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Creating Web Sites: The Missing Manual: Create Websites That Draw Traffic with Latest Tech

November 11, 2005

Sebastopol, CA--"With the real-world tips and tricks throughout this book, any reader can build a web site that looks like a 21st-century web site," promises Matthew MacDonald, author of the new Creating Web Sites: The Missing Manual (O'Reilly, US $29.95). This practical and comprehensive guide explains web site fundamentals and the best techniques and tools for easily creating and maintaining a personal or small-business site that is visitor-friendly, thoroughly modern, and brimming with the slickest new features.

Whether creating a first page from scratch, or resurrecting an existing site that's decidedly uncool, readers will learn the best way to build great web sites--from concept phase through to web hosting, and make it stand out with modern formatting practices. In fact, everything about the book is modern: it uses style sheets (CSS) from the beginning, devotes a whole chapter to blogging, and takes into account the hottest new browser (FireFox).

MacDonald's Creating Web Sites: The Missing Manual is a down-to-earth tutorial that quickly brings even the most non-technical readers up to speed on web language and the how-to's of web site building with the following:

  • The Basics--Includes a basic primer on HTML, working with JavaScript, and incorporating useful services like Amazon's associate program, and Google AdSense and AdWords
  • The Applications--Covers top web page design applications Dreamweaver and FrontPage, and delivers advanced tricks for structuring text, adding graphics, linking pages, and making the most of layout and frames
  • Attracting Visitors--Discusses how to attract visitors and identify and connect with a site's audience and use cool JavaScript tricks and clever ways to add audio, video, Flash animation, and other dynamic content
  • Web Hosting--How to assess needs, find a good web hosting company, and transfer files to a web server
  • Making Money--Shows how to use innovative offerings from companies like PayPal and Yahoo! to create simple shopping carts and take online orders--without a stitch of programming
  • Web Interactivity--Learn how to use blogs and host online forums to build a community and let visitors talk back
  • Most importantly, Creating Web Sites: The Missing Manual is practical, assures MacDonald: "The book doesn't cover every nook and cranny of HTML if it's not useful or widely used--after all, who has time for a history lesson? It does answer the questions that ordinary people really need answered."

    This witty and intelligent Missing Manual comes with all the vital information, clear-headed advice, and detailed instructions people need to make their ideas and vision a web reality.

    Additional Resources:

    Creating Web Sites: The Missing Manual
    Matthew MacDonald
    ISBN: 0-596-00842-2, 559 pages, $29.95 US
    order@oreilly.com
    1-800-998-9938; 1-707-827-7000

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