Web Design

What to do, how to do it, how to check it, and how to have fun.

If you have never built a webpage or want some basic tips or tutorials, please take a look at the links under the "Getting Started" section. I have found those websites to be the most helpful when I was just starting out.

This page was built with HTML (of course), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and Javascript.

I have recently gone beyond worrying about how to do web design and into the whys and should we's. I have formed definite opinions being both a designer and browser of webpages. Check out my rant on common webdesign features. In addition, check out Useit.com for Jakob Nielsen's web design reccommendations.

Table of Contents:Getting Started - Here are the websites I recommend if you are just getting started with designing websites.

Project Cool Copyright Guide	You need to know what you can and cannot borrow off of the web.
Jakob Nielsen	Mr. Nielsen is considered an authority on web design issues. I tend to agree with him most of the time.
Gettingstarted.net	Basic HTML tutorials that start with the question "What is HTML?"
The JavaScript Source	Javascript that all you need to know to use it is how to copy and paste.
W3C HTML Validation Service	The World Wide Web Consortium's HTML validator. This is how you can tell if your HTML is right.
W3C Css Validation Service	Validate your Cascading Style Sheets by url and get your approval graphic if your code validates.

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Copyright Law - What you can and can't copy to use on your webpage. Look these over so you don't get sued. A scary concept... lawyers using search engines. They can find you!

U.S. Copyright Office	If you are putting any of your own work on a webpage or using someone else's, take a look here first.
Project Cool Copyright Guide
SUL: Copyright & Fair Use	Stanford University Fair Use and Copyright Policy

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Design and Style - What to do and what not to do. Reccommendations on how to design your website.

WWW Consortium	WWW Consortium. They specify HTML and CSS.
Jakob Nielsen	Mr. Nielsen is considered an authority on web design issues. I tend to agree with him most of the time.
The Seven C's of WebService Design

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XML Resources - What it is and how to do it.

RUWF	XML Syntax Checker.
XML.COM	O'Reilly Network website with an abundance of XML resources and tutorials.
HWG Project Gutenberg	The HTML Writers Guild Project Gutenberg site. They are voluntairly marking up E-texts with XML and XHTML.
WWW Consortium XML Recommendation	The official XML recommendation and definition.
Things I'll Never Ask	My first marked up document... one of my own poems.

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HTML Resources - How to do it in HTML.

HTML Writers Guild	In their resources section (click the button) they have many links to good HTML tutorials for beginners through advanced.
Project Cool	For help with web design including JavaScript, basic HTML, and dynamic HTML.
WWW Consortium	The organization behind the continuing development of HTML. They have the resources and references for current web design stuff.

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Cascading Style Sheets - How to do it with CSS.

WWW Consortium Styles	WWW Consortium on Cascading Style Sheets. I highly reccomend this resource.
CSS Primer	This is a primer for cascading style sheets put on the Web by Zdnet.
CSS References	This is a very good CSS reference page by the Web Design Group

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Javascript - How to do it with Javascript

JavaScript	A guide to JavaScript for beginners who know a little about HTML.
Project Cool	For help with web design including JavaScript, basic HTML, and dynamic HTML.
The JavaScript Source	Some nice cut-n-paste javascript. The footer at the end of this page is from here.
Voodoo's Intro to JavaScript	A good primer and tutorial

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Graphics - Need graphics? Also see link at top of page about copyright.

A Plus Art
Clip Art Connection
Fantasyland Graphics	This site has amazing graphics that you can download for your site. I used one of the graphics on this site until I got the graphic by Tracey.

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Image Maps - How to make hot spots for links in your images.

Imagemaps - WebReference.com
Imagemap Help Page
NCSA Tutorial: Imagemap

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Validators - Where to check your work to make sure it's correct.

W3C HTML Validation Service	The World Wide Web Consortium's HTML validator. If you HTML validates correctly, they allow you to use an offical graphic.
Dr. Watson	In addition to HTML validation, this also validates links and figures download time.
NetMechanic	This will validate up to 20 pages of your web site for free. They also have other useful tools. I highly reccomend this site.
Project Cool	They validate by url or html fragment. You can also select the version (level) of HTML to compare against.
Web Design Group Css Check	Validate your Cascading Style Sheets by url or code snippet.
W3C Css Validation Service	Validate your Cascading Style Sheets by url and get your approval graphic if your code validates.
Bobby	Test the universal accessibility of your webpage.

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Computer Humor - Places to have fun.

Computer Stupidities	Various categories of computer stupidity stories including stupid tech support.
User Friendly	Life in a Linux based Internet Service Provider. I even had to buy the book!
Computer Stupidities	Stories and ancedotes about stupid computer users.
Humor	Humor table of contents at Cybercheeze.
12 Days of Unix	Spoof on the 12 Days of Christmas.
Sys. Admin. Relief	Are you a system administrator? Read about the answering machine on this site.
Helen Sweetheart of the Internet	A comic strip about a female computer guru, now in syndication. Cartoonist is Peter Zale.

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