This Section had been inspired by Apatt. This page was created in order to help beginners in HTML and making Shrines. Some people can be good at memorizing HTML tags (which is easy enough), but cannot really be good at HTML manipulation. That is one aspect of this page that we'd like to help people on. The following methods can be used in order to build an organized web site that visitors would love to navigate through: Basic HTML Tutorial Basic Tables Basic Frames by Alex P'ng Another aspect we'd like to focus on is the content of the shrine itself. Good Shrines are hard to come by, what with most web page authors ripping off other sites that are found to be good. Apatt interviewed the Kraiders (composed of me and my cousins) and asked us how we were able to make our Shrines. Written below is our response. We are not saying that our Shrines are the best or are even good, but we'd like to help out those people who may be encountering some problems starting out their pages. Perhaps our tips may prove useful. Since we are all cousins and meet at least twice a week to watch anime and raid Bowaggi's fridges (she has more than one kitchen), I guess we could say that we have a "routine" of sorts in making shrines: Watch the anime and see the characters we like most (we usually do this while munching on something, 'cause we can concentrate on the story better if we're chewing). Observe. Take note of the conversations, the setting, the interrelationships of the characters involved. Research. Do not rip off some other site's content but look for other ways of getting information, such as borrowing written or published material about the character you want to make a shrine on. Analyze data gathered. Try not to jump into conclusions such as "Rei is such a bitch because she's always picking on Usagi." Remember that there is always some explanation for the behavior of people--the same is true with characters that people create. Try to think of yourself in the shoes of the characters. Ask yourself questions like: "How would I feel if I were in Mako-chan's place and I was observing this weird bald guy praying underneath ice cold water?" Begin the page. Think about how you would want your page to look. Write down your ideas so as not to forget them, especially if the shrine you are planning is not so little. Presentation matters. You may have all the right info but you have to be sure that you know how to present that info in such a way that would capture your guest's attention. Write from the heart and not like a robot that just spouts stats because stats are all that has been fed into its memory. Please avoid plastering your pages with so many pictures or annoying java/java scripts. We don't really pay too much attention to the pictures since we've seen most of them, and some of us frequently view only the text-only versions. Also, there are a lot of annoying java out there that we'd rather not be burdened with. However, we are not saying that pages should be text-only. A good manipulation of graphics and lay-out is also a key to enhancing a site. Try to view your page in as many browsers as you can. There are some people who still use netscape 1.0 See for yourself how the page would look like. Are you contented with what you see? Is your page easy to navigate? Won't we get lost with all those links? Are the write-ups readable and not obscured by some flashy, long-loading backgrounds? Are the fonts screaming and hard on the eyes? Test upload the page. Don't advertise yet. Just test the loading time first and see if you are contented with the loading time. If a page loads as long as 5 minutes, try to improvise by lessening graphics or java, if possible, but still maintaining the beauty of your site. Two to three minutes (or even less) is an ideal loading time. When you are ready--and not when your page is still majorly under construction--that's when you advertise. Try not to be obnoxious and sign gbooks saying: "Hi! Nice page! Please visit mine and sign my gbook because my page is wicked cool!" There is nothing more irritating than someone who thinks he/she made a cool page when other people may perceive otherwise. Also, when you visit other pages to advertise, try to delve further into their content. Who knows? You might learn from their pages. Do not be too conceited and think that your page is the best and that you do not need to look into other people's work. After we've done our sites, we consult with other Kraiders and ask their opinions, just to see if we really did well. We can be very brutal with each other actually! [ Main Page || The Help Office || GeoCities || GeoCities Tokyo || View Gbook ]