HTML
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HTML,
that is, Hypertext markup language, is the language the computer
uses to create web pages. Uniform resource locator (URL) is what
takes you to an exixting document on the World Wide Web (WWW). |
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When
I decided that I wanted to have my own web pages, I knew nothing
about it, I had no idea how to start and what do do. After making
some research on the Internet, I read something about using the
Windows Notepad to create HTML documents, or editors that do
not require any HTML knowledge and I decided to give it a try.
To those who do not know what an HTML document is, I will give
a quick explanation.
HTML
documents are text documents that consist of tags between which
you write all your text and the information the browser will
use to display a page on the web, like the type of the font,
colors, background etc.
The tags
start with a left bracket (<) and end with a right bracket
(>). If you want the color of your text to be black, you will
have to write your text between these tags: <FONT COLOR="#000000">
</FONT> This will tell the browser to display the text
in black. The code used for the black color is #000000. Every
color has a code. If you want to change it to white, for example,
the code will be #FFFFFF.
You use
the tags to specify the font type, size or color, color of the
background, to add a background image, pictures, graphics, midis,
write scripts that will make your scroll bar colored, avoid right-clicks
and many other things.
There
are many things you can write between the tags to make your web
page, such as the title of your page, the color of the background,
the color and type of the fonts, the images you want to display
etc.
After
you have learned the basics, you can start using scripts that
avoid right-click, text highlight, make images fall from the
top of the page etc. You can get all these free scripts in many
sites, such as Dynamic Drive, The
Java Script Source or Lissa Explains it All.
If you
are thinking of making your web page, first, you will need an
editor, which is a program you will use to write the HTML code.
You can use any editor that create the codes for you and you
do not need to know anything about HTML, or the Notepad for Windows.
It is nice and quick to use the editors that do not require any
HTML knowledge, but when you want to add new scripts and enhance
your pages a little bit, you will know nothing about HTML and
will be lost, so knowing the basics of HTML is a good thing to
do. There are many sites where you can find all sort of information
about HTML and I recommend Lissa Explains
it All.
When
you look at an HTML document, it will basically look like this:
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>* Irene's Country Corner * </TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<P><CENTER><FONT COLOR="#663300" FACE="Tempus
Sans ITC">This is where I write my text, put images etc.
</FONT></CENTER></P>
</BODY>
</HTML>
When
you open the HTML document you created in your browser, you will
not see the HTML tags, but a page like this one.
Once
you have an editor to start creating your web page, you will
need to find a web space where your page will be hosted. There
are many free web space hosts you can use. Some of them have
pop-up windows that may be annoying, others have large advertising
banners, but not the pop-ups ads. Most people I know use Yahoo/Geocities or Bravenet. Besides web hosting,
Bravenet also offers many other free services you can use even
if you do not use Bravenet's web hosting, such as guest books,
mailing lists, message boards and free counters.
When
you have your pages done, you will need to upload the HTML documents
and all images and midis you are using on your pages to your
own web space. Never make direct links to other people's images.
This is what is called bandwidth stealing. When people direct
link they steal bandwidth and makes the site's owner pay for
the exceeded amount of data transfer or the server closes the
site for a determined period.
And the
most important thing: never forget to give credit on the same
page and never uses graphics without authorization. If you create
your own images and uses your own pictures, do not forget to
add a note anywhere on your pages about the copyright information,
so other people will know that they belong to you and are not
public domain.
If you
use graphics made by other people, do not forget the link back
to their sites on every page their graphics are used. If you
like the graphics you see on a site and they were created but
someone else, do not take the graphics from that site, look for
the link to the site where they have come from instead. Many
graphics sites are now requiring paid registration for the use
of the graphics and if you are not a registered member and the
author or any registered member finds these graphics on your
pages, you may have a few problems in the future. So, it is always
better to do the right thing. |
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