For more and more people, personal websites are becoming a necessity of modern life rather than an optional extra: whether it is for displaying family photographs or for promoting a small business venture. Despite what may, at first sight, seem like a bewildering array of terminology and technology, it is not as hard as you may think to create and publish your own web pages. This book shows you how in a logical step-by-step fashion.

The book begins with the basics of HTML (the coding language used to create web pages) and illustrates some useful programs that can be used to simplify the authoring process. It also shows how you can publish pages with online web publishing services such as Yahoo Geocities or Apple's HomePage. Both of these provide ready-made templates that can be used to remove the need for an in-depth knowledge of HTML.

The fundamentals of web design are then covered, including areas such as writing for the web and the use of white space. The book also details how to use images effectively on a website and create easy-to-use navigation systems. For the more adventurous, there is also a chapter on multimedia elements including Javascript, sound, video and Flash animation.

Finally, the book covers how to publish your web pages once they have been created, including registering your own domain name and finding a Web hosting service for displaying your website.

This is a valuable resource for anyone who wants to be able to create web pages rather than just look at them.

Nick Vandome is an IT writer and trainer who specializes in digital imaging and web authoring subjects. In addition to his writing, he also works designing websites and runs training courses in digital photography and intranets. Before he started working with computers he wrote books about working and travelling abroad.