CNM Classes, Mark McKenzie Instructor: Student Web Sites

So, why am I, a Web designer , teaching HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)? And, furthermore, why learn HTML at all when there are so many WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editors available?

Two major reasons:

#1. Web design isn't for everyone, and not everyone can create a great looking Web page with great graphics and effective animation, that's why I'm here. A lot of people just don't have the time either. But for those who are interested in creating a personal site of their own then here is a great set of tutorials for you.

#2. Learning the code (no not the 1-800 #) and the tags, at least some of them, takes the frustration and mystery away from good site design. Why redesign an entire page in an HTML editor when all you have to do is find the tag you want to change and then change it. If you familiarize yourself with HTML , when you do look at the code it won't look like Greek to you (or Russian if you happen to be Greek). Some editors like Microsoft Front Page, put a lot of strange proprietary code on the page. I'm using DreamWeaver , the best WYSIWYG editor in the World, it creates what is called clean code . In addition, the program has a very intuitive interface, round-trip HTML and the best FTP program I've ever used. DreamWeaver has won award after award and has been the top-rated editor in the World.

There are many reasons to learn the code, for starters you will dazzle and amaze your friends and relatives by creating HTML documents on the fly, filling the room with oohs and ah's. (yeah, right!. In reality you more than likely will have to jostle them awake.) Don't get me wrong, learning and writing HTML and scripting languages like JavaScript and CGI (Common Gateway Interface, often written in PERL) can be rewarding and a lot of fun, but it can also be mind numbingly boring and tedious, especially to anyone who has only a passing interest in the Internet .

Learning HTML specifically and Web design in general is strictly a personal triumph, it is the eventual outcome of that acquired expertise that will dazzle and amaze the end user , like a magician pulling a quarter out of someone's ear. Of course they will all ask you how you did it, but once you mention the word code or tags, they're gone: off to that 'I'm listening but I'm really ignoring you' place.