Adding Spice to Your Web Pages

Tricks for Making Cool HTML

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This collection is devoted to describing different tricks and techniques for spicing up your Web pages. You should experiment with different effects to see how each works, and play with ways to present your data more beautifully.

I want to add, however, that some of these tricks are specific to certain browsers (ummm, Netscape?) and that they should be used with forethought and compatibility in mind. I think there are numerous design issues to be wrestled with... and this isn't the forum for such discussion. I give you the tools, you have to use them wisely.

Netscape

These guys deserve a section of their own. The number of new, experimental, and just weird HTML extensions they have proposed is mind-boggling. Check out Netscape Extensions to HTML, which introduces some of their changes and ideas.

Images, Interlacing, Interactivity

The simplest way to add variety and appeal to a Web document is to incorporate graphics. Adding a logo, navigation controls, or symbolic icons can enrich simple information, and interactive images provide a flexible alternative to hyper-document navigation. Note: Users without graphics support (or with images disabled) are forced to gather information in other ways... you should always provide alternative methods for navigation or documentation. Be sure to use the ALT tag extension to identify the content of graphics for such users (let them know what they are missing), e.g.

      <IMG SRC="logo.gif" ALT="Company Logo">

Sound and Fury

To take advantage of the Web support for multimedia, you should consider adding sound bites or short motion video clips to your pages -- even document layout formats (such as PDF) for better output control. Wise authors will include pointers to useful software, especially when using proprietary forms.

Oooh!!! Pretty Colors

On the (b)leading edge of the proposed HTML 3 standard, the Netscape 1.1 browser supports optional tags that specify background colors or texture images, as well as colored text for the body of a document. Relevant information and collections include:

Going Further: HTML Forms and CGI Scripting

When you have reached a point where even images and sounds don't turn your head, and you want to reach out and harvest information from the users, then you need to investigate CGI scripting. If you can talk to the adminstrator of your Web server (often called the WebMaster) and convince him to run handling software on your server, you may be able to create your own dynamic forms.

What are People Doing?

Here are some cool pages (personal or organizational) that demonstrate functional or graceful uses of HTML, the Web, or other technologies. Use them for ideas, scarf some underlying HTML, or just talk with the authors.

What's Coming?

Finally, there are numerous efforts to redefine the process or the metaphors we use to access our data. Let's look at samples of such efforts.
Send me your pointers or suggestions. Even though I have big plans and only a little bit of time for research, I hope to squeeze enough time to make this a valuable resource for authors everywhere.

fprefect@umich.edu - 6/26/95