Introduction

Quick! What do the following things have in common? Dennis Rodman's hair color, the name of Elizabeth Taylor's husband, and Oprah's dress size. Right-they're all things that are constantly changing. But as often as these things change, none of them approaches the endless flux that characterizes the Internet.

Ah yes, the Internet; that amorphous and motley collection of electrons, geeks, slashes, and "dot coms." Trying to keep up with the Net Joneses and their relentless out-with-the-old-and-in-with-the-new culture is a full-time job. (In fact, I know some people for whom it is a full-time job!) Here's an example: Only a scant year ago, you were the Coolest of the Cool if you had an Internet e-mail address on your business card. Nowadays, of course, a sizable chunk of the world's Toms, Dicks, and Harriets-nerds and non-nerds alike-have their e-mail monikers plastered all over their cards. Ho hum. No, to be tragically hip these days, your business card must sport the address of-wait for it-your World Wide Web home page!

Which brings me (at long last) to the subject of this book-creating an HTML Web page. You, I'm sure, couldn't care less about what's cool and what's not, or about what's "wired" and what's "tired." All you know is that you want to publish a Web page (or perhaps two or three) and you want to get it done without a lot of hubbub and hullabaloo.

Believe me, you're not alone. People--and I mean average Joes and Josephines; not just programmers and techno-geeks--are overcoming their digital arachnophobia and are clamoring to spin their own little Web webs. Why? Well, there are probably as many reasons as there are would-be Web weavers. Some folks are tired of being passive Internet consumers (mouse potatoes?) and want to produce their own content rather than merely digesting it. Others have information (essays, stories, jokes, diatribes, shopping lists) that they want to share with the world at large, but they never had the opportunity before. Still, others have had a boss come to them and say "Get our company on the World Wide Web now, before it's too late!", and so they have to get up to speed before it's too late for them.

A Book For Smart HTML Idiots

When it comes to producing content for the World Wide Web, a "complete idiot" is someone who, despite having the normal complement of gray matter, wouldn't know HTML from H.G. Wells. This is, of course, perfectly normal and, despite what many so-called Internet gurus may tell you, it does not imply any sort of character defect on your part.

So I may as well get one thing straight right off the bat: the fact that you're reading The Complete Idiot's Guide To Creating an HTML Web Page (my, that is a mouthful, isn't it?) does not make you an idiot. On the contrary, it shows that

• You have discriminating taste and you will settle for nothing less than the best (and it shows you don't mind immodest authors).
• You have a gift for self-deprecation (which is just a high-falutin' way of saying that you don't take yourself-or any of this Internet malarkey-too seriously).
• You're determined to learn this HTML thing, but you don't want to be bothered with a lot of boring, technical details.
• You realize it doesn't make sense to learn absolutely everything about HTML. You just need to know enough to get your Web page up and running.
• You're smart enough not to spend your days reading five bazillion pages of arcane (and mostly useless) information. You do, after all, have a life to lead.

This is a book for those of you who aren't (and don't even want to be) Web wizards. This is a book for those of you who have a job or hobby that includes creating Web pages, and you just want to get it done as quickly and painlessly as possible. This is not one of those absurdly pedantic, sober-sided, wipe-that-smile-off-your-face-this-is-serious-business kinds of books. On the contrary, we'll even try to have-gasp!--a little irreverent fun as we go along.

You'll also be happy to know that this book doesn't assume you have any previous experience with Web page production (or even with the World Wide Web, for that matter). This means that you'll begin each topic at the beginning and build your knowledge from there. However, with The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating an HTML Web Page, you get just the facts you need to know, not everything there is to know. All the information is presented in short, easy-to-digest chunks that you can easily skim through to find just the information you want.

How This Book Is Set Up

I'm assuming you have a life away from your computer screen, so The Complete Idiot's Guide To Creating an HTML Web Page is set up so you don't have to read it from cover to cover. If you want to know how to add a picture to your Web page, for example, just turn to the chapter that covers working with images. (Although, having said that, beginners will want to read at least Chapter 4 before moving on to more esoteric topics.) To make things easier to find, I've organized the book into four more or less sensible sections:

Part 1: But First, a Few Choice World Wide Web and HTML Tidbits

Instead of diving right into the hurly-burly of HTML, the book lets you dip a toe into the Web publishing waters by starting you off with a few introductory chapters. Chapter 1 is a kind of "Cliff Notes" version of Part 2 that takes you through the entire process of Web page production in 10 easy steps. Chapter 2 takes a bird's-eye view of the World Wide Web (beginners will want to start their reading here, instead of Chapter 1) and then Chapter 3 takes a general look at this HTML stuff.

Part 2: Creating Your First HTML Web Page

Here in Part 2 is where you'll actually start creating proper Web pages. Chapters 4 through 8 build your knowledge of basic HTML slowly and with lots of examples. Chapter 9 shows you how to successfully negotiate the big moment: getting your page on the Web itself for all to admire.

Part 3: A Grab Bag of Web Page Wonders

Part 3 takes you beyond the basics by presenting you with a miscellany of HTML topics, including some cool things that are available with Netscape's Web browser (Chapter 10), how to create tables (Chapter 11), some hints on proper Web page style (Chapter 12), and some Internet resources that will help you create great pages (Chapter 13). This section closes by pulling out the crystal ball to take a look at the future of the Web, just so you're prepared for what's to come (see Chapter 14).

Part 4: Painless Page Production: Easier Ways to Do the HTML Thing

After struggling with all that HTML in Parts 2 and 3, Part 4 shows you a few ways to make all this stuff a bit easier. Specifically, I'll show you how to wield several tools that take some of the drudgery out of putting together a Web page, including HTML editors, Word for Windows templates, and even some Web pages that help you create Web pages!

But Wait, There's More!

Happily, there's more to this book than 20 chapters of me yammering away. To round out your HTML education and make your page publishing adventures a bit easier, I've included a couple other goodies:

Speak Like a Geek: The Complete Archive
You'll find this section near the back of the book. It's a glossary of Internet, World Wide Web, and HTML terms that should help you out if you come across a word or phrase that furrows your brow.

HTML Codes for Cool Characters
This section lists many of the HTML codes you can use to incorporate characters such as ú, ⌐, and ~ in your Web page. (This is all explained in more detail in Chapter 5.)

Also, as you're trudging through the book, look for the following features that point out important info:

How to Use These Web Pagesà

To view these pages, obviously you're going to need a web browser of some type. We recommend Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer for best effect.

Navigation is simply done: You can visit the Table of Contents, find the subject you'd like, then click on the hyperlink to take you straight there. Or, you can read this site like the book it once was, using the navigation buttons shown below to advance or back up through sections or chapters. In each section, there are also links to the beginning section of each chapter, the home page of this book, and Que's fabulous home page.

Handy, dandy navigation buttons, carved from Indiana limestone.

Let Us Know How You're Doing!

Hey, you paid good money for this book, so it's only reasonable that you should be able to get in touch with its author, right? Sure! So, as long as you have something nice to say (complaints will be cheerfully ignored), why not drop me a line and let me know how your Web page is coming along or, heck, just tell me what you thought of the book. If your page is ready to go, send me its Web address and I'll surf over and take a look. My e-mail address is paul@mcfedries.com.

If you'd like to drop by my own home page (be sure to sign the guest book), here's the address:

http://www.logophilia.com/Home/homepage.html

See you in cyberspace!