Welcome, 4-H Webmasters! This is the first step in creating your very own Web page. For the 4-H Webmasters Project, you will start by making a personal profile page kind of like mine. (Click here to see what it looks like.) Eventually, everyone in the project will have their own personal page, so we can all "meet" each other.

You might want to print out this lesson so you can have it beside your computer as you work. (Click here if you need instructions for how to print out a Web page. That way if your modem is connected to the same line as your telephone, you can have the lesson to look at and still get those important phone calls from your friends. Also, you might not finish everything right now, and it will be easier to come back and start later.

There are a few things you will need to know before you actually begin this lesson. If you don't know how to do these things, ask someone to help you and then practice. Try to get these things down before you begin this lesson.

• You should know how to use a Web browser that can display graphics, such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. You should be able to type in the address (also known as the URL) of a Web page and get to it. You should also know how to follow links to a new page and use the BACK button (in the menu bar at the top of your screen) to return to the page you were on before.

• You should know how to do basic word-processing in a text program like WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, ClarisWorks, NotePad or SimpleText. You can use any program that you would use for typing a letter to someone or writing a report for school. It doesn't matter what kind of computer you are on.

• You should also know how to have two programs open at the same time and move back and forth between them (this is often called toggling). If you are using an IBM-compatible computer, try holding the ALT key and then pressing the TAB key. This should bring a different program "window" to the front. On a Mac, there is a small icon in the very upper right of your screen; click on it to pull down a menu. Then you can choose which program you want to be active.

• Finally, you should be familiar with saving files to a specific location on your computer SO YOU CAN FIND THEM AGAIN. Sometimes people save files and it's like they disappear -- all because they don't know where they put them.

• At this time, you do not have to worry about actually posting the Web page or using your modem for anything. You will be creating your Web page on your computer so only you can see it. After your page is finished, we'll worry about posting it to the server at MSU so everybody else can see it.

These are a few definitions you might want to know:

HTML. This stands for HyperText Markup Language. It is the basic code for most Web pages. HyperText means you can click on a LINK and go to another section or another page.

Browser. The software you use to look at Web pages. A lot of people use Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer. Others are Mosaic, etc.

Server. A server is a large computer that "hosts" Web pages. You send your Web pages to a server, and then other people can look at them. Until you send your pages to the server at MSU (we will do this after you have finished your page), only you can see them on your own computer.

OK, are you ready to begin? Let's go!!!!

1. Start up a word processing program on your computer. Open up a brand new file.

2. Type a few sentences that you would like to have on your personal profile page (don't worry about any codes yet). Be sure to type Welcome to my Web page! at the top, like I did. On my personal profile page, it says this: (Go look at it now if you want)

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Welcome to my Web page!

Hi! My name is Suzi Taylor, and I live in Bozeman, Montana. I am the leader of the Montana 4-H Webmasters Project. I am 28 years old and I am married. My husband's name is Scott, and we have two cats, Kahshi and Stevie Ray.

I work at Montana State University (go Bocats!) and I like all kinds of sports, traveling and the Internet.

After you have typed a little introduction of your own, save your word-processing file. Give it this name:

myweb.htm

Make sure you put the .htm on the end of the file. That way, your computer knows you are about to create an HTML file (you're making a Web page!!)

If your software gives you the option of saving your file in different formats, choose TEXT or ASCII text

Also, make sure you save the file somewhere that you can find it again! This is very important--if you are not sure you have saved your file somewhere that you can find it again, quit your word processing program and then open up your file again (myweb.htm) This will prove that you know how to save your file and then find it again. (You don't have to quit out of the word processing program if you know how to find the file you just saved. You can keep the word processing program open while you do the rest of this lesson).

OK, now we're going to try the "toggling" thing. We are going to view your file using your World Wide Web browser. You haven't written any HTML codes into your page yet, so it really won't look like much yet, but viewing your page through the browser is a very important as you work on your Web page.

Remember, looking at an HTML file through a Web browser DOES NOT CHANGE the original text file (myweb.htm in this case). It is like looking at a bird through binoculars--the bird looks different through the binoculars, but the bird doesn't actually change at all. Same with your HTML file--it will look different through the browser, but it won't actually change.

Ready? Here goes! Open up your Web browser software (remember--the word processing program can still be open if you want. Or, if you are having trouble opening your Web browser while the word processing program is open, you can go ahead and close it. It doesn't matter at this point, but later on you'll need to learn how to have both open at once). Also, you do not have to dial in on your modem or be actually connected to the Internet in any way, just open up the browser. You are now going to use the OPEN FILE command to look at your Web page. When your Web browser is active, there should be a menu at the top of your screen. One of these menus says FILE. Pull it down and select OPEN FILE.... A box will pop up on your screen, and this is where you will select your text file myweb.htm (you know where to find it, right?)

In your Web browser program, you should see exactly what you wrote about yourself in the file. The background will be gray, and you won't see anything bold or centered. In fact, all the lines are probably run together. But this is the start of a Web page!

In the next lesson, we will learn how to add the codes that make words bold, centered, or bigger.

Go to lesson 2!