Bite Sized Intro to Web Development June 11, 2009
Interested in creating your very first site from scratch? You’re not alone! There are an endless number of lengthy+detailed resources available on the web, but I’m not about to list them all. I thought I’d do something a bit more useful by writing a brief blog post – an introduction to web development, of sorts.
(By the way: the following process sums up how I started to learn HTML and CSS, so I know it works!)
*ahem*
- Download Notepad++. It’s a superb (and free) syntax-highlighting editor for code.
- Get your resources together and start learning. Delicious is a great source for finding sites thanks to that whole “powered by people” thing.
- Learn to love code. Although it may look ugly at first, CSS n’ HTML will soon become second nature. Working with pure code (rather than WYSIWYG editors like Dreamweaver) is a good habit to get into. Troubleshooting problems is far easier with your own code, too.
- Start small and build up. Start with one page, play around with the HTML and CSS. As you get comfortable, move forward. Start building additional pages and looking at more advanced techniques.
- Expand your knowledge and add to your resources. Bookmarks are your friend – my Firefox toolbar is filled with links to different sites, articles and directories, and I’m constantly adding new stuff as I come across it. (Many of my own bookmarks are saved on my Delicious profile.)
- Find your comfort zone. I can’t stress this enough. If you’re getting into web design/development as a side hobby, don’t overwhelm yourself. This is a huge field of study that branches out in many directions. Your time is precious, don’t spread yourself too thin!
Questions / Answers
Clarifying the questions that may be raised by this post…
- Do I need a webhost and/or domain name?
When you’re first starting to play around with HTML and CSS, having your own host is unnecessary. Browsers can render static (hard-coded) HTML files just fine. When you start playing with more advanced stuff – PHP includes, CMS-driven sites, etc. – then you should be looking at acquiring your own host and domain name.
- What about content, SEO, web marketing, yada-yada-bing-bang?
If you want to dive directly into content development, search engine optimization and web marketing – and have absolutely no interest in coding or development – consider setting up a blog over on WordPress.com. It’s a perfect platform to start diving into self-publishing on the web (including all the benefits of content development and SEO), and if you really get into it, you can start looking at the paid features.
Thoughts? Opinions? (Did I miss something obvious?) Leave a comment and let me know!
Posted in Neat Stuff, Technology