Monday, January 14, 2008

Turning myself into a web monkey

I'm having fun! When I started researching HTML I rediscovered the fun I had had in creating a family web site many years ago. Then I got halfway into HTML and discovered a new thing - CSS! So I started to teach myself that, too. More fun! Maybe I was a computer programmer in a previous life, although in my previous lives a computer probably consisted of three stones and a stick.

Conduit clearly knows heaps more about this than I do, and I'm kind of hoping he'll jump in, but these days it seems that rather than writing, and then cutting and pasting, hundreds of HTML codes, you create a style sheet in CSS and simply attach it to a much simpler HTML document. More fiddlework up front, but as I add pages it's going to go very fast. It will also make it easy to make changes and add pages in the future. So it looks like I'm doing this myself, from scratch.

I've already created the front page; complete with menu, which means I have roughly structured the content, and am about to try and master inserting images, then I will move on to actually adding the pages the menu points at (links are working, but linking to nothing at the moment). I like the design (well, of course), but may mess with fonts. I'll post a lookie-see for you at some point, but I'll see if I can get some images first.

There's not much in the way of words on it yet - want to help? I'd like to put up a FAQ, so can you think of any questions that should be on there? I'll answer 'em, promise! Remember, I write YA, guys, so nothing too, um, well, yanno, no smut!

13 comments:

Ello - Ellen Oh said...

What's the best way to kill a koala?

That is in response to the it's summer comment over at Church's blog!

It is so cold here we actually had a sudden snow flurry and my nose dripped and froze.

Would love to see your new webpage! I want to do this soon so I will watch and learn from you!

McKoala said...

Ew, frozen nose. Ouch.

I'll get back to the website tonight. After I spend another day with the kids, basking in the sun by the side of the pool. Heh, heh.

Robin S. said...

Oh. Pool. Heat. Oh. I'm freezing my ass off here, thanks!!!!

I gotta think about good (read: clean) questions, and I can't be drinking wine when I do this. So- can I do this on the weekend? do we have a few days?

McKoala said...

No hurry. Still wrestling with images!

Chris said...

Hi, I can't find any contacts on your blog. Can I ask you to send a note for me? My email is in profile.
Thanks, Chris

McKoala said...

Hm. My e-mail is in my profile in text form - last line.

Robin S. said...

What's up with that Chris thing/person? I looked at his/her email address. It's suspect.

The Anti-Wife said...

Perhaps Koala has a stalker! If she was freezing her ass off like the rest of us, this might not happen.

McKoala said...

I'm guessing Chris is made of spam, but thought I'd be polite, just in case.

Still cold over there, ello dear? Temperature's dropping here too. All the way to 70F. I don't know how we'll cope.

Robin S. said...

Well, McK- just wait til July!

Robin S. said...

OK- Im awake and working hatd to procrastinate on a reworking of a chapter, soooooo....

FAQ question ideas:

I noticed on the website post you said you'll focus initially, maybe, on Sealsong. If so, and you've got the letters to Evie, (which I think is a wonderful idea, by the way) - then I guess the initial FAQs should be about you, your interest in writing and where it came from, and your current work - also - will there be a way to link, once the book is in print - to a place to buy the book. In this age of instant gratification- I'd say that was important- even if not in your FAQs.

So- one question could be about the origins or your story - if there are any mythological tales that you can weave in as background, etc., as part of the answer.

Another- asking about your writing background- studies in English lit, etc., and what drew you to write in the YA area.

These are probably obvious to you- but that's what I'd want to know if I had bought your book, or was thinking of it, and wanted more information.

Also- and this is just my opinion, I'd keep a nice photo of you on the site- if you don't want it on the first page, fine- but since you're attractive and you photograph well - I'd keep a photo on there.

Look at Ann Pathett's or Neil Gaiman's websites. Gaiman's may be a blog- I don't remember. My point is, they're attractive and their pics are on the covers, so to speak, of their websites.

Robin S. said...

Sorry- it's Ann PATCHETT. I can't type at all. Good Lord.

McKoala said...

Thanks Robin, glad I checked back! I visit Neil Gaiman all the time!