Technical
How I started web designing
I first started web designing when I was 11 years old, when I went to the fantastic Yeppoon library and borrowed a big fat book on HTML, and started learning it. For those who don't know what HTML is, it's the main language used for creating web pages.
Although the book taught me a few bad habits in creating web sites, it also catapulted me headfirst into web design. In case you're worried, all the bad habits that I learnt are gone :).
About briter:webdesign and how the site was made
This site was created in Dreamweaver MX and Taco HTML Edit, using XHTML 1.0 Strict and CSS 2.
I used GraphicConverter (versions 4.6 and 6.0) to create all the graphics, such as the logo and the list bullets. I have also included an accesskey attribute to all of the navigation links. H is for home, b is for the blog index, f is for the portfolio, p is for the pricing, t is for this page (technical bits), a is for the about me page and c is for the contact page.
Known problems to the site
Safari 1.0.3 doesn't display the title for any of my abbr tags! I mean, it is really quite silly when you think about it. It does recognise them, because it styles them in italics. (Note: This problem might have been fixed in later versions of Safari.)
Web Languages that I Know
My specialities are XHTML and CSS, and I can code both of these fluidly and easily. I have also built up lots of knowledge on the best ways to debug if something goes haywire.
XML and XSL are two languages that I can utilise (as long as I have a reference book to help me a bit). That basically means that I know all about XML, XSLT, X–Pointer, XSL–FO, XPath, XLink and X–Forms, although I need to look at a reference to help me with the individual tags. I like XML best out of the X family though, because I can make up my own tags! I think XSL–FO is an interesting language, though it will need to have a useful purpose for it to catch on properly. It takes ages to build pages, but it is useful if you want to control the layout without using a dedicated program. X–Forms also promises to be an interesting addition to XML and XHTML, but at the moment support among browsers is sketchy.
RSS is another language that I know (and love) because it allows anyone to look at the latest news without going to a whole lot of websites. It is also a really simple language.
I'm also gaining proficiency in using PHP, which is a powerful server-side language that can be used to create contact forms or even a CMS!
Links to useful web design websites
W3Schools
W3Schools lets you learn just about any major language in use on the web, for free! The site helped me learn a few web languages, too.
A List Apart
ALA is a free online magazine includes articles on topics ranging from CSS to typography. Notables from the web design world including Jeffrey Zeldman and Eric Meyer occasionally write articles too.
Webproworld
Webproworld is a great forum for anyone doing anything related to the web. That includes graphic designers as well. Great for that bug with your site that you just can't figure out.
Sitepoint
This inclusive website contains a forum, blogs, marketplace, and contest hoster. Basically you could spend hours on this site and still not be bored. A great resource for any web designer.
Lorem Ipsum Generator
The Lorem Ipsum Generator tells you where the well known lorem ipsum text came from. The site can also generate as much or as little lorem ipsum text as you like.
Design Meltdown
Design Meltdown is a showcase site with an interesting twist. Instead of just showing website thumbnails without categorising them, it puts the website in specific categories such as by colour or web trend. Constantly updated, I think it is a better way to get inspiration than by looking at sites like W3C sites.
