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NOTE: I was going to write an article about how important it is to
learn HTML yourself, how easy it really is to learn and
include an overview of HTML. Then I read the following
article in by Robert Smith in his ezine, and I couldn't
have said it any better.
This is an excellent article. I've always found Robert's
ezine filled with great tips. See the resource box below
and visit Robert's site and be sure to sign up for his
ezine.
Another great resource is windsong's ezine "All About
Web Design". You can read back issues and subscribe to this ezine at
http://marketing-resources.com/webdesign.html
LEARNING HTML IS EASIER THAN YOU THINK
By Robert Smith <http://www.smithfam.com>
Learning how to write and edit HTML code is one of the most important
skills any Internet marketer can develop. In fact, it's difficult to
market anything on-line without at least a basic understanding of
HTML code.
The most common type of editor is the "What You See Is What You Get"
or WYSWYG type editor. Editors like Microsoft's Front Page are
WYSWYG.
These editors are popular because they offer the illusion that you
don't need to understand the actual HTML code in order to create web
pages. It's actually easier to learn HTML coding than to learn most
HTML software packages.
Microsoft, Adobe, and other large corporations want you to believe
that writing HTML code is time consuming to learn and too difficult
if not impossible for the average person to understand. They remove
you from the actual HTML code because they want you to invest your
time learning their software packages. However in almost every case
it's much easier to learn to code your HTML than it is to learn to
use most editors.
The problem with WYSWYG editors is at some point; you will be forced
to deal with HTML. It is the language of web pages, and understanding
it is fundamental to sustaining a successful website.
Another type of HTML editor is one that allows you to work directly
with the actual HTML code. I feel strongly this is the fastest way
to learn HTML. It's faster and a more direct way to learn website
design.
HTML IN A NUTSHELL
HTML stands for "Hyper-Text Markup Language". Your browser reads the
actual code in order to display a page in your browser. There are
perhaps a dozen HTML Tags you need to understand in order to design
most web pages and display them in your browser.
Every tag is starts and ends with a <TAG> </TAG> in brackets. The
tag describes how the copy within the brackets is displayed. Here
are a few examples using common Tags and how the browser will display
the text and images.
A browser reads the HTML tags in order as one long line starting from
top to bottom, left to right as it processes the HTML code and
displays the page. A simple page requires the following sections.
Notice each tag is inside brackets.
A SIMPLE PAGE CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING TAGS
<HTML>
Notice how almost all tags end with the name of the tag and end with
a slash in front signifying that is the end of that tag.
Most tags and visible text will appear within the <BODY></BODY> tag
<A HREF="index.html">Click Here </A>
This is a simple link; it starts with
<IMG SRC="logo.gif">
This code displays the contents of an image file; in this case the
image file "logo.gif" would be displayed.
<A HREF="index.html"><IMG SRC="logo.gif"></A>
This is an example of an image that when clicked will display the
contents of a file (index.html). The image code is contained within
the hyper link where the visible text "click here was displayed in
the earlier example.
The following tags modify the way the text appears on the page.
<FONT SIZE="-2" COLOR="black" FACE="Arial">text appears here</FONT>
Here the text is modified to display in a specific size and color.
There are 7 sizes that text can be displayed "1" being the smallest
and "7 the largest size" This tag tells the browser to display text
in size "2". Text may be displayed in color as described in the
COLOR=" black " tag displays the text in black.
<P> paragraph </P>
The Paragraph tag places a blank line before the <P> tag and a blank
line after the </P> tag. Everything in between the actual text for
the paragraph is displayed. A <BR> tag will force all text following
to the next line.
<B> bold text </B>
This tag displays bold text. Below I'll give you an example of a
paragraph of modified text.
HOW TO LEARN MORE
My examples were not intended to teach you how to write HTML code.
My purpose is just to demonstrate just how easy it is to learn how to
use HTML code to modify the look of your pages. If fact you don't
even need a HTML editor to write HTML code. The HTML code can be
written in any simple text editor. However, using a HTML editor saves
a lot of time by inserting the tags for you yet giving you the
opportunity to have as much control of the display as needed. In
addition a good HTML editor makes the job a whole lot faster.
If you have been meaning to come to grips with HTML, and just have
not gotten to it there is an excellent full-featured shareware
program you can download and use free.
I recommend this program highly; it's powerful enough that I use it
every day in my business. This program is designed for the beginner
and comes with the best step-by-step tutorial I have seen on the
subject. In fact you can create your own website using the tutorials
and materials supplied with the program. You will be writing good,
solid HTML code in a matter of hours, not weeks, or even days.
The HTML Editor is the best editor I could imagine. I just wish it
were available when I got started. Even if you are an experienced
Website designer this program is worth a test drive.
I joined the beta development team early on with this software and
almost every feature I wanted was written into the program. Features
like global search & replace, editing multiple documents, built in
uploading and the best step by step training I have seen.
Even if you are an experienced designer I think you will like using
The HTML Editor as much as I do.
Don't let giant corporations control your design abilities through
their rather limited interface; honestly it's not as difficult as you
have been led to believe. In the long run, sooner or later you'll
need a basic understanding of HTML anyway.
You can learn more and download the fully functional HTML editor at
the following URL. I would love to get your feedback.
Best Wishes
Bob
<---------------===> About the Author <===--------------->
ROBERT SMITH helps thousands successfully market their
You can reach him by phone at: (541) 689-1847 PST, and by
<-------<===(**)===>------->
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