HTML: An Overview

The Official Definition is: "Hypertext Markup Language" - The coded format language used for creating hypertext documents on the World Wide Web and controlling how Web pages appear.

My Definition is: It's the language of web pages.

Some people don't realize the challenges that HTML programmers face, such as:

So many different browsers, for example IE, Opera, Netscape, Mozilla, Lynx
Different browsers render HTML differently
Programmer has only partial control over appearance
Screen resolution can vary
People use different operating systems. A browser on a Mac will be different than Internet Explorer in Windows
People may surf using their cell phones or PDA's
Your design must be flexible and widely tested on all varieties of browsers

In order to create a "Killer" web site,designers require a lot of hands-on experience, such as:

Learning a Graphic design program such as Photoshop
A scripting program like JavaScript for those fancy mouseovers and drop down menus
Flash will make web pages really POP!

HTML is a plain text file with embedded tags: Start Tags and end tags:

Almost all tags require a start and an end, but not all.
The layout is created by the tags.
All line breaks and any multiple spaces are ignored completely (unless in tags)
Types of tags (tags may fall into multiple categories)

Let's Start With Basic HTML:

Text tags
Spacing and partitioning - control over line breaks and line spacing

Moving on to Intermediate HTML, we can piece the web page together:
Table tags - creation and formation of tables (for presenting data and for layout)
Colors - special codes create color combinations
List tags - create bulleted or numbered lists
Linking - provide a means to visit another page

Finally, there is Advanced HTML:

Frame tags
Form tags
Script tags - for embedding JavaScript
Multimedia tags
Browser-specific tags - Scripts can tell what type of browser a user is loading the web page in

When choosing a Text Editor:

Consider something time-saving like MS Front Page, or a similar program. It will insert the HTML code for you.
My personal preference is to use Notepad.
Microsoft has made it really easy: create a document using Word, then SAVE AS a WEB PAGE.
You may consider hiring a programmer, but as a result, you will pay for their expertise and time.

What draws me to HTML?

A website is an adventure; it's like surfing. You pick a goal, you start the journey, you end up somewhere else, and it can turn out to be more interesting than where you thought you were going when you started!