Web 101

A step-by-step guide to getting started on the Web

Getting started on the Web can be intimidating. A dizzying array of terms and technologies awaits you: blog, YouTube, FTP, Flickr, and more.

This 3-lesson course will help you get started on the modern Web, whether you want to launch your own Web site or just learn where to begin in developing a Web site or marketing an online business.

Working with a professional Web designer, you'll explore a wide variety of Web-based terms and technologies, including Web 2.0, social networking, blogging, domain names, and more, picking up concepts you need to know and learning makes today's Web technologies more interactive. You'll explore the technical fundamentals of editing and uploading Web pages and gain an insight into online marketing and search engine optimization.

By the end of the course, you'll have launched a Web site and gained a basic grasp of how to use Web tools to make your content more interactive and reach your site's target audience. This course is recommended for anyone interested in learning how today's Web works—and how it can work for you.

Tuition: $200 US

Course Instructor(s):

Margaret Penney is a teacher, designer, writer and media artist.

Course content developed by Tara Mackay and Ian Callahan.

Requirements:

To take this course you'll need:

Computer with Internet connection (56 Kbps modem or faster).

Course Objectives:

Students learn how to:

Use productivity features found in common Web browsers.
Identify "Web 2.0" sites and upload content to several such sites.
Set up a basic blog and write and publish a blog post.
Identify the differences between static and dynamic Web sites and understand the purpose of each category.
Prepare an organized Web site file structure with a local root directory.
Analyze the pages, underlying file structure, and basic code structure of HTML-based Web sites.
Edit basic HTML code to change a page's title, text, links, and image content.
Embed multimedia from Web 2.0 sites into HTML-based pages.
Set up free or paid Web hosting, connect to the host, and publish Web pages to the host server.
Track visitors to a Web site and utilize the features provided by Web statistics tools.
Submit a site to a search engine and optimize it for search engine placement.
Market online content using social media and social networking tools.

Course Outline

LESSON 1 Understanding the Web

Ready to delve into how the Web works, and (better yet) how it can work for you? Your first lesson begins with a brief history of the Web. An exploration of some of the productivity features of your browser will help you become a more efficient Web user. To help you understand how the Web is connected today, we'll examine a variety of different site types, from blogs to social networks to e-commerce sites, including sites referred to as "Web 2.0." In the exercise, you'll register with several Web 2.0 sites and begin to establish your Web presence by putting together some online content and writing a blog post.

LESSON 2 Building a Site

What's going on under the surface of your favorite Web pages? Lesson Two gives you a fundamental insight into how Web sites are developed and structured, as well as how domain names and host servers are selected. We've created a starter Web site for you to explore: You'll study how its component parts (HTML pages and graphics) work together to create an integrated visual design. You'll customize the site using the fundamental skills needed to control almost any content online, learning how to change basic HTML code to suit your needs. In the exercise, you'll complete customizing your site by embedding video and images that you have uploaded to other sites into your own starter site. Then you'll choose a host for your site and publish it publicly.

LESSON 3 Marketing Your Content

Your Web site is online... now who's going to see it? In this last lesson, you'll learn about how to get your online content the attention it deserves. You'll learn how to optimize your site for search engines by paying attention to the description, structure, and popularity of your site. Then we'll give you an introduction to the grassroots publicity of the online world: marketing with social networking and social media platforms. And finally, we'll give you the tools necessary to track and understand the popularity of your Web site by looking at Web statistics. In the exercise, you'll optimize your site for searches, use Web 2.0 tools to market your site, and plan your future on the Web.