Developing a Home Page : Adding Content
The key to a successful web page is a a combination of two
elements:
This is not at all surprising; but after you browse the web for a
while, you'll quickly understand that these concerns are honored more
in the breech than in practice.
Content:
Starting from Scratch
- This is what we've done already -- setting up our moose accounts
with the public_html directory, creating an index.html document,
editing it with pico.
Cutting and Pasting (aka "repurposing")
- The next major technique is to "recycle, reuse" existing
documents, most easily by cutting and pasting. On a Macintosh or
Windows machine, we would "cut" a section from a word processor
document and "paste" it into a web file on moose using pico.
Sharing and Linking (aka "collaboration")
- The "view" document feature exists in our browsers is
designed to help us learn from experts - if we see a format or a
document we like, we can open it up, see how it works, and copy
what we want. We can use the "cut and paste" feature, or we can
use a "save as" feature -- saving a whole document, and then
re-editing it locally. If we want a whole document, as is, and
not just it's "style", then we should either make a "live link"
to the original, or edit the copy enough so that the original
author is clearly identified. Sharing is not
plagerism.
Off-line Preparation (aka "uploading")
- The "unix" interface is a bit primitive compared to modern
word processors. With a little bit of legerdemain, it is possible
to prepare a document with your word processor and the upload it
to moose for display.
- Three procedures are available:
- Save as Text:
Create an HTML file locally in a word processor, save the
file as an ("ASCII") text file, and upload that file.
- Save a WP file as RFT:
Most word processors support an "portable" RTF format ("rich
text file"). "Post processors" programs can then
automatically convert RTF to HTML. The HTML file is then
uploaded.
- Save a WP file as HTML:
The very latest versions of Microsoft Word (6.0 plus) and
WordPerfect 6.1, can convert a WP document to HTML directly.
Just "save as html" and then upload.
Design
Here's what the experts say -- the good and the bad.
Ten Steps to Success
Ten Steps to Disaster
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