HTML Writers Guild Newsletter Volume 6 Number 15, 7 August 2000 http://www.hwg.org/ mailto:editor@hwg.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Newsletter Sponsors: Atomz.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents 1. Member-Submitted Tips: Speeding up download time (Next Issue's Topic: Design tips for handheld devices ) 2. Spotlight Class: Intermediate JavaScript 3. August Town Hall: Thursday, August 31st 4. Upcoming Online Classes: Take an online class! 5. HWG Events in Your Future: STC Pan-Pacific Conference 6. Why Did I Get This Email? And Other HWG-News FAQs (How to change your email address, how to unsubscribe, and more.) 1. Member-Submitted Tips: Speeding up download time (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: Speeding up download time In today's web market, you have to not only have compelling content but also fast download time... otherwise, surfers won't stick around to see your content! What ways do you tighten up your code to shorten download time, and what tricks do you have to speed it up any more? An archive of old tips may be found 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 Ed Edwards. [HWG-News Tip: Speeding up download time --------------------------] The biggest foot-draggers in site loading are graphic files. There are two principal ways to counter those delays. The first is to reduce palette size. The second, and perhaps more significant, is to create a uniform site palette. Designers tend to look at an 800kb photo and blame the sloth of the entire page on that single source. Unfair and untrue. Through most graphic programs a surprisingly thin palette can be created for all of the type, line-art, ect. images that will comprise the rest of the "art" on a page. That palette can then be further reduced for individual images by prunning the extraneous colors and forcing the "close" ones to conform. The browser will not have to create an individual palette for each item and all subsequent images will be quicker. All of this can be done without loss to the aesthetics of the page or the individual pieces. What little tedium is involved will be justified by a lean, agressively loading, cleaner product. [---------------- Submitted by Ed Edwards ] 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: Design tips for handheld devices Now that webphones, Palm Pilots, and other handheld devices are accessing the web, how do you code your pages so that these users can access your site? Send in your 5-8 line tips to hwg-news-tips@hwg.org. 2. Spotlight Class: Intermediate JavaScript (Ann Navarro, Online Education Director, classes@hwg.org) You Asked For It; HWG Delivers! For those of you who completed our Intro to JavaScript class and wanted more, now's your chance! Instructor Marshall Jansen has developed a followup class, that is focused on the aspects that students wanted most! This class will continue to go over the JavaScript language and syntax, building understanding of the language, and it will also take the class step-by-step through the creation of an online order form, involving multiple items, special package deals, automatic shipping and handling totals, tax calculations, and other steps. Please note: Introduction to JavaScript is a prerequisite for this class, and this class will not detail creating a fully functional e-commerce site from scratch. The first session is available for immediate sign-up! Dates: August 14 - September 22, 2000(6 weeks) Tuition: $80 Full members, $110 Trial members Details: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/p152.1.html Class size is limited to just 80 students; your paid enrollment holds your seat in class so sign up now! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- This issue of HWG-News is sponsored by: --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ATOMZ.COM http://www.atomz.com/hwg ADD A POWERFUL SEARCH ENGINE TO YOUR WEBSITE. With Atomz.com Search you can quickly add a powerful search engine to any Web site with just a few lines of HTML and no additional hardware or software. You get a comprehensive set of features not found with other site search engines including: complete customization, multiple language support, and in-context display of results. Search results are fast and accurate and you can use Atomz.com Search for free if your site has less than 500 pages, with no required ad banners. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. August Town Hall: Thursday, August 31st (Frank Boumphrey, VP of Special Events, vp-events@hwg.org) Town Halls are informal affairs, where you can talk to the governing board, ask questions, and generally let you opinions be known in a more public forum than email. We hope to see you there! The details on the June town hall meeting are: 31 August Town Hall Meeting Date: Thursday, 31 August 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. 4. 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: Introduction to HTML 4.0 Dates: August 7, 2000 - September 17, 2000 (6 weeks) Tuition: $40 Full members, $70 Trial members Details: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/h101.18.html Leave your WYSIWYG editor behind and explore the nuts and bolts that make web pages function! Introduction to JavaScript Dates: August 7, 2000 - September 24, 2000 (7 weeks) Tuition: $40 Full members, $70 Trial members Details: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/p151.10.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. Intermediate JavaScript Dates: August 14, 2000 - September 24, 2000 (6 weeks) Tuition: $80 Full members, $110 Trial members Details: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/p152.1.html Increase your JavaScript knowledge! In-depth instruction on form manipulation and syntax, plus weekly tips on creating your own interactive on-line order form! Introduction to XML Dates: August 14, 2000 - September 24, 2000 (6 weeks) Tuition: $40 Full members, $70 Trial members Details: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/x101.8.html Come find out what the buzz is all about! XML, the Extensible Markup Language, is driving the future of data storage and exchange. Get hands on development experience using freely available tools. Sites that Sizzle: Web Animation with Macromedia Flash 4 Dates: August 28, 2000 - October 8, 2000 (6 weeks) Tuition: $60 Full members, $90 Trial members Details: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/a221.6.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. Using Macromedia Dreamweaver - Part I Dates: August 28, 2000 - September 24, 2000 (4 weeks) Tuition: $25 Full members, $50 Trial members Details: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/a131.7.html Designed for the student who wishes to evaluate the Macromedia Dreamweaver 3.0 web design tool. The publicly available 30 day trial version will be available for students to use for this 4 week intensive course. Topics will include: layout and visual design, tools for creating tables, frames, and forms, implementing style sheets, and adding javascript or behaviors. New features in version 3.0 not mentioned in the current text as they pertain to these topics will also be covered. 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/ 5. HWG Events in Your Future: STC Pan-Pacific Conference (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/ * STC Pan-Pacific Conference Honolulu,Hawaii October 18-21, 2000 http://www.pan-pacific.org/ Ann Navarro and Chris Higgs will be giving talks on XML. If you are attending either of these events, please stop by and introduce yourself to our HWG representatives, we'd love to meet you! 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: Full members can update their 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. Trial members can send email to to change their email address. 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 (334) 928-4542. Discounts are available to Guild Business and Corporate members, as well as for multiple placements. The Guild's newsletter reaches over 117,000 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.