Many new internet marketers or prospective online business
owners balk at the idea of having to become familiar with
HTML so that they can create and/or modify their future web
pages. And it is one of the most common questions I get
asked by new subscribers and visitors to my site - "Do I
have to know HTML?" I went through the same anxiety and
reservations when we were first considering taking our
business online. I took a look at the HTML that made up
some of the web pages and said WOW, what the heck is that!

HTML or HyperText Markup Language is one of the major
languages on the Web used to write web pages. It gives you
the ability to combine text, pictures, sounds and links
all in one page.

I had no background in programing or even an inkling of
what HTML was or how it worked. It seemed like an obstacle
that I wouldn't be able to get around. But I was determined
to get my online business up and running and I didn't have
a budget that would allow me to contract out my web page
development.

So I started asking around about HTML on different discussion
boards and did some searches and was surprised at the amount
of information that was available free. There are many sites
out there with lessons on how to use HTML to construct a web
page. Likewise there are many sites with free graphics,
free cgi and java scripts. So it wasn't long before I had a
basic web page put together and it also wasn't long before I
started understanding some of the coding and could mess around
with it to make a page look different.

I want to digress a bit here in discussing my learning curve.
During my research about HTML, I found out that there were a
number of software products that made working with HTML in
constructing a web page relatively simple. These programs
actually allowed you to construct a great web page with out
really knowing HTML at all. The one that I started out with
was called "Hot Dog" available at www.sausage.com.au (I am
not kidding about the name, that's what it's called) and its
cost is just under $100. I have been using it since mid-1998.
I don't sell it so I am not looking for a commission. I found
it easy to learn and use even though I had little or no
experience with HTML. I subsequently purchased Frontpage2000
but I still use Hot Dog because I find it simpler. If you are
interested in Frontpage you can find some tips and how to
tutorials at www.microsoft.com/frontpage

This type program basically creates the HTML code for you.
You enter the text and use drop down lists to select what
action you want to take in respect to creating the HTML code.
It really is great and as you use it, you are learning the
actions that each piece of code can do to or for your page.

I mentioned earlier that there are many sites where you can
get free information regarding learning how to build your
own web pages. Here are a few:

HTML Tutorials in Web Design
http://www.bfree.on.ca/HTML/index.htm

HTML: An Interactive Tutorial For Beginners
http://www.davesite.com/webstation/html

A Crash Course in HTML
http://www.w3-tech.com/crash/HTMLMenu.html

HTML Help
http://www.htmlhelp.com

Those are just a few of the many sites that offer free help.
As indicated above, there are also sites where you can get
other resources you can use to design your own site/page. And
they are all free. If you would like links to free cgi scripts,
java scripts, banner generation services, graphics and more
just visit our free resource page at:

http://www.homebizlink.com/freeserv.htm

Don't look at the HTML of some page you think looks great
and let it scare you or deter you from your goal of getting
your business online. It looked awesome to me too when I
started but now I do all my own web pages and my site now
has over 50 individual pages. Play around with it, change
it, test it and you will learn it! AND you will be online
before you know it!

About the Author
Joe Reinbold, Publisher of Home Income Quarterly
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