Web Design

43

CHAPTER

Getting Started with HTML 2

Linking to an e-mail address seems very easy, but

I do not see this very much on the Web. Why?

Even though linking to an e-mail address is in fact

easy, it has significant downsides. First, your users

must be using their own computer and must have a

properly set-up e-mail program such as Microsoft

Outlook in order for the link to work. Second, it is

unfortunately very easy for spammers to find your

address when you use this technique, so you will likely

see a dramatic increase in the junk mail in your inbox.

What other methods exist for allowing users to

contact me?

You can use an HTML form and server-side scripting,

both of which are covered in later chapters

(Chapters 11 and 12, respectively), to overcome the

downsides mentioned above and yet still allow users

to contact you. This is a far more common method

on the Web today.

● When viewed in a Web

browser, the text is blue and

underlined. Click the text. A

new e-mail message should

open from your computer’s

e-mail program.

3 After the text, type .

3

TIPS