This is a simplified explanation of what HTML and JavaScript are. It is concise and brief to avoid hitting you with too much geek speak..

HTML 

HTML is a "markup language" that works much like MS Word and other software. Little tags (i.e. <div> or <p>) surround content telling it how to appear. Your browsers reads those tags and presents a result. For example, go to your own blog in a new window, paste the following 2 lines:

I am a cool Active|Rain user.

I am a cool Active|Rain user.

Now, that you pasted those in you can click the little "HTML" button in the gray title area just above your cursor and you will see the html with the following:

<p>I am a cool Active|Rain user.</p><p><em>I am</em> a cool <strong>Active|Rain</strong> <u>user</u>

The little <> and </> things signify open and close tags around the text that should be different. HTML has very little functionality. You can basically only read it, link to/from it, post variables to another page.

More Articles

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTML
• http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/
• http://www.htmlgoodies.com/
• do a google search for "html"

JavaScript

JavaScript is, "a script language - a system of programming codes." These codes allow web masters to add functionality to their site, in other words, do something more than just read the content. Programmers can design functions that alter the results in a web browser. For example, Cheryl Reynen posted a great example to our group on how to disable the "right click" of a users mouse to protect from page copyright infringement. Likely, Active|Rain is using JavaScript to expand/contract sections of the site (click the little + or - sign next to the "Links" section title to the right). Some people use JavaScript to build menus on their site. There are many uses for it.

Although JavaScript can add some awesome functionality beware that it may be difficult to program in. I would rather hire someone myself or find free JavaScript on the net than sit and program it. Different browsers (i.e. Internet Explorer, Fire Fox, NetScape, etc.) handle functions differently and sometimes to get a function to work a programmer has to write it multiple times in multiple ways to handle browser differences.

I would recommend for us typical site owners that if we want to use JavaScript to enhance our site that we hire out the programming or find the script already done and free for licensing on the net.

Here are some sites to find cool scripts:

• http://www.javascriptkit.com/
• http://www.w3schools.com/js/default.asp
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JavaScript
• http://javascript.internet.com/
• http://www.dynamicdrive.com/
• do a google search for "javascript source"

For more real estate web site technology ideas visit the Table of Contents - Technology page.