HTML Writers Guild Newsletter Volume 6 Number 1, 8 January 2000 http://www.hwg.org/ mailto:editor@hwg.org Table of Contents 1. Featured HWG News Tip: Optimization Techniques 2. Searchbutton.com Search-Enables the Guild Web Site! 3. Volunteer Opportunity: FAQ Team Members Needed! 4. Upcoming Online Classes: ASP, XML, CSS, HTML, Web Accessibility 5. Guild Events in Your Future 6. This Month's Town Hall Meeting -- 27 January 2000 7. Frequently Asked Questions about the HWG-News Newsletter This issue of HWG-News is sponsored by: --------------------------------------------------------------------------- iServer -- Verio Web Hosting http://www.iserver.com Virtual Servers * Electronic Commerce * Reseller Program iServer provides fast, reliable Virtual Server Services to thousands of websites including the HTML Writers Guild, and offers the iServer Reseller Program to help you build your successful Internet business. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Featured HWG News Tip: Optimization Techniques (Kynn Bartlett, 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. Brian Bakewell won a great HWG T-shirt for his tip below, on the topic Optimization Techniques for web pages. Your tip could win next! For a complete listing of tips submitted for this issue, please see: http://www.hwg.org/opcenter/newsletter/tips/ [HWG-News Tip: Optimization Techniques-------------------------------] "When designing a site, try to know and understand your target audience. As as example, for my personal site, fully 48% cannot view CSS, and of the ones who can it's a 60/40 split between IE and Netscape. And a little more suprising, 38% of the total cannot view frames! So if I were to use frames for navigation I would need a good alternate site available, and if I used CSS heavily, the site wouldn't function or look proper to very many of my visitors. So I always try to keep in mind who the visitors to any site may be." [-----------------Submitted by Brian Bakewell ] Submitted tips MUST meet the following criteria: 1. They should be no more than 8 lines (500 characters, about 80 words) in length. 2. Tips must be quick, direct, and to-the-point. They should be able to stand alone without further explanation. (URLs to more information are acceptable.) 3. They must address the broad topic announced in the previous newsletter. 4. Commercial advertisements or endorsements ("Use product ABC! It's the best!") will most likely be rejected. In general, tips should follow standard W3C specifications on HTML, CSS, and accessibility whenever appropriate. 5. Tips must be received by the posted deadline, a week from the release of this newsletter. Tips should be emailed to: mailto:hwg-news-tips@hwg.org. 6. The HWG-News editorial staff are the final judges of which tips are selected for publication. 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. 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: Search Engine Placement Here's an example news tip: [HWG-News Tip: Search Engine Placement-------------------------------] "Search engine spiders can't parse images easily -- so if you put your company name in a banner graphic, it may not get indexed! Make sure that you have specified text equivalents for all your images with the ALT attribute -- it helps search engines as well as users of text-only browsers, people with disabilities, and owners of web enabled PDAs and cell phones." [--------------------------Submitted by Kynn Bartlett ] Send us your favorite advice on getting high rankings in the search engines before January 15! 2. Searchbutton.com Search-Enables the Guild Web Site! (Kynn Bartlett, HWG President, search@hwg.org) Have you been by the Guild's homepage lately? It's got a new look to it, and features our new site search engine, provided by the good people at Searchbutton.com. We've also updated the Guild's stylesheet, to give a clean, crisp, *green* look to the site. Searchbutton.com is a company that provides sites with search capabilities without requiring the installation of a site search engine program or CGI script. Instead, Searchbutton spiders your site remotely and creates a searchable database; you can then search-enable your site by adding a simple HTML form. In addition to saving us the time we'd have spent setting up and configuring a search program, Searchbutton.com also provides the Guild with useful statistics on which IP addresses and hostnames are using our site, what the most popular search terms on hwg.org are, and which searches produce no matches. The last type of report could be the most useful, as it tells us areas that we can improve our content offerings! You can try the HWG's new search engine at: http://www.hwg.org/search.html If you're curious about the Guild's new stylesheet, you can read about it at: http://www.hwg.org/styles/ Feedback on the Guild's homepage is always welcome via email to homepage@hwg.org; the URI for the homepage is: http://www.hwg.org/ ..but hopefully you knew that already! 3. Volunteer Opportunity: FAQ Team Members Needed! (Nancy Coulter, FAQ Team Coordinator, faqs@hwg.org) We're looking for knowledgable volunteers! The HWG's Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) program is seeking members who would like to help maintain and write FAQ pages. We are looking for individuals who want to share their knowledge with fellow members of the HWG and the web design community. The FAQ team especially needs members who are subscribed to some of the discussion mailing lists to collect frequently asked questions from the list, and write/maintain the list FAQ. Details about the responsibilities of writing a FAQ and a current list of openings are available at: http://www.hwg.org/resources/faqs/howtoFAQ.html If you haven't looked at our list of FAQs recently, our collection of HWG-member generated FAQs includes all of the following topics: Basic HTML FAQ Cascading Style Sheets FAQ Copyright FAQ CGI FAQ Email Filtering FAQ Email Formatting FAQ Frames FAQ How to Start an HTML Business FAQ Javascript FAQ Perl FAQ Setting Your Rates FAQ XML FAQ For a complete list of web-related FAQs, please visit the Guild's site: http://www.hwg.org/resources/faqs/ [HWG-News Tip Runner-Up: Optimization Techniques---------------------] "In my experience in working with subcontractors who are familiar with design for print, I have found that the simplest, yet most often overlooked, way to optimize a JPG photo file is to convert it from 24-bit to 8-bit format. Using an optimized pallette and error diffusion there is not a noticable loss of quality, yet the image file can be reduced to 1/2 its original size or less." [-------------------Submitted by Michael Liimatta ] 4. Upcoming Online Classes: ASP, XML, CSS, HTML, Web Accessibility (Ann Navarro, Online Education Director, classes@hwg.org) Are you confused by long strings of acronyms such as ASP, XML, and CSS? Have you heard of some of the latest web technologies but never got a chance to figure out how exactly to apply them to your web design projects? Did you resolve to expand your skill set in the year 2000? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then we've got the solution for you -- the HTML Writers Guild's online education program! 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: Active Server Pages for Non-Programmers Dates: January 17, 2000 - February 25, 2000 (6 weeks) Tuition: $40 Full members, $70 Trial members Details: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/ms101.3.html The programming techniques of ASP introduce interactive dimensions to static web pages. Enhance your skills now with this exciting new format for our ASP course! Introduction to XML Dates: January 17, 2000 - February 25, 2000 (6 weeks) Tuition: $25 Full members, $50 Trial members Details: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/x101.5.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. Introduction to Cascading Style Sheets Dates: February 7, 2000 - March 17, 2000 (6 weeks) Tuition: $40 Full members, $70 Trial members Details: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/h151.8.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! Introduction to HTML 4.0 Dates: February 7, 2000 - March 17, 2000 (6 weeks) Tuition: $40 Full members, $70 Trial members Details: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/h101.11.html Leave your WYSIWYG editor behind and explore the nuts and bolts that make web pages function! Designing for Universal Accessibility with HTML 4.0 Dates: February 14, 2000 - March 26, 2000 (6 weeks) Tuition: $40 Full members, $70 Trial members Details: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/d201.8.html Can your web site be used by everyone, including people with disabilities, older browsers, and hand-held computers? If you're not sure, take this course; it could change the way you view the web! 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. 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. Guild Events in Your Future (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/ * VBits http://www.vbits99.com/ San Francisco, CA Feb 12 - Feb 17, 2000 Frank Boumphrey will be speaking on using VB and XML to create web applications. * Intranets 2000 http://www.intranets2000.com/ San Jose, CA Feb 27 - Mar 1, 2000 We will be presenting two workshops at this conference, on 'Basic XML' and 'Advanced HTML authoring'. * WinWriters Online Help Conference http://www.winwriters.com/ohc.htm San Diego, CA Mar 5 - Mar 9, 2000 We will be having a booth at this conference and we will be presenting a workshop on "Using XHTML for Universal Display and Accessibility". * SHARE: Practical Information for IT Professionals http://www.share.org/anaheim Anaheim, CA Mar 5 - Mar 10, 2000 HWG President and AWARE Center director Kynn Bartlett will be presenting "Meeting the Accessibility Challenge: Can Everyone Use Your Web Site?" on March 6. * CSUN's International Conference on Technology and People with Disabilities http://www.csun.edu/cod/ Northridge, CA March 20-25, 2000 The Guild will be sponsoring a booth at this event, which focuses on the use of technology to overcome disability barriers! Learn more about the web as assistive technology at http://aware.hwg.org/ * 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." 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 Runner-Up: Optimization Techniques---------------------] "Want to have smaller pages that load faster and that contain the same amount of information? Then NEVER use WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) programs, they always put extraneous lines in the code. If you use programs like that, always clean up the files before you upload them." [----------------------Submitted by Mihai Zaharie ] 6. This Month's Town Hall Meeting -- 27 January 2000 (Fred Barnett, HWG Assistant Secretary, fred@hwg.org) Each month, the Guild provides an opportunity for real-time discussion and chatting via HWG Interactive. These monthly meetings are hosted by members of the Governing Board (with most of them in attendance), and give our members the chance to voice your views about the HWG. The details on January's town hall meeting are: 27 January Town Hall Meeting Date: Thursday, 27 January 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. In February, we will not have a town hall meeting but instead will have our annual online membership meeting, open to all members and featuring reports on the state of the Guild. More details will be announced in later newsletters, but you can mark down the date of Thursday, February 24 on your calendar! 7. Frequently Asked Questions about the HWG-News Newsletter (HWG-News Newsletter Editor, editor@hwg.org) This newsletter was co-edited by Marshall Jansen and Kynn Bartlett . Special thanks to Leanne Phillips, Ann Navarro, and Liz Bartlett for many months of excellent copy editing! 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: 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 (714) 526-4963. Discounts are available to Guild Business and Corporate members, as well as for multiple placements. The Guild's newsletter reaches over 107,000 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.