The following is a series of resources which have proved very helpful to new users wishing to learn about the Internet, as well as to those requiring more information on the mechanics of web pages and HTML ("web page language").
As I come across other helpful sites, I will add their addresses to this list. If before I
do you notice that any of the links are dead (or, worse yet, that these sites require a
fee), please send me a short
e-mail or go to my contact information page to send a note over the web.
[ Internet Basics
| Helpful Computing Resources ]
[ Website/Webpage Planning, Layout, and Design ]
[ HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) Programming
]
[ HTML and Design Validation ]
The following guides provide the information beginners need in order to start navigating the Internet effectively. They are listed in order of most basic, to least basic.
BBC: Becoming Webwise
http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/
If you're unfamiliar with what the Internet is or how it works, this would be
the most basic tutorial to review.
Learn the Net
http://www.learnthenet.com
Click on the links on the left-hand side of the screen for basic Internet
tutorials. A cool site because some of the tutorials are animated!
Internet 101
http://www.internet101.org
"Internet 101 was created for those who want to know just the basics. This guide will provide you with
enough knowledge to have fun on the Internet, yet will not bore you with too
many details. Think of this as a set of instructions...for
people who don't like to read instructions!"
The Complete Internet Guide and Web Tutorial
http://www.microsoft.com/insider/internet/
Another basic, yet comprehensive and well-written guide for beginners.
SUNY Albany Internet Tutorials
http://library.albany.edu/internet/ or
http://www.albany.edu/library/internet/
Very useful and easy-to-read tutorials.
Zen and the Art of the Internet, by Brendan Kehoe
http://www.cs.indiana.edu/docproject/zen/zen-1.0_toc.html
Even though this was written quite a while ago, it is still an excellent beginner's tutorial and indispensable quick-reference guide.
You can find other copies of this guide by going to
Google
and typing in "Zen and the Art of the Internet".
Searching the Net
See my search to learn more about how to
find what you want on the Internet.
Search Engine Watch
http://www.searchenginewatch.com
A more advanced site featuring: articles on how different search tools and engines work; detailed
descriptions of all the major online search tools (including search tools
for specific topics and media types); tips on how to search the Internet;
and news on search engine developments and technology. Everything you ever
wanted to know about search engines is on this site (and also on Search Engine
Guide, listed below).
Search Engine Guide
http://www.searchengineguide.com
Another great site with featuring: search engine news from all over the Internet
(including over 4,600 archived articles); a listing over almost 3,000 search
engines (including specialised search engines); and an extensive list of
relevant books and resources.
Webopedia
http://www.webopedia.com
Run into any computer/Internet words or terms you don't understand? Visit this
online dictionary first.
Other Internet-Related Resources
There are many more online tutorials and you can easily find them by visiting
any of the online search engines and entering queries
such as "internet tutorial" and "internet help". The Open Directory
has a good
listing of tutorials. If you want to learn more about computer and
Internet technology and culture, read the regularly updated news articles at:
Broadband Reports
http://www.broadbandreports.com or
http://www.dslreports.com
"The 'bible' for information on DSL, cable, and other high speed internet
services." Includes extensive database of Internet service providers (ISPs)
around the world.
CNET Reviews
http://reviews.cnet.com
When you need to buy new hardware or software, or even look for a new Internet
service provider (ISP), look here first. Excellent reviews.
How Stuff Works
http://computer.howstuffworks.com
One of my most favourite websites. If you want to find out how anything
computer-related works, try this site. It's not as detailed as PC Guide,
but the articles are easier to understand and cover a wider range of topics (including
articles on the inner workings of:
airborne Internet,
ASPs,
banner ads,
blogs,
Bluetooth,
boolean logic,
cable modems,
caching,
CD burners,
CGI scripting,
cookies,
domain name servers,
DSL,
encryption,
Ethernet,
file
compression,
firewalls,
instant messaging,
IP telephony,
Java,
PERL,
routers,
search engines,
spam,
viruses,
web servers, and
wireless
Internet).
Internet ScamBusters
http://www.scambusters.com
The pre-eminent publication on Internet fraud. Covers: real vs. hoax computer
viruses, urban legends, advertising scams, credit card fraud, spam, online
auction fraud, counterfeit items, and much more.
Internet Traffic Report
http://www.internettrafficreport.com
This site monitors the status of the Internet around the world. It tells you how
"fast" and "reliably" the Internet is currently operating. It tracks the volume
of global Internet traffic, global response time, global packet loss, and much
more.
PC Guide (Charles M. Kozierok)
http://www.pcguide.com
A positively indispensable encyclopedic guide to all the inner workings of your computer. If you have any questions about
how your computer works or how you might go about fixing it, go here first. It's well-organised,
very detailed, and easy to navigate. First-rate.
PC World Magazine
http://www.pcworld.com
Another excellent site for hardware and software reviews. I particularly like the buying
guides, which help you decide what you need and how to find it.
Snopes.com for Virus Hoaxes
http://www.snopes.com
Whenever you get emails purporting to warn you about viruses that may damage your
computer, check out their authenticity here (or at
Symantec
Corp.).
Speedtest
http://speedtest.broadbandreports.com or
http://speedtest.dslreports.com
Helps you test your Internet connection to see if it is as fast as it can go.
Offers tips for improving the speed and reliability of your connection.
For general information on website design and web design strategies, try the following:
Web Page Design for Designers
http://www.wpdfd.com
Covers major aspects of web design, including layout, graphics, and typography.
Well-organised site.
Web Style Guide
http://www.webstyleguide.com
Very thorough documents which cover all major aspects of web design. Easy to read.
WebReference
http://webreference.com/authoring/design/
Excellent repository of articles on website design, style, and authoring.
Builder.com
http://www.builder.com (Click under "Web
Development")
Offers fantastic articles on all aspects of website planning and design (and basic and
advanced HTML programming). Also offers links to related sites of interest. Just a
fantastic site. Since there are so many articles on this site, organisation is not always the best,
but once you find the sections/articles of interest to you, you will not really mind.
Web Hosting Reviews
If you're looking to find a company to host your website for you
(in other words, a company on whose computers you can keep your website), visit
these following services to see rankings and descriptions of the best ones:
For detailed information on using HTML, Java, Javascript, and other Internet-related programming languages, try out the following sites.
NCSA Beginner's Guide to HTML
http://archive.ncsa.uiuc.edu/General/Internet/WWW/HTMLPrimer.html
Offers one of the most popular introductions to HTML. Perfect for all types of
beginners. NCSA created one of the first web browsers for the Internet:
Mosaic. As such, it is a veteran in the Internet communications field. If
the above address does not work, go to
Google and type
in "NCSA beginner's guide". In case you were wondering, yes, Mosaic is
still in use today.
HTML Goodies (Joe Burns, Ph.D.)
http://www.htmlgoodies.com
This ultra-informative site introduces all areas of HTML programming, in plain,
easy-to-follow language. Well-organised. Includes a fantastic quick reference listing of
important HTML codes. Download the list, print it out, and keep a copy by your desk.
HTML Help by the Web Design Group
http://www.htmlhelp.com
"The Web Design Group was founded to promote the creation of non-browser specific,
non-resolution specific, creative and informative sites
that are accessible to all users worldwide. To this end, the
WDG offers material on a wide range of HTML related topics. We hope that with
this site as a reference, you will be able to create Web sites that can be used
by every person on the Internet, regardless of browser, platform, or settings."
Builder.com
http://www.builder.com (Click under "Web
Development")
Superb articles on all aspects of HTML. Perfect for beginners and more advanced
users alike. Due to the large number of articles, organisation may not be the
best; but this aside, it is a site well worth the visit. Contains links to other
related sites of interest.
Guide to Cascading Style Sheets
http://www.htmlhelp.com/reference/css/
If you want to know about HTML
style sheets, this is a good place to start. Includes
a basic tutorial.
World Wide Web Consortium
http://www.w3.org
This is the official worldwide organisation
that develops common protocols for Internet use, including common standards for the HTML
language. On this site, you will find all sorts of information about HTML, as well as the
complete series of W3-approved industry-standard HTML commands (including the commands
from older versions of HTML). When in doubt about HTML, go here first! Also contains an
excellent introduction for those new to HTML. Includes an
HTML validator (checks
your HTML pages for errors).
WebReference
http://www.webreference.com
The web developer's online reference library. Excellent repository of articles on various
aspects of authoring.
Developer.com
http://www.developer.com
This site should be visited in conjunction with Builder.com (http://www.builder.com) It provides detailed information
on more advanced aspects of Internet programming, including Java and Javascript. Contains
links to other related sites of interest. Great site with free code to download!
Search Engine Watch
http://www.searchenginewatch.com
In addition to articles on how to optimise your webpages, this superb site
features articles on how different search engines work, detailed
descriptions of all the major online search engines (including search engines
for specific topics and media types), and news on search engine developments and technology. Everything you ever
wanted to know about search engines is on this site (and also on Search Engine
Guide, listed below).
Search Engine Guide
http://www.searchengineguide.com
Another great site featuring articles on search engine optimisation,
pay-per-click, link popularity, and other strategies for increasing the chances
that people will find and visit your website. Also includes search engine news
from all over the Internet (including over 4,600 archived articles); a listing
over almost 3,000 search engines (including specialised search engines); and an
extensive list of relevant books and resources.
WebmasterWorld Forums
http://www.webmasterworld.com
A series of public forums in which you can discuss and post questions about
advanced HTML and web programming issues. When I run into a problem and need a
creative solution, I often come here first.
Web Robots Pages (Martijn Koster)
http://www.robotstxt.org or
http://www.robotstxt.org/wc/robots.html
If you need details on how to make sure that web
robots are "well-behaved" when visiting your site,
look at this site. Contains information on the robots.txt Robots Exclusion Standard.
Other Resources
Yahoo maintains a good listing of HTML tutorials:
http://dir.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Data_Formats/HTML/Guides_and_Tutorials/
If you are building a website or webpage, you are strongly encouraged to run your HTML documents through at least one online validation program (and more than one if you have time). Such a program will point out any HTML command errors, and may also check spelling, download times for individual pages, the integrity of your links, and even your over-all layout! At the very least, you should use a program which checks for HTML syntax. The W3 Validator is the most comprehensive (and, hence, most time-consuming).
Weblint
http://www.sfsu.edu/training/weblint.html or
http://ejk.cso.uiuc.edu/cgi-bin/weblint
A popular web-based program which "picks the fluff" off of your HTML pages.
Although it only checks for syntax, it's quite thorough and I recommend it. If
these addresses don't work, just go to
Google type in "weblint"
and access any of the public gateways for this program.
Dr. Watson
http://watson.addy.com
Provides an analysis not only of the syntax of an HTML page, but also link validity,
download speed, search engine compatibility, and link popularity.
World Wide Web Consortium Validator
http://validator.w3.org
From the World Wide Web Consortium, the official worldwide organisation that develops
common protocols for Internet use, including common standards for the HTML language. Who
better to check your code than the organisation that issues the official industry-standard
HTML codes? Be warned, however, that the online validator is extremely picky, since its
goal is to ensure that your HTML code will be readable by all web browsers. Even the most
advanced of HTML programmers will be surprised when their run their webpages through this
service. Do not panic, though, when the program indicates errors: many of the errors are
those which common web browsers tend to forgive. Provides links to other validators, too.
If this address does not work, visit http://www.w3.org and
locate the validator from the menus.
NetMechanic
http://www.netmechanic.com
This excellent program will check HTML pages and tell you how well your pages
are optimised for search engines. Even though it's a free service, you can check
up to 5 pages for HTML and run a few pages through the search engine optimiser.
Other Resources
Yahoo maintains a list of HTML validators at:
http://dir.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Data_Formats/HTML/Validation_and_Checkers/
[ Internet Basics
| Website/Webpage Planning and Design ]
[ Website/Webpage Planning,
Layout, and Design ]
[ HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) Programming
]
[ HTML and Design Validation ]
Copyright © 2001, by Eddy M. Elmer
Permanent URL: http://www.eddyelmer.com/internet.htm