Michael Teger: Web Authoring Class

COURSE OVERVIEW AND MATERIAL
WRITTEN FOR WEB AUTHORING CLASS

PUBLISH YOUR FIRST WEB PAGE!
Course Outline

Overview of Web Page Publishing
Planning the site
Preparing the pages
Publishing the site

Creating An HTML Document
What is HTML?
Components of an HTML file
Formatting text and paragraphs
Embedding graphic files
Linking to local files and other websites
Setting background colors and/or graphics

Web Authoring Software
What is Netscape Composer?
Opening an HTML file
Page properties
Formatting text and paragraphs
Embedding graphic files
Linking to local files and other websites

Getting Your Site Online
After your site is designed
Relative versus absolute addresses
Publish it with FTP
Master of your domain
Publicize it

Web Page Design Guidelines

Web Publishing Resources

OVERVIEW OF WEB PAGE PUBLISHING

PLANNING YOUR SITE
The first step in publishing your web page is deciding on the subject. Whether it be pictures of your grandchildren or selling handmade goods, once the subject is decided upon, compile and organize the information and decide on a graphic style or theme. Although changes can be made relatively easily, some thought is required upfront. Many web designers will make a site map, laying out what the home page will be and where you cn click to from there.

A Point To Remember
Content should be broken up into small chunks. Typically each topic has it's own page; if a topic requires more than 2 screens (scrolling down twice) you might think about breaking it down into subtopics, each subtopic having it's own page. Long lists and tables of information can be divided this way. For example, an alphabetical list can be divided by letter or groups of letters.

PREPARING THE PAGES
The preceding activities are 'mental and paper work'. Putting the result of these activities into a web page is accomplished with one of the many web page editing programs that are available. Examples include Microsoft's Front Page and Adobe Page Mill (commercial products). Netscape includes an editor with their Communicator suite (also referred to as Version 4.0) called Composer. Other products are available online. Because Composer is available and free, we will be using this wb authoring program throughout this seminar.

Web authoring software are akin to page layout programs, with features added for accomplishing editing tasks peculiar to web pages. The user types in the text (or imports the text from a file created with a word processing program) and applies the desired formatting. Graphics images (pictures, clip art, etc.) are inserted onto the page using menu commands and, hyperlinks are selected and becomeassociated with sections of text or with an image. These links may be to other pages in your site or to pages elsewhere on the Internet.

A Note About Graphic Images
There are hundreds of sourcesfor images on the internet and in commercial clip art collections. You can also create images using any graphics software. An image on a web page is a separate picture file that goes with the HTML text file of the page itself. After finding an image you wish to use, it might require some manipulation to make it fit nicely on the page, e.g. cropping it, changing its size, and maybe converting it to the proper file type. So, working with graphics often leads to the use of a graphics program. There are many programs available including Paint Shop Pro (shareware) and Adobe Photoshop (high-end commercial) or ImageStyler (low-end commercial and now included with Photoshop 5.5); most of today's word processing and web page authoring programs include a basic bitmap graphics program.

PUBLISHING
The end result of the preceding activity is a collection of files that make up the web site. There will be a 'text file' for each Web page produced plus a file for each different graphic image used. The publishing process itself involves copying these files to an internet host computer. From there, they are served to the 'browsing' audience, i.e.: anyone with a browser who types in your URL. Specific procedures or uploading these files are supplied by the Administrator of the internet service provider (ISP). MotherLode Internet supplies you with file transfer protocol (FTP) software to upload your files (CuteFTP or Fetch).

SUMMARY
The mechanics of web page development and publishing are simple. It's understanding new concepts that make it challenging. As one discovers: What is a "page"? What are hyperlinks? How do I include graphics? How do these elements relate to "files"? What is a server? then the process becomes as straightforward as word processing.

So, in a nutshell, the process of publishing Web Pages involves:

Develop your material

Prepare your pages using a web page authoring tool and graphics program

Copy your pages to the web server using procedures provided by its Administrator