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It’s been awhile since I’ve posted an Ask a Question reply. This one is by Carol about the best way to learn HTML…

I am so new at this, but I want to learn how to do web sites. I am getting the feeling that learning HTML might be essential. I was going to buy Dreamweaver, but it looks like I should learn code as well. My question is: Can I learn that on my own or should I take some college courses (local Junior College)? Thanks

There’s a lot of ways that someone can learn HTML…here’s what I wrote to Carol…

Hi Carol,

I must admit that I’m an old school web designer. I learned to design websites by hand before there were tools like Expression Web and Dreamweaver, so coding in HTML is like second nature to me. That being said, strictly speaking you don’t have to know how to code in HTML to create a website using a tool like Dreamweaver. But a good working knowledge of HTML will certainly be beneficial because you’ll know what the program is doing to your page behind the scenes.

Now basic HTML is not a very difficult thing to learn, and how you learn it is really dependent on how you learn best. If you’re good studying things by yourself, you can get a good reference book like Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML or Sams Teach Yourself HTML & XHTML in 24 Hours and teach yourself. And while you’re at it you should probably also get a good reference book on Dreamweaver as well, like Dreamweaver CS3: The Missing Manual.

There’s also some online resources that can help you out as well. Web Design from Scratch has a good basic HTML tutorial that you can look at.

If you prefer the multimedia approach, Lynda also has some video training for HTML as well.

If after looking at some of these online resources and the reference books, you feel that you need some one-on-one direction or you feel that you learn better in the classroom environment, you can certainly take some classes at the local junior college. They’ll be able to get you pointed in the right direction and you’ll also have some feedback if you get stuck.

I hope this helps you some…if you have any more questions, please feel free to ask!

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