Ramona Said:

What should I look for in a college?

We Answered:

the campus itself. Do you want a larger college or a small one? My son has had classes with 4 students. Some large state schools can have 100 level classes with 200 students in them. do you want to be in the city, or out in the country? If you are in the US you should of already applied to colleges. really the best thing to do is to go visit some colleges, but it is pretty late for you to start doing that.
Once you are in college and taking college level classes you will find your way. 50% of all college students change their major at least once.

Evelyn Said:

What would be a good name for my blog/website?

We Answered:

How about just WELCOME TO THE ELF QUEEN'S BLOG or
WELCOME TO THE ELF QUEEN'S WEBSITE

Rosa Said:

I want to become a freelance, web writer. Does anyone know how I can get that started?

We Answered:

First of all, Web content writing (freelance or otherwise) is not a "new thing". I've been doing it off and on at least two years now and I did journalism before that. Secondly, it's not something you dive into because you have a passion for writing. Web content writing is hard work just like writing books. Without the experience or portfolio it will be a challenge to be taken seriously.

Many wannabe writers think it's easy work and they can make money off of it with no problem. The reality is that while you can earn money, the wannabes out there accept the cheap gigs (read: $1-10 per post) and make it more difficult for professionals. Furthermore, many of the wannabes really have no business writing in the first place. You may be good, but until it's proven you're just one of the many hoping you can score a freelance writing career.

Consider doing some reading on copywriting, SEO (search engine optimization), marketing, and advertising. What many people fail to understand is that even these areas of writing require discipline and research. You can write until you're blue in the face but that won't matter unless you know what you're doing and how to market yourself.

Finally, consider your abilities when thinking about what to do. I am seeing multiple errors in this post alone. I am well aware someone more advanced than I am can come through and tear my post to shreds but I can handle that. Your errors are not major, but there are enough present to make me question how seriously you take your writing.

Be smart and do your research before diving in. You will be much better off.

Alice Said:

Does anyone have advice for an absolute beginner to web site design?

We Answered:

Building a website is not a difficult or expensive operation, but mastering web development can take a lifetime.

First, I've got to agree heartily with Joel you should look up a Dummies book on the topic. How about mine? (grin)

Seriously, I've got tons of examples online for my book on how to build great web sites from scratch for free.

Don't spend any money on an editor like FrontPage or DreamWeaver. They're good tools, but they teach you bad habits, and eventually you'll find yourself turning off all the 'helpful' features.

Aptana (http://www.aptana.com) has a free open source version of its aptana studio software which really helps you build web sites and also helps you see how the code underneath is truly built. A copy of Aptana is on the CD that comes with my book.

Begin with straight XHTML 1.0 strict. Learn how to write it by hand. It's actually pretty easy to learn; you should have a basic page up and running within a day or two.

Then learn how to use CSS to beautify your sites. CSS allows you to change colors, layouts, fonts, and other aspects of the visual design of your layout.

Use validation tools from the beginning to teach yourself good habits, and you're on your way to building great pages!

Jerry Said:

Microsoft's new MCTS certifications (VS 2005). Which is more in demand: Windows, Web, or Distributed?

We Answered:

Tough call. Where I work (large Fortune 300 company) there's plenty of .NET demand in Windows apps. Not nearly as much in Web, and precious little Distributed. Web has been gaining of late, though.

Sidney Said:

What is a good laptop for surfing the web and writing word documents?

We Answered:

+Any laptop will fit that bill. It is the quality of the laptop itself that you should be concerned with. Dell and HP are good quality laptops. On the other hand, I would not recommend Acer or Gateway. Toshiba is not high on the list either.