The thing about computer languages is that there is some weird heaviness on the actual work involved. People are scared of by codes and although they see the power, they just can't seem to get going because they have no idea where to start.

That is where training comes in. And of course, fun training. You need to be taken by hand and shown exactly what you need to do, where you need to do it, and when you need to take the right action.

The funny thing about CSS is that it allows you to create your website in the fraction of the time when you would do it using tables. It's hard to believe, but still after all these years of promotion for CSS people (and companies!) still heavily rely on tables for layout. They have no idea that they are simply wasting time on old techniques that will be useless in a matter of time.

So where do you need to pay attention on when you are looking for a CSS Guide?

1. The Teacher

The number one thing you need to be sure of is that your teacher knows where he or she is talking about. Why is he or she teaching about Cascading Stylesheet, because they need to from their boss? Because they think they can teach, no matter the subject?

Think of that, how many teachers are only "teaching" stuff, and never practice it their own? Ask yourself "why" are you teaching you me this. Are you the best in the field? Where did you get your knowledge from?

2. Teaching Style

So the teacher may be a great person, has all the required skills, has a passion for the subject and knows about everything of it. But can your teacher deliver? Does he or she KNOW how to explain things? How to take you by hand and show you step-by-step how things work?

Is it fun to follow along with the teacher? CSS is one of those topics that can become boring easily when it's only discussed in a technical way. Make sure you know what you can expect!

An even more important thing is cutting right to the case. You don't want to end up with all kind of knowledge that you will never use in practice. It simply isn't useful to learn every possible css style there is when you just get started. And this brings us to the third point you need to pay attention on when you are looking for a css guide.

3. Teaching / learning speed

Can you keep up with the course? Does your teacher decide the speed, or do you? Of course a great way to follow a course is one that allows you to define your own speed. Home study courses and guides are wonderful for that.

4. Delivery

How is your guide delivered? Are you somebody that likes to read, follow along with a training video or both? Decide what you like, training videos are great, because they allow you to follow along in a real life situation. This means hands on practice, which is exactly what you need if you want to become good in CSS.

5. Contents

Last but not least, content. What is discussed in the guide? What is marked as important? Do you get a total reference, or do you know you don't need that, that the real thing you need is a hands on course with day-to-day subjects? Decide what you want to know, just the basics, how to create full layouts, or just how to create a menu using 100% CSS.

It's up to you now, decide what you need, you know how important the 5 above points are, and where you need to pay attention on. And one last tip, make sure you get some preview videos or sample chapter before following any course, it can save you a lot of time and money at the same time.

Hilco van der Meer
CSS Expert

Last February, I received a call from a man in Wisconsin asking about my writing services. He was particularly interested in having me rewrite the copy on his Web site. I was very surprised and wondering how in the heck he got my name. Then he mentioned something about my being my Internet hosting service's "customer of the month." I was very pleasantly surprised. After I spoke with him, I logged onto my email and there was an e-newsletter from my host server. And, yes, I was the "customer of the month," and my Web site was the featured site for the month.

Of course, I quickly hastened to my site and checked the traffic. I was up to over 300 visits to my home page for the morning, and the day was to end with 796 visits! I don't believe I'll ever see numbers like that again. I also received several other calls from people interested in my services.

It wasn't a complete surprise that my site was featured. Last year, I had filled out a "success story" response form on the company's site. I was later interviewed and told that I would be used as a case study. But the case study never materialized so I had forgotten about it. Thus I was very pleased when my site landed in their e-newsletter as the featured site.

My host is one of many companies where you can register domain names and get your business online. They will build a site for you; or, if you are cheap like me, you can build your own.

When I began my business a few years ago, I waited a whole year for my brother who owns an ad agency in L.A. to professionally build my Web site for free. Now he's kind of successful, and he didn't get that way by doing a lot of free work for relatives. At the time, my server was doing a lot of radio advertising claiming you could "build your Web site in 20 minutes." One day after nagging my brother once more, he became exasperated and said, "Why don't you just build your own."

So I did. I called the company and they provided templates and lots of help. I chose an animated template with a layout ideal for showcasing a portfolio. There was a bit of a learning curve. I had to play around and call for help a few times. It took me longer than 20 minutes; yet, technically, the commercial was accurate: you could really get a home page up with your contact info in 20 minutes. I believe I spent about 20 hours to get my Web site to the point where I was willing to "publish" it.

One of the advantages I have found about building your own Web site is that you don't have to rely on an outside Web Master to update it. Sometimes those fellows are swamped and it can take awhile. If I want to put a new project in my online portfolio, I can do it in a few minutes. Or if I want to add something new to my list of services, I can quickly type it in and it's done.

I found a huge difference in how I was perceived in the business community once I had a Web presence. Suddenly, I was taken seriously. These days when someone asks, "What's your Web address?" you should have it ready. And it should never be "under construction." Visitors find that very irritating. It's really not that hard to get a presentable Web site up.

As I mentioned earlier, there are numerous places where you can go to build a Web site. Just Google "do it yourself Web site" and you will get numerous options.

It is very inexpensive. My site costs me less than $100 a year for 20 pages. Some places are even cheaper. Compared to the thousands of dollars one can pay a Web designer, it's a sweet deal.

That's not to say that I don't believe in professionally designed Web sites. I still want one with more bells and whistles. I'm just waiting on my brother.

(Since initially writing this piece, my server has made the process even better. It's more professional, a lot more pages available ... and more bells and whistles.)

Millions of web designers and developers have chosen Adobe Dreamweaver as their software of choice for website creation. Even with the incredible amount of built-in functionality that comes standard with Dreamweaver, there are many web applications that require a vast amount of hand coding to implement. Web Developer Suite from WebAssist is a Dreamweaver extension bundle that helps eliminate hand coding and opens up a vast dynamic frontier for the average Dreamweaver user.

Web Developer Suite consists of the following individual WebAssist Dreamweaver extensions:

• DataAssist - for complete database administration
• SecurityAssist - for user management, login, cookies and sessions
• Digital File Pro - for mastering file upload and download
• Universal Email - for processing form email on your website
• Dynamic Dropdowns - for dynamic dropdown menu creation
• Cookies Toolkit - add server-side cookies with one click
• Pro Maps for Google - dynamic or static Google maps API integration
• Validation Toolkit - for validating any type of form information
• iRite - for integrating WYSIWYG text editors into websites
• Database Starter Kits - for both PHP and ASP

Each extension is installed individually within the Dreamweaver extension manager, and is accessed via the WebAssist toolbar added to Dreamweaver. The real value of the Web Developer Suite lies in the ability to code advanced website function in a fraction of the time it would take to hand code. Each extension operates from a wizard-like interface that clearly walks you through the steps needed to configure your task.

DataAssist creates complete database administration page sets with a few clicks of the mouse. Automatically generate web pages that add, delete, update, view or search your database. If you use Dreamweaver templates, DataAssist allows you to use your site template when generating pages. The resulting pages flow seamlessly into your website and are fully customizable via CSS.

SecurityAssist generates all the pages and code needed to create secure user registration and log in pages for your site. It teams up with Cookies Toolkit to utilize cookies and session variables to prevent unauthorized access to any pages you wish to restrict on your website.

If you need a Dreamweaver extension to control digital file upload and download, Digital File Pro is the extension of choice. Through a wizard-like interface, you can easily enable database file upload and download through your website. It's an excellent tool for webmasters who provide digital files such as MP3s, e-books, PDFs, images, photos, videos and any other type of downloadable file format.

Web Developer Suite also includes Universal Email, which is an extremely handy extension for emailing form input from your website. Universal Email even operates without a database, so it makes a great tool for emailing website contact form submissions. Emails can be formatted as text or HTML, and Universal Email includes a WYSIWYG HTML editor for creating your HTML email messages.

Pro Maps for Google inserts static or dynamic Google maps into your website. Addresses can be entered manually, from a file or even from your database recordset. The Google map API is fully configurable, with custom pointers, map controls and size. It's an excellent extension for inserting maps into dynamic websites.

Web Developer Suite also includes Validation Toolkit, which is WebAssist's form validation extension. Validate your form input client-side or server-side with a wide assortment of validation rules. By controlling form data input on your website, you can help reduce spam submissions and protect the integrity of your data.

The final Dreamweaver extension included in the Web Developer Suite is WebAssist's WYSIWYG form field text editor, iRite. Based on the popular FCKeditor, iRite allows you to insert a text editor in a Dreamweaver form for inputting valid XHTML code without needing any knowledge of HTML. iRite is a great extension for developing custom content management systems or just a simple way for clients to keep their own websites updated.

Web Developer Suite from WebAssist is an excellent addition to anyone's Dreamweaver toolbox. The cost of Web Developer Suite is a steal for the enormous amount of website function that is packaged in the bundle. Web designers can offer much greater website functionality to their clients and recoup the cost of the extensions in one project. There is no restriction on the number of sites you can build with Web Developer Suite, and no restrictive "per site" licensing. For web designers looking to push their websites to a new level, WebAssist Web Developer Suite is a must-have Dreamweaver add-on.