Online Writing: Learning Basic HTML

If you want to make a living writing for the internet, learning basic HTML is an advantage. Let’s talk about why you should learn HTML, which basic HTML tags you need to know and how you can use these to enhance your writing.

Why Learn HTML

HTML or HyperText Markup Language is the primary code used in creating and designing web pages. It was Tim Berners-Lee- a physicist, who first came up with the concept of HTML in the early 1990s. Read here for the complete history of HTML.

If you’re writing for the web, why should you be interested in learning even just the basics of this language? Even if you’re not going to write an entire code to create your personal website, knowing the simplest HTML tags can help you in many ways. Using HTML tags is useful when:

• You want to point your reader to a webpage
• Quoting or referencing an online source (to avoid plagiarism)
• You want to add structure to your writing (creating bulleted lists, headlines, subtitles)
• Using images with your writing

Most Important HTML Tags for Writers

To make an anchor text link, below is the HTML tag you must use:
Make sure that the URL of the website is correct and complete. A valid URL must always begin with http:// or https:// (for secured sites). You can use any word or phrase after the >. Don’t forget the closing tag < / a > .

Example:
Let’s say that I want to point my reader to the Wikipedia webpage where the history of HTML is explained. The URL for that page is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTML#Origins Now, the text or phrase I want to make clickable is HTML history. Therefore, my HTML code will appear like this:

Add structure to your writing presentation using the following tags:

To make your writing bold <> < / b >
To italicize a word/words <> < / I >
To underline <> < /u >
To break a line <> < / b r >
To make a new paragraph <> < / p >

To make a bulleted list:
To make a numbered list:
To choose the alignment of your writing:
< align="the alignment you want (justify,right,left)"> < /p >
If you want a justified alignment, insert the word justify between the " ".

To add an image or picture:
The image source can be the file name or the URL where the image is located. The alternative text is the text that will appear in case the photo doesn’t properly download. The width and height are the attributes in pixels which determine the size of the picture.

Other attributes that can be added within the tag are align (the alignment of the pic); border; hspace and vspace (the horizontal and vertical space from of the text from the pic); etc. Here is a site I found that provides a more detailed definition about the HTML <> tag. Samples are also available so you can get to try embedding HTML images on your own.

Use HTML Tags to Enhance Your Writing

You can use HTML tags when:

• submitting articles to article directories (most article directories accept basic HTML tags for easier reading)
• posting blog entries (make sure that you place the tags in the HTML editor of your composer)
• leaving comments in blogs or websites (You can make a text clickable if you want to direct the blog/website owner to your site. However, exercise discretion when doing so.)