Creating Web Sites Bible Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)As of this review, I was on Chapter four.
There is a lot of info packed into this book, but also a lot of errors and typos.
The first tutorial web page they walk a person through on pages 114 / 115 has so many errors that it will not look anything like the finished product on page 116.
I wasted a lot of time attempting to figure out what the errors were, having to search other sections of the book for the proper code elements. THEN I had to play with the code elements to learn that the first example cannot be done the way they presented it!
The first tutorial shows this for aligning a headline center (I had to use parenthesis instead of the lesser than < and greater than > symbols so the actual code would show up here):
(p align"center"") (h3)Making Kimchi using an ordered list(h3)(p)
This does not work. It must look like this:
(h3 align="center") Making Kimchi using an order list(/h3)
The most frequently missing item is the forward slash / that is supposed to be at the end of nearly all HTML tags, according to the authors! They even say "If your screen differs in appearance slightly, don't worry about it."
WHAT GOOD IS A TUTORIAL IF MINE DOES NOT LOOK LIKE THE EXAMPLE?!
Just be prepared to have to figure stuff out on your own.

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Updated for the most recent tools, techniques, and standards for creating cutting-edge Web sites for businesses or personal use, this book is one-stop shopping for HTML, JavaScript, CSS, tables, forms, Flash, and more
Brand-new chapters cover Ajax, Adobe CS3 tools, RSS, and blogging tools
Hands-on guidance and expert advice dive into such topics as creating and editing images and graphics, adding multimedia elements (e.g., Flash animations, audio, and video), creating stores for Yahoo! and Amazon.com, designing auction pages for eBay, and building blogs

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Sams Teach Yourself Web Publishing with HTML and CSS in One Hour a Day: Includes New HTML5 Coverage (6th Edition) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Having been a Web developer a while back, I wanted a reference book that serves as a refresher on HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) -- and this book fits the bill perfectly. However, for someone who has no prior knowledge of HTML and CSS, this book comes up a little short. While it may be quite comprehensive in the topics it covers, it lacks a certain cohesiveness that would allow a beginner to use it as a practical guide for real world Web publishing. First, let's talk organization.
- Organization
This book has made a heroic effort to be comprehensive by attempting to cover everything from basic topics (e.g. tables, forms) to intermediate topics (e.g. embedding videos, absolute vs relative position, layers) to more advanced topics (e.g. Javascript [arrays, data types, loops, etc.], relational databases, server-side programming). That's all well and good, but it sometimes goes into so much of the nitty-gritty details that a beginner can easily lose sight of the complete picture. I feel it would be much better if the book had given a birds-eye view to get a beginner up to speed with the overall framework of a Web page before it went into the details.
- Practicality
The book barely touches on some important topics such as WYSIWYG editors (WYSIWYG is the acronym for "What You See Is What You Get" - pronounced wis-see-wig). *Real world* Web publishing use WYSIWYG editors (such as Adobe Dreamweaver) and other tools to expedite the development of Web sites. Hand-coding Web pages from scratch is almost never done. Mind you, I'm not saying learning how HTML/CSS works "under the hood" isn't important -- nothing can be further from the truth! My point is the book could have made more than passing mention of some of the practical aspects of Web publishing.
In addition, the book fails to sufficiently elaborate on the relationship between Javascript and HTML/CSS. Javascript, of course, is a major topic by itself -- in fact whole books are written on it - but the book could have at least made a stronger connection between HTML/CSS and Javascript since Javascript is so inextricably tied to HTML and CSS. Javascript is the basis for dynamic or interactive (vs. "static") Web pages.
- No Companion CD
The major beef I have with this book is that it doesn't have a companion CD with functioning Web pages that illustrate the HTML and CSS concepts covered in the book. At the very least, the book should have included a CD with the HTML and CSS examples presented in the book. Remember, HTML and CSS is best learned by example and experimentation. In this age of cheap storage media, there is simply no excuse to not include a companion CD.
- The Devil Is In The Details
Developing a highly-functional and complex Web page is a very involved process (the operative word here is *involved*). The book doesn't really discuss the problem of cross-browser compatibility. For example, different browsers (such as Firefox, Safari, Opera, and Chrome) render some elements a little differently - enough to significantly alter or "break" your intended Web page design.
---
The bottom line: Sams Teach Yourself Web Publishing will get you up to speed with building a very basic Web page with relatively static (vs. dynamic) content. For a more practical guide to HTML/CSS for a beginner, you might want to consider Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML. Unlike Sams Teach Yourself Web Publishing with HTML and CSS, it doesn't just explain HTML/CSS with snippets of code, but walks you through the step-by-step building of functioning Web pages.


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Sams Teach Yourself Web Publishing with HTML and CSS in One Hour a Day, Sixth Edition is the latest edition of the original worldwide bestseller. The entire book has been thoroughly revised and refined to include new detailed coverage of HTML5, the next major revision of the core language of the World Wide Web, HTML. Work on the HTML5 specification is still ongoing, but parts of HTML5 are already being implemented in new versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari and Opera.

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eBay Timesaving Techniques for Dummies Review

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(More customer reviews)I originally thought about entitling this review "Don't Buy This Book1". Why? Because the last thing I need is more organized competition on eBay. This book takes you from the beginner's level to the pro level by giving you tips that would take you years to learn on your own. I know, you think that eBay is only a hobby. But do you like throwing away money? If you do get out of the business. Ebay is a business and you are in business to make money and this book shows you how to make money. No this isn't a "Get Rich Quick" book. It is comprised of over 60 timesaving tips that will do nothing more then save you time and make your bottom line much better. What more can you ask for from a book?
Just don't tell too many of your "competitors" about this book. After all, why should they benefit from your being smart enough to buy this book.

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So, you've gotten started on eBay. You've made a few purchases and your first sale. You may have even built a moneymaking business. Now you're looking for ways to ratchet things up. You're looking for the insider tips and tricks for the easiest ways to take care of listing items, completing transactions, and keeping good records and you don't have the time to do all the research. eBay Timesaving Techniques For Dummies is the book for you.
Marsha Collier, an eBay University instructor and best selling author of eBay For Dummies and Starting an eBay Business For Dummies, has collected the fastest and most effective techniques for finding items to sell, setting up your sales pages, pricing items to move, getting the word out about your business, collecting payments, shipping your item, and taking care of all the paperwork. Time is money after all. So why waste time when you can be making money on eBay. This book contains over 60 step-by-step techniques proven to add efficiency to your eBay operation.
Includes coverage of:
Finding sources for merchandise to sell on eBay
Setting attractive prices and shipping costs
Handling multiple sales without losing your cool
Prettying up your auctions with digital photo and HTML tricks
Tracking payments and shipments and keeping your customers happy
Working with PayPal, both on and off of eBay
Enhancing your status in the eBay community
Simplifying your bookkeeping
Creating marketing, merchandising, and advertising plans

Solving problems quickly when they occur

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Build Your Own Web Site The Right Way Using HTML & CSS, 2nd Edition Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I'm planning on using this book as a text for an intro to web design course. Overall, it is a great introduction.
What I like about the book are:
It's generally got a great flow [one exception below - ch.8] and has very good explanations for how HTML & CSS are used together to make well designed web pages. The text easily moves from the basic (html tags) to novice (basic CSS) and then more advanced topics like adding graphics, positioning, using tables, and implementing forms. The content is provided in a very accessible way that builds upon previous learnings. And the information is presented in a fashion that most newcomers to web design/publishing can easily understand.
The main caveats I have with the book are:
The book propounds using XHTML, which is still a hotly debated topic whether it should even be used for making public web pages. XHTML is arguably a dead standard as of Dec. 2009. It's also problematic since XHTML STILL is not properly parsed by the most widely used browser in the marketplace (MSIE) - esp. when served as "text/html" as recommended in this book. XHTML pages often "just break" or refuse to properly work with IE, and using XHMTL can break typical usage of some scripting languages, esp. JavaScript. There's even a Sitepoint XHTML vs. HTML FAQ (the publishers of this book) suggesting NEVER to use XHTML unless you have a very specific application that NEEDS to use it. Just because XHTML is popular, doesn't mean it's proper, and it can cause more headaches than it's worth. Kind of like using OOPHP - sure it has its place, but I wouldn't call it obligatory.
I would have moved the content of Chapter 8 into Chapter 1. It would be helpful for readers to know about web hosting and connecting to said host before attempting to publish their pages. To my mind this is definitely a "Setting Up Shop" activity - in fact I'd have these tasks prerequisite to those in Chapter 1. What's the point of creating web pages if you have no where to post them for others to see?
A possibly bigger issue is that Chapter 9 "Adding a Blog..." is nearly useless now that Blogger no longer supports FTP publishing (announced in Feb 2010 and unsupported as of May 2010). Including an entire chapter that has a "single point of failure," such as relying on a singular service that's avail. today to be around tomorrow doesn't seem like very good planning to me. It would've been nice if another, more generic alternative were presented (such as just linking to one's Blogger or Wordpress blog and how to configure them so they at least look similar, if not integrated).
It's still a pretty good book, and I'm going to use it for the class, with strong warnings about the fallability of XHTML. In class, we're going to use HTML 4.01 Strict.

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Build Your Own Website The Right Way Using HTML & CSS, 2nd Edition teaches web development from scratch, without assuming any previous knowledge of HTML, CSS or web development techniques. This book introduces you to HTML and CSS as you follow along with the author, step-by-step, to build a fully functional web site from the ground up.

However, unlike countless other "learn web design" books, this title concentrates on modern, best-practice techniques from the very beginning, which means you'll get it right the first time. The web sites you'll build will:


Look good on a PC, Mac or Linux computer Render correctly whether your visitors are using Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, or Safari Use web standards so your sites will be fast loading and easy to maintain Be accessible to disabled users who use screenreaders to browse the Web
By the end of the book, you'll be equipped with enough knowledge to set out on your first projects as a professional web developer, or you can simply use the knowledge you've gained to create attractive, functional, usable and accessible sites for personal use.

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WordPress For Dummies, 3rd Edition Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is Lisa Sabin-Wilson's 3rd Edition of her bedrock "WordPress For Dummies". I own all three editions and each is thicker and filled with more knowledge than the prior edition. If anyone asks me how to learn, manage and use WordPress, this is what I recommend.
It is truly A through Z coverage. Sabin-Wilson is, in my opinion, one of the best technical writers around. Her language is clear, uncluttered and free of artifice.
Logically enough, she begins at the very beginning explaining what WordPress can do for you. To her credit, she doesn't hold it out as a panacea for all that ails you. She doesn't promise you that you'll earn millions or will win public office. Sabin-Wilson simply tells you how to set up your blog and then moves progressively into the minutiae of creating and managing a WordPress blog. (And yes, operating a blog is like most other things in the world - a series of small details that you must repeatedly (i.e., daily or thereabouts) attend to. In fact, one of the chapters is appropriately entitled "Establishing Your Blog Routine".
"Wordpress For Dummies" is thorough. The WordPress Dashboard is explained as is the use and, perhaps more importantly, the customization of themes. (With WordPress, your blog or website can look however you like it, but getting it right is not necessarily simple.)
Another important Sabin-Wilson covers in some detail is using WordPress as a Content Management System. Although she treats it in some detail, I personally wish that she would write a book on this subject alone.
In all, none of the other WordPress books I've read - and there are quite a few of them - measure up to the standard that Linda Sabin-Wilson has set in all three editions of "WordPress For Dummies". Each edition has been extensively revised to stay as current as possible with WordPress releases.
A total delight to read and use, it is, in my opinion, the gold standard for learning, managing and using WordPress.
Jerry

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The bestselling guide to WordPress, fully updated for newest version of WordPress

WordPress, the popular, free blogging platform, has been updated with new features and improvements. Bloggers who are new to WordPress will learn to take full advantage of its flexibility and usability with the advice in this friendly guide.
Previous editions have sold nearly 50,000 copies, and interest in blogging continues to explode.
WordPress is a state-of-the-art blog platform that emphasizes aesthetics, Web standards, and usability
WordPress For Dummies, 3rd Edition covers both the free-hosted WordPress.com version and WordPress.org, which requires users to purchase Web hosting services
Written by an expert who works directly with the developers and cofounder of WordPress
Shows readers how to set up and maintain a blog with WordPress and how to use all the new features

Like its earlier editions, WordPress For Dummies, 3rd Edition helps bloggers quickly and easily take advantage of everything this popular blogging tool has to offer.

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New School Wedding Photographer: Skip the Second Shooter / Assistant Role Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Alright, this book is not really what I was expecting. I guess i was expecting real information? A well written book? Something worth $20? Here are few things you should know if you're thinking about purchasing it:
- It's about 100 pages with enormous sized doubled-spaced font. It's practically a pamphlet.
- Taylor doesn't seem to know the different between "your" (possessive) and "you're" (you are).
- The guy can't write. At all. I'm guessing he hasn't yet completed the eighth grade. Obviously this book wasn't edited.
- He mentions several times what the book is about in the first few pages, "all about using social media", "all about building the groundwork for a successful wedding photography business", and "how I skipped the second shooter/assistance role". So...which one is it really "all about"?
- Its completely unorganized.
- All of the info in this book can be found online.
- Oh you want to know what info this book has? Stuff like: have a blog, Facebook, & Twitter, back up your photos, and "you'll have to work on Saturdays".
- I'm pretty sure all the reviews of this book were written by the author and/or his friends. There's no way possible a real customer gave this book 5 stars, let alone six customers.
The book is a joke and complete waste of money. I should have just vomited on a twenty dollar bill instead of buying it.

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Hey all, this book is 120 pages of blog-ish content. It is for beginner photographers looking to get into the wedding industry. If you already have a website, and have shot a few weddings, it's probably not the right book for you. If you're sitting at square one right now, and looking for a suggested direction, and a few short cuts along the way, this is more up your alley.If the $20 you spend here helps book a wedding in the future, it's easily paid for itself.It is not a guide to overnight success. There is a lot of hard work that goes into something as life changing as a new work-for-yourself career.-----------------------------Social media is changing the face of wedding photography.It's now even easier to get up and running with a little help from Facebook and Twitter.It's all about laying the proper groundwork for a business that willmake you happy in the future.This book will help you create a business that targets couples that you really get along with, and have fun with.Beyond that, it's about creating your ideal lifestyle, as well asportfolio - and using social media (Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Etc) tohelp grow your business.This is the book to read if you're just getting started as a wedding photographer. It details the steps I took to go from 0 weddings one season, to 37 weddings the next year and 47 the year following.--------------------------------It is broken up into the following sections:Part 1: Getting Up and Running (FAST!)Detailed advice on how to set yourself up for success in the future.Part 2: ShootingWalk through a wedding day, and remove some uncertainty from the days events. Another perspective on how to professionally photograph a weddingPart 3: Two Day WorkflowDon't spend all of your time managing behind the scenes activities, and regain some of your life freedomPart 4: A Few More Advanced TopicsGeneral information about how to keep your business growing.Part 5: Advanced Social Media and Online MarketingBook more weddings by getting smart on the web.--------------------New School Wedding Photographer is written from my experience, and contains information about how I would suggest starting a wedding photography business right now.

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