A little info (OK, a LOT OF INFO!) and my site

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Posted by Mark on December 15, 2000 at 08:03:12:

In Reply to: need help building iggy information site. posted by wednes on December 14, 2000 at 11:59:47:

First, have you ever built a web site before? If not, I would suggest buying a book on HTML and web authoring. With great programs like Front Page, Netscape Composer, etc, there isnt a REAL need to know HTML, but I'll tell ya, it sure does help when you run into problems, or find something that your WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) wont do. You can also use Microsoft Word to build web pages, although I do not recommend it for many reasons I wont get into here. My personal recommendation on a WYSIWYG web authoring program is Netscape Composer. It is free, comes with the Netscape download, and works surprisingly well for what it is (a beginners tool).

Before you actually begin building your site, there are a few other steps to follow. If you do this, you will find your site much more user friendly; easier to navigate, better content, faster loading.

-Decide what you want on your site. Dont try to do too much all at once. Start it out basic, and dont start adding more until you finish the first part. Do it one page at a time!!
-Use the same format for every page. Make all your pages look like they belong in your site!
-Navigation bars - use them. Top and bottom of page, or left side. Show people where they can go and what they can find on your site. Nothing is more frustrating that going to a site where you have to click through 20 pages to get to the content you were looking for.
-Avoid use of unneccesary images. Like using images for words, just plain old annoying!! Text will ALWAYS load faster. Avoid animated GIFs. They are MORE annoying. Too many on one page will bog down your visitor's computer, and they will NEVER come back if you do CRASH their computer.
-Pictures - USE THUMBNAILS. I cannot stand going to a site that has 20 640x480 images loading one after another after another... A thumbnail is easy to make, and easier to use. Dont just resize the image in the web authoring program, all you get when you do that is the same file size, only the web browser tells it to show it smaller. Same download time. Once again, USE THUMBNAILS.
-NO "Under Construction" tags. Dont post a page until you complete it.
-Images on your background make text hard to read. Try to stick with a solid colored background. Text will be easily read, and the page will load faster.
-Colors - There are certain colors that were just never meant to be used together on a computer screen. Keep this in mind. How long will people be at your site? How many will leave with permanent damage to their vision, or maybe even a headache!?!?
-DO NOT change the link colors that web browsers use as a default. This is one of the FEW standards we have with web pages. Why change the one thing that people are JUST STARTING to finally learn??
-Dont use the blink tag, it is extremely annoying. If you want to emphasize something, type it in bold.

I could go on for days... Especially since I have not yet addressed different operating systems, different monitors and resolutions, and so much more.

I hope this helps at least a LITTLE bit!!

Mark

: hi there,
: i wanted to ask you guys something, i am starting an iggy website, since there are so little here in holland, and here in holland there are almost no iggy sites. and i want to let people now how to take proper care of an iggy,there is not much info found in holland about iggy's and that must change, i work folentary for a reptile rescue and lots of iggy's come in from people who dumped them because they didnt know they grow so big and this terror should stop, last month we found an alligator in a little pool dumped there, owner unknown. this should stop!! this will be my first website, so if anyone could help me with some info or articels about iggy's or something or just some tips on how to get a good website, all is welcome!
: thanx!!!!!!! wednes.

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: First, have you ever built a web site before? If not, I would suggest buying a book on HTML and web authoring. With great programs like Front Page, Netscape Composer, etc, there isnt a REAL need to know HTML, but I'll tell ya, it sure does help when you run into problems, or find something that your WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) wont do. You can also use Microsoft Word to build web pages, although I do not recommend it for many reasons I wont get into here. My personal recommendation on a WYSIWYG web authoring program is Netscape Composer. It is free, comes with the Netscape download, and works surprisingly well for what it is (a beginners tool). : Before you actually begin building your site, there are a few other steps to follow. If you do this, you will find your site much more user friendly; easier to navigate, better content, faster loading. : -Decide what you want on your site. Dont try to do too much all at once. Start it out basic, and dont start adding more until you finish the first part. Do it one page at a time!! : -Use the same format for every page. Make all your pages look like they belong in your site! : -Navigation bars - use them. Top and bottom of page, or left side. Show people where they can go and what they can find on your site. Nothing is more frustrating that going to a site where you have to click through 20 pages to get to the content you were looking for. : -Avoid use of unneccesary images. Like using images for words, just plain old annoying!! Text will ALWAYS load faster. Avoid animated GIFs. They are MORE annoying. Too many on one page will bog down your visitor's computer, and they will NEVER come back if you do CRASH their computer. : -Pictures - USE THUMBNAILS. I cannot stand going to a site that has 20 640x480 images loading one after another after another... A thumbnail is easy to make, and easier to use. Dont just resize the image in the web authoring program, all you get when you do that is the same file size, only the web browser tells it to show it smaller. Same download time. Once again, USE THUMBNAILS. : -NO "Under Construction" tags. Dont post a page until you complete it. : -Images on your background make text hard to read. Try to stick with a solid colored background. Text will be easily read, and the page will load faster. : -Colors - There are certain colors that were just never meant to be used together on a computer screen. Keep this in mind. How long will people be at your site? How many will leave with permanent damage to their vision, or maybe even a headache!?!? : -DO NOT change the link colors that web browsers use as a default. This is one of the FEW standards we have with web pages. Why change the one thing that people are JUST STARTING to finally learn?? : -Dont use the <blink>blink</blink> tag, it is extremely annoying. If you want to emphasize something, type it in <strong>bold</strong>. : I could go on for days... Especially since I have not yet addressed different operating systems, different monitors and resolutions, and so much more. : I hope this helps at least a LITTLE bit!! : Mark : : hi there, : : i wanted to ask you guys something, i am starting an iggy website, since there are so little here in holland, and here in holland there are almost no iggy sites. and i want to let people now how to take proper care of an iggy,there is not much info found in holland about iggy's and that must change, i work folentary for a reptile rescue and lots of iggy's come in from people who dumped them because they didnt know they grow so big and this terror should stop, last month we found an alligator in a little pool dumped there, owner unknown. this should stop!! this will be my first website, so if anyone could help me with some info or articels about iggy's or something or just some tips on how to get a good website, all is welcome! : : thanx!!!!!!! wednes.

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