I designed my first web site in 2003 as a favor to a friend. I had more time than she and I was a little more computer savvy, or so I thought. I realized quickly, however, that I had no idea what I was doing. It was apparent the WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) web builders would only take me so far. The key to designing a well functioning and attractive web sight meant getting “under the hood” and figuring out what makes it tick. I needed to learn HyperText Markup Language (HTML)!
I spent the next six months reading books and researching every on-line tutorial I could find. Here is where I thank all the gurus who shared their vast knowledge and experience with the rest of us wannabes at NO CHARGE. They are truly the best teachers. The following folks don’t know me from Adam (or in my case, Eve) – nonetheless, I learned much of what I know from their books and web sites.
David Siegel (Killer Web Sites)
Eric Meyer (Myer Web)
Dennis Gaskill (Boogie Jack)
I finally learned enough HTML to be dangerous, but the sites I designed were working, so I trudged along until a client called about an ecommerce sight. This proved to be a new challenge and it was back to the books.
After designing web sites for my family and most of my friends, I decided to get serious and try to make some money. I realized that to be taken seriously, one needed to become a certified webmaster. I enrolled in the Florida State University webmasters program and after another year had the certification.
If you have a question about web design, please post your question here. If I don’t know the answer, I’ll probably know where you can find it.
