Creating Web Pages. Learn to: Bud E. Smith. Making Everything Easier! 9th Edition. Design, build, and post a Web page

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1 Making Everything Easier! 9th Edition Creating Web Pages Learn to: Design, build, and post a Web page Build pages using HTML, Web design software, and online tools Optimize photos, video, and audio for the Web and get them onto your page Experiment with the page-building software covered in the book and found on the bonus CD Bud E. Smith

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3 Creating Web Pages FOR DUMmIES 9TH EDITION

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5 Creating Web Pages FOR DUMmIES 9TH EDITION by Bud E. Smith

6 Creating Web Pages For Dummies, 9th Edition Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River Street Hoboken, NJ Copyright 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) , fax (978) Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing, Inc., Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, (317) , fax (317) , or online at Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/ or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITH- OUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZA- TION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ. For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at , outside the U.S. at , or fax For technical support, please visit Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Library of Congress Control Number: ISBN: Manufactured in the United States of America

7 About the Author Bud E. Smith is a computer book author with more than 12 years of publishing experience. Creating Web Pages For Dummies, 9th Edition, is one of over a dozen books Bud has written; his Wiley Publishing, Inc. titles include Internet Marketing For Dummies and Web Usability For Dummies. In addition to writing books, Bud has been a computer magazine editor, product marketing manager and project manager for online uses of video. Bud got his start with computers in 1983, when he left a promising career as a welder for a stint as a data-entry clerk. Bud then moved to Silicon Valley to join a startup company, followed by work for Intel, IBM, Apple, and AOL. His work and interests led him to acquire a degree in Information Systems Management from the University of San Francisco and a master s degree in Information Systems from the London School of Economics.

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9 Author s Acknowledgments The author thanks Steve Hayes, acquisitions editor, and the staff that helped produce this book: project editor Nicole Sholly, technical editor James Kelly, copy editor Barry Childs-Helton, as well as the many other people responsible for page layout, proofreading, indexing, and graphic art. The Web was initially built more for love than for money, and that tradition has been continued by the many people who have generously given their time and support for this book. I especially thank the providers of Web tools who have supplied the world with an ever-growing range of tools, and the Web authors who have let me use their sites for figures in this book.

10 Publisher s Acknowledgments We re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form located at Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development Project Editor: Nicole Sholly Executive Editor: Steve Hayes Senior Copy Editor: Barry Childs-Helton Technical Editor: James Kelly Editorial Managers: Kevin Kirschner, Leah Cameron Media Development Assistant Project Manager: Jenny Swisher Media Development Assistant Producer: Angela Denny Editorial Assistant: Amanda Foxworth Senior Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case Cartoons: Rich Tennant ( Composition Services Project Coordinator: Erin Smith Layout and Graphics: Claudia Bell, Ana Carillo, Reuben W. Davis Proofreaders: John Greenough, Debbye Butler Indexer: Word Co. Indexing Services Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher Mary Bednarek, Executive Acquisitions Director Mary C. Corder, Editorial Director Publishing for Consumer Dummies Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director Composition Services Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

11 Contents at a Glance Introduction... 1 Par t I: Create a Web Page Today... 7 Chapter 1: Web Publishing Basics...9 Chapter 2: Designing Your Online Look...31 Chapter 3: A Fast and Easy Page with Google Page Creator...49 Par t II: Get ting the Content Right Chapter 4: Words and Blogs...63 Chapter 5: Using Images and Uploading Photos to Flickr...89 Chapter 6: Playing Sounds on Your Site Chapter 7: Screening Videos on Your Site Par t III: Your Site in WYSIWYG Chapter 8: Using a WYSIWYG Editor Chapter 9: Creating a WYSIWYG Page Chapter 10: Graphics and Media, WYSIWYG Style Chapter 11: Laying Out Your Site in WYSIWYG Par t IV: Your Site in HTML Chapter 12: Using a Text Editor Chapter 13: Creating a WYSIWYG Page Chapter 14: Graphics and Media in HTML Chapter 15: Laying Out Your Site in HTML Par t V: The Par t of Tens Chapter 16: Ten Web-Publishing Dos and Don ts Chapter 17: Ten Places to Host Your Page Chapter 18: Ten Ways to Make Your Page a Site...259

12 Par t VI: Appendixes Appendix A: Web Words Worth Knowing Appendix B: A Quick Guide to HTML Tags Appendix C: About the CD-ROM Index

13 Table of Contents Introduction... 1 About This Book...1 Foolish Assumptions...2 Conventions Used in This Book...3 Part-y Time: How This Book Is Organized...4 Part I: Create a Web Page Today...4 Part II: Getting the Content Right...4 Part III: Your Site in WYSIWYG...4 Part IV: Your Site in HTML...5 Part V: The Part of Tens...5 Part VI: Appendixes...5 Icons Used in This Book...5 Par t I: Create a Web Page Today... 7 Chapter 1: Web Publishing Basics Web Basics Understanding how the Web works...10 Getting up URL-y...11 The For Dummies Way to Web Publishing...12 Making simple things simple...14 Making difficult things possible...14 Types of Web Sites...15 Personal sites...16 Picture sites...18 Topical sites...19 Business sites...20 Entertainment sites...22 Thinking Your Web Page Through...23 Ask Why am I doing this?...23 Don t spend too much time on design...24 Put the good stuff first...26 Think twice about download times...27 Know your audience...28 Use text bites...28 Look at sites you like...29 Plan for ongoing improvements...29 Decide how you define success...30

14 xii Creating Web Pages For Dummies, 9th Edition Chapter 2: Designing Your Online Look You Got the Look...31 Three Key Principles of Design...32 Achieving simplicity...33 Producing predictability...35 Creating consistency...37 Avoiding Common Design Errors...38 Slow-loading pages...38 Ugly color combinations...39 Small text (and large text, too)...39 Safely Breaking the Rules...40 Organizing Your Page with Tables and Frames...43 Creating simple tables...44 Layout with tables...45 Friends don t let friends do frames...47 Chapter 3: A Fast and Easy Page with Google Page Creator Getting to Know the Creative Capabilities of Google Page Creator...50 What s in a Google Name?...51 Registering for a Google Account...52 Creating a Google Page...56 Par t II: Get ting the Content Right Chapter 4: Words and Blogs Getting It Write for the Web...64 Web realities...64 What HTML Lets You Do with Text...67 Using Existing Text...69 How to reuse right...70 Avoiding existing formatting...72 Getting Copyright Right...73 Discovering the Wonderful World of Blogs...74 Finding blogs to read...75 Finding software for blogging...76 Using Google s Blogger.com...78 Setting up your blog...78 Adding content to your blog...84 Chapter 5: Using Images and Uploading Photos to Flickr File Size (Still) Matters...91 Making an image smaller...91 Using GIF and JPEG graphics formats...93 Example: Resizing and saving a screen capture...96

15 Table of Contents xiii Obtaining and Creating Images Designing with Graphics More on download speed Avoiding three big mistakes with images Flickr Forward Flickr flaws Uploading a Photo to Flickr Modifying Photos on Flickr Taking Flickr Further Chapter 6: Playing Sounds on Your Site Compressing and Decompressing Sound Using Sound within a Web Page Getting, Creating, and Including Sound Files by Download Getting an MP3 file Creating an MP3 file Posting a Sound File on MySpace Join the MySpace cadets Chapter 7: Screening Videos on Your Site Keeping Online Video Small, Short, and Sweet Why Web video is compressed Keeping your video clips short The Role of YouTube Finding Videos for Your Site Online Capturing Videos from a Camera Uploading a Video Clip to YouTube Par t III: Your Site in WYSIWYG Chapter 8: Using a WYSIWYG Editor Choosing WYSIWYG over Plain Text Working within WYSIWYG Plusses and minuses of CoffeeCup HTML Editor Taking a sip from the CoffeeCup Chapter 9: Creating a WYSIWYG Page Get Ready: A Refreshingly Brief Description of HTML Viewing HTML documents Setting up a Web page Formatting Web Text Using HTML Lists Linking to Outside Web Pages I link, therefore I am A simple link in a CoffeeCup...176