So You Want to Make a Web Page
If you've
spent time surfing the Web, you've noticed a huge range of talent (or lack
thereof) in the pages that have been published. Just like the desktop publishing
revolution, the electronic publishing revolution is sweeping the nation
and everyone is climbing on board. From professional ad and design agencies
to the novice Web page author, the Web has become a very diverse place
offering sites ranging from fantastic to absolutely ghastly.
My goal
in offering the course, Creating Web Pages the Easy Way, is to help you
learn the basics of Web page creation with minimum frustration and maximum
enjoyment by using Netscape Gold 3.0. Although you will become acquainted
with HTML codes, and may even do some editing in HTML, most of our pages
will be created using the Web page development features of Netscape Gold
3.0, a user friendly, intuitive approach to publishing on the Web.
What's HTML Anyway
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)
is the language recognized by browsers such as Netscape, Internet Explorer,
and NCSA Mosaic, to name a few. Standard text is marked with HTML so that
the browser knows how to display text styles, sizes, and emphasis, and
so it knows when text should be considered a link and when to insert special
elements such as graphic and sound files, mail-to commands, and other special
features.
Each web page's HTML looks
suspiciously like the early word processing documents. (Remember WordPerfect's
revealed codes?) Because there are many different browsers available for
Windows, Mac, and Unix; it is essential to stick to using standard codes
so that the browser knows how to format the information it has received.
Currently, the standard is HTML 2.0; however, the process is an ongoing
one which will probably evolve into a standard which is even more graphic
design oriented and layout conscious than 2.0.
Netscape Corp., because it
holds the largest percentage of the browser market, has found it relatively
easy to introduce some of its own extensions to HTML. While use of Netscape
specific HTML extensions are graphically appealing and offer strong layout
and flexibility, some browsers may not recognize them. Therefore, if your
goal is to reach a broad range of Web users utilizing other browsers, you
may want to use alternatives to the Netscape specific extensions.
 The
Sky's the Limit
Well, not exactly; however,
HTML documents are surprisingly easy to create using Netscape Gold 3.0.
Advanced techniques add interest and appeal to the basic Web page;
however, the purpose of this course is to concentrate on the basics and
to create dynamic pages within that framework. With the foundation that
you will acquire in these six weeks, incorporating imagemaps, forms, frames,
and serious graphics within your Web pages should be well within your reach.
You can create a Web page from
scratch or take a Web page that you like and modify it. As a Web page author,
you may find it desireable to use other HTML editor programs in addition
to Netscape Gold 3.0. Many of these programs free you from memorizing
all the HTML commands by offering menu items for changing the way text
appears in your HTML document. Perhaps the greatest feature of these programs
is that they help you create HTML documents quickly and intuitively.
 What
Is the Purpose of Your Presentation?
A Web presentation consists
of one or more Web pages (documents) containing text and graphics. When
these pages are linked together in a meaningful way, the result is a body
of information that creates a consistent effect.
Usually, people start exploring
your set of Web pages from your home page, the "top" page of your presentation.
This page should consist of an overview of the content available throughout
your Web presentation. Look at it like a table of contents, an index. As
a matter of fact, many people identify the first page with the filename
index.html. Although a homepage usually contains a more general overview
of the information found on your other pages, you may wish to include everything
on a single page if the amount of information you wish to present is small
enough.
Perhaps you already have an
idea of what you would like to put on the Web. Many people focus on hobbies
or special interests and personal information. Others wish to promote their
business by including their company profile and offering product information.
Just about anything that comes to mind is a viable possibility. The Web
is limited only by your imagination and what you wish to do with it. However,
even if you have no idea what you want to present, you do not have to stop
here. Throughout this course, I will provide unarranged materials to get
you started as well as a sampling of graphic files and links which will
make your site more interesting and dynamic. So, let's get going.
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