Here are some good rules to follow when creating web sites.
| Things to avoid | How to prevent |
|---|---|
| Creating web sites that cannot be read except with a magnifying glass. | 10 point is about the minimum size for text. Remember this is the web, and you can link lots of pages together. You don't have to fit everything on a postage stamp. |
| Web pages that go on forever and ever (I've seen 1mb web pages a couple of times). | This is the web. Learn to use your editor and hyperlinks please. Web pages work best when small (a few screen full's at most). |
| Text files. | Again, this is the web. Text files in sites, except under some circumstances, are pretty tacky. |
| Obscure plug-ins. | Turns away visitors. |
| Web sites that use bright colors everywhere, or tons of animated graphics, or which separate the text and the background by a shade so that nothing can be read. | Common sense here please. |
| Linking to graphics on other people's servers. | This is called Bandwidth Stealing and it is a major no-no. Load the image or whatever to your own server. |
| Violating copyrights. | Make sure you area allowed to copy it first. Get permission when in doubt. |
| Web sites that include the phrase "I've assumed these are public domain, if you know different let me know and I will take them down". | Actually, everything should be considered copyrighted until proven otherwise. Take the time to find the copyright owner and get permission for your posting, or don't include it. |
Unless otherwise noted, all photos and text is Copyright © Richard G Lowe, Jr.