HTML Writers Guild Newsletter Volume 6 Number 8, 22 April 2000 http://www.hwg.org/ mailto:editor@hwg.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Newsletter Sponsors: Searchbutton.Com, SpeedyWeb --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents 1. Member-Submitted Tips: Web Accessibility (Next Issue's Topic: Solutions for CSS Compatibility Problems) 2. Upcoming Online Classes: Take an online class! 3. April is Accessibility Month! 4. HWG Events in Your Future: WWW9, Vbits, XML Europe 2000 5. April Town Hall: Plan ahead for May! 6. Why Did I Get This Email? And Other HWG-News FAQs --------------------------------------------------------------------------- This issue of HWG-News is sponsored by: --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Searchbutton.com http://www.searchbutton.com/hwg Get FREE Web site search and reporting today! Improve your sites' navigability and usability with site search and reporting solutions from Searchbutton.com. There's no hardware, software, or implementation downtime. Your site visitors will gain instant access to the information they want and you find out a lot about your visitors. Premium service options available. Sign-up is quick and easy; plus a special offer for HWG members! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Member-Submitted Tips: Effective Use of Color (Marshall Jansen, HWG-News Editor, hwg-news-tips@hwg.org) The Guild's foundation is members helping members, sharing our expertise and knowledge to improve our skills in the craft of web design. Everyone has something to teach, and something to learn! In keeping with that spirit, the HWG-News Newsletter HWG-News features member-submitted "tips" in each issue, in the space between articles and announcements. What happens if your tip is selected? Each issue, the first-place winner will receive a free HWG t-shirt. Runner-up tips will be also listed in the HWG-News newsletter as space permits, and submissions will be posted on the HWG web site. The topic for this issue, as announced last issue, is: Web Accessibility Tips In celebration of April as Accessibility Month, we want to see any and all tips that relate to making the web more accessible to all users. What do you do to make sure everyone can access your site equally? We got many good responses! A full list of all tips submitted can be found online at: http://www.hwg.org/opcenter/newsletter/tips/ Complete rules and information (including size limits) are also listed at the URL above -- please read it! This issue's winner was sent in by Dustin Shaw! [HWG-News Tip: Web Accessibility Tips -------------------------------] One thing that is often-times overlooked in creating a web page is color-blind people, particularly red-green color-blind people. The trick is not to superimpose colors like grey or green on red, which makes it rather difficult to read, as red and green apear close to grey. [-------------------Submitted by Dustin Shaw ] If you have suggestions for upcoming HWG News Tip topics, you can send those to hwg-news-tips@hwg.org as well. The category for the next newsletter is: Solutions for CSS Compatibility Problems Everyone knows that every version of every browser handles CSS differently. How do you design your pages to make sure that the CSS you see is the CSS your viewers get? Send in your 5-8 line tips on Web Accessibility to hwg-news-tips@hwg.org before next Saturday, the 29th of April! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- This issue of HWG-News is sponsored by: --------------------------------------------------------------------------- SpeedyWeb http://www.speedyweb.com/hwg.htm SPECIAL LIMITED TIME OFFER! Are you overpaying for your Web Hosting? SpeedyWeb's current special is a massive 450 Megs with FREE Real Audio/Video and FREE Referral logs for only $19.95/month! 99.9% Guaranteed Uptime, Toll Free Customer Support. Sign up today and get 2 FREE ROUND TRIP AIRLINE TICKETS with each site ordered! Call 1-888-416-4678 or...... http://www.speedyweb.com/hwg.htm --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. April is Accessibility Month (Kynn Bartlett, Director, AWARE Center, aware@hwg.org) April 2000 has been designated as the Guild's third annual Web Accessibility Month, a month-long focus on the very important issue of web accessibility! By "accessible", we mean a web site that can be used by everyone, regardless of disability. Unfortunately, many web pages being created are not accessible, because they have unnecessary, artificial barriers to access -- cutting out parts of their own audience! Accessibility problems are very common and present major obstacles to a number of web users. For example, images that are not labeled with the ALT attribute cannot be understood by the screenreaders often used by blind computer users. Deaf users cannot understand the sound tracks of multimedia files, unless transcripts are provided. Users with dexterity or mobility disabilities may not be able to use a mouse or keyboard to access a site. In order to make an accessible web site, web authors need to have an understanding of "non-standard access methods" -- in other words, more than just the latest version of Netscape or Internet Explorer running on a desktop or laptop. The techniques that provide access for people with disabilities can also make a web site usable by people with mobile access devices such as cell phones or PDAs; by users connecting via web appliances such as WebTV; and by users who have older hardware and software. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) -- the industry organization that crafts the standards for the web, such as HTML, CSS, and XML -- created the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) in 1997 to define the techniques necessary to produce accessible web sites. The HTML Writers Guild, the only organization of web designers that holds membership in the W3C, has been an active participant in WAI activities. Some important WAI milestones include the issuance of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines in May of 1999, and the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines in February 2000. (Under development now are accessibility guidelines for browsers and other user agents.) As part of last year's Accessibility Month, the HTML Writers Guild established the Accessible Web Authoring Resources and Education (AWARE) Center as a resource center for web designers who want to learn more about web accessibility. The Guild invites you to become AWARE of web accessibility this April by visiting: http://www.awarecenter.org/ 3. Upcoming Online Classes: Take an online class! (Ann Navarro, Online Education Director, classes@hwg.org) Through a web-based interface, we offer a broad series of online classes designed to teach you the skills you need, in a way that fits your busy schedule. Our instructors are your fellow Guild members, chosen for their expertise in their field and their willingness to pass along their experience to you. Upcoming courses you can take include: Online classes currently open for enrollment include: Introduction to HTML 4.0 Dates: May 1, 2000 - June 11, 2000 (6 weeks) Tuition: $40 Full members, $70 Trial members Details: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/h101.15.html Leave your WYSIWYG editor behind and explore the nuts and bolts that make web pages function! Business Writing Basics Dates: May 8, 2000 - June 18, 2000 (6 weeks) Tuition: $25 Full members, $50 Trial members Details: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/b101.7.html You may be good at HTML tags, but that's just half the equation! Learn how to make your content sizzle in our writing course! Introduction to HTML 4.0 Dates: May 22, 2000 - July 2, 2000 (6 weeks) Tuition: $40 Full members, $70 Trial members Details: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/h101.14.html Leave your WYSIWYG editor behind and explore the nuts and bolts that make web pages function! Sites that Sizzle: Web Animation with Macromedia Flash 4 Dates: May 22, 2000 - July 2, 2000 (6 weeks) Tuition: $60 Full members, $90 Trial members Details: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/a221.4.html This course covers the exciting world of Flash 4. You will learn to draw, create, import and manipulate vector objects, making them come to life in frame-by-frame animations and on multiple layers. Introduction to Cascading Style Sheets Dates: May 22, 2000 - July 2, 2000 (6 weeks) Tuition: $40 Full members, $70 Trial members Details: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/h151.10.html Add a little style to your web design! This popular course covers CSS 1 and 2, which can enhance the appearance of any web page! You'll learn which CSS rules are -- and are not -- supported by the major browsers, and more! Creating Web Graphics with Paint Shop Pro Dates: May 22, 2000 - July 2, 2000 (6 weeks) Creating Web Graphics with Paint Shop Pro Dates: May 22, 2000 - July 2, 2000 (6 weeks) Tuition: $40 Full members, $70 Trial members Details: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/g201.6.html Release your inner artist! This graphics course will teach you to create your own stunning images for use on your website, using the Paint Shop Pro program. Implementing Java Applets in your Web Pages Dates: June 5, 2000 - July 2, 2000 (4 weeks) Tuition: $25 Full members, $50 Trial members Details: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/h171.3.html Designed for the beginning student with some knowledge of creating HTML files by hand or with a WYSIWYG editing tool. This class will show you where to go to get applets for your pages, and how to customize them using parameters. This is NOT a programming class! Applets will range from simple 'ticker style' text applets, to animations, and to Java games. Introduction to JavaScript Dates: June 12, 2000 - July 30, 2000 (7 weeks) Tuition: $40 Full members, $70 Trial members Details: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/p151.9.html The JavaScript language allows you to add interactivity to your web pages -- this course will teach you the basics of programming in JavaScript for multiple browser types. COURSE FEES Course fees are based on membership level; Full members receive a discounted tuition price, while Trial members pay the standard price. Full membership is only $40 per year, so upgrade your membership before registering, and save money! Payments may be made online via secure transaction; all figures are in U.S. funds. A certificate of completion is available for an additional $5; the request needs to be made at the time of registration. A certificate can be requested after class is completed for $10. Textbooks (when required) are separate and may be purchased through the Guild's online bookstore, The Bookmark. Books should be purchased before the first week of class! In addition, students should have regular access to the web and the ability to post completed assignments on a public (non-Intranet) web server. Sign up today through our online enrollment forms or get more information at: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/ [HWG-News Tip: Web Accessibility Tips -------------------------------] I am currently working with others to create a web site for seniors, and accessibility is a common topic. One of the things we have decided to do is keep out links on our verticle navigation bar large enough to read, and all of our articles are going to have an option to "Click here for larger sized print." [-----------------------Submitted by Jolene Johnson ] 5. April Town Hall Cancelled: Plan ahead for May! (Frank Boumphrey, VP of Special Events, vp-events@hwg.org) Unfortunately, we are having to cancel our regularly scheduled Town Hall for April. Technical issues are keeping us from getting our IRC Server up and running in time for the meeting. However, we will have all our our technical problems worked out by next month, and hope to see you all there. The May meeting will be back at the usual time and place: The details on the May town hall meeting are: 25 May Town Hall Meeting Date: Thursday, 25 May 2000 Time: 6:30 p.m. PST, 9:30 p.m. EST Server: HWG Interactive, http://interact.hwg.org/ IRC: irc.hwg.org, port 6667 Channel: #townhall To connect, either go to the URL above and use the Java-based client available via the web, or use your favorite IRC client and join channel #townhall. 5. HWG Events in Your Future: WWW9, Vbits, XML Europe 2000 (Frank Boumphrey, VP of Special Events, vp-events@hwg.org) As part of our ongoing Speakers Bureau program, we are pleased to present this list of upcoming industry events at which the Guild will be participating. More information can be found at our events page: http://www.hwg.org/opcenter/events/ * WWW9 -- The Ninth World Wide Web Conference Amsterdam, The Netherlands May 15 - May 19, 2000 http://www.www9.org/ We will be presenting a workshop at this conference entitled "Crafting and Reforming HTML Pages as XHTML." * VBits Chicago, IL May 24, 2000 http://www.vbits.net/ Frank Boumphrey will be presenting "Building XML applications using VB". * XML Europe 2000 Paris, France June 14, 2000 http://www.gca.org/attend/2000_conferences/europe_2000/default.htm Frank Boumphrey will be presenting "Using XML in Medical Internet applications". If you are attending any of these events, please stop by and introduce yourself to our HWG representatives, we'd love to meet you! [HWG-News Tip: Web Accessibility Tips -------------------------------] While including an ALT attribute for every image is a useful first step, sometimes images convey more information than an ALT attribute can usefully hold. In those cases, create a separate page with a description of the image and the information it contains (in text form), and link to it using the LONGDESC attribute. Most users will never know it is there, but your sight-impaired users can get the information they need. [--------------------Submitted by Kevin B. O'Brien ] 6. Why Did I Get This Email? And Other HWG-News FAQs (HWG-News Newsletter Editor, editor@hwg.org) This newsletter was edited by Marshall Jansen . Some questions you may be asking: Q: Why did I get this mail? A: You received this newsletter because you are a member of the HTML Writers Guild. This message came from HWG-News, the Guild's mandatory mailing list for all members. If you need more information about HWG-News, please see the List Charter at: http://www.hwg.org/lists/hwg-news/index.html Q. Why doesn't this newsletter talk about web design or HTML more? A. The newsletter is the Guild's administrative bulletin to the membership; beyond the HWG News Tips, we don't include specific information on web creation. If you are interested in the topics of Web design and HTML, then you might want to subscribe to some of our discussion lists devoted to those topics. More information on the Guild's offering of discussion lists can be found at: http://www.hwg.org/lists/mailinglists.html Q. How can I find out more about Guild activities? A. The Guild has set up a one-way announcement list, HWG-Announce, that carries bulletins of day-to-day Guild business. For details on how to subscribe, please see: http://www.hwg.org/lists/hwg-announce/ Q: How do I unsubscribe from HWG-News? A: Since this is a required list in order to maintain your Guild membership, unsubscribing is the same as resigning from the HTML Writers Guild. If you have your Member ID and password, to resign your membership in the Guild and to unsubscribe to HWG-News, visit: http://www.hwg.org/member/resign.html Fill in the pertinent information, and submit it. If you don't have a Member ID, or have forgotten your password, send mail to: mailto:lost-password@hwg.org with a Subject of: Resign membership In the body of the message, provide the following information: * Your email address(es) * Your member ID if you have one. * The list of discussion lists you are on. Please remember that unsubscribing to HWG-News automatically resigns you from the Guild. If you have problems with unsubscribing, please contact the password support team for help. Q: How do I change my email address for Guild mailings? A: You can update your own membership profile at any time by going to this page: http://www.hwg.org/member/profile.html. If you don't know your password, contact the password support team for help. Q: Can my company advertise in the Guild's newsletter? A: Yes; the Guild is offering sponsorship opportunities in HWG-News on a limited basis. If you are interested in advertising your web related product or service here, please send email to advertising@hwg.org or call (205) 422-4340. Discounts are available to Guild Business and Corporate members, as well as for multiple placements. The Guild's newsletter reaches over 115,000 web authors worldwide each month. (Note: The Guild does not make our member database available for third party use. We have a strong privacy policy and will not release our members' personal information; our mailing list is not for sale. Any questions regarding the Guild's advertising or privacy policies can be directed to advertising@hwg.org.) Q: What if I want to comment on this newsletter? A: The HWG-News Mailing List is a "Read-Only" list -- please do not try to reply to this message directly. If you wish to contact the editor of this newsletter, you may do so by sending email to editor@hwg.org. Each article begins with the contact information for the author as well. Copyright 2000, HTML Writers Guild, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Published twice monthly via email and WWW.