As explained in the syllabus, if you are one of my on-campus students, please do not choose this term-project option unless you already know how to create websites or are willing to learn on your own.
With the above disclaimer, if you have elected to do the website project, you must include at least five websites in your research (the more, within reason, the better) and create hot links to all of them. You may either incorporate these hot links into the text of your page or list them at the end of your page (much the same as you would make a reference list or an annotated bibliography in a "regular" term paper).
The sites you include must all be completely distinct. In other words, they cannot be merely different pages or directories on the same site. Also, you cannot link to any of the pages on my site or on the text's site.
If desired, you may divide your website into two (or more) pages. Should you do so, use hot links to connect the pages, as in the following:
Click <a href="http://links.com/page2.html">here</a> to go to the next page.
If the above example contained a working hyperlink, clicking on the word here would automatically take you to the next page.
I will be looking for an attractive page - with good grammar, spelling, layout, graphics, a web page background, etc. There are links to several good web graphics sites in my RockerMouse™ Web Site Construction Resources. In addition, if you can add Flash, Java applets, JavaScript, etc. to your page, that would be great (though certainly not required). You can make a Flash introduction to your site for free, but it only appears to work with the Internet Explorer browser.
For good pointers on grammar and writing style, check out this site.
Fortunately, there are a host of places on the web that will provide you with "fill-in-the-blank" forms to create, and often space to store, web pages for free. Again, see my RockerMouse Web Site Construction Resources for some really good stuff (including places to get free web pages, counters, banners, guest books, etc.).
If you are a novice at making web pages, Tripod (select Tripod Site Builder, which is based on Trellix technology), Yahoo! GeoCities, AOL Hometown, and many other hosting companies provide free web-based templates/forms and free storage. For what it's worth, between the various free sites I have looked at, my suggestion would be to use Tripod.
If you have one of the Microsoft Windows operating systems, would rather use a non-web-based editing tool to create your site, and know (X)HTML, my personal recommendations, in order of preference (though I would say that NoteTab Pro and Macromedia HomeSite, while different, are basically on the same level) are:
- NoteTab (both shareware and freeware versions available of this notepad replacement)
- Macromedia HomeSite (a shareware program - also included with the PC version of Macromedia Dreamweaver)
- HandyHTML (a shareware notepad replacement)
- EditPlus (a shareware notepad replacement)
- Textpad (a shareware notepad replacement)
- EditPro (a shareware notepad replacement)
- UltraEdit (a shareware notepad replacement)
- Bhaum (a freeware notepad replacement)
- HTML-Kit (a freeware program)
- Stone's WebWriter (freeware without support or shareware with support)
- Max's HTML Beauty (a freeware program)
- Sothink HTML Editor (both shareware and freeware versions available)
- AceHTML Pro (a shareware program)
- CoffeeCup HTML Editor (a shareware program)
- CuteHTML (a shareware notepad replacement)
- HTMLpad (a freeware notepad replacement)
- HomeSite (an older freeware version)
- DiDaPro HTML Editor (a shareware program)
- 40tude HTML (a shareware program)
- WebEdit Pro (a shareware program)
- Aardvark Pro (a shareware program)
By the way, with the NoteTab editors, which are ideal for doing handcoding (source editing) on the fly, make sure that you also download and install some of the free Clipbook libraries (like having multiple clipboards). Eric Fookes, the creator of NoteTab, has placed some of the promotional buttons I created on his website.
For HomeSite, which I recommend for time-intensive handcoding (i.e., not on the fly), visit this page and this one.
Though not as sophisticated, in my view, HandyHTML, EditPlus, TextPad, UltraEdit, EditPro, and Bhaum are similar to NoteTab Pro. All come with something approximating cliptext or clipbook files (like having multiple clipboards), or, in some cases, you can make your own. With EditPlus, you can download some additional cliptext, and other, files from their site.
If you use one of the above editors (such as NoteTab) and need an FTP (file transfer protocol) client to upload your site to a server, I suggest WS_FTP (from Ipswitch). I am a registered Ipswitch volunteer associate and am authorized to make this program available on one of the servers I use. It comes in two flavors: You can download either the shareware or the freeware version.
Other FTP programs include: SmartFTP (freeware), AceFTP (freeware and shareware versions), and CuteFTP (shareware).
Regrettably, I am not that familiar with Macintosh products. However, the BBEdit HTML editor, which comes in both shareware and freeware versions, has a good reputation, and Fetch is a popular FTP client for that platform. By the way, a trial version of BBEdit comes with Dreamweaver for the Mac.
If, on the other hand, you have one of the Microsoft Windows operating systems, would rather use a non-web-based editing tool to create your site, and do not know (X)HTML, I suggest, in order of preference, one of the following products (some are WYSIWYG, i.e., what you see is what you get):
- CuteSITE Builder (a shareware program previously called Trellix)
- WebExpress (a shareware program)
- Microsoft FrontPage (a commercialware program not to be confused with another Microsoft product, FrontPage Express, which is bundled with some older versions of Internet Explorer and the Windows operating system)
- Macromedia Dreamweaver (a shareware program)
- WebSphere Studio Homepage Builder (a shareware program)
- NetObjects Fusion (a shareware program)
- HoTMetaL PRO (a shareware program)
- Cool Page (both shareware and freeware versions available)
- Namo WebEditor (a shareware program)
- CoffeeCup Free HTML (a freeware program)
- StepZilla (a shareware program)
- VM7 SiteMachine (an inexpensive commercialware program)
- VM7 FreeSite (a scaled-down freeware version of VM7 SiteMachine)
- CoffeeCup VisualSite Designer (a shareware program)
- Splash! Web Author (a shareware program)
- FlexSite (a shareware program)
- HotDog PageWiz (a shareware program)
- EZpad (a freeware program)
Although I have only looked at Dreamweaver for the PC, Macromedia also makes a Macintosh version of this WYSIWYG program.
In case you are interested, I am a strong proponent of handcoding. My feeling is that it is best to either handcode exclusively, or to only use WYSIWYGs once one has learned to write (X)HTML. Nonetheless, as far as this class is concerned, you are free to store your web page/s on any online server you like and to use whatever website creation tools you wish.
For what it's worth, I use NoteTab Pro, one of the NoteTab editors mentioned above, along with WS_FTP Pro (the shareware version of WS_FTP), to create most of my own websites and
, a WYSIWYG program, when I design commercial and other websites for others.
If you would like more detailed information, I would suggest going to either Border's Books or Barnes & Noble. Both stores have good selections of books on XHTML (formerly called HTML). I recommend the book, XHTML 1.0: Language and Design Sourcebook (by Ian S. Graham). There is also considerable information available through the links in my RockerMouse Web Site Construction Resources.
If you would like to use cascading style sheets (a part of XHTML 1.0 and 1.1), there is a good tutorial at PageResource.com. Style sheets are an option (though they will become increasingly important as time goes on). One can, however, still create good-looking and functional web pages without them.
Finally, unless you are skilled in one of the more specialized languages (such as ASP, CFM, or SSI), be sure to call your main web page: index.html (lower case). Other pages can be named whatever you like (as long as they end in either .html or .htm).
