Comments | graphicdesign: Lynda.com?

kisha in graphicdesign

Lynda.com?

Mar 08, 2010 16:17

So, I'm delving into web stuff for the first time. I have NO clue about Dreamweaver/HTML/CSS, and I'm getting extremely discouraged (I don't even know basic html). I've been reading books, finding online tutorials via YouTube, Adobe, random sites, etc. I even installed Firebug to see how other sites are created. But just can't get it ( Read more... )

skills & professional development, web design

Comments 15

mackilyn March 8 2010, 22:01:06 UTC

W3C Schools can be a good place to start and is free.
http://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp

I have heard really great things about Lynda though.

mackilyn March 8 2010, 22:06:29 UTC

oh p.s. I saw that you mentioned you are using Dreamweaver for the first time. Try to stay away from tutorials that teach you to create web pages in Dreamweaver's design view. I feel like it's a bad habit to get into. Makes for really messy looking code and... well, lots of other problems! Try to write the code without it. Or at least use split view so you know how your code looks. Design view can add some unnecessary junk.

llbreedll March 9 2010, 01:23:51 UTC

I agree wholeheartedly. It's been a long time since I've even clicked on Dreamweaver's design view tab. For the most part, I type out the html for a site's entire structure by hand, then jump back to the CSS.

thrivis March 8 2010, 22:42:33 UTC

I agree about W3 Schools: I used this website in college and still use it. W3 is a great resource for beginners, and has reference pages any skill level would find useful. Though you'll need to look at other resources for anything advanced.

And I agree with Mackilyn's suggestion to learn how to design without Dreamweaver first - learn the code so you can make manual changes when DW doesn't quite do what you want, or you can clean up the code when DW puts a lot of redundant code in.

kisha March 8 2010, 22:03:03 UTC

Thank you everyone! I think I'm gonna go the lynda.com route:)

Mackilyn: I've been using that site and it's been somewhat helpful. Thanks though!

anterrabre March 8 2010, 22:37:36 UTC

Before you get into Dreamweaver, learn HTML and CSS first, then go from there.

http://www.htmlgoodies.com/tutorials/getting_started/

sarmonster March 9 2010, 00:57:36 UTC

When I was starting out I used HTMLgoodies.com, though that was in 1997. Webmonkey is a good resource, and the CSS cookbook is nice, if for no other reason that I can be looking at the book and coding at the same time. Nothing beats hands-on experience, though. Find a web page you like, copy the code into your own page, and play with it to see what does what.

Dreamweaver is handy for both beginners and professionals, though there is freeware and other linux-based programs out there that are equally effective.

Good luck!

llbreedll March 9 2010, 01:15:37 UTC

Lynda.com is amazing. I guarantee you'll use it for a lot more than web design if you keep a subscription for the long term. They're always growing and adding new content too, so as new software comes into the market or becomes upgraded, etc., Lynda.com expands to include it.

Getting into web design is a pretty formidable hurdle, but it's a lot more intuitive than it probably seems right now. I'd suggest first getting a grasp on the basics of HTML and then investing in a few good books on CSS, as this will probably be your most powerful tool.