10 Best Resources for CSS by Mark Daoust

The 10 Best Resources for CSS

By Mark Daoust (c) 2005
reprinted with permission from Mark Daoust

If you have been paying attention, you certainly have noticed an increasing number of websites that are employing CSS and an increasing number of resources talking about how great CSS is. If you have not yet jumped on the CSS bandwagon, you may want to consider doing so immediately.

CSS has many different benefits for website owners. The most obvious is the pure, raw design capabilities CSS brings to websites. CSS can control everything from the size of your font to the very layout of your page. A site designed with proper HTML and CSS can avoid incorporating almost any design elements into the actual HTML. This means a website owner can change the entire look of their whole site without changing a single HTML page. For owners of sites with dynamic content or sites that have a lot of content (blogs, forums, stores, etc), this becomes a huge time saver.

CSS also allows a website owner to build their HTML in a nice, logical order. Often when using tables to layout a website, the HTML that powers the website is not laid out in a logical order (this is referred to as the 'code flow'). This can hurt website owners in two ways. The first, and more important way, is to recognize that not everyone who uses the Internet is viewing your website
through a visual browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox. There are a whole group of people who are viewing websites using web readers and other tools which rely on well-organized code. Secondly, a well-organized website can actually help your search engine rankings. When a spider discovers a page that is well organized and not filled with a lot of extra HTML code, it can determine more accurately and quickly what that page is really about. Let's face it, we all
want to help the spiders, right?

It is in the spirit of CSS that this article is written. There are hundreds of websites offering CSS tutorials, CSS examples, competitions, and showcases. There may be some that we are not aware of which are not displayed hëre, and if so, we encourage you to let us know in the Site Reference Forums.

With that said, we must offer a word of warning before going to any of these websites. These sites can become very addicting if you enjoy web design in the slightest way. Some of these sites link to literally hundreds of other sites which will catch your interest.

Now that the warning has been issued, we present to you a list of our favorite CSS websites.

CSSZenGarden

If you have any doubts over how powerful CSS really is, then you need to visit CSS Zen Garden. CSS Zen Garden is a display of the power and beauty of CSS. The concept is simple: see how many ways designers can take the exact same HTML code and produce completely different looking pages. As you browse through the various designs, you will find that the only thing changing the way each page looks is the CSS file. The HTML is exactly the same.

CSS Zen Garden is a great showcase of creativity and technical expertise. It is also important to point out that CSS Zen Garden does not use any tables for their layout. Everything is done in pure, simple HTML and CSS.

The Web Developer's Network

Any of the sites that make our favorites list are certainly listed on this extensive resource page. Be warned, this page has so many resources listed it is easy to get lost for hours exploring them. Some of the resources are just fun to explore while others offer some very practical advice on practical matters.

The page is not limited to CSS resources, but also delves into areas of good website design and creativity, along with anything else you could possibly want for your design needs. Our only criticism of this site is that it might be too extensive to find a specific tutorial or help guide.

Official Cascading Style Sheets
Level 2 Specification

This is the place where it all starts if you want to learn CSS. Hëre you will find the official documentation on how to use CSS and what CSS is used for. Many novice website owners are scared away from this site because it is written in very technical language and they fear that they will not be able to understand it. If you feel this way, be careful not to sell yourself short. The
specifications are actually much easier if you know how to read them.

When going over this document, keep in mind a few things. First, CSS was built for more than just the Internet. CSS can be used in print media and broadcast media as well. So when you are reading some of the instructions in the official manual you may find some aspects that do not apply to what you are doing. Secondly, do not worry if you do not understand a certain chapter or bit
of information. The trick to learning CSS is to get a basic understanding of it first, then practice, then go back and re-read what you have already read (things will make a bit more sense this time around), then practice, then go back and re-read again, and so on. Every time you practice what you learned and go back to re-read some of the specifications, it will make more and more sense
to you.

As a point of reference, if you want to just go over the most important chapters in the manual, be sure to read these chapters: Chapters 8-12, 14-18, and 4-6.

CSS from the
Ground Up

Ok, so you have tried the official manual and it is just too difficult to understand. That is fine. There is a lot of information included in the manual, and they certainly do not work at entertaining you with the manual. If you want a bare bones tutorial on CSS, the people from Web Page Design for Designers have put together a pretty good basic tutorial which should get you started on your
first CSS pages.

Listamatic

One thing you will learn as you begin to work with CSS powered layouts is that lists are extremely powerful tools. Lists are a vital part of building a website with good code flow. Getting lists to appear correctly in different browsers, or to appear in new, original ways, however, can be quite challenging.

Listamatic offers several examples of lists that use simple CSS. The examples cover nearly everything that you could possibly hope to achieve from an HTML list. Of course, if you are working with a nested list, they have examples of those as well.

CSSVault

This site offers a little bit of everything. They offer a great gallery for you to stop by and gawk at, as well as a number of resources on everything from lists to building layouts that do not use tables. Definitely a good overall resource on CSS.

CSS Layout Techniques

No CSS guide would be complete if we did not address the issue of building a layout that does not use tables. This is certainly the most challenging aspect of CSS, learning how to build a nice layout. The people over at Glish.com have put together examples of several different types of layouts. They may not offer every layout you could possibly use, but looking over their guides will
certainly help you learn different techniques to learning how to layout your page.

Ruthsarian
Layouts

There really cannot be enough resources on how to work with layouts using CSS. Ruthsarian Layouts offers several very good examples of popular layouts.

PositionIsEverything

And yet again, we offer another site dedicated to learning layouts and the little quirks that each browser brings into your CSS design. This site may just have the most information on position with CSS than any other site.

StyleGala

This is another site that goes a bit beyond CSS and into some other aspects of design, but still offers so much to learn from that it is highly worth putting in your favorites file. Included in this site is an impressive gallery, some forums, a collection of bullets that you can use on your site (where has this been for the past several years?), and a great collection of resources.

Using These Resources to Learn

Whether you are a code junkie or are a person who relies on FrontPage to do all of your design, moving in the direction of CSS and properly formatted HTML is the future of the Internet. For many, beginning the process of learning CSS may seem like a useless and overly-difficult venture. However, if you are responsible for the look and feel of your website you should begin to explore
this technology which is being used more and more.

The best way to learn CSS is to start using it. Experiment with different parts of CSS. Try and accomplish different tricks that you have nevër done before. If you have nevër created a page without tables, try and do so today. If you have nevër worked with a list to format it in a completely different manner, experiment with that. Browse through some of the sites in the many different gallerïes offered to us and get inspired. Use these sites and these resources to imagine what your website could look like.

Your website is your salës pitch to your visitors. When they arrive at your website, it should be your goal to present to them the best looking page you can possibly provide. A well designed page will provide your users with the comfort that you are invested in your business, and you will be invested in them as a customer and visitor.

The Internet is a rapidly changing environment, with new technology and new tools being made available to enhance your site every day, and thus enhance your visitor's experience. It is your responsibility to make sure that your website sells, and that requires using the modern and powerful technologies that are available to us.

About The Author
Mark Daoust is the owner of Site Reference and TowerSearch.

Sneads Ferry booming these days

Sneads Ferry booming these days

Reprinted with permission The Daily News - Jacksonville, NC
July 18,2005
JOE MILLER DAILY NEWS STAFF

SNEADS FERRY - For about 200 years, Carl Duff's family has made Sneads Ferry home. So it seemed logical when Duff opened Tom Dooley's Cafe and General Store on N.C. 210 last year.
Duff, 48, remembers growing up in the 1960s, when his father operated one of only two stores in the area.

"You felt like you were a long ways from anywhere," Duff said.
But that's not the case anymore. The once tiny fishing village of Sneads Ferry is reeling in more and more residents and businesses. Builders are constructing new homes at a fever pitch as people want to reside next to the water. The Four Corners area, at the intersection of N.C. 172 and 210, is increasingly becoming the business hub with a mix of stores, restaurants and even a topless club.

Yes, Sneads Ferry is growing up, and rapidly - nearly matching a similar boom on nearby Topsail Island.

"You got subdivisions that are going to be retirement homes, and you also got there along Highway 210 leading to the beach, there's a lot of commercial development supporting the beach," said Onslow County land use administrator Angie Manning. "North Topsail Beach is predominantly residential, so those people that are staying on the beach will come to the Sneads Ferry area for the (businesses)."

Local real estate brokers said demand for land is high, which is driving the price way up.
"You've got a doubling in the price of land because of all the builders that have come in," said Richard Baker, president of Treasure Realty. Baker estimates home sales are up 400 percent in the last two years.

He said new homes in the area typically go for $185,000 to $275,000.
One reason for the residential boom: Troops stationed at Camp Lejeune are moving into Sneads Ferry, a community without city government or an infrastructure.

"Our officers and captains wanting to be near the beach are paying to be on our waterfront properties," Baker said, noting proximity to Jacksonville and Wilmington is part of Sneads Ferry's appeal.

"It is the last developable waterfront area on the coast that's got major road access," he said.
With more residents come more businesses. People don't have to travel to Jacksonville or Wilmington to do the bulk of their shopping like they did decades ago.

You can buy groceries at Food Lion, eat a sandwich at Subway and fill your gas tank all at or near Four Corners - an area largely vacant more than a decade ago.

"Basically, the center of Sneads Ferry is starting to move away from down here by the water and out that way," said Mike Gallagher, chief of the Sneads Ferry Volunteer Fire Department.
The rampant growth concerns Gallagher. He said about 600 lots are being added to the fire department's coverage area, which is in an unincorporated section of the county.

"I don't know how I'm going to service them," Gallagher said. "At the funding we're getting right now, I do not see how we're going to provide the level of services that we provide right now."
Gallagher said his department gets about $64,000 per year from the county with the rest from private donations. He said if funding doesn't improve, the department's fire prevention program may have to be cut.

"We cannot stop putting out fires, so we have to save money other places," he said. "The county's going to have to decide what level of fire protection they want."
Business in the area isn't limited to strip development. Several "mom and pop" stores line N.C. 172.

Dean and Jean Hudson grew up in Sneads Ferry and came back two years ago from Virginia. They opened up Sea Witch Antiques.

Jean Hudson said their business has grown tremendously, especially in 2005.

"A lot of new people are coming in here every day looking for houses and property, places to live, and we're getting a lot of that business," she said. "We get people from all over, not just the United States, but the world."

Dean Hudson said Sneads Ferry is appealing to a lot of people because it is a neat community.
"It's near the water," he said. "It's a great vacation place. It's a great place to live all year long."

Contact staff writer Joe Miller at jmiller@freedomenc.com or at 353-1171, Ext. 236.

A Matter Of Perspective

A Matter Of Perspective

Reading and learning about history has long been a favorite pasttime of mine. I believe understanding how people have succeeded, and failed, in the past can assist in future successes. It is through these eyes that I look around following the celebration of this country's (United States of America) 230 years of freedom and see a slightly different perspective.

Beautiful Downtown Sneads Ferry

Let me begin by saying that I now live in a wonderful small community along the eastern coast of North Carolina. When speaking with new acquaintances, I often state that I live in "beautiful downtown" Sneads Ferry. For those not familiar with the immediate area, it is an unknown small town with little to be recognized. Once known as "trailer trash" and poor shimper families by nearby communities, Sneads Ferry has quickly begun to grow both by new residential dwellings and businesses. More recently, it has become an area where people from around the world are moving to and spending well over ten (10) times the amount for property as it sold less than five (5) years ago. Buildings are going up faster than ever before and the result is changing the perspective of other localities and their view of our little town.

Topsail Island

It has been said that Topsail Island earned its name as tradeships passed by carrying their cargo and looked for the top mast (e.g. top sail) of lurking pirate ships hidden behind the island. This could easily be considered a rather sad thing to be known for from a marketing perspective. Instead, Topsail Island has changed through the years as few would have ever considered.

During World War II, the U.S. Navy took over the island and began a joint venture with Johns Hopkins University known as Operation Bumblebee. Operation Bumblebee was the beginning of the United States Government space program. Many "improvements" were added to the island including: an arsenal center for the assembly and storage of rockets, launching pads, and concrete observation towers were built throughout the island to monitor the experimental launchings. All in all, over 200 rocket launchings took place on the island between 1946 and 1948. When the testing program was dismantled, the government sold the island to the public with many of the original military structures in place and still standing today. From 1948 until just a few years ago, time drifted by for Topsail Island with people building houses as vacation homes primarily. Then the boom began!

Within the last five (5) years the prices for property and homes on Topsail Island have, pardon the pun, skyrocketed. Property than once sold for as little as $100 per acre is now selling as even smaller lots for $1,000,000 and up. There are now multiple houses on the island selling for over the $1,000,000 price point and some approaching $2 million. There are a number of homes already built and still more being built on parts of the island never even considered before due to erosion and hurricanes.

It's safe to say the perspective of people regarding Topsail Island has dramatically changed over the years!

Getting back to my original thought on perspective...

4th of July Fireworks at Camp LeJeune

During the celebration of our country's independance and the remembrance of our freedom from tyranny on Camp LeJeune, I notice a young United States Marine family that seems to symbolize so much. The mother is a civilian, dad is the marine and their young daughter who looks at this world with the innocent "rose colored glass" eyes of youth as it should be. In our conversations, I learned that dad has always been stationed somewhere else in the world during other 4th of July celebrations and this is his first time to spend it with wife and child at home in North Carolina. Braving this "sea of bodies" and listening to the orchestra was an event to be taken in and enjoyed for them due to the sacrafices by so many throughout the years.

As I watched, listened and waited for the upcoming spectactular fireworks presentation it sank in that this was the place to be for this celebration. Remembering and acknowledging those who protect us is something I feel is befitting of one granted the freedoms we share. Throughout history from the days of the Roman empire, to British imperialization and even within American history and the enslavement of africans, people have been without the freedoms that so many take for granted today.

No matter how you feel about the politics of our leaders, the freedoms we share were often earned by the lives of men and women through very trying times. The sacrifices of those in the military, their families and so many others is very precious. Taking the time to remember and say thanks, not just during the 4th of July but, throughout the year is something we can all do. No, it's not just placing a "We support our troups" sticker on a business to get military personnel to shop within. It's being genuine to those who have been so genuine in the face of conflict on our behalf.

Yes, I have new perspective and, hopefully, you do as well.

To each of you who faithfully serve this country and those who have done so before you:

Thanks for all you do. It is appreciated.