HTML Code For Virtual Assistants

Let's talk about HTML code. HTML stands for:
HyperText Markup Language, and it is through those text, tags that
browsers reads the element of a web page. Call it what you want -
code, HTML, geekspeak,
and so on. Can you read it? *No?!? Then learn!*

*Why should I learn some HTML code?*

If you, like so many other small virtual assistant solopreneurs out there,
are creating your website on your own.. you should know code. Not at the
uber-geek level, but some general code. Knowing how to read code can save
you a ton of time when it comes to updating widgets, creating campaigns and
tweaking changes here and there.

You also are going to have clients who need a little something changed,
fixed, or updated. Be proactive and get formatting errors, mismatched type,
and broken links fixed.

If you use WordPress or Blogger for your site, you can still
incorporate HTML.. and
sometimes it's simply easier to snag a generated HTML code snippet and
paste it into your WordPress post or page. In this type of situation, once
you have the generated HTML code, go to WordPress and start your page or
post. To the top right of the body field you will see "Visual" and "Text."
Text is where you would paste your HTML.

*Do I Need Special Software?*

*No. *You can write code in Notepad, which every PC has. There are also a
bunch of WYSIWYG ("What You See Is What You Get") online HTML editors out
there too. If you need a quick change or tweak, they are handy to bookmark.

*Do I need to know anything else?*

Keep in mind that code is sort of like a highlighter. You highlight the
parts that you want to fancy up but putting HTML before AND after the
special bits. The code is trapped inside carrots, otherwise known as these
little things: <>

Back in the day, we used to call 'em less-than and greater-than signs.

*Tip:* Remember you need to open the carrots *and* close them.

The internet has evolved over the years and because of that, there can be
more than one set of HTML codes for the same thing. For example, see the
codes for italics below.

*OK.. Short List Me!*

There are ton of basics out there, so let's get started (and keep in mind
that this won't show the actual formatting):

- Paragraph: <p></p>
- Bold: <b></b> This is how to <b>bold</b> text.
- Italics: <i></i> This is how to <i>italicize</i> text.
- You can also use <emphasis></emphasis> in lieu of <i></i>

If you're used to using Microsoft Word's Styles & Formatting, then you are
familiar with Header formatting. HTML also uses headers H1-H6:

- <h1>Title goes here</h1>
- <h2>Sub-Title here</h2>
- <h3></h3> and so on..

Just as important as formatting your type is, it's also important to insert
links.

- Link to a page: <a href="http://www.yoursite.com">Your Site Name</a>
- If you want the page to open in a new tab/new window, then you would
use: <a href="http://www.yoursite.com" target "_blank"></a>
- Link to email: Send an email to me at: <a href="mailto:you@yoursite.com
>me@mysite.com</a>

*Other HTML Codes*

There are a few HTML codes that do not require a close.

- Horizontal line: <hr>
- Line Break: <br />
- Adding an image: <img src="http://www.yoursite.com/image1.png">
- If you're image is too large, you can tell the code how big to make
the image: <img src="http://www.yoursite.com/image1.png" width="400"
height="350">

*Did You Know?*

Did you know that you can view the HTML for any website? Depending on your
browser, you can see the geekspeak by

- Internet Explorer: Right click on the page and choose "View Source"
- FireFox: Right click on the page and choose "View Page Source"
- Chrome: Right click on the page and choose "Inspect Element"