So I was over at The Simple Web and I read Ara’s post about invalid markup and whether it really matters or not. He discusses whether it is important for HTML to comply to all the published standards. I came to the conclusion that it is very important that the strong majority of web designers support and follow web standards and use valid markup and CSS in order to keep the web consistent, trim, and accessible. It would also make content age better

So I went to W3School’s xhtml validator to see how my site is doing. 30+ bugs later, I found that I have a lot to learn (still!) about valid markup.

This means that I will be spending a lot of time trying to get my HTML to validate in the next little while. I will learn as much as I can, and I will be sure to pass it on to anyone who reads my blog.

Take-away:

1. Valid, consistent markup and CSS are important
2. Never stop learning
3. Help us strengthen the web!

There is hope! I went and dug around the Internet a little looking for some really cool, unique web site designs, and I found a bunch!

I’ve been inspired. So many cool ideas! There is definitely a redesign for DiamondLime.com on the way.

So don’t just stick with the boring, standard, tables-based layouts. Go get yourself some ground-breaking, classy, sharp, professional, CSS-based layouts.

Ideas to Base Unique Web Designs On

Here are some links to get you started. The first site is a directory of cool web pages. The others are places that sell templates (which can have some good ideas).

(Edit: I noticed a comment on my last post just after I posted this. Anyway, Ara recommended some neato sites–go see his comment and the sites he recommended. They’re really cool!)

• www.coolhomepages.com
• www.coolhomepages.com/store/
• freesitetemplates.com
• www.templatemonster.com/
• www.buytemplates.net

Web sites seem to follow fashion trends that are almost as strong as clothing fashion trends. The trend right now seems to be retro or what I call high-tech–white space, hard edges, and muted color palettes that evoke a “space station” kind of feel to a web site.

Sites seem to follow a couple of cookie-cutter designs, too. You have online retail, blog, and news, to name a few.

Even DiamondLime.com falls victim to this fashionable template problem.

Truly Unique, Innovative Design

Have you seen any sites that are truly unique? That break the mold? That stand out and are also outstanding? And that are still possible to use?

I may try and come up with a few designs in the next little while. DiamondLime.com may even get a face lift.

Oh, and if you have a favorite or see something cool, put it up in the comments of this post.

Today’s tutorial will show you how to create headers in an HTML file.

What are Headers?

Headers are a great way to break up text into logical divisions. They go well between each of your main ideas.

Different Kinds of Headers

There are headers of varying importance, from 1 (most important) to 7 (least important). Using headers of varying importance helps show your reader how you would prioritize the information you’ve included on your web page.

Header Tags

The opening tag for a header is simply <h#>, where # is a number between 1 and 7.

The closing tag for a header is </h#>, where # is the same number as you put in the opening tag.

Put the text of your header between the two header tags

Here’s a code example:

Which produces:

Your Header Here

This produces:

Your Header Here

Go add some headers to your HTML file that we created in the last tutorial!

If you are looking for a free tutorial about basic html, this is the right place to be.

This free tutorial will show you the absolute basics of using and understanding html.

What is HTML?

HTML stands for Hyper-Text Markup Language.

Hyper Text is text that can include links to other pages.

A Markup Language is a particular way of taking normal text and making extra “marks” in it so that your web browser will know what to do with it.

HTML is transferred across the World Wide Web using HTTP, or Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol. HTTP is the specific way that Hyper Text is transferred. That’s why web site addresses begin with http, like http://www.diamondlime.com.

What are Tags?

HTML uses certain tags for its markup language. Each tag identifies the parts of text that it surrounds to the browser. Most HTML tags are made up of an opening tag and a closing tag.

For example, if you want to tell your browser that a section of text is a paragraph, you would do three things. First, you type in a paragraph opening tag, <p>. Second, you type in the text. Finally, type in the paragraph closing tag, </p>. It looks like this:

So How Do I Get Started?

Now we are going to learn how to make, edit, and view your first HTML file. You are going to learn a couple of new tags, too.

1. Install and Open a Text Editor.

   You need a program that will allow you to edit plain text for creating HTML files. Many people use Microsoft Notepad because it is free and installed on every computer with Windows. I prefer to use Crimson Editor, which is also free and can be found here: Free HTML Editor

2. Enter <html> tags

   The very first thing we are going to do is to put in the tags that tell programs our file is an HTML file. Type <html> at the very top of the file. Type </html> at the very bottom. </html> should always be the very bottom of our HTML file.

3. Enter <head> tags

   The head of our HTML file contains information that tells the browser about our file a little bit more. <head> and </head> go right after the <html> tag.

4. Enter <title> tags and a title for your web page.

   Between the two head tags, put <title>Your Title Goes Here</title>. These tags tell the web broswer what the title of your page is. The title shows at the very top of your web browser.

5. Enter <body> tags.

   These tags tell your web browser where the main content, the meat and potatoes, of your HTML file is located. Put <body> and </body> after the </head> tag and before the </html> tag.

6. Enter your content.

   Start by putting our sample paragraph from above between the two body tags. You can also add more paragraphs and type whatever text you want.

7. Save Your File

   Finally, we can save our file. Go to the “File” menu of your
   program and click “Save.” Give your file a name, like my-first-web-page.html. The .html on the end tells programs that this is an HTML file. Make sure to save your file in a directory where you will remember it.

8. Open Your File in a Web Browser.

   Open the directory where your my-first-web-page.html file is stored and double click on it. It should open in your web browser.

Congratulations! You just made your very first web page!

Final Product

Here is the final product of our coding. Your file should look something like this. If you can’t get your file to work, feel free to copy this text.

Here is what your file should look like in a web browser: Basic HTML File

Coding Tips

1. Save your files frequently as you work. This way, you won’t lose all of your work if something happens to your computer.
2. Type the text in your tags as lowercase text, like this: <body>. It’s much faster to code this way, and it will make your HTML files seem like they’re “yelling” less.
3. Use tabs and white space in your file. This will make it much easier to read. Pick a system and use it consistently.

Our next tutorial will teach you about creating content for your web page.

I have searched for a while, and a lot of blogs about Internet marketing, search engine marketing, web design, html, business, etc., seem to be lots of talk and news. Where’s the beef? I mean, when I type in “CSS” into my search engine or blog finder, I want to find out about how to use CSS, not about how wretched someone thinks Internet Explorer is.

So here’s what I’m going to do. Instead of copying the style of other blogs and discussing the weather, I’m going to give you a map. A map that will get you where you want to go, in spite of the weather.

Free Tutorial Series

This blog, until further notice, is going to consist mostly of free tutorials, beginning with basic techniques and progressing to more advanced ones. If you’re confused, go backwards in my archives. If you want more, make a request in the comments of this entry. I will link to it from the blog index so that you can always come to it and make a request.

It’s not your SEO campaign. It’s not e-mail. It’s not even your offline print ads.

It’s Marketing Your Self

That’s right. In this age where manufactured goods, technology, computing power, and even information are becoming commodities, there are fewer and fewer things to set your company or product or service apart.

People Aren’t Commodities

Have you ever been making a phone call for technical support and gotten “assistance” that was lousy, useless, and a waste of time? And then called back 5 minutes later to speak with a different staff member and gotten much better help and results?

People are the Difference

Since people aren’t commodities, and since it’s so hard to differentiate physical items or information, the most important marketing you do is marketing yourself.

Position yourself as the go-to employee or supplier. Be confident in your communication. Keep your knowledge up to date. Dress for success (See Seth Godin’s blog for a great discussion of uniforms). And be honest with yourself and others.

Marketing yourself as an honest, knowledgeable, friendly professional who can get the job done will take you further in the long run than anything else you can do.

Think about it—web hosting is all the store front and office that Internet companies have. It’s where their customers, clients, business partners, and suppliers go when they need information or to communicate.

Locked Out of Your Virtual Office

This means that when your hosting goes down, it’s like being locked out of your own office. The phone rings, people knock on the front door, faxes are piling up on the floor, customers are going home and there’s not a thing you can do about it.

A Real Example of Poor Web Hosting

One of the companies that I consult for had this happen to them over Labor Day weekend, which is one of their biggest sales weekends of the fall season. Their Internet Service Provider (ISP) let the domain registration lapse—that is, the servers on the Internet no longer forwarded requests for my client’s web address to the right server. We estimate that they lost several hundred dollars. We are in the process of switching web hosting, which is a difficult, time-consuming, and expensive process.

“Rent” Your Virtual Office From Someone Who Won’t Lock You Out

This means that you have to choose your web hosting very carefully—you don’t want you or your customers to be locked out of your virtual building. A lot is riding on you being able to keep your Internet doors open.

How Do You Choose the Right Hosting?

Shop around. Look at a lot of hosting options and ask friends about the hosting they use before you make a decision.
Here’s my article about choosing web hosting—the major points are there, and I will be adding to it more as time goes on.

Good luck choosing your virtual real estate!

As I work with various clients who need their web sites optimized, I have realized more and more that they are trusting me completely. They don’t have the time or ability to monitor every little thing that happens in the web side of their business, and so I’m in a position of complete control.

Consultants are in a Position of Power

This is actually true with most consulting arrangements—consultants are hired because their clients are not experts in that area and are in need of help.

Consultants are Responsible for Results

This position of power puts consultants in a position of accountability as well. Their clients are counting on them to do the best possible work with the clients’ best interests in mind. If anything goes wrong, it is the consultant’s fault.

It would be easy to take advantage of someone who is in a position of need or ignorance. They might not even ever know that they didn’t receive the best possible service.

Consultants Owe Their Best Effort

You landed your consulting contract or arrangement because your client thought it could trust you, that you were the best possible option for helping it overcome certain problems. It would be a betrayal of trust if you didn’t act in a
responsible, productive manner.

Those who take advantage of others’ weaknesses will get their reward. When their dishonesty is discovered, they won’t be able to get new clients. When they are weak, others may take advantage of them.

Your reputation isn’t worth the extra money or power you could gain from cheating a client. Do your best work for clients, always, and you will reap the rewards of good word of mouth, repeat contracts, and a clear conscience.