Why Learn XHTML And CSS?

1. Use web page editors, like Dreamweaver, more effectively by using creative options you otherwise can't achieve.

I can't tell you how many people I've taught who've said, "If only I could edit the HTML code, I would be able to really use Dreamweaver, Front Page or other web page authoring programs. I can only do so much with drag and drop and pull down menus. If I could just edit the code, I could fine tune things to get my page to be just the way I want it."

Learning how to edit your code is just one of the things you'll learn in my workshop, Introduction To XHTML And CSS.

Look at this screen shot of Dreamweaver. It's great to be able to create your pages using the Code View and Design View at the same time. It's a lot of fun too!!

Take my online workshop and you certainly won't need to take a beginner's course on Dreamweaver (GoLive, Front Page or similar HTML editor). In many ways you'll know how to use these programs because you will have learned how to edit the code.

That's exactly what happened to me. First I learned HTML, then I became a Dreamweaver nut case.

2.Gain independence and freedom you can't get any other way.

When you know how to make web pages "by hand," you won't have to rely upon any application other than a basic text editor such as Notepad for Windows or TextEdit for Mac. You can go to any computer and quickly make or edit a page, then upload it to your web server.

Also, you'll find many employers will require that you know XHTML regardless of what web content creation or web publishing software they use.

No matter which fancy web publishing system comes down the pike, knowing XHTML and CSS will be useful for a long time to come because they're fundamental.

3. Create optimized, easy-to-manage web sites that upload and download faster, and enhance search engine optimization.

The goal is to create the leanest pages, with the least markup and fewest tags possible. Using XHTML and CSS well eliminates needless (usually incorrect) and non-standard code and outdated spacer or shim images. It also places all style and as much page layout information as possible in a CSS file.

The result is a streamlined, easy-to-manage, search engine-friendly web design. Less is more is no myth when it comes to web page creation. You'll understand that when you know some web page code.

4. Learn other markup languages such as XML, SVG, SMIL and RSS more easily.

XHTML has a syntax that is shared by other web applications because it comes from the Mother of all Internet Applications, XML (Extensible Markup Language). Learn XHTML's syntax--which many people feel is not terribly difficult (it's a fairly simple pattern)--and you'll be on your way to creating web content for today's and tomorrow's technologies.

5. Use the web design skills you'll learn in the workshop at work, home or play.

Learning XHTML And CSS is like learning how to use a telephone 100 years ago. It's your ticket to communicating with the world in the 21st century.