Gnooks is a seld-adapting engine that helps you find new writers based on writers you like. Also, enter a favorite writer and it creates a map of related writers. It does the same for movies and music. There’s a section called Web, but it works differently from the others. Very cool! Book lovers, go straight there!

Another resource is WhichBook.net to find something to read. Go through the checklist to look for the kind of book you want to read next. The selector also allows you to find a book based on your preferences in character, plot, and setting.

The slogan of the Missing Manual series is “The book that should have been in the box” and Dreamweaver MX 2004: The Missing Manual lives up to the series’ reputation. Macromedia wouldn’t want to ship this book with the software because it’s a doorstop at 800 pages. Imagine what it would do to the packaging and the pricing of the already expensive software.

One itsy bitsy negative, but this book is not the only one avoiding it. Dreamweaver’s help file doesn’t cover it and neither does the forum on Macromedia’s Web site. There is a feature called download stats listing the size of the file and the time it would take to download it. At what speed? 56k? T1? What? I would assume 56k, but assumptions are not reliable.

At 800 pages, you can expect all the features to be covered through step-by-step instructions, notes, and screen shots. The hard core stuff like building dynamic Web pages, working with databases, and using server programming within Dreamweaver are all there for those ready for a challenge.

McFarland goes the extra mile to note differences between computer systems (Mac vs. PCs) and browsers (compatibility). Looking at the table of contents is proof of the book’s completeness and all I need to do is attest to its readability. First timers to creating a Web site or to Dreamweaver as well as owners of earlier versions will gain plenty of knowledge from this one.

VITAL STATISTICS:
TITLE: Dreamweaver MX 2004: The Missing Manual
AUTHOR: David Sawyer McFarland
PUBLISHER: Pogue Press LLC
PUBLICATION DATE: February 2004
ISBN: 0596006314
FORMAT: Paperback
PAGES: 800
PRICE: US$34.95

I believe if everyone had one of those “beat up your computer” dolls for taking out your computer problem aggravation on the doll instead of your computer, then they’d all look like they were hit by a truck. After calming down and finding your center, PC Annoyances is the nice tech support technician that s ready and willing to help resolve those @#*$ problems without giving you backtalk or the runaround.

Before getting this book, I had wondered if it was going to focus on Microsoft products such as Outlook for e-mail, Word, and Windows. It does, but not as much as I originally thought. The e-mail section starts with a chapter of general e-mail annoyances for different e-mail clients followed by Outlook, AOL, Eudora, and Hotmail with their own chapters. Section two is Windows and it refers to Windows XP more than anything else, but there is help for other versions.

The Internet earns its own section with Internet Explorer appearing often along with references to a couple of other browsers, Google, and Instant Messaging. The Microsoft Office section helps squash Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Outlook Express annoyances. No Access or FrontPage annoyances are included, but that’s OK. I find most of my problems are not with the latter two. Get faster and more effective with Bass’ Windows Explorer tips including how to delete a file it refuses to delete and speeding up file search.

I benefit the most from the Music, Videos, and CDs section since it’s an area I barely touch. Not only does it advise on dealing with multimedia, but also it discusses CD and DVD questions and concerns. I’ve thought about the CD nudging issue, which is when you gently push the CD tray to close it, but I never researched it. Bass answers the big question on whether to nudge or not to nudge.

PC Annoyances is not only about the problems you cross, but also things you may have never even considered. Those with a notebook computer who wish it came with a docking station can still make it dockable even if it’s a standalone notebook.

A couple of issues with the otherwise fine book; it has a ton of links (with most pages having more than two links). This is risky because URLs change faster than military personnel mailing addresses. It also provides links to ” for the fun of it” sites, a common source of complaints based on my writing experience. These resources take up a tiny space on the side of the page.

Some references are to paid products, which to some is annoying. However, I’ve never been one to knock recommendations for non-free products because I believe if we like something, it’s good to let others know about it. If it’s in print, it durn well better be a good recommendation.

You’re a geek asking if you can find the answers on your own. Probably. But do you have the time it takes to find it? Probably not. Between the spouse and me (hardware and software geeks), we are learning a few good tricks from the book.

The book’s format lends itself to quick and easy scanning with side notes in the light red shaded area on the sides of the pages, useful screen shots, and boxes with tidbits. The book is just 177 pages, enough for you to find the tips you need without the needle in the haystack problem.

VITAL STATISTICS:
TITLE: PC Annoyances
AUTHOR: Steve Bass
PUBLISHER: O’Reilly & Associates
PUBLICATION DATE: October 2003
ISBN: 0596005938
FORMAT: Paperback
PAGES: 176
PRICE: US$19.95

My tough as nails review of Writer’s Market 2004 has hit the Absolutewrite.com shelf. OK, it isn’t political. It’s hard to write a review on a book that refreshes itself every year.

Read the GnomeReview of Google Hacks by Tara Calishain and Rael Dornfest.

With many sites overlooking the simple ALT in images, it’s no question that many need educating on this important topic. Statistics shows that 15 to 30 percent of the population has a need for accessibility features on Web sites. Happily, people live longer and aging brings seeing and hearing challenges. Furthermore, seniors are responsible for over 25 percent of online purchases, neglecting this group can be costly to the company that abandons them. The number shoots up to 40 percent when including people over the age of 40.

CEOs, CIOs, C-level whatevers, managers, designers, programmers, and anyone else who has a hand in a Web site will benefit from the book. Not only does it cover the how, but also the whats and whys by saying, “This is why we should do this and this is how to do it.” Upper level management can reap the rewards from the information on the Web accessibility laws, guidelines, reasons for creating accessible sites, and the accessibility organization strategy. If an executive wants to reach far and wide, then she can get that by reading and applying the knowledge found in the book. One unique chapter explains how to structure an organization to handle and support accessibility issues, a rarely addressed topic in the world of Web accessibility. The Internet has opened the gates for businesses to go global and there’s information about the laws from countries other than the US.

Designers and programmers get the tools and resources for creating, evaluating, and validating pages for accessibility compliance. Useful is a comparison and report card on Web design software explaining how each program meets or fails to meet in producing accessible code and features. The book echoes the latest cry in the world of Web design in encouraging designers to separate content from presentation.

Having an accessible Web site doesn’t mean boring looking pages with nothing but text. Quite the contrary, the authors encourage creating well-design sites while keeping accessibility in mind.

As one who has written articles on Web design, the book offers insight into techniques that I hadn’t encountered. With multiple authors, readers are assured they’re hearing from the experts on each chapter topic. One notable expert is Bob Regan of Macromedia who discusses the tools and techniques of using Flash MX to make a site accessible. Any site that wants to be successful and reach the greatest number of people will invest in creating an accessible site. This well-rounded book covers it all from laws to code to help ensure the site does it right.

VITAL STATISTICS:
TITLE: Constructing Accessible Web Sites
AUTHORS: by Jim Thatcher, Cynthia Waddell, Shawn Henry, Sarah Swierenga, Mark Urban, Michael Burks, Bob Regan, Paul Bohman
PUBLISHER: glasshaus
PUBLICATION DATE: April 2002
ISBN: 1904151000
FORMAT: Paperback
PAGES: 400
PRICE: US$49.99

When I began writing articles about the Internet, World Wide Web, and email, I was unsure of how to punctuate or capitalize such words. Checking the dictionary was fruitless because the words haven’t made it there. I sent an article draft to my sister, my second pair of eyes and a former journalist.

She responded, “You must go buy this book: WIRED STYLE.” As the good little sister I am, I did as she commanded. Immediately, I used the book and it helped me through a few entanglements.

Later, I wrote my first article on grammar and used the book and its companion Web site as the primary source. The article was well received and disliked. Most readers were grateful to have someone clarify how to take care of these techie words. But some were horrified that I used such a resource as a reference instead of the Chicago Manual of Style or other favorite resource.

Wired’s introduction indicates, “…intended to complement those guides by digging into questions that writers and editors confront daily-questions of style and substance that Chicago and AP (not to mention Strunk & White) don’t even imagine.” That’s the reason why I used it as my resource. The others didn’t address the issues I confronted while writing my article.

But should this be the stylebook for everyone? It’s definitely not the book many companies use since many argue against Wired’s choice of usage of words. For example, the infamous “email.” Book says it should be “e-mail.” Many are against typing an extra keystroke for the hyphen.

The book lists ten principles for writing well in the digital age. Five relate to prose style and five cover copy-editing style. Principle #2 encourages the writer to play with voice. Personally, I like the casual style, first-person articles. They’re easy to read and enjoy. philophe.com values Wired’s perspective, but believes they do us a disservice by not explaining that realize content and site infrastructure are separate entities.

I agree with philophe.com that a Web site’s style is determined by its company and not by Wired or anyone else. Wired states “Web” is capitalized when referencing the Web, Web sites, Web pages and so on. I use “Web” in here in meryl world and follow the style of the site for which I write.

Not only it can be used as a style guide or reference, but also as a digital glossary. It includes ASP, grok, IP, MIME, push and more. But one term was odd – Unabomber. Excuse me, what does a lunatic guy who sent bombs to people have to do with technology? Other interesting words are “Pong” and “Tetris.” Yes, they’re talking about the addictive games.

Someone asked how do we punctuate around smileys ? Smileys are made of punctuation marks and if the smiley is at the end of the sentence, it could be confusing with a period, question mark, or exclamation mark immediately after it.

Typically, I add a space after the smiley. Wired Style had a smiley at the end of a sentence and the period came immediate after like so . It’s legible, but what if it’s a short smiley ? I think it depends on Principle #1: The Medium Matters. In an informal email using less strict grammar and style rules, I leave out the sentence ending punctuation mark. If a bigwig national magazine wants an article, then I’d ask for their rules. Make the decision based on the medium and the audience, and then be consistent.

This is a good book to have in your library especially for techie writers. The definitions are useful, but there are free web sites like Webopedia to help. I don’t recommend using this as THE digital style guide, but help you create one. The most important thing is be consistent throughout your writing or web site.

VITAL STATISTICS:
TITLE: Wired Style : Principles of English Usage in the Digital
Age
AUTHORS: Constance Hale (Editor), Jessie Scanlon, Hale Scanlon
PUBLISHER: Broadway Books
PUBLICATION DATE: December 1999
ISBN: 0767903722
FORMAT: Paperback
PAGES: 176
PRICE: US$13

Testing Web-based applications and web interfaces is a new focus for many companies. Web-based application testing is different from the traditional client / server, PC, and / or mainframe system software products. Also factored in are code quality, browser compatibility, site navigation, user interaction, performance, and scalability.

Recognizing that companies need to conduct evaluation as they develop their “next generation” web sites and applications, Steven Splaine and Stefan P. Jaskiel have written a terrific introduction to the concepts and techniques for conducting various tests. The book starts with an introduction to web programming, servers, architecture, and all those something 2 something terms (Business to Business (B2B) and Market to Market (M2M) for example). To select and conduct appropriate tests requires an understanding the purpose of the application and the architecture that supports it.

The authors reference a study by Creative Good during the 1998 holiday season on 10 leading Web shopping sites. The study found that for every US$1 spent on advertising generated US$5 in additional review while US$1 spent on “customer experience” improvements yielded more than US$60 in additional review. What more motivation is needed to ensure your Web site is usable?

This handbook guides you through the web testing process. The book is easy to follow and avoids dry “theory” talk that you find in many technical books. How often have you read such a book and found yourself unable to apply it to real world situations? You’ll find a handy checklist of test conditions along with URLs for further references associated with the section to help you apply the test concepts. You can take the relevant items from the checklists and create your test case templates. The authors took another step and created a companion Web site using an imaginary company as a case study and included downloadable sample business requirements and test plans associated with the case study.

Covering all of the possible bases, the book offers guidelines and checklists for conducting all kinds of testing that applies to web-based applications, from interface usability to server functionality. It also includes common software development scenarios and provides possible options for handling them. For example, a team may require everyone to work on the weekend to test the Web site’s ability to handle a large number of users. However, it may not be the best way to go functionally and financially. The authors explain the reasoning and present available options.

While traditional software developers are probably most familiar with concepts like load testing (determining how much load a server can handle) and software testing (making sure that all of the functionality works), human factors professionals have touted the concept of usability testing as a way of determining how well a user might be able to navigate and use a web site or application. Jakob Nielsen has been one of the most vocal in this. The book provides a variety of methods for testing usability.

The book provides something for everyone in a software development shop including developers, testers, managers, and project managers. Testers get help on how and where to begin. Managers can benefit from the test strategies and planning. Companies new to testing and not knowing which tools and resources to use will want to review the book’s unbiased discussion and resources of such tools. You won’t feel overwhelmed by the resources because it’s organized by sections, which helps you focus on current needs.

The book is well laid out and it’s a fast read. It would be difficult to miss its concepts. This well-rounded book would be a boon to any software development team’s library even if it were only one person playing all the parts.

VITAL STATISTICS:
TITLE: The Web Testing Handbook
AUTHORS: Steven Splain and Stefan P. Jaskiel
PUBLISHER: STQE Publishing
PUBLICATION DATE: January 2001
ISBN: 0970436300
FORMAT: Paperback
PAGES: 400
PRICE: US$49.95

Try as you might to take a class in JavaScript or implement scripts by using online resources, it remains on your to do list. You search the Internet for the scripts and can never find the exact one you want or even close enough to do tweaking. Perhaps, it’s time to try an alternative and just buy a book on the subject and dive in.

This is the book for beginners and intermediates who are comfortable with HTML and lack the time to learn how to implement JavaScript from scratch or without resources. Negrino and Smith set up the book by the “things” you want your Web site to do rather than walk you through all the definitions, objects, operators, syntax, and all that stuff that would make the non-programmer’s eyes glaze over. There are other books that serve that purpose.

Open the book and go to the table of contents, find what you need, and start adding it to your Web pages. Screenshots and lines of code are on every page of the book with step-by-step guidelines of how to use and implement the script. You don’t even have to type the code from scratch. Instead, go to the book’s companion Web site to get the code and fix it up to meet your needs – a great time saver.

If you own an earlier edition of the book, this one has 100 more pages of new material including new chapters on 7 – Forms and Regular Expressions, 11 – CSS, 13 – User Interface Design with JavaScript, 14 – Applied JavaScript, and 15 – Bookmarklets. Furthermore, the scripts in the older editions have been revised to ensure compliance with current Web standards.

Chapter 7 – Forms and Regular Expressions show how to validate email addresses, file names, and URLs. It gives you a gentle introduction to regexes (regular expressions). Don’t panic at the thought of them especially with the handy table of expressions and associated characters. Once you try them out, you’ll wonder what you ever did without them.

Chapter 13 – User Interface Design with JavaScript gives you the opportunity to create pull-down and sliding menus. Chapter 14 – Applied JavaScript has directions for creating a slideshow with captions and generating bar graphs.

Colorful additions to the book are the Object Flowchart and Object Table printed in color to show you which objects are compatible with which browsers. The flowchart may be a challenge for beginners, but the table makes up for it by listing the object along with its properties, methods and event handlers.

If you’re looking to get cooking with JavaScript, look no further than this cookbook with easily modifiable recipes. It belongs on the Web designer’s reference shelf.

VITAL STATISTICS
Title: JavaScript for the World Wide Web, 4th Edition: Visual QuickStart Guide
Author: Tom Negrino & Dori Smith
Publisher: Peachpit Press
Publication Date: April 2001
ISBN: 0201735172
Format: Paperback
Pages: 440
Price: US$19.99

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Meryl Evans

When I began writing articles about the Internet, World Wide Web, and email, I was unsure of how to punctuate or capitalize such words. Checking the dictionary was fruitless because the words hadn’t made it there. I sent an article draft to my sister, my second pair of eyes and a former journalist.

She responded, “You must go buy this book: Wired Style.” Good little sister that I am, I did as she commanded. Immediately, I used the book and it helped me through a few entanglements.

Later, I wrote my first article on grammar and used the book and its companion Web site as the primary source. The article was both well received and disliked.

Most readers were grateful to have someone clarify how to take care of these techie words. But some were horrified that I used such a reference instead of the Chicago Manual of Style or other old standard.

Wired’s introduction indicates that it’s “…intended to complement those guides by digging into questions that writers and editors confront daily – questions of style and substance that Chicago and AP (not to mention Strunk & White) don’t even imagine.” The others didn’t even address the issues I confronted while writing my article.

But would this be the stylebook for everyone? Many companies don’t use it since they don’t agree with Wired’s choice of word usage. For example, the infamous “email.” “Wired Style” says it should be “e-mail.” Many are against typing an extra keystroke for the hyphen. Even ibizhome uses “email.” Wired states “Web” is capitalized when referencing the Web, Web sites, Web pages and so on. On ibizforum, we use “web.”

The book can not only be used as a style guide or reference, but also as a digital glossary. It includes ASP, grok, IP, MIME, push and more. Other interesting words are “Pong” and “Tetris.” Yes, they’re talking about the addictive games.

The book lists ten principles for writing well in the digital age. Five relate to prose style and five cover copy-editing. Principle #2 encourages the writer to play with voice. Personally, I like the casual, first-person articles. They’re easy to read and enjoy.

Someone asked, how do we punctuate around smileys ? Smileys are made of punctuation marks. If the smiley is at the end of the sentence, it could be confused with a period, question mark, or exclamation mark immediately after it. Typically, I add a space after the smiley. “Wired Style” had a smiley at the end of a sentence and the period came immediately after, like so . It’s legible, but what if it’s a short smiley;)?

I think it depends on Principle #1: The Medium Matters. In an informal email using less strict grammar and style rules, I leave out the sentence ending punctuation mark. If a bigwig national magazine wants an article, then I’d ask for their rules. Make the decision based on the medium and the audience, and then be consistent.

This is a good book to have in your library, especially for techie writers. The definitions are useful, but there are free web sites like Webopedia to help. I don’t recommend using this as THE digital style guide, but it will help you create one. The most important thing is be consistent throughout your writing or web site.

Title: Wired Style
Author: Constance Hale and Jessie Scanlon
Publisher: Broadway
ISBN: 0767903722
Date: December 1999
Format: Paperback
Pages: 208
Price: Amazon Marketplace: $2..11