YouTube web developer tutorials
When my daughter is doing her homework using Google, I always impress upon her that the Web is not an information medium, it’s a communication medium. Just as in the real world, the web is full of misinformed idiots with big gobs. Unfortunately, you can’t see their staring eyes and crazed grins on the web.
I was checking out an excellent YouTube video by a screenreader user called Importance of HTML Headings for Accessibility that shows how screenreaders navigate the heading tags, and investigated some of the “related” videos. Oh dear.
There’s an XHTML tutorial called “Changing colors and adding paragraphs” that sets bgcolor on the body tag, and only ever previews the page in IE. “Formatting paragraphs” uses align atttributes. The “using tables for layout” tutorials made me wish I still smoke, and then (more productively) wonder how to do screen grabs and make my own tutorials.
So I left a comment
I’m sorry, but this video seriously misinforms the audience. The bgcolor attribute is old-fashioned because it mixes style with the content.
The way to do this is with CSS: body {background-color:red; color:white;} or whatever color you want.
If you’re looking to learn web design, please use books recommended by the web standards project http://www.webstandards.org/learn/reference/books/ or use Opera’s free Web Standards Curriculum (www.opera.com/wsc). (Disclaimer: Opera is my employer.)
Seriously, for all those who think the standards war is won, check out the You Tube tutorials.
10 Responses to “ YouTube web developer tutorials ”
The narrator sounds drunk, which is quite appropiate.
Have seen plenty of those videos, and, sadly, a lot of those new to web design will follow them.
We’ve had clients who have previously had ‘professional’ web design undertaken, only to be told that their recently completed website is effectively years behind the standard!
Ahhhh the Staring Eye Brigade. I’ve spent the morning battling with one of those. He’s determined to persuade a newbie developer that the way to go with CSS based sites is to use layered tables, z-index on everthing, and absolutley position the whole lot.
When I politely pointed out that this really wasn’t necessary and he’d be storing up all sorts of problems for himself, BugEye announced that this was the way he’d always done it and his clients are all delighted with their sites and further more that I really ought to butt out until I know what I’m talking about.
Sigh.
Very true writing, yes there are lot of peoples on the web who are misguiding others. We have to careful while seeking some information on the web.
Thanks for excellent article.
I’ve suggested on Accessify Forums that people post details of similar videos, showing good practice, and that they then be collated onto a single page.
I’m horrorized by the tutorials and interested too in making screen grabs, but I don’t want to rely on a social service.. Anyone knows a free software for OSX or winXP to do that?
And please excuse my english
Thanks! I’ve also found Copernicus for OSX
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Unfortunately, I have seen a couple of those videos and they have made me cringe. I’ve laos been on a couple forums where in where some members have asked for site critiques and I have gone over the same old song and dance;
No DOCTYPE, tables for layout, misuse of Flash tags, topmargins in the body tag, ugh.
The standards war is far from won.
and Bruce… I’ve been directing lots of people to the Web Standards Curriculum that Chris has put together (which is excellent BTW, give him many thanks from myself) an excellent resource!