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THE
VERY BASICS
If
you are among the vast group known as the
"Web
Challenged" these pages are for you!
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Constructing
a web site is not as difficult as you
might
think but it will require the following:
A Computer
A Connection to the Internet
The Ability to Write the Web Page(s)
A Web Browser
A Transfer Program
A Web Space ( Host Service)
All
of these will be explained in detail (with the exception of the computer
and the internet connection - without these you wouldn't be reading this
page). Most of what you need to build a web site is available for free
in our extensive guide of resources, however, before you make
the leap to becoming a Web Master please take a few minutes to read
through some of the common mistakes people make in web site development.
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WEB
PAGE
"TEN
COMMANDMENTS"
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1.
Just because you have a
web site does
not mean that the WWW is
going to beat
a path to your url!
Try
to create an interesting site with a theme and some substance that is valuable
to the online world. The web does not need another ego site.
The truth is that most people are not interested in what you look like
- your kids - your life history - etc. This is a little like asking
friends over to watch home movies of your vacation. Boring!
I am also amazed at how much information people are willing to share about
themselves with the world - I consider it dangerous and so should you!
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2.
The K.I.S.S. method is best!
Keep
a site simple and easy to navigate. Split screens - heavy graphics,
intense code and lengthy makes your site load slowly. The rule of
thumb is that if your page does not load in 10 to 15 seconds most visitors
will be gone.
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3.
Give Your Site A Title!
The
title of your web page should have something to do with it's theme or content.
Keep this same title universal throughout your site. Making the title
of your document "Welcome" or "My Home Page" is meaningless and makes it
impossible to link or index.
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4.
Don't Use Welcome!
The
first text line or graphic of a site that begins with "Welcome", "this
is my first attempt", "my humble site", "our mission", "goals" -
looks totally amateurish even on personal home pages.
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5.
Make Text Clear and Relevant!
Communicate
your information with clear, concise
and
relevant text.
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6.
Create An Interesting Page
Lay Out!
You've
seen them - web sites that are so dark you can't read the text or backgrounds
that are so busy they overwhelm everything else on the page. Coordinate
your background colors, text and graphics to complement your page theme.
If you don't have a sense of color then surf the web till you
find some interesting combinations that will fit your page. Sites with
frames, java, constantly running marquees and very high tech features
eliminate all of the web audience that still have 486 computers ( and there
are lots of them)! Test your pages on different and lower level browsers
to see how they look to your entire viewing audience.
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7.
Avoid Being "Under Construction"
Don't
be in such a hurry to get your site up on the web that it is filled with
"Under Construction" graphics. Once your site is up and
functioning avoid the "Under Construction" tags also - it's a given that
most web sites are always under construction.
8.
No Music Please!
There
is nothing worse than surfing through web page after web page of obnoxious
background music. If you feel that music is a necessary complement
- please give the viewer an easy option to turn it off.
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9.
Reducing Your Visitors With
Registration.
It's
an absolute fact that sites get less hits when they require registration.
This also applies to forms that people need
to
fill out to contact you. An easy to locate e-mail
pop
up works better than any form.
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10.
Keep Your Web Site Fresh.
Update
your site frequently, make sure that your spelling
is
correct and all the code, graphics and links are working.
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.,
If you have
given careful thought
to your web
site theme and are
ready to
get started...
It's time
to learn HTML!
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