Style Guide
HTML allows you to do a lot of things. Maybe too many things. As they say, just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. The web has suffered throughout its lifetime from an overload of people doing things because they were neat, or fun, but that clutter up a site and make them look... well... cheesy. Here's a rundown of the things that web designers and art directors have listed as problem areas.
Color overload - Too many colors distract the eye. People prefer sites to be done in a color scheme using only two or three colors (and variations on them... light green and dark green for example) that aren't harsh on the eye. For example, using red text on a green background with purple links and orange bullets is probably not a good idea. Try to use a few complimentary colors, not the whole rainbow.
Unending midis - Midis are a lot of fun to have on your site, but can irritate users, especially if they're hard or impossible to turn off. People don't generally like to have music suddenly erupting from their computer-- they like to be able to turn it on and off. If you must have a midi, let the user be the one to start it playing-- you can do this by providing a link to the midi, rather than embedding it in the page.
Javascript alerts - Okay, so you can pop up windows when the user enters your site, mouses over a picture, etc., etc., etc. But people find them irritating when they don't contain important information, such as an error message. Don't use alerts to say hi, or be cute. People may leave your page because they don't feel like cycling through them all.
Well, that's all for right now... this is all under construction, of course, so more information will probably be coming, and I can clarify anything that is unclear. Send me feedback if you like, to ask specific HTML questions or just to say you like this page. If you do like it, I would appreciate a link or recommendation where appropriate... get the word out, get more people learning HTML!