And it is one of the most common questions I get asked by new subscribers and visitors to my site - "Do I have to know HTML?" I went through the same anxiety and reservations when we were first considering taking our business online. I took a look at the HTML that made up some of the web pages and said WOW, what the heck is that!

HTML or HyperText Markup Language is one of the major languages on the Web used to write web pages. It gives you the ability to combine text, pictures, sounds and links all in one page.

I had no background in programing or even an inkling of what HTML was or how it worked. It seemed like an obstacle that I wouldn't be able to get around. But I was determined to get my online business up and running and I didn't have a budget that would allow me to contract out my web page development.

So I started asking around about HTML on different discussion boards and did some searches and was surprised at the amount of information that was available free. There are many sites out there with lessons on how to use HTML to construct a web page. Likewise there are many sites with free graphics, free cgi and java scripts. So it wasn't long before I had a basic web page put together and it also wasn't long before I started understanding some of the coding and could mess around with it to make a page look different.

I want to digress a bit here in discussing my learning curve. During my research about HTML, I found out that there were a number of software products that made working with HTML in constructing a web page relatively simple. These programs actually allowed you to construct a great web page with out really knowing HTML at all. The one that I started out with was called "Hot Dog" available athttp://www.sausage.com.au (I am not kidding about the name, that's what it's called) and its cost is just under $100. I have been using it since mid-1998. I don't sell it so I am not looking for a commission. I found it easy to learn and use even though I had little or no experience with HTML. I subsequently purchased Frontpage2000 but I still use Hot Dog because I find it simpler. If you are interested in Frontpage you can find some tips and how to tutorials athttp://www.microsoft.com/frontpage


This type program basically creates the HTML code for you. You enter the text and use drop down lists to select what action you want to take in respect to creating the HTML code. It really is great and as you use it, you are learning the actions that each piece of code can do to or for your page.

I mentioned earlier that there are many sites where you can get free information regarding learning how to build your own web pages. Here are a few:

HTML Tutorials in Web Design http://www.bfree.on.ca/HTML/index.htm

HTML: An Interactive Tutorial For Beginners http://www.davesite.com/webstation/html

A Crash Course in HTML http://www.w3-tech.com/crash/HTMLMenu.html

HTML Help http://www.htmlhelp.com

Those are just a few of the many sites that offer free help. As indicated above, there are also sites where you can get other resources you can use to design your own site/page. And they are all free. If you would like links to free cgi scripts, java scripts, banner generation services, graphics and more just visit our free resource page at:

http://www.homebizlink.com/freeserv.htm

Don't look at the HTML of some page you think looks great and let it scare you or deter you from your goal of getting your business online. It looked awesome to me too when I started but now I do all my own web pages and my site now has over 50 individual pages. Play around with it, change it, test it and you will learn it! AND you will be online before you know it!

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