AW Daily - Tips & Tactics - Before the Auction: Learning HTML

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Before the Auction: Learning HTML continued ...

Creating Links to Other Web Pages: At some point, you'll want to know how to point users to other Web pages. To do so, code the text that is to be linked with the following HTML tag:

<a href=

Then type the full URL in quotation marks:

"http://www.vendio.com/"

Next, type the text to be linked:

Vendio

And finally, close out the tag like so:

</a>

So, to create a link in which clicking the word Vendio takes you to that URL, the HTML coding would be as follows:

My favorite Web site is <a href="http://www.vendio.com/">Vendio</a>.

To create an email link (one that will bring up a new mail message), type "mailto:" and then the email address within the quotation marks (where the URL went in the previous example). The coding would look like this:

Send email to <a href="mailto:awdaily@corp.vendio.com">AW Daily</a>.

Users can then click on AW Daily, which will create a new mail message to the email address you've entered.

Attaching Images: Most auction sites make it very easy to attach an image to your auction when placing a listing. But here's the HTML code for pictures:

<img>

So once you know the file path for your image, you type in the code. Here's an example:

<img src="http://www.funnyface.com/images/smileyface.gif">

(Note: URLs for images will all end in either "gif" or "jpeg." These are file formats for images. GIF images are limited to 256 colors, but JPEG images can contain up to 16 million colors and provide photo-like clarity.)

The Next Step
Many sellers have decided to go the extra step and create personal Web pages, which can include information about them, their auctions, and the kind of items they specialize in. It's a good way for buyers to get a better understanding of whom they're dealing with. Many Internet Service Providers offer a small amount of free Web space on which to host a personal page. In addition, Web-building software, tutorials, and HTML books make it extremely easy for even the most technologically challenged to be the masters of their own domain space.

Go to the Source
Ever wonder how the HTML pros do it? Well, it's very easy to discover the tricks of the trade whenever your browser is on a given Web page. If you're using Internet Explorer, click on View on the menu bar and then select Source. If you're a Netscape user, click on View on the menu bar and then select Page Source. This should bring up a Notepad file in which you'll be able to view all the HTML commands and codes that went into the creation of the page you're visiting. It's a good way to familiarize yourself with all the different elements that go into a Web page.

Writing Auction Titles
Understanding Copyright
Encouraging Bids