AT&T Knowledge Network Explorer: Around the Web in 80 minutes: Web Publishing

Note: Around the Web in Eighty Mintures began in 1995 as part of the former Pacific Bell Education First Initiative. It remains online as an archived model. No support - including link checking - is provided.

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What's on the Horizon?

Web Publishing
The move from web user to web publisher can be a daunting one. The good thing is, you're not alone. In fact, it seems as though everyone these days is publishing on the web whether it's Aunt Martha's knitting guild or the Internal Revenue Service!

[ Getting Started | Tools and Tips | Graphics/Design/Usability | Maintain it! ]

Getting Started
Tools, Resources, Activities, Projects, Games, Lessons...they are all there on the Web. Many of these materials are much like their paper-based counterparts; but are available electronically on the internet. To get you started, let's take a quick look at some sites that will help you define what you want to do and help you avoid mistakes.

Usable Information Technology. Jakob Nielsen's site takes a good look at usability and evaluation without getting too techie. Whether you already have a website, or you are planning one, this will have useful information for you. Think about the user before you start.
URL: http://www.useit.com/
Writing for the Web: A Primer for Librarians. This site provides about one typed page of info for these and other topics: HTML, Hypertext Links, URLs, Graphics and Images, Design Considerations, Web Accessibility, Dynamic Documents, Future Considerations and a Glossary.
URL: http://bones.med.ohio-state.edu/eric/papers/primer/toc.html
A Brief Definition of Applications provides a simple breakdown of the various types of materials available on the web for educational use with examples--ranging from simple Hotlists to complicated WebQuests.
URL: http://www.kn.att.com/wired/bluewebn/apptypes.html
Sometimes it's a good idea to look at what's already out there before you start. For a more indepth approach, read What's on the Web for Educators by Tom March.
URL: http://ozline.com/learning/webtypes.html
ANU Electronic Publishing Page from the Information Technology Services, Australian National University. Provides a mulitude of information and links, some of which are institution specific but which are still useful.
URL: http://www.anu.edu.au/cnip/authors/

Top Ten Mistakes in Web Page Design--good to know before you start.

Tools and Tips
for making web-based documents.

Our favorite tool, Filamentality, helps you make web pages by simply "filling in the blanks." You can make Hotlists, or more advanced pages such as WebQuests, by choosing one of the Filamentality Formats.
URL: http://www.kn.att.com/wired/fil
To heck with HTML, here is another fill in the blanks and press a button tool. Make a homepage using HomeMaker Online and leave the HTML to us!
URL: http://www.kn.att.com/wired/homemaker/
How to Build a Web Site with Free Stuff, from Web Developer's Virtual Library (WDVL), is an extensive 5-part series of articles designed to save you time and money.
URL: http://www.wdvl.com/Authoring/Design/FreeStuff/index.html
HTML With Style Tuturials on Web Page and Site Design with HTML and CSS. Starts with "HTML 101: Back to Basics" right on up to Cascading Style Sheets.
URL: http://webreference.com/html/
Compact Index of HTML Tags from the Willcam Group. One of my favorites, no messing around, straight to the content.
URL: http://www.willcam.com/cmat/html/crossref.html
How to Create Web Pages: a Webliography from InFoPeople. Don't overlook the other resources on this site.
URL: http://www.infopeople.org/Howto/htmlnote.html
URL: http://www.infopeople.org/Howto/htmlnote.html
There are many web development sites out there. Most of them are so busy, I feel like I just stepped off of the Goliath at Magic Mountain. One of the more soothing of the lot is CNET Builder.com.
URL: http://home.cnet.com/webbuilding/0-3880.html?tag=st.cn.1.dir.3880

While we're on the topic of tips, check out TipWorld.

Graphics/Design/Usability

Techniques from Good Documents. Brief articles on a variety of topics to help you avoid common design mistakes.
URL: http://www.gooddocuments.com/techniques/techniqueshome.htm
Getting Graphics for your Web page. This walks you through graphics grabbing, scanning, and using Photoshop to create a title graphic. A bit dated and ready for updating, but still useful. This site is part of the larger Beyond the Son of Filamentality which guides you through adding HyperText Links, changing backgrounds & colors, placing graphics on a page, fiddling with text, and other basics.
URL: http://www.kn.att.com/wired/filamentality/get_graphics/
Creating Digital Resources for the Visual Arts Standards and Good Practice from University of Bristol & Catherine Grout, Phill Purdy & Janine Rymer (Visual Arts Data Service).
URL: http://vads.ahds.ac.uk/guides/creating_guide/contents.html
The Pixel Foundry focuses on web design, Kai's Tips, backgrounds, forums, Photoshop techniques, and links to other sites.
If you're using Adobe products, check out the Tutorials page. New articles, an archive of quick tips and longer tutorials can be found here.
URL: http://www.adobe.com/products/tips/main.html
The Graphics Design section, from Webmonkey, includes Image Production (scanning, optimizing, transparencies, editing,...) and Formats (gif, jpg, png, vector, ...).
URL: http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/design/graphics/index.html

Looking for a really easy way to make a Roll-over graphic? Try this RollOver Script Maker.

Maintain It!

HTML Works! Free Online HTML eTools to help you edit, analyze, and optimize your HTML.
URL: http://www.htmlworks.com/
Check out DaveCentral WebAuthoring Shareware, Freeware, Demos and Betas for a whole bunch of cool tools. Whether it's Access Control, HTML Convertors, Utilities, HTML Validators, Link Checkers, Page Statistics ...this site has something for you!
URL: http://www.davecentral.com/webauth.html
Webmaster HTML code help from NetMechanic. For a nominal fee ($35/year), they will help you fix broken pages and links, help with HTML tags, speed up your load time, test large sites, and schedule automatic tests.
URL: http://www.netmechanic.com/
Doctor it up with Dr. Website from WebDeveloper.com. Covers many aspects of site management versus individual file management.
URL: http://www.webdeveloper.com/drweb/index.html
A quick guide to META-tags from the Web Design Group (dated 1997) or try the newer (more complicated) Metadata based on HTML 4.0. This site is well worth some "peruse time." In addition to their own HTML validator, they have a good list of HTML validators.
URL: http://www.webdeveloper.com/drweb/index.html
Shoot, in order to maintain it, you always need to learn something new. Here's TrainingNet which offers a plethora of links to online courses at a variety of prices.
URL: http://www.trainingnet.com/
Developer.com's Software Downloads provides links to FREE site management tools.
URL: http://www.developer.com/downloads/freeware/

Wondering if your site is WC3 Accessibility Compliant? Try Bobby from CAST.