Hyper-Text Markup Language, or HTML, is a coding language for creating basic web documents like websites or listing templates. Before we dig into all this HTML stuff in order to create you own listing template (for venues like eBay or Main Street Mall Online) here are a few comments you might want to read:
I've been around the Internet since before it was public and started coding HTML when the World Wide Web was not much more than a year old and there was only one reasonably good web browser called Cello. The web sure has changed since then, but HTML is still pretty much the same. Sure, it's got a lot more tags than there were at the beginning, and we've learned a lot of things about layout and "look and feel" and how it applies to selling things on the 'net (called: e-commerce by people who like fancy phrases for things!), but HTML is still pretty much the same old HTML I started with nearly 20 years ago.
The thing is, working with HTML is pretty easy, too, and it really is worth taking just a little time to find out the best ways and how to do it right. I see post after post on the eBay help boards, and other forums, by people saying, "Please help! I spent the whole weekend pulling my hair out..." and most of these same people said not two weeks before, "I don't want to take the time to learn HTML, I just want to make pretty listings!"
I get e-mails all the time from people who tell me something like, "I drive a car but I don't want to know what goes on under the hood!" The thing is, if you take just a little time -- less than the weekend of hair pulling! -- you can learn all the HTML you will ever need to create great listings, me pages and store fronts for almost any selling venue. The Wiz has a great course, all in one compact place, listed in the Training Courses section of this site. It's worth a look. There are other sites on the Internet and some good information right on this site, too. You will also find excellent books on the subject in most book stores and at your local library.
But whichever way you choose to learn HTML it really is worth the effort. You will be able to create great looking auction listings which most often help you get more sales and higher bids on auction listings. And you won't have to spend a weekend pulling your hair out. There are a few things to think about before you get started:
• Don't bother with big fancy HTML programs like Front Page and Dreamweaver. You don't need them. Not only are they too complex (and too expensive!) for creating auction listing, they are totally unnecessary. And they will probably cause you more grief than they will ever save!
• Do get a good text editor (you can use NotePad) or a good HTML editor like AceHTML, Note Tab Light or 1st Page 2000, all three listed with links elsewhere on this site) as these will produce clean HTML code that will work flawlessly with eBay, Main Street Mall Online and most other selling venues.
• Never use word processor programs like MSWord, WordPerfect or even WordPad, to create, copy, or save, your listings. These programs are fine for writing business letters but their patched-on HTML functions are the worst ever. Trust me on this one!