The Unusually Useful Web Book

Found this book so very helpful. Shed light on blind spots in my planning that I wasn't even aware that I had, and therefore saved me catch-up work later. Also, showed me that I do a lot by instinct; but some things I wasn't consciously planning and that when I do, the outcome is far more thorough. It really guided me when creating my own site, step-by-step. The author is clearly experienced and intelligent, as evidenced throughout. Grateful me. (I am a web designer, consultant; and have my own site/business online as well.)

I have shelves full of web manuals. This book is one of the first I grab when I need help and/or I'm frustrated/stuck. It's illustrated with silly cartoons that make you chuckle (which takes your mind off your web problem for the moment, and gives you space to let new ideas in). It's got fill-in-forms to guide your progress (you can photocopy them so you don't have to write in the book). It's cohesive and easy to find things in it - FANTASTIC index! The BEST thing is the list of "top 10 reasons web sites fail". I think this is ONE of the BEST books I have purchased to help me learn new web stuff, and fix old web stuff.

I came across this book in my quest to build a web as a newbie. After slogging through how to books on dreamweaver, HTML,SQL and PHP this was certainly an easy read. If you want technical knowledge on the actual code to build a site, this isn't the place ( although all the basics are explained), but it is chocked full of interesting things to consider from the design angle and what works and what doesn't. The book explains in clear terms the various components of how a web site works from aquiring a domain name, how pages are written, scripts,flash, which design elements have been proven to work, understanding user needs, designing for fast page loading, revenue models for making money, monitoring and measuring traffic, promoting your site, etc. I would say this book is aimed at someone who wants to build or improve their site and hasn't needs a place to start that will explain the technical jargon and best practices based on real world situations. The beauty of this approach is that that its all covered - many of the other books Ive read simply assume prior knowledge. Its enough to give you a good understanding of the concepts with plenty of references to follow if you want to get into more detail on any certain topic.

Congratulations to the author and to the New Riders Publishing staff for bringing the book "The Unusually Useful Web Book" into being. June Cohen truly "got it right" with this publication of many years of distilled knowledge and wisdom relating to Web site planning, creation, and maintenance.The book is truly jam-packed with highly useful, well organized, and clearly explained 'nuggets of information' for all levels of readers to both appreciate and to conscientiously apply toward their own Web site design and development efforts. I was immediately pleased by its overall content, logical organization, its many illustrative graphics and tabular checklists, the many signposts within each subsection, the tone of the author's writing, and the inclusion of supporting statements by numerous experts in their respective areas related to Web site design and development. One of the true strengths of this book is its applicability to all members of the Web site team coupled with its inherent emphasis on continual process improvement. June Cohen's wisdom is perhaps best exemplified by an acknowlegement that no Web site is ever truly finished. It only gets better or worse according to the receptivity toward and implementation of feedback from users.

The Unusually Useful Web Book could have been titled The Book You Must Read To Help You Plan, Design, Build, and Maintain A Successful Web Site. Everyone who is on a team developing or maintaining a web site should read this book and then re-read it frequently to keep the information and lessons fresh. I will definitely use this book to help me with my future web projects.This book provides an overview of the processes, the techniques, and the technologies that can (and should) be used to develop and maintain a successful web site. If you are looking for an in-depth technical book on HTML, CSS, or other specific tools this is not that book. Buy this book anyway! It will be worth it.The book is divided into four major sections: Planning Your Site, Designing Your Site, Building Your Site, and Maintaining Your Site. There is also an appendix with short biographies of the experts that the author interviewed and some additional expert advice. Each section has good information that you can use right now whether you are starting to create a new site or are involved in the maintenance and upgrade of an existing site.There are some great features to go along with the great information. The book has 19 worksheets (the back cover says 20 so maybe I missed one) to help you with tasks such as: determining the site's goals, determining the site's features, improving site speed, browser/platform compatibility, and how you will promote the site. There are one-to-two page "Lesson from the Trenches" sub-sections that present the experience of web development veterans. Three lessons that stand out in my mind are: You are not your user, Your site is not the center of the user's universe, and Why you should follow web standards. Two other features are the "links" that point to other sections with more in-depth information about a topic and the references to on-line resources. A conscious effort was made to make the book look and feel like a web site. This approach works very well. Sections are short, important points are highlighted, and I found myself following "links" to more in-depth information on topics that were of interest to me. This book lives up to its title by being full of unusually useful information and also being unusually readable. I think this book is going to be an instant classic.