Take a Break: Consider HTML

Just for grins, imagine for a moment what would have been required to do this with a manually based site:

• Create HTML code, using multiple tables.

• Use an image-editing program like Photoshop to create graphics.

• Create and test multiple HTML pages for each link located on the page.

• Keep track of all these links and update every page when a new one is created.

• Upload all the files to the right location and name everything correctly.

• Whenever any changes are made, update the files on your computer, then upload any files, and make sure you do it in exactly the right way, to exactly the right location.

• Recheck HTML code because if one tiny thing is not exactly right, it could end up breaking the site.

I don’t want to scare you by telling you how much time it would require to learn all the things required to do what I just described. In some cases, it can be helpful to know HTML code. In fact, regardless of what your plans are, I do recommend doing the following:

• Go to www.w3schools.com/html/html_links.asp and try out some tutorials.

• Start a blog at Blogger.com and try entering in sentences or adding a link, or other formatting, under the Compose tab in a blog post.

• Switch back and forth between the HTML tab and Compose tab as you’re trying things.

• Try out Google sites and look for the HTML icon when you’re editing a page and exploring it.

But I think it’s helpful to step back and consider how much effort is required for manually creating and maintaining a website, in order to develop an appreciation for how much a CMS-based site like Google Sites or Drupal can help. It can significantly reduce the amount of technical knowledge you need, and it can also significantly reduce the room for error, if the system is handling a lot of the technical things.

In fairness, the reason I still recommend exploring HTML is so that you won’t feel intimidated by it. Chances are you will run into a situation with a CMS-based site where it will be helpful to know something about HTML, such as situations where you might want to bring in a snippet of code to make something work, like a Google Ajax wizard (see later chapters).