Web Assignment
In ENG 328 we had to design a web site that “showed” off
our work in the class. This was also an ample opportunity to create
a web site that was our own personal style of which we were. All of
the students in the class started off by making pages with HTML codes on
notepad. We then advanced to Geocities, where our domain would be.
We used the upload feature to bring our pages to life. Then, our professor
introduced the class to Netscape Communicator, a tool in editing web site
pages without using HTML codes. This was great, a way to transform
our pages from the foreign language of codes, to a simple, and yet complicated
web site creator page. I tracked my progress and followed some advice
from a few web site gurus and of course my Professor Krause. Follow my advice
if you wish, but read what I had to change and what advice I followed. Hey,
this might come in handy, someday, far, far, away.
At first, my site started out as few basic HTML codes,
a bold heading, a paragraph centered, and a few color changes. When
I moved over to Netscape Communicator, I began my long enduring process of
my web site. I used different colors at first; ultimately making “clown”
pants on all my pages. I later followed the advice from Professor Krause,
“ Use background that helps readers read your writing, not one that make
it hard. Avoid using a patterns background with text because it’s hard
to read text in any color on a background with lots of different shades and
textures.” After I fixed the “clown” pants, I changed the colors of
the background to Professor Krause’s suggestions.
When presenting my first page, I placed a lot of my information
near the middle and I did not explain everything right away. I led
the reader on wild goose chase to find out what links I had available and
why. Later, I read Spider Pros Do’s and Don’t’s and took this advice,
“ Do present the issues right away. Your visitor wants to know immediately
what she can find on your site.” Now I needed to change my information about
what each link was about. I linked each page correctly and placed a name
for each link. Then I realized I forgot to put title for the link. I followed
Spider Pro again, “ Do use a descriptive title. A descriptive title makes
clear what people can expect on your site.”
At first, I did not have any images at all and all my
text was placed on like a word document. I surfed the web and found some
interesting pictures and placed them throughout my site. I then experimented
with some tables and columns. I did not go really fancy, but I placed some
where I thought the page lacked something. I colored in a few of the cells
and then changed the color of the text inside the cells. This gave a more
3d effect and seemed a little more exciting. The graphics weren’t really
great, neither were the tables, but for me, and the purpose of this assignment,
they worked well.
I soon had a lot of information smashed
in one place with more pages needed. I made more pages to divide up
my information and followed Professor Krause’s advice, “ Also, when you have
a lot of text, bulleted lists like this one are usually easier to read.”
I finished my separate pages and then placed my images to my site. I downloaded
them from various sources on the web, making sure they were “copyrightable.”
I then uploaded everything in Geocities and then previewed my pages. After
a few lines indented and color changed here and there, I was about as happy
as I could be, with my little to no experience in making web sites. In the
future I will try to use a specific program that lets users like myself,
handle the site with ease and not have to resort back to my “happy place.”
After all was edited and uploaded, I was done. Now I can say I have created
a web site. Thank goodness it is over!
When I think of the hardest part to building this site,
I have to say that putting the information in Netscape Communicator, and
then going to view it in Geocities, and then finding it was not there, was
the worst! I would spend all this time changing, moving, deleting, and then
boom, it was gone. Or, putting all the information in and then the system
crashing on you and Netscape closing and not allowing me to do anything but
pray it was saved. This happened many times, why I am not sure.
The images were also hard to maneuver around, as so was the text. It seemed
as when you put the image or text in one spot, you could only move it here
or a little over there, but not have the ability to click on the image and
rotate it where you desired. I guess that is where the five hundred-dollar
software would come in handy. In all, this was a great learning experience
that I had to endure!