Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:  
Summary: The perfect book for beginners
Comment: The book is clear, concise and comprehensive. It covers from how to get a domain name to how to accept credit card payments.I like the emphasis in formating using CSS instead html. This was a new concept for me. The author introduces java scripts and dynamic html. I missed a chapter about how to organize, and keep update the whole web site (sometimes with hundreds of web pages, pictures, icons, etc...). It was one of my first book about the topic and I really think that it's a powefull introductory book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable walk through the essential steps in web site creation.
Comment: Title: Creating Your Own Websites
Author: Matthew MacDonald
Publisher: Pogue Press/O'Reilly
ISBN: 0-596-00842-2
Pages: 535 pages
Reviewer: Philip High
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
I'm sure we all have experienced the frustrating incompleteness and illogic of many software manuals. This book is part of an impressive series billed as: "The book that should have been in the box" put out by Pogue Press. It's the first one I have read but I would have to agree with their tag line, and if the others are anything like it I would definitely be interested in checking them out.
Of course a comprehensive set of web building tools doesn't come in one box -- no matter how hard some publishers try to bundle and brand it as such. That's one reason this overview is so handy. It ties together all the major issues in one current (for the moment) volume. A lot of territory is covered here: HTML, style sheets, graphics, tables, frames, site-promotion, merchandising, JavaScript, Audio, Video, Blogs, and more. Obviously there is only room to layout the basics for each of these topics, but the coverage is well selected, to the point, and surprisingly useful. At the same time it isn't an off-putting encyclopedia but an enjoyable walk through the essential steps in web site creation.
For web beginners this is an excellent place to start. Even the introduction is worth reading! The major subjects covered are: creating web pages, making pages look beautiful, putting it online, attracting visitors, making money, and adding frills. These topics and related material are presented in five divisions, each with several chapters. Along the way you'll find plenty of good advice on such things as what software to use, how to choose service providers, and where to go for more information.
Although the book seems to speak to the aspiring beginner, those with experience will probably find it fills in some gaps in their knowledge and serves as a great reference to have on hand. You might especially appreciate it if you have friends or clients who ask you web related questions about things you've done, but not recently, or without much thought. In other words, it can make you look as if you actually know what you're doing -- very handy indeed! For me it was a pleasure just to read a manual that was so well written and contained genuinely useful information, even if some of it was review. Personally, I have been interested in learning more about CSS lately and originally picked up the book for this section alone.
There are two useful Appendixes. "A" is HTML tags. It's a pretty basic list but the descriptions are good and fairly detailed. Appendix "B" is a healthy selection of links that are conveniently grouped by the chapters they relate to in the text. I found this much easier to use than just having them scattered throughout. There is also a note on the inside back cover that reads: "The Missing CD-ROM. -- There is no CD-ROM with this book; you just saved $5.00." It's a clever way to point you to the website, www.missingmanuals.com that contains files referenced in the text, additional information, and updates. Sure it's a gimmick to keep your attention, but it's also a useful feature and an extended digital benefit we've come to expect with our analogue pages. Who needs another disposable CD anyway?
Customer Rating:
Summary: Creating Web Sites - The Missing Manual Book Review
Comment:
Title: Creating Web Sites - The Missing Manual
Author: Matthew MacDonald
Publisher: Pogue Press/O'Reilly
ISBN: 0-596-00842-2
Pages: 535 pages
Reviewer: Philip High
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
I'm sure we all have experienced the frustrating incompleteness and illogic of many software manuals. This book is part of an impressive series billed as: "The book that should have been in the box" put out by Pogue Press. It's the first one I have read but I would have to agree with their tag line, and if the others are anything like it I would definitely be interested in checking them out.
Of course a comprehensive set of web building tools doesn't come in one box - no matter how hard some publishers try to bundle and brand it as such. That's one reason this overview is so handy. It ties together all the major issues in one current (for the moment) volume. A lot of territory is covered here: HTML, style sheets, graphics, tables, frames, site-promotion, merchandising, JavaScript, Audio, Video, Blogs, and more. Obviously there is only room to layout the basics for each of these topics, but the coverage is well selected, to the point, and surprisingly useful. At the same time it isn't an off-putting encyclopedia but an enjoyable walk through the essential steps in web site creation.
For web beginners this is an excellent place to start. Even the introduction is worth reading! The major subjects covered are: creating web pages, making pages look beautiful, putting it online, attracting visitors, making money, and adding frills. These topics and related material are presented in five divisions, each with several chapters. Along the way you'll find plenty of good advice on such things as what software to use, how to choose service providers, and where to go for more information.
Although the book seems to speak to the aspiring beginner, those with experience will probably find it fills in some gaps in their knowledge and serves as a great reference to have on hand. You might especially appreciate it if you have friends or clients who ask you web related questions about things you've done, but not recently, or without much thought. In other words, it can make you look as if you actually know what you're doing - very handy indeed! For me it was a pleasure just to read a manual that was so well written and contained genuinely useful information, even if some of it was review. Personally, I have been interested in learning more about CSS lately and originally picked up the book for this section alone.
There are two useful Appendixes. "A" is HTML tags. It's a pretty basic list but the descriptions are good and fairly detailed. Appendix "B" is a healthy selection of links that are conveniently grouped by the chapters they relate to in the text. I found this much easier to use than just having them scattered throughout. There is also a note on the inside back cover that reads: "The Missing CD-ROM. - There is no CD-ROM with this book; you just saved $5.00." It's a clever way to point you to the website, www.missingmanuals.com that contains files referenced in the text, additional information, and updates. Sure it's a gimmick to keep your attention, but it's also a useful feature and an extended digital benefit we've come to expect with our analogue pages. Who needs another disposable CD anyway?
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good basic resource that ties a lot of different concepts together
Comment: Finally someone has written a book about creating a web site that pulls together the scattered points of focus of the programming, design, and marketing components. Generally each of these has their own viewpoint of how a website should be designed or used and they often conflict. In this book Matthew MacDonald teaches the basics of html programming but then follows that up by moving the reader forward into the world of website design. In this section he points out that while programmers may think one way another design might be better from a user interface standpoint and explains why this is the case. He does an excellent job of explaining why one method is preferred over another and when it would not be the preferred choice. Beyond programming the author also includes information on connecting with your audience, using keywords to get search engine rankings and similar marketing information. The book includes some basic information on JavaScript, Dynamic HTML, creating Fancy Buttons, and even creating a blog. This book does not cover any of those areas in detail and if you are an average programmer in any of those disciplines you will find no programming information that you don't already know. On the other hand, the programming books delve deeper into programming without ever giving the reader the entire picture of how it all must work together to provide a complete experience for everyone involved. In short Creating Web Sites contains all the basics you need in order to create a basic site that is attractive and creates a pleasant experience for a visitor and is a recommended read.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Comment: This book is a great starting point for people wanting to set up their first website, or even weblog.
The book is broken up into four sections, covering how to plan your site, find a good webhost and register your funky new domain name, through to a primer for HTML and CSS and web graphics and finishing off with some excellent advice on how to attract visitors to your site, and how to get them to stay! The final section looks at 'web frills', adding javascript, audio and video to your site.
The book is firmly aimed at the web-novice - some of the sections on html and css are fairly basic, but cover the material well, staying clear of the too much jargon pitfall that dogs other books on the subject. Even so, there are some excellent tips and examples which taught me some new things!
As with all O'Reilly books, the style is clear and concise, with clear examples and pictures illustrating key points.
So. Recommended for beginners and worth chccking out for those past the first steps in building a website. Overall, a fine book.
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