Sebastopol, CA—Think you need an army of skilled programmers to build a website? Think again. With nothing more than an ordinary PC, some raw ambition, and Matthew MacDonald's Creating a Web Site: The Missing Manual, 2nd Edition (O'Reilly, $29.99), you’ll learn how to create and maintain a professional-looking and visitor-friendly site. This thoroughly revised, new edition gives you all the tools, techniques, and expert advice you need.
"Bookstore shelves are packed with Web design books written years ago. These older books don't cover the up-to-the-minute techniques your site needs to distinguish itself, make money, and show up in search results. Creating a Web Site corrects those mistakes--and includes all the advice and guidance you need to build a modern Web site," writes MacDonald, an author and programmer extraordinaire. His books include Excel 2007: The Missing Manual, Your Brain: The Missing Manual, and over a dozen books about programming with the Microsoft .NET Framework.
And with MacDonald's new book by your side, you’ll learn how to:
- Create Web pages. XHTML (Extensible HyperText Markup Language) is the modern language of the Web, and the latest stage in the evolution of HTML. It’s surprisingly easy to use but maddeningly inflexible--violate its strict syntax rules at your own peril. In this book, you’ll learn how to write first-rate XHTML pages and get the most out of the language.
- Make pages look beautiful using CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). CSS picks up where XHTML leaves off, adding formatting muscle that can transform the drabbest of sites into a family of coordinated pages that look like they were professionally designed. Best of all, once you understand the right way to use CSS, you’ll be able to apply a new look to your entire site by tweaking just a single file.
- Put your Web site online. The world’s greatest Web site isn’t much good if no one sees it. That’s why you’ll learn how to choose the best Web hosting company, pick a domain name, and get your masterpiece online. Don’t panic--there are plenty of cheap Web hosting companies ready to show off your site for pennies a day.
- Attract visitors. You’ll learn how to make sure people can find your site using popular search engines and how to build an online community that encourages repeat visits with discussion boards.
- Get rich (or at least earn some spare change). The Web’s a lynchpin of retail commerce, but even ordinary people can make money selling products (using convenient services like PayPal) or displaying ads (with Google). You’ll learn how to get in on the action.
- Pile on the frills. Every Web site worth its salt boasts a few cool tricks. You’ll learn how to dazzle visitors with cool buttons, slick menus, and other flashy elements, courtesy of JavaScript and Dynamic XHTML. You’ll even learn how to (shudder) serenade visitors with background music.
Indeed, this isn't just another dry, uninspired book on how to create a Web site. Creating a Web Site: The Missing Manual is the witty and intelligent guide you need to make your ideas and vision a web reality.
For a review copy or more information please email peyton@oreilly.com. Please include your delivery address and contact information.
Matthew MacDonald is an author and programmer extraordinaire. His books include Excel 2007: TheMissingManual, Access 2007: The Missing Manual, and over a dozen books about programming with the Microsoft .NETFramework. He's also the author of Your Brain: The Missing Manual, a quirky exploration into the odd and wondrous world of your squishy gray matter. In a dimly remembered past life, he studied English literature and theoretical physics.
Additional Resources:
For more information about the book, including table of contents, index, author bios, and cover graphic, see:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596520977
Matthew MacDonald
ISBN: 9780596520977, 606 pages, Book Price: $29.99 USD, £22.99 GBP
PDF Price: $23.99 USD
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