The What's New page is and example of one table used for an entire page layout from Sessions 8 and 9 lectures.  Thanks to the helpful contributions from the students!

An excerpt from Week 6 lecture.

  Here are a few notes from V. Flanders and M. Willis, describing some ideas for developing content.  Just thought it might help to take a quick look to get content ideas during the site design and development phase. 

1)   Update your site as often as you can afford to.  Updated content will give clients a reason to come back.

2)    What kinds of content are good for a web site:
a) Contests and sweepstakes.  Be sure of the legal and business rules and obligations before publishing.
b) Tours can be an interesting feature.  For an example see www.louvre.fr .
c) Demonstrations: For example a yarn site can have a step by step tutorial on crocheting baby booties.
d) Recipes are a great help for those in need of ideas for a meal.  For example see www.pricechopper.com, and www.foodtv.com.
e) FAQ, frequently asked questions are a great way to reach out to customers wanting to know more about your services and products.
f) Free offers and coupons.  See www.ankers.com for an example of car repair.
g) Links, Art, etc.
h) Dynamic content can be updated automatically using scripting.  It can include, current news, stock reports, weather, sports.
I) About us can be descriptive content about your business or organization.

   Also discussed and reviewed in class, in sessions 5 and 6, was using images.  The HTML4 textbook, chapter 5 tells how to place images and text on your web page.  I have found the chapter example web pages very helpful, and have viewed the source code on many occasions while building my own pages.

   Remember, to visit our "Interesting Links" page to view some very detailed and helpful primers and tutorials for HTML and other Internet site development topics to supplement the class lectures and examples.

Class FAQs and answers:

1)  Can I use Microsoft Word to create my web pages?

  The easy answer to this question is yes.  A nicely designed and formatted document, including images, created in MS Word can be saved as a web page using the file save as menu.  However,  special HTML tags, such as <style> and <div> are inserted.  Much of the HTML generated by MS Word is beyond the basic commands covered in class.  The page you are currently viewing was originally created as a MS Word page and saved as a web page during the class lecture.  However, I edited the HTML using Notedpad to make it easier to maintain before publishing.  Please feel free to view the current HTML source to see what was edited.

2)  How do I get my pages on the web, and do I need special software to make my index.html become a web page?

  The answer is yes there is special software for getting your pages on the web, also called uploading or publishing.  Tripod offers a package called Cute FTP (File Transfer Protocol), which is very easy to download and use to publish your web site.  Tripod also offers a file management page for members to update their directories.  Details and examples will be covered in class, around sessions 8, 9, and 10.  

  The next answer is index.html will be the default home page for your web sight once it is uploaded to the Internet.  The special software controlling this process is an http web server running on the Internet server computer where your site is published. When creating your web site on your own computer, before publishing, save the home page as index.html.  It will be a "normal" web page, in your web folder along with all of the other pages.

 Remember to create all of your web pages in the same folder, and name your home page index.html.

3)  Do I need to be a programmer or computer expert to do HTML and Web site design and publishing?

   The answer is no.  Many web site designers are self taught.  Please read the HTML primers included in the Interesting References section to learn more and supplement the lectures. A good understanding  of MS Windows software and file manipulation, including folders and subfolders will be a big help.  

   Since the Internet is a very technical entity consisting of multiple layers of computers and software, some technical information will be covered in class to allow interested students to better understand the Internet.

4)  How do I make a header that will appear on each page in my website?

  You may use an image editing program, such as MS Image Composer, or make up your own using special text fonts, images, and background colors.  The <table> can be effectively used to create a nice looking page header.  The HTML4 book has some great examples.   An HTML single celled table with a special <bgcolor> and a little text formatting can make a nice logo.  The HTML from the logo can then be copied into the other pages in your site.  Stay tuned in class for ideas and details.

5)  Will the students be required to purchase any special Internet hosting services or domain names?

  No.  Although there is an Internet research project evaluating Internet and domain name hosting services, there is no requirement to purchase anything.  Tripod offers free web hosting, and can be used by students to publish projects.