Jessica Hische and Russ Maschmeyer are the masterminds behind Don’t Fear The Internet, a site that aims to teach basic HTML and CSS for non-web designers.
Through short tutorial videos, you’ll learn how to take a basic wordpress blog and manipulate the CSS, HTML (and even some PHP!) to match your aesthetic. You’ll feel empowered rather than crippled by the internet, and worst case scenario, you’ll at least end up having a better idea of how professional web designers turn your design dreams into a reality on screen.
a website about “not to fear the internet” is like a book about “how to learn to read”…
nice idea – but the wrong platform.
Jul 22nd, 2011 / 7:26 am
oh sorry – it’s for non-web designers – ouch. i’m wrong. tgif.
Jul 22nd, 2011 / 7:28 am
i shudder to think of all the people who will watch these tutorials and then proudly announce “I’m a designer now!”
Not that design isn’t something anyone can learn, and making people comfortable with it is a noble goal, but an afternoon on a website does not a designer make. I wish it would make a point of that.
Hopefully I’m wrong and the new understanding will empower clients to choose qualified designers instead of that kid down the street with the torrent copy of Photoshop.
Jul 22nd, 2011 / 8:05 am
Thanks for posting this – I’m not one to think I’d be a web designer after watching a few videos, but it is a vehicle to ease into a more diligent practice…
I am looking forward to use this to at least set up a skeleton of the websites I want to (have) designed and to know what are the right questions to ask any professional that may fully develop the sites…
–S
Jul 22nd, 2011 / 10:45 am
For sure we don’t intend the site to generate a bunch of “now I’m a web designer” folks…in fact it says several times on the site that it is for people that don’t necessarily want to do web design professionally but want to stop bugging their web designer friends for help on personal blogs. Also, as the subhead dictates, it will be less of a design site and more of an introduction to front-end coding. Mostly, we want to make people aware of how websites work so when they have no-budget or personal jobs they can manipulate what’s out there themselves instead of screwing over web designers.
Jul 22nd, 2011 / 10:45 am
I agree with frank; this site is useless, is totally another way to try to have attention even you dont know quite a fuck about web.
Also hipster-irony is something we all are pissed-off. enough. please stop.
Jul 22nd, 2011 / 12:45 pm
@Nicthez, until you start using a real email address and change your tone, I will keep deleting your comments.
Jul 22nd, 2011 / 12:47 pm
@Jessica I see it there now. I should’ve looked more closely.
I hope my comment didn’t come off as rude. I’ve dealt with too many people like I described and it’s made me cynical. I need to get beyond that. :)
Jul 27th, 2011 / 6:59 pm
Jessica and Russ, thank you so much for making this site. It is incredibly helpful to people like me who don’t have much experience with HTML and CSS. :)
Jul 31st, 2011 / 9:27 pm
I love the concept of the site and will be watching the tutorials. I dont plan to become a Web Designer, but need to be self-sufficient in the simple things instead of paying for every minute detail that i need adjusted.
Aug 6th, 2011 / 6:13 pm
This is a great idea. I just need a little instruction in order to be self sufficient with small personal projects that have no budget whatsoever.
Thanks guys!
Aug 29th, 2011 / 12:52 am
@frank.
Your analogy is incorrect.
a website about don’t fear the internet
is not the same as a book about how to read
a website about do not fear the internet
IS the same as a book about don’t fear libraries/bookshops/bookshelves
Sep 9th, 2011 / 2:42 am