The Beauty of Code

I got to thinking about the internet and websites today, as I played around with my browser. I usually use Firefox, and it was on the fritz, so I had to go to IE. I don’t like IE - I’ve never been a big Microsoft fan – call it the rebel in me. But it gave me options to install a theme, and once I got looking at them, I wasted a good half hour or more finding one that I wanted. I now have a dolphin for my cursor...

It made me wonder what other people look for in a website. Have you ever thought about what it is that draws you to a place on the internet? Take yourldsneighborhood. What is it that you like about the site? Myself, I like the artwork. It’s fun without being cutesy. Sort of like a scrapbooking style, you know? I like the different sites in it. It makes me feel at home.

Believe it or not, there seems to be an art to websites. How can it be art when all that makes it up is code? It’s what you can do with that code. There is a type of HTML that’s called CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). It’s amazing in the hands of someone who knows what they’re doing. If I had loads of spare time, I would love to learn how to use it correctly, because I think the sites that use it are outstanding. Check out this site, and look at the different styles they came up with, using the same content.

Since I do not use (or understand as clearly as I’d like) HTML on a daily basis, I am thankful for templates and programs that do it for me. I used to work with a program called Dreamweaver for a job I had in Salt Lake. As part of my job, I created the schools website. Actually, they had one before, but no one was keeping it updated. So, I created a new one. I kind of like it – you can see what I mean, here. I first heard about CSS at that point, but I didn’t have the time to delve into it. It still fascinates me.

Along with that, it occurred to me that I haven’t promoted my own website on my blog. I don’t know why – but for some reason it never entered my brain. Go figure. I kind of like my website – it’s not as fun and interactive as some I’ve seen, but it works for me at this point. One of the biggest tip offs that I hadn’t been promoting it, is when I looked at my stat counter.

0. A great big 0. Nada. Zip. NOT ONE VISIT in the past six months. (Of course, I also discovered that I hadn’t added it to my new blog when I changed templates, and there wasn’t any record of anyone going there, either -- sigh)

I could really get depressed, but I figured it’s simply an example of lack of promotion. No one knows about it, so no one would go visit. And, since I don’t keep a blog there, it’s kind of boring for someone to visit and then go back. With a blog, they want to go back and read (if they like what they’re reading, anyway). So, I’m going to promote my website this time. I’ve already added a link on my blog page (did you even notice?) and now I’m going to have a little bit of fun.

We’re going to play a game. The first five people to tell me the answers to my questions will be the winners! I’ll even mention who you are on my blog, so you’ll be sort of famous. If I had the right materials, I’d send you a prize, but that is kind of up in the air right now. You’ll be playing for fun and curiosity. You know you want to...

First question: What is the name of the painting that I won a ribbon for at the County Fair in 2007?

Second question: How many stories do I outline on my writing page?

Third question: What book did I do the illustrations for?

Fourth (and last) question: What is the general color of my website?

I’ll let you know on Monday’s blog in a week how the response went...

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