Websites

Production

a host of skills

Producing a Website takes many different skills. It is not like using a word processor even though it might look that way to the visitor.

• The Web page itself is actually written in program code called HTML which has standards set by W3C and are interpreted by the browser to show the page you see. These standards try to ensure compatibility among all browsers. That is why it is important to follow them.
• Speaking about standards, there are standards that the search engines use to find and list sites that need to be known and understood to ensure placement. They are not published by the search engines, but ignoring them is a ticket obscurity.
• The look of the page is adjusted by another type of programming code called CSS which helps the browser place the components of the page precisely.
• Interactivity with the Web page by a visitor is accomplished through forms that are processed by another program written in PHP or ASP or PERL to have the desired effect such as send a message or be stored in a database.
• Creating and adjusting the graphics takes skill with a graphics program to get just the right look that fits with the rest of the site.
• Skills in Shock-wave/Flash allow video and sound to be played on a Website in real time like the ones you see on YouTube.com. Composing and working with these files takes another complete skill set.

Finally the interaction with the server to transfer files (that make up the Website) back and forth is accomplished using FTP which is a type of protocol Web servers can understand.

Learning and perfecting these skills takes years of experience with many programs. There are shortcuts, using templates and all-purpose Website programs, but there is always something that the client wants that is unique to their business.

See examples of how I have provided what my clients want.