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GameZone 'Hints & Tips'
Some of these points are fact, others my professional opinion - I'm sure you'll work out which is which.
Screen Resolution: The industry standard screen resolution is 800x600. Remember that this is how most visitors to you web site will see it. Ideally you should set your own resolution to 800x600 whenever you are designing web pages.
Colors: You should use the Netscape 216 safe color palette for ALL of your colors. Many HTML editors and graphics package have this palette built in.
Text: Avoid text that spans the entire width of the screen. It's not easy to read and will scare people off.
Graphics: Don't overdo it. The core ClanUK site only has one standard graphic - the logo!
Java: Java is a great programming language and has many practical applications. However it performs extremely slowly on lower-spec machines. Don't use if for the sake of it.
Browser Compatibility: Despite what your may hear from Microsoft, the worlds most popular browser is made by Netscape. Test your pages in as many browsers as you can lay your hands on.
Dynamic HTML (DHTML): The core site has been built to the HTML 4 transitional
standard, often described as Dynamic HTML. This is an umbrella term which
encompasses features such as Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and JavaScript functions.
Whilst DHTML offers huge feature and performance benefits, it is only supported
by version 4 (and upwards) browsers.
HTML Editors: Always a matter of personal preference, although FrontPage 98 is the current 'standard' for ClanUK. There are a number of reasons for this. It's competitively priced, easy to use and is aimed at collaborative projects - therefore simplifying administration. FrontPage is designed to produce 'FrontPage' webs - not always a good thing! All editors have their own idea of 'best practice' and most have their own drawbacks. Find an editor you are most comfortable with.
Open Standards: Don't assume that visitors to your pages are using a particular browser, operating system, have a certain plug-in, or any particular connection speed. Stick to open standards wherever possible to ensure that your site looks good and works for the majority of people.
Never Ever use the words 'click here' as a hypertext link. Just a personal peeve of mine >;->
Never Ever use 'Under Construction' signs on a site. A good web site is ALWAYS under construction. You don't need to advertise the fact that it's not finished!