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Webmaster Certification Newsletter April 2002
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Welcome
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Hello and welcome to the April issue of the WebmasterCertification Online Newsletter.
This month's issue brings you information on Spam, Using Deep Linking, Webmaster resources, the instructor's
office hours, and FAQs to help you find answers to your questions. We hope you find something useful here.
In This Issue
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What's New
Webmaster Tip of the Month - Spam
Using Deep Linking
Instructor Office Hours
FAQs
Webmaster Resources
Feedback
Spread the Word
Unsubscribe Instructions
What's New!
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We have a very exciting announcement this month - we now have an arrangement with cfxhosting.com to provide WCO
Online ColdFusion students with free ColdFusion space for their course exercises. WebYoda would like to thank
www.cfxhosting.com, our host provider and a top-rated ColdFusion hosting company, for donating ColdFusion space
for this exciting arrangement. This means ColdFusion students will not have to download and install ColdFusion
(free trial or full version), because it will be available through cfxhosting. To celebrate this event, we are
offering the new ColdFusion course with this new arrangement for the incredible price of only $75 for the month
of April. If you have ever considered taking ColdFusion 101 and learning some of the great possibilities for
database to Internet connectivity, this is definitely the month to do it!
We hope to have the new HomeSite class ready for registration in mid-April. The course availability will be
announced via email and will be offered at the introductory rate of only $75 for one month from the date of the
announcement email. Watch your email for this exciting new course.
Webmaster Tip of the Month - Spam
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Spam is enough of a problem these days that it is drawing the attention of lawmakers. Unbeknownst to many, the
Federal Trade Commission is actively involved in the situation. Any time you find spam in your email, send a
copy to the FTC at: uce@ftc.gov. They will not acknowledge receipt of your email, but they are building a
database of spam. The FTC uses the unsolicited emails stored in this database to pursue law enforcement actions
against people who send deceptive spam email. If you have a situation in which you have requested to be removed
and your request has not been honored, you can report that to the FTC as well. They even have an online form for
filing complaints. There is a tremendous amount of information on their Web site regarding unsolicited email,
just go to their site (http://www.ftc.gov) and search for "UCE" (unsolicited
commercial email). You can also read information specifically about spam and what the FTC is doing at:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/online/inbox.htm
As a Webmaster, one of the ways you can help prevent your clients from getting put on spam lists is to use an
online form for communication rather than the traditional mailto. There are email harvesters that search Web
sites and gather all of the mailtos they can find, and instantly produce a list of email addresses to receive
their unsolicited email. Some are even sophisticated enough to extract an email address that doesn't even
display on the page, but is included in a comment line. By using an online form, there is no mailto, no email
address, and nothing to harvest. However, it is vital that you make sure the form is working properly, because
if an email contact is not provided, and your form stops working, no one will be able to contact you to tell
you the form is not working. Online forms may not be the answer in every case, and some clients may feel
strongly about providing their email address on their site. But online forms are certainly an option you can
discuss with your clients, and they may appreciate your wanting to protect them from getting additional
unwanted email.
Using Deep Linking
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Links that go directly to pages other than the site's homepage, sometimes multiple levels down from the
homepage, are deep links. Using deep linking can be very beneficial to your visitor because it takes them
directly to the page they need, rather than taking them to your home page and then they have to search and click
around trying to find the specific page they need. Studies have shown that difficulties in getting from the to
the desired target page accounted for 27% of the user's not finding the page they were seeking. By allowing your
visitors to reach the specific page they need directly, this can improve your site's usability and, if you have
an e-commerce site, improve your sales.
Given that search engines have the ability to send visitors directly to a deep page in your site, it is vital
that your pages accommodate visitors who did not come in through the homepage. This can be accomplished through
following a few basic guidelines:
Make sure each and every page in your site has navigation links to allow your visitor to get to other parts of
your site. If you use frames, be sure you include navigation that is not reliant on the frame environment to
function;
Make sure your logo or the name of the company is on every page so that when someone hits a deep link in your
site, they can still tell whose site they are visiting;
Provide a link back to your homepage on every page;
If your site offers search capability, put it on every page so that no matter where someone enters your site,
they can still search the rest of it to find what they are seeking; and
Don't assume that someone on a specific page arrived there by following the links beginning with the homepage.
They may not have seen the homepage and not know what the rest of the site has to offer. Provide broad, general
links to other areas of the site that are related to the page at which they have arrived so they can see what
else is available and not abandon your site when they don't see what they want immediately.
There are some cases when you do not want people to his a deep page without seeing another page first. For
example, if you provided a survey that had an introductory page of instructions, you would want your visitors
to see the instructions prior to getting to the survey. You can prevent search engines from deep linking to
those specific pages by including the following meta tag code in the HEAD tag of the page:
<META name="robots" content="noindex">
This should prevent properly programmed search engines from indexing that page, and help keep your visitors
from landing on a page that should only be viewed after seeing another page first.
There are also ways to prevent deep linking by using server-side programming that checks to see if the visitor
has already been to the higher-level page prior to entering the lower-level page. However, this can cause more
problems than it solves and wind up preventing access by legitimate users. For that reason, I would recommend
using the meta tag rather than server-side programming for pages you don't want visitors to reach directly.
So remember, deep linking can be a useful tool that allows your visitors to reach the desired destination page
quickly and efficiently. It is then up to you to make sure each page provides the necessary tools for them to
navigate through the rest of your site.
Instructor Office Hours
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The Instructor Office Hours are chat sessions are available to both online
and training center students. They give you the chance to talk with fellow
students and instructors via AOL Instant Messenger (AIM). To enroll in a
session, log on to
www.webmastercertification.com
and select Instructor Office Hours (Chat Rooms) from the Student Help section of
the Student Main Menu, then select Access the Instructor office hours,
and select the course you wish.
Mastering The Internet (WCO Mastering 020403) Instructor: Kimberley Ramcharran
Session: 03 Apr 2002 08:00 PM - 08:55 PM EST
Mastering The Internet (WCO Mastering 020404) Instructor: Barry McConnell
Session: 04 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
Mastering The Internet (WCO Mastering 020409) Instructor: Barry McConnell
Session: 09 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
Mastering The Internet (WCO Mastering 020410) Instructor: Kimberley Ramcharran
Session: 10 Apr 2002 08:00 PM - 08:55 PM EST
Mastering The Internet (WCO Mastering 020417) Instructor: Kimberley Ramcharran
Session: 17 Apr 2002 08:00 PM - 08:55 PM EST
Mastering The Internet (WCO Mastering 020418) Instructor: Barry McConnell
Session: 18 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
Mastering The Internet (WCO Mastering 020424) Instructor: Kimberley Ramcharran
Session: 24 Apr 2002 08:00 PM - 08:55 PM EST
Mastering The Internet (WCO Mastering 020425) Instructor: Barry McConnell
Session: 25 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
Beginning HTML/XHTML (WCO Beginning 020403) Instructor: Kimberley Ramcharran
Session: 03 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
Beginning HTML/XHTML (WCO Beginning 020409) Instructor: Colin Colehour
Session: 09 Apr 2002 08:00 PM - 08:55 PM EST
Beginning HTML/XHTML (WCO Beginning 020410) Instructor: Kimberley Ramcharran
Session: 10 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
Beginning HTML/XHTML (WCO Beginning 020416) Instructor: Colin Colehour
Session: 16 Apr 2002 08:00 PM - 08:55 PM EST
Beginning HTML/XHTML (WCO Beginning 020417) Instructor: Kimberley Ramcharran
Session: 17 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
Beginning HTML/XHTML (WCO Beginning 020423) Instructor: Colin Colehour
Session: 23 Apr 2002 08:00 PM - 08:55 PM EST
Beginning HTML/XHTML (WCO Beginning 020424) Instructor: Kimberley Ramcharran
Session: 24 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
Beginning HTML/XHTML (WCO Beginning 020430) Instructor: Colin Colehour
Session: 30 Apr 2002 08:00 PM - 08:55 PM EST
Advanced HTML/XHTML (WCO AdvancedH 020409) Instructor: Colin Colehour
Session: 09 Apr 2002 08:00 PM - 08:55 PM EST
Advanced HTML/XHTML (WCO AdvancedH 020409) Instructor: Michael Bunton
Session: 09 Apr 2002 10:00 PM - 10:55 PM EST
Advanced HTML/XHTML (WCO AdvancedH 020416) Instructor: Colin Colehour
Session: 16 Apr 2002 08:00 PM - 08:55 PM EST
Advanced HTML/XHTML (WCO AdvancedH 020416) Instructor: Michael Bunton
Session: 16 Apr 2002 10:00 PM - 10:55 PM EST
Advanced HTML/XHTML (WCO AdvancedH 020423) Instructor: Colin Colehour
Session: 23 Apr 2002 08:00 PM - 08:55 PM EST
Advanced HTML/XHTML (WCO AdvancedH 020423) Instructor: Michael Bunton
Session: 23 Apr 2002 10:00 PM - 10:55 PM EST
Advanced HTML/XHTML (WCO AdvancedH 020430) Instructor: Colin Colehour
Session: 30 Apr 2002 08:00 PM - 08:55 PM EST
Advanced HTML/XHTML (WCO AdvancedH 020430) Instructor: Michael Bunton
Session: 30 Apr 2002 10:00 PM - 10:55 PM EST
Web Design & Graphics (WCO WebDesign 020403) Instructor: Kimberley Ramcharran
Session: 03 Apr 2002 08:00 PM - 08:55 PM EST
Web Design & Graphics (WCO WebDesign 020409) Instructor: Colin Colehour
Session: 09 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
Web Design & Graphics (WCO WebDesign 020410) Instructor: Kimberley Ramcharran
Session: 10 Apr 2002 08:00 PM - 08:55 PM EST
Web Design & Graphics (WCO WebDesign 020416) Instructor: Colin Colehour
Session: 16 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
Web Design & Graphics (WCO WebDesign 020417) Instructor: Kimberley Ramcharran
Session: 17 Apr 2002 08:00 PM - 08:55 PM EST
Web Design & Graphics (WCO WebDesign 020423) Instructor: Colin Colehour
Session: 23 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
Web Design & Graphics (WCO WebDesign 020424) Instructor: Kimberley Ramcharran
Session: 24 Apr 2002 08:00 PM - 08:55 PM EST
Web Design & Graphics (WCO WebDesign 020430) Instructor: Colin Colehour
Session: 30 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
ColdFusion 101 (WCO ColdFusio 020408) Instructor: Chris Nowicki
Session: 08 Apr 2002 07:00 PM - 07:55 PM EST
ColdFusion 101 (WCO ColdFusio 020415) Instructor: Chris Nowicki
Session: 15 Apr 2002 07:00 PM - 07:55 PM EST
ColdFusion 101 (WCO ColdFusio 020422) Instructor: Chris Nowicki
Session: 22 Apr 2002 07:00 PM - 07:55 PM EST
ColdFusion 101 (WCO ColdFusio 020429) Instructor: Chris Nowicki
Session: 29 Apr 2002 07:00 PM - 07:55 PM EST
E-Business (WCO EBusiness 020403) Instructor: Eric Ramcharran
Session: 03 Apr 2002 08:00 PM - 08:55 PM EST
E-Business (WCO EBusiness 020404) Instructor: Barry McConnell
Session: 04 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
E-Business (WCO EBusiness 020409) Instructor: Barry McConnell
Session: 09 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
E-Business (WCO EBusiness 020410) Instructor: Eric Ramcharran
Session: 10 Apr 2002 08:00 PM - 08:55 PM EST
E-Business (WCO EBusiness 020417) Instructor: Eric Ramcharran
Session: 17 Apr 2002 08:00 PM - 08:55 PM EST
E-Business (WCO EBusiness 020418) Instructor: Barry McConnell
Session: 18 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
E-Business (WCO EBusiness 020424) Instructor: Eric Ramcharran
Session: 24 Apr 2002 08:00 PM - 08:55 PM EST
E-Business (WCO EBusiness 020425) Instructor: Barry McConnell
Session: 25 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
Java Survival Skills (WCO JavaSurvi 020403) Instructor: Eric Ramcharran
Session: 03 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
Java Survival Skills (WCO JavaSurvi 020409) Instructor: Michael Bunton
Session: 09 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
Java Survival Skills (WCO JavaSurvi 020410) Instructor: Eric Ramcharran
Session: 10 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
Java Survival Skills (WCO JavaSurvi 020416) Instructor: Michael Bunton
Session: 16 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
Java Survival Skills (WCO JavaSurvi 020417) Instructor: Eric Ramcharran
Session: 17 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
Java Survival Skills (WCO JavaSurvi 020423) Instructor: Michael Bunton
Session: 23 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
Java Survival Skills (WCO JavaSurvi 020424) Instructor: Eric Ramcharran
Session: 24 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
Java Survival Skills (WCO JavaSurvi 020430) Instructor: Michael Bunton
Session: 30 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
Intro To Flash 5 (WCO IntroToFl 020403) Instructor: Eric Ramcharran
Session: 03 Apr 2002 08:00 PM - 08:55 PM EST
Intro To Flash 5 (WCO IntroToFl 020410) Instructor: Eric Ramcharran
Session: 10 Apr 2002 08:00 PM - 08:55 PM EST
Intro To Flash 5 (WCO IntroToFl 020417) Instructor: Eric Ramcharran
Session: 17 Apr 2002 08:00 PM - 08:55 PM EST
Intro To Flash 5 (WCO IntroToFl 020424) Instructor: Eric Ramcharran
Session: 24 Apr 2002 08:00 PM - 08:55 PM EST
Paint Shop Pro 7 (WCO PaintShop 020409) Instructor: Michael Bunton
Session: 09 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
Paint Shop Pro 7 (WCO PaintShop 020416) Instructor: Michael Bunton
Session: 16 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
Paint Shop Pro 7 (WCO PaintShop 020423) Instructor: Michael Bunton
Session: 23 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
Paint Shop Pro 7 (WCO PaintShop 020430) Instructor: Michael Bunton
Session: 30 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
E-Marketing (WCO EMarketin 020403) Instructor: Eric Ramcharran
Session: 03 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
E-Marketing (WCO EMarketin 020409) Instructor: Colin Colehour
Session: 09 Apr 2002 08:00 PM - 08:55 PM EST
E-Marketing (WCO EMarketin 020410) Instructor: Eric Ramcharran
Session: 10 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
E-Marketing (WCO EMarketin 020416) Instructor: Colin Colehour
Session: 16 Apr 2002 08:00 PM - 08:55 PM EST
E-Marketing (WCO EMarketin 020417) Instructor: Eric Ramcharran
Session: 17 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
E-Marketing (WCO EMarketin 020423) Instructor: Colin Colehour
Session: 23 Apr 2002 08:00 PM - 08:55 PM EST
E-Marketing (WCO EMarketin 020424) Instructor: Eric Ramcharran
Session: 24 Apr 2002 09:00 PM - 09:55 PM EST
E-Marketing (WCO EMarketin 020430) Instructor: Colin Colehour
Session: 30 Apr 2002 08:00 PM - 08:55 PM EST
FAQ's
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Q: Are the textbooks required?
A: For each course, we have at least one recommended textbook which our Instructors have chosen as highly
useful references. You are not required to purchase any of the textbooks; however, they serve as continuing
education references on the subject matter covered in each course. It is important to note that you will find
the textbook for Beginning HTML/XHTML and Advanced HTML/XHTML hard to live without if you are serious about
building Web pages.
Q: How do I get a student resource disk?
A: Students taking courses at a training center should be supplied a Student Resource disk for each course. If
you did not receive a Student Resource disk during the course, you will need to contact your training center.
We have contact information for each of them on our site. If you are taking an online course you will be
instructed on how to create a Student Resource disk in the introduction section of each course.
Q: Can I request a specific instructor?
A: Yes, if you find an instructor works well with you and you would like him/her for future courses you take
that they are the instructor for, simply sign up for the new course(s), then contact us with your request to
change to your instructors of preference.
Q: What forms of payment do you accept?
A: Payment can be made with Visa or Mastercard through our online secure order form. Payment with credit card
will provide immediate access to the course materials. If you would like to pay with check, money order, or
purchase order, proceed with the order process. After confirming your order, you will be given an option to
print and mail in your order along with the mailing address. The courses will become available upon receipt of
payment or purchase order. You will be notified via the email address listed in your student record once your
courses have been activated.
Q: I just logged in to my account and was told my email is invalid, what happened?
A: This means that a piece of email that we sent to your email address was returned as undeliverable. All you
need to do is log in to your account, select the option to update your student profile from the student menu,
and submit your email address on the form provided.
Webmaster Resources
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I found a great tutorial for building a rotating picture gallery using ColdFusion. It allows you to build a
database of photos - your gallery - and then have the photos display on your Web site, rotating through the
gallery, so folks will see different pictures when they visit. It can certainly keep your site visually
interesting with very little work on your part. Check it out at:
http://www.webmasterbase.com@3n.be/?1b8a
Looking for a good Java tutorial? This site offers tutorials to help beginners get started in Java programming:
http://java.about.com/library/tutorials/blhw.htm
Okay, you have earned your certification and now you are ready to take the Web world by storm! But how do you
begin posting your resume and getting people to flock to your door? There is a worthwhile article on using the
Internet to post your resume and search for work at: http://jobsearch.about.com/library/weekly/aa022402a.htm
Adware, or spyware, that comes bundled in so many free downloads has been in the press quite a bit recently. If
you don't like the idea of having your Internet use be tracked and reported, you may want to go to the site
below and download the Ad Aware program. It is even used by some of the WCO instructors and they report they
are satisfied with it:
http://download.cnet.com/downloads/0-10106-100-7302674.html?tag=st.dl.10001-103-1.lst-7-1.7302674 (you will need to paste the entire URL into your browser).
Reader Feedback
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At WebYoda, we constantly strive to improve our service. Please drop us a
line and let us know what you like, what you dislike, what you would like
to see added, what you would like to see removed, if you have an article
suggestion, or a question you would like to have answered. You can email
us at editor@webyoda.com.
Spread The Word
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WebYoda depends on word-of-mouth to spread the word about this newsletter.
If you enjoy reading our newsletter, please tell a friend or colleague
about it. Anyone can sign up to receive our newsletter at no cost at:
http://www.webmastercertification.com/beamember.cfm.
Unsubscribe Instructions
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This newsletter is never sent unsolicited. You are receiving this
newsletter because you came to www.WebmasterCertification.com and, when you
became a member, you indicated you wanted to receive information from us.
To be REMOVED from the mailing list, return to
www.WebmasterCertification.com, log in, click on the "View/Update Student
Record" option from the student menu and uncheck the "Yes, I would like to
receive the newsletter" option.
Robin Preston Wright
editor@webyoda.com
Team Web Yoda
http://www.webyoda.com
http://www.webmastercertification.com
Phone: 850-524-9632
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