So far we've tried to show that there's no big deal about writing HTML, and you might as well just dive in and make a few Web pages step by step. An important way of understanding how to write Web pages is to read loads of them too. Hopefully this ability to be critical about other sites will make you more aware of your own pages' problems and possibilities.

What should you be looking out for in other people's pages? You should ask questions such as:

• Are there general underlying rules of design which apply to the web as much as to traditional media such as print?
• What are the specific design needs and possibilities of this new online medium? And what are the limitations imposed by the technologies involved?
• Why do some web designs work and others don't - what makes a really good Web page or a really bad one?
• What are the general principles to bear in mind when trying to design a well-structured site?

CHECKLIST:

1: Fonts and backgrounds

Look at the typefaces used. Are there many different fonts? Are the main headlines in a special font which suggests specific meanings? If the type isn't on a plain background, is it still clear and easy to read? Is the page very type-heavy or does it have many graphics? Is the main body of text stretched in one column across the full screen or in narrower columns? Are sub-headings used for guiding readers through the prose?

2: Navigation

Is there a main menu or index? How many levels must you go through to find a piece of information? Are there clear signposts on each page about how to get around the site? Is the site (or particular sections of it) very "linear" - do pages go in a particular order one after the other, or are there multiple links between them?

3: Links

Is the site very self-contained, with few (if any) links to the rest of the Web? Or is it the other extreme - mostly links to other pages elsewhere on the Web, and very little of its own original content? Do many of the links seem to generate error messages?

4: Page lengths and speed

What is the average length of most of the Web pages? One or two screenfuls, or much more? What effect does this have on the reader? In print the page size generally refers to its physical dimensions, and in most print publications all the pages have to stay the same size. On the Web, however, the most important aspect of a page's size is its file size (in kilobytes). Roughly how much data is involved? Do the graphics and/or text take an eternity to load?

5: Topicality

Unlike a feature film (or TV program, newspaper or magazine), a web site is never finished. You can always update information, add extra pages, revamp the graphics etc. But how topical and relevant is the existing information? Roughly when was it last changed? Was that often enough?

6: Consistency

While the Web's "work-in-progress" status opens up many creative possibilities, it can also make it very hard to create a cohesive, finished project. So is the overall style fairly consistent? Does the site have an overall look or feel (or even "atmosphere")?

7: Audience and interactivity

Does the site have a clear idea of who its readers are? Does it have a direct, first and second-person mode of address? Do you find you cannot see much of the site because you don't have an up-to-date browser or various plug-ins? Does the site give visitors opportunities to leave comments or interact in other ways? Does it at the very, very least have an
<a href="mailto:yourname@youraddress.com">: tag - which means many of the visitors can mail the Webmaster at the click of a button?

8: Inventiveness

What does the site do that couldn't have been done by a magazine (apart, perhaps, from having a more global audience)? How inventive does it seem?