If you've just registered a new domain name, you'll probably want to build
a Web site to go with it (if you haven't already). The good news is, you don't need
to be an experienced programmer to create a Web site. There are also plenty
of free resources online to help you put together a top-notch set of Web pages.
This article will get you on your way by introducing you to HTML (the code
used to create Web pages), Web graphics, browser and platform considerations,
and advanced Web features.
Once your Web site is up, you'll want to check out Promoting
Your Site
to get it noticed.
Know Your Code
Web pages don't just appear out of thin air. They're built using a special
programming language called HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) that Web browsers
such as Netscape® Navigator, Microsoft® Internet Explorer, or WebTV know how
to interpret. The result is the pages that appear on your monitor.
When you're viewing a page in a Web browser, you can usually look at the page's HTML by
selecting "View" and then "Source." (You can try it now, if you want.) When
you view HTML, you'll notice that there are lots of angle brackets ("<" and
">"). HTML commands, also known as tags, are all about brackets. For example,
"<p>" tells the browser to start a new paragraph; "<b>" tells
the browser to turn text bold. Type bracketed HTML commands around a bunch
of text in a text editor (such as Notepad in Windows or SimpleText on a Mac)
and you've got yourself a Web page.
Back in the ancient days of the Web, there were no more than a handful of these
bracketed HTML commands. Pages were pretty simple, and you could use a simple
text editor to create a Web site. Nowadays there are lot more HTML commands,
and pages are often more complex. Luckily, there are programs called Web editors
that can write the HTML commands for you.
Web editors are the equivalent of word processors for Web pages. In a Web editor,
you select a word and click a "Bold" button, and the editor writes out the
HTML command for you. This keeps you from having to remember the dozens of
different commands. Some Web-hosting services will include a Web editor for building your pages. For instance, Adobe's Contribute software is included with some NameSecure Web Hosting packages.
Most word processors (such as Microsoft® Word) these days will also convert your documents to HTML.
This isn't a bad place to start if you have nothing else, but the conversions
aren't as good as writing pages in real Web editors.
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