Hello Dr_jones,
HTML is fun, especially if you are a creative type, and not
difficult to learn. Using pure HTML, you can create web pages using
Notepad, which is free in Windows. Using a WYSIWYG, pronounced
wizee-wig, HTML editor, you can drag and drop images, enter tables,
and need to know little to no HTML coding. You can learn as you go!
Mozilla Composer
================
For a free simple WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get) web page
program, download a free copy of Mozilla Browser. Once you have it
installed, open Mozilla, go to ?Window? and select ?Composer?.
http://www.mozilla.org/products/mozilla1.x/
?Composer is the free, open source, HTML editor and Web authoring
module of the Netscape 6 and Mozilla browser-suites. It helps you to
create and to edit Web page, e-mail, and text-content-oriented
documents easily.
The Composer desktop looks and feels much as a graphical
word-processor desktop looks and feels. However, behind the scenes,
Composer is formatting your Web page document in HTML for publication
on the World Wide Web, for e-mail, or as an attribute-rich,
text-content-oriented document -- or as plain text if you like.
Composer is an easy-to-use, WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get),
graphical user interface (GUI), HTML editor. You also can view, write
and edit HTML source code with Composer.?
http://www.mozillaquest.com/Mozilla-04/Mozilla-Composer_1-7b_Tutorial_Story01.html
Mozilla Composer Tutorials:
===========================
This page contains inks to succeeding pages for the complete tutorial:
http://www.mozillaquest.com/Mozilla-04/Mozilla-Composer_1-7b_Tutorial_Story01.html#Mozilla-Composer-tutorial
http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/technology/tutorials/webdev/mozilla/mozillastart3.html
http://www.thesitewizard.com/gettingstarted/mozillacomposer1.shtml
http://ced.ncsu.edu/ltrc/studio/workshops/mozilla/
To learn HTML, visit some of these beginning tutorial sites:
Almost everyone has done their very first HTML editing on a Notepad document:
http://www.w3schools.com/html/html_intro.asp
http://www.w3schools.com/html/
HTML for adding graphics
http://www.wdvl.com/Authoring/Graphics/Techniques/HTML.html
A very simple and basic tutorial
http://www.lissaexplains.com/basics.shtml
The Structure of HTML Documents
http://www.wdvl.com/Authoring/HTML/Structure/
http://www.cwru.edu/help/introHTML/toc.html
http://www.davesite.com/webstation/html/
http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/Guide/
HTML Lessons
http://www.htmltutorials.ca/
If you speak Spanish, French, Icelandic, Korean, Italian, or Japanese,
you can find tutorials in these languages on this page:
http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/tut/
Here is a web glossary:
http://www.cwru.edu/help/webglossary.html
Design Essentials
------------------
1. Be sure to set standards for grammar, spelling, content, and appearance.
2. Make sure that the site that you create works well with all browsers.
3. Don't overdo the use of graphics.
4. Don't make your pages so wide that someone with a small screen will
have problems viewing the page from left to right.
5. Pages should not scroll down forever.
6. Make your pages thematic when considering backgrounds, colors,
tables, sounds, fonts, links, logos, etc.
7. Expect only the best from teachers and students working on pages.
8. Make links obvious.
9. Follow the Three Click Rule. Make sure that anyone visiting your
site will find something useful within 3 clicks or links.
http://edtech.sandi.net/emmie/camp/concerns.htm
Storyboard
----------
A storyboard is a good idea to sketch out, before you begin adding
content and design elements.
?· Be sure that you have planned your site by creating a storyboard.
· Before you begin, create your project folder with an images folder
inside of it. Decide where that folder will be located on your
computer and avoid moving it or saving any files outside of it. I like
saving it on the desktop.?
http://edtech.sandi.net/emmie/camp/b4ubegin.htm
Simple Storyboard
http://edtech.sandi.net/emmie/camp/strybrd.htm
Complex storyboard
http://edtech.sandi.net/emmie/camp/weblayout.pdf
More tips
---------
http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/staffdev/tpss99/finepoints/index.htm
http://www.gb.nrao.edu/~rmaddale/HTMLLessonPlan/WebDesign/design1.htm
What NOT to do!
===============
http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/biggest-web-design-mistakes-in-2004.html
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9605.html
Domain Names & Hosting
======================
Before you start designing your pages, you?ll need to think of a
domain name. Below you?ll find tips for selecting an appropriate name.
There are many sites you can use to check if the name you like is
available. I happen to like this site:
http://www.yournamefree.com/ynf.html
Enter the name you?d like to use and click ?Check Name?. I would
recommend using this site as a checker only, and register your name on
the service you choose as a hosting service.
How Does My Website Get a Name?
===============================
All websites typically have a name - just like we are called
www.FindMyHosting.com - This is a name that points to the space on the
web where your website is physically located. In reality, your website
will have an address which is just a set of numbers. This is called an
IP address and it looks something like this 205.11.109.64 An IP
address is a unique address (just like a street address) for your
website location. Domain names like www.FindMyHosting.com are really
just a pointer to the real address. This makes it much easier to
remember websites.
When you buy web hosting it can be easier to let the web host handle
everything associated with this. You just tell them the name that you
want (www.yoursite.com for example) and so long as that name is
available, they will set up your web hosting space so that when people
type in that www address, it will automatically go to your website.
You can check if a domain name is available on our domain registration
page.
http://www.findmyhosting.com/webhosting-guide.htm
Tips for selecting a domain name
--------------------------------
1. Know your target audience.
2. Keep domain names short and simple.
3. The exception to the tip above is to register a long domain name
containing a list of relevant words for your web site to achieve a
higher ranking in some search engines.
4. Use the appropriate words within your domain name.
5. Use a domain name search program such as Mozzle (www.mozzle.com) or
Domain Questor (www.internet-soft.com) to generate your domain names.
6. Register your domain name in the correct global or country level domain.
7. Check that you are not infringing on an existing trademark or other
name that rightfully belongs to another business or individual.
8. Do not use cute or confusing spellings of your domain name.
9. Use virtual domain names.
http://www.agora-business-center.com/0805domain.htm
1) Don't register domain names that are too long and have too many
syllables if you can help it. Yes, you can register names up to 63
characters long, but that doesn't mean you have to use all 63
characters.
You want your name to be easy to remember. Not everyone will bookmark
your page initially so try to think of something that can be easily
remembered -- although I realize this may be tricky since a lot of
names are taken these days.
2) Use hyphens if your name is more than 3 words long (unless your
name includes 3 short words). A name like carbuying.com doesn't
really need a hyphen because it's readable the way it is.
However a name like used-car-buying-scams.com looks better than
usedcarbuyingscams.com since there are so many words in the name.
3) Protect your name by registering multiple extensions (.net, .org,
etc.) This deters people from copying your name. For example, if you
own garden-tips-for-us.com you can also register
garden-tips-for-us.net and any other extension that's available.
http://www.2createawebsite.com/prebuild/register_domain.html
?There are other things involved in getting your first web site up and
running, such as getting your own domain name and promoting your web
site. This tutorial however does not deal with those matters - it is
strictly about designing (creating) and publishing (uploading) your
website using Mozilla Composer. You can find more information about
the other issues by perusing the articles on thesitewizard.com.?
http://www.thesitewizard.com/gettingstarted/mozillacomposer1.shtml
?Domain names can be really long or really short (1 - 67 characters).
In general, it is far better to choose a domain name that is short in
length. The shorter your domain name, the easier it will be for people
remember. Remembering a domain name is very important from a
marketability perspective. As visitors reach your site and enjoy using
it, they will likely tell people about it. And those people may tell
others, etc. As with any business, word of mouth is the most powerful
marketing tool to drive traffic to your site (and it's free too!). If
your site is long and difficult to pronounce, people will not remember
the name of the site and unless they bookmark the link, they may never
return.?
http://www.domain-name-center.com/choosing-good-domain-name.htm
You?ll need a domain name and a hosting service. Many hosting services
have specials on domain registration if you register your domain
through the hosting site. For a beginner, this is a good options, as
it can save you some headaches.
?What Is A Web Host?
---------------------
A web host is a service provider that places your web site on a
computer which is connected to the internet. This then gives people
who surf the internet a way to access your website. The computer that
the web hosting company uses is typically just like the computer you
have at home, the only difference being that it is set up to serve up
web sites and is therefore called a "server".
A web host will typically have a fast connection to the Internet and
they may host thousands of web sites on many servers. The web host
essentially rents out space to you so that you can get your website up
on the world wide web.?
http://www.findmyhosting.com/webhosting-guide.htm
Free, shared and dedicated are types of hosting services you will run
across. Free sites almost always have banner ads somewhere on the
pages. Shared service means you rent a part of a server, shared with
other web sites. Dedicated servers are the most expensive and
generally used only by very large sites, such as corporate sites.
?There are a multitude of web hosting resource sites, which for the
most part are filled with advertising.
· Advertising can be useful, but remember that an ad is just marketing
hype at the end of the day.
· Avoid any sites that have Top10 / Top25 lists. These are mostly bogus
· Avoid simple sites that just have a list of hosts, these are
probably all affiliate links
You can research a host using several sites, including FindMyHosting.
The FindMyHosting site does not have any advertising and no host can
buy an unfair advantage.
· Search for what you need & get hosting plans listed in order of price
· Check real time host reliability data
· Reviews that are meaningful and validated?
http://www.findmyhosting.com/avoidingpitfalls.htm
This page has a web host selector, right in the middle of the page:
http://www.findmyhosting.com/
I entered hosts in the US for under $15 a month and found 28 hosts,
complete with pricing and all necessary information.
http://www.findmyhosting.com/searchresults.asp?page=1&op=1&sid=1048463
Here are plenty of even lower priced host sites:
http://www.findmyhosting.com/searchresults.asp?page=1&op=1&ty=1&sid=1048258
AceNet has a special now:
http://www.ace-host.net/welcome.html?site=overture
FTP/Uploading/Publishing
=========================
?Before we proceed to polish the page so that it looks at least
half-way decent, we need to publish the page to your web host. One
reason we're going to do this now, even before we've finished the
page, is that Mozilla Composer needs the information about your actual
website's address (or URL) before it can correctly handle things like
links and images on your web page. So even though the page is probably
an embarrassment to you at this stage, please complete the following
steps, or you will encounter problems later.
Don't worry about the page being so plain. If you've not advertised
your website's address (URL) to anyone, no one will even know your
site exists, so this preliminary version of your page will be seen by
no one but you. People will not visit your site out of the blue just
because you happened to sign up for a web hosting account today. It's
not that easy to get visitors!
Another reason that you're publishing your page at this time is so
that you can get familiar with both the major stages in the design of
a web page. Once you get this hurdle out of the way, and you know how
to get your web page from your computer into your web host's computer,
you have mastered what is arguably the biggest technical challenge a
newcomer is likely to face. Don't let this scare you though - it's
actually quite easy!
To publish the page, go to "File | Publish" (ie, the "Publish" item on
the "File" menu). A "Publish Page" dialog box will appear asking you
for more details.?
?"Publishing address" is a bit more complicated to explain. When you
signed up for your web hosting account from a commercial web host, you
would have been given a whole bunch of details by your web host. Among
these is something known as your "FTP address". FTP, or File Transfer
Protocol, is the usual means by which you transfer your web pages from
your own computer to your web host's computer. Transferring your pages
from your computer to your web host's computer is known as
"publishing" or "uploading" your pages.
For the purpose of this tutorial, I will assume that your web host
told you that your FTP address is "ftp.example.com". You should
substitute your real FTP address everytime you see "ftp.example.com"
in the examples below.
Before you enter that address though, you will need to know which
directory (or folder) you need to put your web pages. Some web hosts
require you to put your web pages in a directory named "www". Others
require you to put it in a "public_html" directory. Still others say
that you are to put your web pages into the default directory that you
see when you connect by FTP. And so on. Find out the directory where
you're supposed to upload your web pages to.
Once you've got all the details, you're ready to form the address you
have to enter into the "Publishing address" field.?
Please read all the details on this site for complete information on
publishing your site.
http://www.thesitewizard.com/gettingstarted/mozillacomposer1.shtml
If you don?t care for Mozilla?s FTP applet, you can download others here:
http://www.download.com/3120-20_4-0.html?tag=srch&qt=FTP&tg=dl-20&search.x=0&search.y=0&search=+Go%21
Some of the above are fee and some are low cost. I would suggest you
try the free one included in Mozilla Composer first.
Other free HTML editors are:
-----------------------------
Webwriter
---------
?Stone's WebWriter is an award winning Danish no-nonsense HTML editor.
Easy-to-use dialogues, right-click editing, code completion and syntax
high-ligthing, so you can get started without knowing HTML.
WebWriter is for the professional as well as the beginner who wants
full control and insight. Complete libraries of HTML 4.0, CSS 2.0 and
JavaScript 1.2. Build JavaScript, Cascading Style Sheets and image
maps! Project managing, sitemap, upload to Internet and much more.
Stone's WebWriter 3 can be installed from one floppy in a moment - and
it runs even faster than WebWriter 2!
See screen dumps and a thorough presentation.
And by the way - Stone's WebWriter 3 can be registered for free for private use!
http://www.webwriter.dk/english/index.htm
Easy HTML
---------
http://www.geocities.com/ResearchTriangle/1500//easyhtml/
Weborama
--------
http://www.kevingunn.com/weborama.htm
Content:
--------
Use Informal, Active Language
Be Careful With Humor
Make Your Content Informative
Know When To Discuss Features And Benefits
Avoid Over-optimizing
Proofread And Spell Check!
I know from previous unpleasant experiences just how important it is
to use proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation! Understand though,
that it's extremely hard to proofread your own work. Appeal to a
friend or colleague for help. Ideally, they'll find those typos before
visitors do and give you valuable feedback about your content.
If you have to go it alone though, try these methods:
· Use your word processor's grammar and spell check - but don't rely
on that function completely. Sometimes you've spelled a word
correctly, but it's just the wrong word! · Avoid the dreaded "Top 10
Spelling Errors". This article lists some of the top spelling errors
you see online. · Proofread using a printed copy. This is often a lot
easier than proofreading from a computer screen.
Writing anything takes time, effort, and patience. Writing copy for
your Web site is no different. And it's vitally important. Good Web
site copy makes a site easier to promote to both search engines and
customers.
Pictures are pretty, but content is king.
http://www.netmechanic.com/news/vol7/design_no8.htm
?Are you an authority on the subject?
If you aren't, you make your case stronger by citing your sources, as
above. If you are, don't hide your background. Be discreet, if you
wish, but make the details easy to find. Put your name on the article,
and link your name to a page with your qualifications.?
?The Evaluating Quality article asked you to consider six questions in
evaluating web pages. We will deal with six similar questions for you
to consider in your own web pages
· Is the information accurate and on target to its purpose?
· Are you an authority on the subject?
· Do you bring any biases in posting the information?
· Is the information current and timely?
· How does this information compare with other sources on the same topic?
· How can others find your pages when they need the information you provide?
http://www.walthowe.com/pubweb/qcontent/qcontent.html
Other Helpful Sites
===================
HTML Goodies
------------
HTML Goodies has about all you?ll need to know about HTML/web authoring
http://www.htmlgoodies.com/primers/html/article.php/3478131
http://www.htmlgoodies.com/
WDG Group
----------
http://www.htmlhelp.com/
HTMLPrimer
----------
http://www.htmlprimer.com/
As you can see, there are several steps to making a web site;
Choosing a name, registering the name, finding a hosting service,
adequate software, designing your site, and publishing. Once the
page(s) are published, then begins the job of maintenance. Update
frequently, with fresh content, and check for broken links.
I feel confident you will be building web sites in no time after
reading all of the above. If any part of my answer is unclear, please
request an Answer Clarification, before you rate this answer. This
will allow me to assist you further, on this question.
Regards, Crabcakes
Search Terms
============
Mozilla Composer
Mozilla Composer tutorials
HTML tutorials
Web hosting
Beginning HTML
Beginning web design
Quality web content |
