellent program.
Only when you feel comfortable with your HTML coding skills
is it appropriate to consider building a business site for
real. And this would be the time to consider a web page
editor. However, you may find you do not need one at all.
A client of mine operates a very successful business
centered at his web site which he created and maintains by
writing his own code with Notepad, and checking his work
with his browser. Check it out. The URL is
www.homeplansoftware.com This site works very,
very well, and so can yours!
I will wrap with an offer tough to beat. When you get a
page loaded and you get stuck real good (and I guarantee
this *will* happen), send me the URL. I'll take a look and
see if I can fix it. Have you had a better offer today?
Here's to happy site building!
____________________________________
Bob McElwain
Newbie-Friendly Site Stuff - Check it out now!
www.sitetipsandtricks.com
If I don't have what you need, I will find it!
bob@sitetipsandtricks.com
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