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***
Web Site Design***
The
Birth of a Professional Web Site
Part Five Essential Web Development Tools
Developing a successful web site takes
a great deal of planning and preparation.
An important part of your preparation
is obtaining the essential tools of the
trade.
HTML Editors
An HTML editor is a software
program used to create and edit HTML documents.
Although some Internet
marketers prefer to write their own HTML
code, most prefer to use an HTML editor,
as it can greatly simplify a somewhat
difficult process. However, using an HTML
editor has its disadvantages, as some
editors have a tendency to add a lot of
unnecessary coding and may not support
the latest technologies.
Whether you will be writing
your own HTML or using an editor, taking
the time to learn HTML is very important.
Not only will you gain your independence,
but you'll also have the ability to add
special effects that many HTML editors
don't support.
Here are some popular
HTML editors:
Macromedia Dreamweaver
http://www.macromedia.com/software/dreamweaver/
A popular WYSIWYG (What you see is what
you get) HTML editor. Great for beginners
and advanced users alike.
Coffee Cup
http://www.coffeecup.com/html-editor/
A popular HTML editor that's great for
beginners as well as advanced users. Includes
a built in browser that will enable you
to instantly preview your HTML as you
go.
Hot Dog Professional
http://sausage.com/products/index.html
Three HTML editors, including HotDog Junior
for children, PageWiz for the novice user
and Professional for advanced and budding
webmasters.
Text Editors
A text editor is a software
program used for editing plain text that
doesn't add any special formatting.
If you're considering
writing your own HTML code, you'll need
a good text editor. Although it will certainly
be more time consuming, your code will
be much cleaner and can reduce your file
size considerably.
In addition to using a
text editor to write HTML, it can also
be used to edit scripts and write articles.
If you have a Windows
operating system, Note Pad is the preferred
text editor. It should already be installed
on your computer.
Although Note Pad is a
great little text editor, it can't handle
large files and is much better suited
for smaller jobs. You may find that you'd
like an editor that is more powerful,
such as:
NoteTab Pro http://www.notetab.com/
TextPad http://www.textpad.com/
FTP
File Transfer Protocol,
better known as FTP, is a procedure used
to upload and download files to and from
your web server.
Although many HTML editors
will enable you to edit and transfer pages
to your server, an FTP program is still
an essential tool, as you must have complete
control over the files on your server.
An FTP program will enable
you to upload scripts, set file permissions,
create folders and transfer files to and
from your server.
In order to use FTP, you'll
need to download and install a software
program on your computer. The most widely
used FTP program is WS FTP Pro http://www.wsftp.com
Graphics Editor
A graphics editor is a
software program that will enable you
to design and edit graphics.
Graphic design is an intimidating
subject for many Internet entrepreneurs.
However, most of us must learn some basic
design techniques in order to avoid the
high costs of hiring a professional designer.
The most popular program
used by Internet marketers is Paint Shop
Pro. This powerful program is the only
program you'll need to design professional
looking graphics.
http://www.jasc.com/
Zip/Unzip Software
A Zip file is an "archive"
of one or more files compressed into one
file for easy distribution.
Zip files are used to
compress and transport file archives over
the Internet. It is the preferred method
used for electronic file distribution,
as rather than downloading several different
files, you can simply download one Zip
file. In addition, the download time will
be minimized, as the files within the
Zip archive are compressed.
Once a Zip file is downloaded,
it can be easily opened and extracted
(unzipped) with a Zip/Unzip software program.
Although there are many
Zip software programs available on the
Internet, WinZip is the most popular.
WinZip makes working with file archives
simple. It features an easy point-and-click,
drag-and-drop interface for viewing, extracting,
adding, deleting and testing archived
files.
You can download a fully
functional evaluation version here:
http://www.winzip.com/download.htm
Email
Although most Internet
Service Providers include email accounts
for their customers, these accounts aren't
adequate for an Internet business -- especially
if you get a large amount of email. Not
only do the email addresses contain your
ISP's name, but they are also very limited
on features and options.
The two most popular email
clients used online are Outlook and Eudora.
These programs will enable you to download
email from your server and offer features,
such as sorting and
filtering, and will enable you to easily
organize your email messages. What's more,
your email address will be your own domain
-- not someone else's.
Eudora
http://www.eudora.com
Outlook
http://www.microsoft.com/
Your webmaster toolbox
will play an important part in your success.
Take the time to ensure your toolbox contains
these essential tools and you'll be well
on your way to designing a professional
web site.
(Continued in part six)
Copyright ©
Shelley Lowery
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