Re: Online Tutor

Chuck:

> I plan on making my pages more attractive and interactive and, to this
> end, need a load of training.   Who can suggest a step by step
> tutorial?

I was tempted to say, "They're ain't no such thing!!"

But on sober reflection, they actually abound by the millions.

Art is in the eye of the beholder. Some say my magazine,
www.newsredding.com/ is bright and inviting. Some say it is gaudy and too
flashy. And some of the highly touted "tasteful" sites I have visited,
simply look flat and dull and hard to read.
(Note: I use my own sites as examples because I'd rather not embarrass
anyone else. )

Every magazine you pick up will be full of an art director's best work. So
look at his or her lay-outs. See how much white space they are using. How
they position the elements of the page. You can use tables to create the
same effects.

BIG HINT: As every editor I ever knew has repeatedly said, "Keep your
paragraphs short !!" This is doubly true on the web. Just like a paragraph
running over into the next page is distracting--so too, is scrolling to
finish a paragraph.

Remember too that "art" does not have to be graphics. It can also be the
placement of the elements on a page. The color accents provided by an
adjoining cell--and so forth and so on.

The "Web" is full of interactive pages with their source code right there
for all the world to see. Some of the fancy ones employ JavaScript, ASP,
Include files, Flash and dozens of other bits of eye candy. The thing to
watch out for is the sad fact that the fancier you get, the fewer browsers
will support it.

The good news however--is that statistics tend to show the vast majority of
viewers, not being computer gurus, tend to use the IE-4 or 5 that came with
their computer and therefore, CAN view much of the fancy stuff.

Don't let lists like this one scare you into a closet. Gosh--some of these
guys would have you believe that half of the world can't or won't see
JavaScript.  Don't get them started on DOCTYPE statements. And--Fuzzy will
point out that it don't mean a thing if it ain't making a Validator swing.

Still--It's probably best to start simple. You can have lots of stuff
blinking and moving about without JavaScript. Good old animated GIF's still
have their place. Just try to keep the file size low.

An example of VERY simple interactivity is to allow the viewer to jump from
one part of the page to another--as in:
http://www.temercraft.com/novels/sal-chp2.htm

This is one of my novels. If you scroll down to the fifth paragraph, you
will see a reference to Gail Russell. Click on the name and you jump to a
picture and short Bio of the actress. Below the Bio, is a link to return you
to the story. Like I say, this is interactivity as simple as it gets.

To sum up ... (About time, you say ...)

Your learning experience can and should come in a large part--from every
magazine page and web site you visit. It is your taste you must cultivate.
When something takes your eye, commit it to memory and blatantly copy the
general style. And don't let all the fuss we just had over "stealing" scare
you off. Pretty soon, others will be copying your ideas too.

After all, that's how it works. Just like TV. Only there, the networks seem
to always copy the worst ideas. Oh--well??

Best wishes
Ted Temer
Temercraft Designs Redding, CA
temer(at)c-zone.net
www.temercraft.com/
www.newsredding.com/

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