• READ THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW.  THESE WILL ANSWER MOST QUESTIONS YOU HAVE ABOUT CONSTRUCTING YOUR PAGE.
• Please use the WhoZoo Template for constructing your WhoZoo pages. This template was written in Netscape Composer and is simple to edit using Netscape Composer.  It may also be edited using Dreamweaver. Microsoft Word is incompatible with the template and may introduce formatting difficulties.
  

  Choosing your animal

  Downloading the template

  Editing the template

  Images

  Links

  Page title, backgrounds, and font colors

  Using other HTML editors

  Bells and Whistles

  File Names

  Sources

  Due Dates

  To choose an animal for a new WhoZoo web page, first check the Suggestions for Animal Pages at WhoZoo.  This is a list of animals for which there are pictures in the WhoZoo image archive.  You may choose an animal that is not on this list, but check the Animal Pages Completed  list to be sure it has not already been done.  In addition, check to be sure the animal you have selected is currently on exhibit at the Fort Worth Zoo. Since part of your page is about your observations on the animal, you need to be sure it will be there to be observed! Note: because of the closing of the Aquarium, this restriction does not apply to fish.
  Back to Instructions Contents

  ---

  To download the template, follow this procedure:

  • Start with a clean (preferably new) formatted floppy disk.  Eventually you will turn your work in on this disk.  Label the disk with your name and the name of your animal.  If you must use an old disk, run a virus check and delete all previous files from it before you download the template. Keep only files associated with your WhoZoo page on this disk.
  • Netscape:  Use these instructions if you are reading this page using the Netscape Browser.
  
  THIS IS SIMPLEST EVEN IF YOU CAN ONLY GET NETSCAPE AT SCHOOL..
  • First save these instructions to your disk, using the File/Save As.. command.
  • Click here to open the template.  Use the Netscape Browser.
  • Click on "File" and select "Edit Page"
  • Click on "File" again and select "Save As"
  • When you get the box asking for a file name, type in a NEW FILE NAME to replace the name "template.htm". This new name should consist of your initials followed by an underscore _ and the name of your animal, for example:  "MAC_MixolydianShrew.htm"  There should be no spaces in your file name.
  • Netscape will save the HTML file and all attached images to your disk.
  • Internet Explorer:  Use these instructions ONLY if your computer does not have Netscape installed.  If your computer does have Netscape installed, then close Explorer, open Netscape and proceed as above.
  • Click here to open the template.
  • Click on "File" and select "Save As" and the option "Web Page: HTML Only" from the "Save as type" menu.
  • When you get the box asking for a file name, type in a NEW FILE NAME to replace "template.htm".  This new name should consist of your initials followed by an underscore _ and the name of your animal, for example:  "MAC_MixolydianShrew.htm"  There should be no spaces or unusual characters in your file name. 
  • Internet Explore will save the HTML file only. You don't need to have the images from the template file, since you are going to replace these images with your own images anyway.
  Back to Instructions Contents

  ---

• Open your file, using the editing software you have selected.
• Replace the information on the template with information on your animal.
• Replace the template images with images of your animal.
• Save your changes frequently
• Always keep a current backup of your work. .

• Find one or more pictures of your animal in the WhoZoo image archive.  You can start with the WhoZoo Image Gallery.  Click on the name of your animal to get a picture of it.
• Save the image by right-clicking on it and selecting "Save Image As" or "Save Picture As" to save the image to your disk. Do not change the original name of the image.  Save all images used on your page, including backgrounds and icons, to your disk. Delete the old template images as you replace them with pictures of your animal. .After you have selected your animal, I will upload at least one good image into your WhoZoo folder.
• To insert an image on your page, put the cursor where you want the image to be, then click on the "Image" icon in our editing software. This opens an image location box.  Use the "Choose File" button and select one of the images you have saved to your disk.
• If no images of your animal are available from the WhoZoo image archives, then you may use another Internet image, but you must have permission from whomever the page belongs to.  Keep a record of ALL URL's of pages from which you have saved a picture.  To get permission, E-mail the author of the page and tell him/her something like this:
  

  Dear Mr. or Ms. WebAuthor:

  I am working on a class project on plains zebras, and would like to use the following image from your web site: http://website.com/animals/zebramom.jpg.  I will put a picture credit immediately under the image and a link to your web page.  This is a noncommercial educational project.   You can see a working copy of my page at:
  http://whozoo.org/Anlife2002/macclark/MAC_zebra.htm.

  Be sure you identify exactly which image you want to use.  When you get permission, save a copy of the E-mail message to your WhoZoo disk, using the file name "AuthornamePermission.htm".  Write to them again and say thank you.  It would also be nice to write them again after your page is posted, so save their message for a later reply, and send them the URL of the final version of your page.   Here is an example of a page using pictures from other web sites: http://whozoo.org/Intro2000/victcart/VC_frilledlizard2.htm

  Unless they are commercial artists, they will almost certainly write you very promptly and give you permission.  However, don't leave this until the last minute -- you need to give them time to read your message, think about it, maybe check your page, and respond.  Some web sites give a sort of general permission for educational use of their images, and if that is the case, then all you need is credit and an appropriate link to the permissions page.  If you use an image without permission and appropriate credit, I will have to remove it before the page can be linked to the "public" areas of WhoZoo.

  You can put "borrowed" images into your draft, assuming that you will get permission (and so you can show the owner how you want to use it), but if they say no (nobody ever has, but it could happen) you will have to remove it. When you put the image in, put the credit and link in at the same time, so you won't forget where you got the image.

  You may, if you are inclined to do so and have the spare cash (haha!), purchase images from a commercial source.  Only one student has ever done this, but she used the images well.  I think they were relatively inexpensive.  You can see her page at: http://whozoo.org/Anlife99/juliking/seastarpage3.htm.

• Back to Instructions Contents



---

On of the great things about the WWW is that it IS a web -- you can follow information from page to page.  You will need to create links on your page for several purposes, for example

• To direct people to your online sources.
• To direct people to other web sites that contain information about your animal.
• To connect to web pages about related animals.
• To identify the source of external images.
• To link a small image to a large one.

E-mail links are a special case.  To make a link that will bring up E-mail software, type your name or your E-mail address.  Highlight the information, and click on the "Links" icon.  In the text box type "mailto: yourname@mail.txwes.edu", replacing my E-mail address with your E-mail address.  Note that there is no space between "mail" and "to" -- all one word "mailto" followed by a colon (:) and a space.

You can (and should) test your links or your page appearance in general, by clicking on "Preview", which opens your page in a new frame.  Once you have opened the Preview frame, you can just select "Reload" to update the preview as you save new changes to your page.
Back to Instructions Contents

The template comes with a background image, which you are welcome to use. However, you may change it if you wish. If you "right-click" with the cursor in an open space (i.e. not in a table or on an image) on your page, you will get a menu that includes "Page Properties." Click on "Page Properties" to change background or text colors, or to insert a general background image for your page. A good place to find backgrounds is Great Grafix!   Another is: http://www.grsites.com/textures/design.shtml Also see Hellas Multimedia at http://www.hellasmultimedia.com/webimages/back-htm/back.htm.

Keep readability in mind.  See Amber Campbell's Savu Python,  Van Siboroun's California King Snake and Shameya Roberts' Sergeant-Major Fish for examples of good combinations of an interesting background and readable text.  Multicolored or heavily textured backgrounds make the selection of a readable text color very difficult.  See the Web Pages That Suck web site for good examples of bad page design. If you want to use such a background, then put your text in boxes with a plain background that complements your background image.  An example of such a solution can be seen in Paola Morales' Lesser Kudu page.

The "Page Properties" menu also includes a tab that allows you to give the page a title, and to identify yourself as the page author.   The page title is displayed at the top of the screen, and will help search engines find your page.  The default title for the template is "Your Animal at the Fort Worth Zoo."  Insert the name of your animal in the obvious place.  Add your name as page author, in the text box below the title box.
Back to Instructions Contents

If you are experienced with a favorite HTML program and would prefer to use it to construct your page, then you may do so.  Take the following factors into account.

• You may or may not be able to use the template.  If your program will not open the template, just follow the template as a pattern.
• Because I have Netscape Composer and Dreamweaver on my office computer, I can help students trouble-shoot pages written with these page editors.  If you use another editing program, I will upload it to WhoZoo so that you can see how it runs, but I may or may not be able to assist you with fixing errors.  This is why experienced is underlined up there.  If you are not an experienced user of the editing program you want to use, you should use Netscape Composer or Dreamweaver even if this means you can only work on campus.  A lot of the work involved with making a page is just collecting and writing out your information.  You can do all this off campus and then use your campus time just to paste the information into the template.  

• Microsoft Word HTML is incompatible with the WhoZoo Template and will wreck it.  If you want to use MS Word HTML to build your page, you will have to construct it from scratch, using the WhoZoo Template as a pattern.
• Front Page: the WhoZoo server is not set up to accept the Front Page extensions.
• "Free Web Page" offers:  these look great, but aren't meant to be transferred out of their original location.  Attempting to download the pages you generate this way may introduce formatting and linkage problems that you will have great difficulty sorting out later.

Simple is just fine.  What makes a good WhoZoo web page is good information, an orderly and readable presentation, and appropriate illustrations.  An example of a simple, but effective, no-frills page is Jana Moss's American Porcupine page.

Frames: Do not use frames in constructing your WhoZoo page.

Java scripts, Flash and other bells and whistles:  be my guest.  A nice example of a page with Java Scripting is Jennifer Trevino's Poison Dart Frog page.  Just remember that your page has to work!

If you actually want to try writing your own source code, there are many tutorials on the WWW that will help you learn to write HTML.  Here are two of them,  one for HTML and one for a variety of skills:  HTML, graphics, frames and Java Scripting.
Back to Instructions Contents

DO change the name of the "template.htm" file, to a new name that includes your initials and the name of your animal.
File names should contain no spaces or punctuation marks.  If you want to separate terms in your file name, use the underscore like_this.
DO NOT change the names of image files.

When you download your template, you must use use a new or at least a clean diskette with nothing else on it.  This will prevent your homework for other classes or your love letters or stuff for your sorority from being loaded into WhoZoo.  As you work on the project, you will give me a copy of your diskette to check periodically. Remember to keep a current backup.
Back to Instructions Contents

You will need a minimum of  four information sources for your page: print sources (books or articles) Internet sources, information from zoo displays or personnel, and other types of personal communication.   All sources should have credibility -- that is, should come from somebody with professional experience with the animal.  Field guides, and books about specific types of animals are good sources.  Personal web pages about pets are generally unstable, i.e. your links may disappear. Current articles in newspapers or news magazines are acceptable if they are substantial -- not just a brief story or a picture essay. Needless to say, you should actually read and take notes from any material that you cite as a reference. See the references below for examples of bibliographic forms.

Keep all your notes and photocopies or printouts of materials that you hve used in a file folder and be prepared to turn them in at the time you present your final version of the page for uploading. Both your disks and your source folders will be returned to you after your final project evaluation have been completed.

Here are some general resources available from the West Library::

• Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. Bernhard Grzimek, editor-in-chief. New York, Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., 1975. The library has also recently acquired the new edition of this work!
• The International Wildlife Encyclopedia. General editors: Maurice Burton [and] Robert Burton. New York, Marshall Cavendish Corp., 1970.
• Walker's mammals of the world. 6th ed. Ronald M. Nowak. Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999.  Several earlier editions of this excellent work are also available.
• Encyclopedia of Fish / Maurice and Robert Burton ; introduction by Gareth Nelson. London : Octopus Books, 1975.
• The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American birds.John K. Terres.New York : Knopf , 1980.
• The Pictorial Encyclopedia of Birds [by] J. Hanzak; edited by Bruce Campbell. London, Hamlyn, 1967.
• Insects of the World; drawings, photos. and text, by Walter Linsenmaier. New York, McGraw-Hill, 1972.

I have several reference works in my office which you may consult. Sorry, but I can't let these leave the building, although you may take them into the student lounge to take notes. You may also ask the Administrative Assistant in McFadden 211 to make copies of this information. He will not make photocopies of other source materials, however.

Here are some very good WWW resources

• The University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
• The Vertebrates Section of the University of California Museum of Paleontology
• ZooWeb.com:  connects you to the home pages of many zoos and wildlife parks
• The Tree of Life Web Project
• The Ultimate Ungulate (very good for hooved mammals)
• The EMBL Reptile Database
• Biology Base: excellent gateway to many databases about animals.

The P-WORD.  Many students are confused about what constitutes PLAGIARISM. Don't do it.   You might get lucky and catch me in an inattentive moment, but probably I will notice if you just paste somebody else's text into the appropriate boxes.  You can lose major points doing this.

• Reproducing somebody else's page and calling it yours is the most egregious form of plagiarism, and yes, some students have been fool enough to try it.
• Cutting and pasting somebody else's paragraphs is also plagiarism, however artfully you might have combined your sources.
• Substantially reproducing somebody else's text with a synonym substituted here and there is also plagiarism.

Due Dates:

You will turn your work into me three time at various stages in your progress. Due dates will be on the WebCT course calendar. Each draft of your work should be presented as a working HTML file. IMPORTANT: Make a backup disk of your work and keep it current. Turn in one disk to me and keep the other. Check your disk before you turn it in to be sure that all images are displayed and that your links work. It's best to do this on a computer other than the one you used in creating the file.  Keep all files that you use in your page on the same diskette. If you need more than 1.4 MB, you have too much stuff on your page.

Back to Instructions Contents