Status: OR
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A L L A B O U T W E B D E S I G N !(tm)
"A Twice Monthly Resource Guide For Web Designers and Webmasters"
Issue #5 July 15, 1999
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Editor: Linda Anderson (aka windsong)
All About Web Design!(tm) is a free, twice monthly newsletter
that covers EVERY aspect of web design.
If you're reading this newsletter, it's because you either
subscribed or some kind soul forwarded it to you. If you want
to get it delivered to your e-mail address every month, you'll
find "subscribe" instructions at the bottom of the page. If
you want to STOP getting it delivered, the "unsubscribe"
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Replying to this message will NOT remove you.
It goes without saying that your e-mail address is NEVER made
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THIS ISSUE'S CONTENTS...
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SPONSOR'S SPOT
EDITOR'S NOTES
BOOK REVIEW
SPECIAL FEATURE ARTICLE
"BRIEF IS CHIEF!"
by Eldon Sarte
LINKS OF INTEREST TO WEB DESIGNERS AND WEBMASTERS
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
CRITIQUE CORNER
HINTS, TIPS, AND TRICKS
THIS ISSUE'S CLASSIFIEDS
HOW TO ADVERTISE IN "ALL ABOUT WEB DESIGN!"(tm)
SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE INSTRUCTIONS
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SPONSOR'S SPOT
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You know all those Internet marketing courses that cost
$200 and up? With all those invaluable secrets that are
keeping us all from the success we deserve?
Well, I just found a book that does all this and more! The
great part is that you can download parts of it for free!
Check it out before you buy it. You will want this book.
It is over 800 printed pages of fantastic information. If
you decide to buy it, it's under $17 US. And a guarantee
that gives you your money back if you don't like it.
No matter what you want your web site to sell, Make Your
Site SELL! (MYSS!) shows you how, like no other book or
program ever has.
http://www.sitesell.com/biz4u.html
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EDITOR'S NOTES
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Welcome loyal readers and all new subscribers!
I have had the privilege to encounter two very special
subscribers.
One is a 12 year old webmaster. Amazing young lady, she is.
She has asked for a critique and it will be published here
in the very near future.
The other subscriber is a young man who is blind. How does
he read this newsletter? He uses a synthesizer and a screen
reader. Don't ask me how this works, because I really don't
know. But I am very, very impressed with his determination.
He has emailed me to let me know that my graphic dividers
mess up his system for reading it, so I send him a special
copy with that part removed.
On a sad note, my inspiration for my ezines, UKJ, is heading
home to the UK next week. I will miss his presence. You can
subscribe to his ezine, "Paychecks" by sending an email to:
mailto:ezine@paychecks-online.com?subject=windsong
If you haven't already subscribed to our sister e-zine, ALL
ABOUT SEARCH ENGINES!(tm) take a moment and do it now. Just
send a blank email to:
mailto:AboutSearchEngines-subscribe@onelist.com
If you'd like to have one of your articles featured in
ALL ABOUT WEB DESIGN!(tm) ...send the article to me at:
mailto:editor@marketing-resources.com?subject=article
(hint: it can also be a tip, or a trick.) But please stay
on topic and keep it brief and to the point.
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, complaints
or advice, or just want to say 'hi', please contact me at:
mailto:editor@marketing-resources.com?Subject=AAWD-Feedback
Sending a message to this address automatically means that
you've given permission to reprint your message.
Peace,
windsong
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BOOK REVIEW
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Building Better Web Pages
by: Rebecca Rohan
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0125931859/businessoppor084
Rebecca Rohan explains how to create Web pages that impress
the largest number of people while consuming the smallest
investment of time and money for development. With her advice,
any entrepreneur willing to learn how to design and program
(and enjoy the process) can save a lot of money on consultants.
Though Building Better Web Pages isn't much of an HTML tutorial,
you will find discussions and samples of HTML code on its pages.
Rohan has chosen instead to cover the various elements (such
as images, sounds, streaming video, and applets) that designers
might want to incorporate into their Web sites with explanations
of the aesthetic and technical details that pertain to each.
Along the way, the book recommends numerous shareware programs
and evaluates software that simplifies a variety of tasks.
Building Better Web Pages does tend to leave the reader wishing
for a comprehensive HTML reference--you may want to have one on
hand as you explore Rohan's design ideas. But don't let those
small problems keep you away from this fine book.
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SPECIAL FEATURE ARTICLE
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BRIEF IS CHIEF!
by Eldon Sarte
Keep it simple! I'm sure you've heard this advice before.
But did you know that this applies to your site's written
content as well? Many don't consider written content a
design issue. (Client: "Yup, just design a good-looking
webpage. and we'll plunk in the text!" I don't think so.)
It's a MAJOR part of design, complementing and affecting
the visuals, and vice-versa.
The written message needs to be DESIGNED to fit the
medium. And the Web is no exception. In fact, the Web is a
lot less flexible than, say, a magazine or newspaper. The
typical Web user (your prospect) is what I call a
"quick-hitter." He needs his info FAST. If he doesn't get
it quickly, or it's TOO MUCH TROUBLE to find, he's gone,
off to the next resource.
This meant a major rewrite of my site's content. I'm in
the "can't shut him up" camp of writers. Often good for
books and magazine articles, but the Web? Nope. I lose
them. My visitor logs tell me so. So snip...
...and boy, was it tough! Not because I couldn't stomach
mangling my creations (sheeesh!), there was just so much
info to pack in! But I managed. You will too.
To avoid the hassle I just went through, keep it short
from the beginning. I honestly do not know how much text
is enough and what is too much. I'm guessing that five
screens should be max. NOT five screens full of text -- my
designs have a LOT of whitespace -- a user shouldn't need
to page down more than five screens to see everything on
the page. This measure isn't strict (I've exceeded it),
nor is it scientific. It's just an educated GUESS. My
future logs will tell me whether I'm guessing right.
For topics with a LOT of information that simply won't fit
into five screens, break it up into multiple pages,
preferably logical groups, giving users the option of
reading just the sections that interest them.
But what if you want them to read the WHOLE thing across
multiple pages? Use an old magazine/newspaper trick: break
paragraphs in half. End one page with the top half, and
start the next with the bottom. Of course, the text needs
to communicate that it's only half-finished, that there's
more if the user continues on.
If you do use this trick, don't break mid-sentence like
they do in print. Annoying. You don't want your users
annoyed; too easy to just click you off. Finish the
thought, then continue on.
An added benefit from concentrating on keeping it short
from the beginning is your writing and thinking will most
likely improve! A self-imposed limit forces you to
structure and organize your thoughts better than if you
wrote under the assumption that you had an unlimited
amount of space, an easy and dangerous mistake common on
the Web.
There may be ONE SITUATION, however, where you may want a
really long webpage, which I'll cover in another e-Factory
News article (http://listbot.com/subscribe/efactory).
For now, remember: Keep it simple AND keep it short!
-----------------------------------------------------
Eldon Sarte is a writer, designer, netpreneur, and founder
of e-Factory, an Internet business consulting and Web
development firm. His site helps serious businesses build
their own Web presences (http://www.e-factory.com),
focusing on the effective use of professional tools like
MS FrontPage 98. Eldon is also a co-moderator of the
Design/Pro forum, a Web design and e-marketing discussion
group (http://welcome.to/design-pro).
-----------------------------------------------------
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LINKS OF INTEREST TO WEB DESIGNERS AND WEBMASTERS
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I have had many questions regarding tables. Here is the best
reference I have for those who wish to learn tables:
http://junior.apk.net/~jbarta/tutor/tables/
_________________________________
Here is another excellent link for creating your tables:
http://www.killersites.com/tutorial/index.html
_________________________________
For my more advanced subscribers who are interested in CGI,
Here are some great CGI tools for you:
http://www.webdeveloper.com/cgi-perl/cgi_tools.html
_________________________________
And for those of you not so advanced, but wish to learn about
CGI and Perl, here is a tutorial:
http://www.webdeveloper.com/cgi-perl/cgi_perl_tutorial.html
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
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I listen to feedback. If you have particular likes or dislikes
about "All About Web Design!"(tm) please let me know by sending
your thoughts, ideas, critisisms, and comments to...
mailto:editor@marketing-resources.com?Subject=AAWD-Feedback
Sending a message to this address automatically means that
you've given permission to reprint your message.
________________________
Peter Morgan writes:
>From a person who's been publishing newsletters for others
for nearly 20 years, may I say that I quite enjoy your 'zine'
and its writing. It has a good, comfortable and confident flow.
Good luck and let me know if there's anything I can do for you.
*****
Peter Morgan * Morgan:Newsletters * (604) 683-3241
fx: (604) 683-7910
550-580 Hornby St. Vancouver, V6C 3B6, Canada *
pmorgan@morgan-news.com
*****
(Editor's comments)
I think I have the most wonderful subscribers in the world!
__________________________
Robert Schaff writes:
I am a "newbie", who decided a few months back that I wanted
to get on-line and open a store. I decide after thousands of
"clicks" that I could help people like me to find honest biz,
in the "get rich quick" sector of E-commerce. I thought I
would wade through the frauds and find the best and honest
programs. I am going to sell marketing and computer learning
programs, Aids, resources, books, etc.. I purchased my domain
name "netmarketmall.com". Then I found that I was not a web
site designer. My site designs looked cheap and amateur.
I decided to hire someone. I didn't have a lot of money, so I
tried to find someone, an individual rather than a company.
Well, the first person I contacted, I soon found out, figured
they had a fish on the line and started adding this and that.
All of a sudden I thought maybe they were trying to sell me a
car from the price tag they put on it. And they wanted 50% down.
That took three weeks. The second and third told me they could
give me what I wanted. I sent them drawings of what I wanted,
"no problem". I wasted a month and a half only to find out they
couldn't create what I wanted. Now I have two young men who
quickly admitted to me that they didn't have the knowledge to
create the site I had drawn. I was so blown away by their
honesty, I hired them and redesigned my site to something they
could do.
Is there some questions people can ask a designer to find
someone who is 1. honest, 2. dependable, 3. knows what they are
talking about? (I tried looking at sample work from all the
people I had.) I would like to pass some words of wisdom on to
my clients when I go on-line. Can you help?
Thank you,
Robert Schaff
(editor's comments)
Robert, I can understand your dilemma. The internet is a lot
different from doing business face to face. I don't know what
you can do apart from contacting someone, asking for references,
and then check out those references. Look at some of their work,
and ask the site owners if they are happy. You can inquire of
the site owners as to the designers honesty and dependability.
Other than that, I am afraid I can't be of much help. Perhaps
some of my subscribers can offer some advice?
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CRITIQUE CORNER
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Submit your site for a mini-evaluation. This will not be an
extensive critique, but will be a general analysis. We can
cover specific questions about your site, or analize just one
aspect if you wish. There will be only one or two critique's
published in each issue. If I receive more requests than that,
some may not be published. I will try to critique them all
and send you the results. Requesting the review constitutes
permission to publish the results. If you do not wish to have
this published, then please do not request the review.
mailto:editor@marketing-resources.com?subject=critique
____________________________
Loretta Teeters wrote:
My site is brand new. I would appreciate it if you
would critique it. Thank you.
http://www.winfree.freeservers.com
Hi Loretta:
I took a look at your site. You have some good ideas going
on here, however I would lose the colorful border on the left.
It is very difficult to read text on a background like that.
I am assuming that you have a "free" site. I also assume that
the banner at the top is required by the free site. It is
centered on the page, which makes it overlap the border. All
the more reason to get rid of the border.
There are places on the 'net where you can get buttons for
your links, if you want them in a table on the side of your
page. I think that would look more professional than the border
you are now using. If you really want a border, try a solid
color, and then align the banner so that it is in the center
of your text area.
A good way to get ideas for designing your page, is to surf
around on the net and look at other pages.
Peace,
windsong
______________________
Tom wrote:
Mine is a very small site done with a free HTML Program. No
bells, whistles or other features that I feel add nothing
but load time to any Webpage.Shoot me down or pat me on the
back. But I'm going to keep on trucking!!
http://216.169.112.10
Having problems with the alpha name, so do not use it!!
Tom
Hi Tom:
Took a look at your page. If it were a hobby page, it might
be fine, but if you are trying to promote some internet
marketing, then it needs a lot of attention. First off, I
will tell you what I tell most people. Surf the 'net and
look at some other pages and sites for ideas that you might
incorporate into your pages.
Next, lose the background. Also lose the "blinking" text.
Both are unprofessional. Get or make a graphical header for
your page. Re-write your text, but first take a look around
and see what other people are doing on their pages. Notice
the differences between the professional ones and the not so
professional ones. It is quite a learning process, but you
will get it.
You need some content on your site. Give people a reason to
go there in the first place, and a reason to return. Instead
of so many banners, replace some of them with text descriptions.
It is good that you have included contact information on your
page. So many people overlook this. I would lose the counter,
though. You can have a tracker so you can study your stats, but
its not a good thing to put it online for all the world to see.
I hope this hasn't been too harsh. I really aim to help. It
takes time to learn to build pages. Hang in there and study
everything you can get your hands on.
Peace,
windsong
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HINTS, TIPS, AND TRICKS
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Trapped in frames?
Are visitors stopping by your site within a frame of
another person's page? Put an end to that with the
FRAMEBUSTER, the JavaScript that will seek whether your
site is being 'framed' by someone else's site, and
automatically removes any other frames.
Here is the script. Place it as high as possible in your
HTML code, so the script will be run before the page is
fully loaded...
That's it! What this script does is pretty complicated.
But it works. If someone is going to your site while in
the frame of another site, it will break it free. That
way, your URL will appear in the location tool bar. But
remember not to place that script onto your pages if you
are using frames!
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THIS ISSUE'S CLASSIFIEDS
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Are You Happy With Your Hit Count? It's simple; the more
traffic you get, the more sales you'll get, pure and simple.
Learn the proven techniques that work online.
____________________________________
Learn the Secrets To Making Money On The Information
Super-Highway at ADVANCED INTERNET SOLUTIONS. They will help
you turn your computer into an automated cash machine.
href="http://www.aismedia.com/secrets/index.htm?LA3949x0011
____________________________________
Corey Rudl gets over 2 million visitors to his websites yearly,
does 2.6 million dollars in sales online each year (yes, that
is $2,600,000), and personally makes hundreds of thousands of
dollars from his online businesses...all from his one small
office. So listen to what he has to say as he knows what he is
talking about when it comes to starting and promoting a
business on the internet. Visit his site at:
http://www.marketingtips.com/t.cgi/3527/
____________________________________
Your Personal Financial Resource Center has everything you
need to keep your personal finances in order, from unsecured
credit cards, to debt consolidation, to stopping forclosures,
to legal credit repair, and much more. Check it out at
http://www.beevy.com/card_search/usa?58-4501
____________________________________
Register for our FREE courses on Winning the Affiliate Game.
This training program, by Declan Dunn, offers a series of
lessons and motivational tips to show you how to build
traffic and increase YOUR sales.
http://marketing-resources.com/course.html
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HOW TO ADVERTISE IN "ALL ABOUT WEB DESIGN!"(TM)
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Classified ads will be limited in number. Ads will be placed
on a first come, first served basis. If your ad doesn't make
it in the current issue, it will be run in the following one.
We confirm all ads by email upon receipt of payment and notify
you of the run dates. We reserve the right to refuse any ad
for any reason.
For advertising rates and to order by check or credit card:
http://marketing-resources.com/creditcards.html
For advertising rates by autoresponder, send blank email to:
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SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE INSTRUCTIONS
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Copyright 1999 © Linda Anderson (aka windsong). All rights
reserved. Please do not reprint, or host on your web site,
without explicit permission. We disclaim any liability for
the use of any contributed information contained herein. We
also claim no responsibility for the legality or accuracy
of the subscriber's advertisements or articles submitted
and reprinted by permission.