Computers and the Internet

July 30, 1999

HTML guru Elisabeth Parker discusses her books on computers and the internet and answers questions concerning the use of web cams and HTML.

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CCCola: Welcome to NetCafeLive! Borders Online presents HTML guru Elisabeth Parker. Elisabeth Parker develops and designs Web sites, and writes computer books about the Web. She would describe herself as mostly an artist/writer type. Author of 10 computer books, including the “Complete Idiot's Guide to FrontPage 2000” (Macmillan); the “Little Web Cam Book” (Peach Pit Press); the “Microsoft Word 97 Exam Cram” (Co-author, Coriolis); and the “Netscape Communicator Jump Start Tutorial” (Charles River Media). “The Little Web Cam Book” tells beginner to intermediate Windows and Macintosh users how to create, communicate, and have fun with cams. Topics include setting up a Web cam with shareware like ISpy, WebCam 32, and SiteCam; videoconferencing with CU-SeeMe, NetMeeting, and iVisit; getting the right hardware; digital imaging and video basics; creating and editing QuickTime movies; turning favorite pictures into screen savers, desktop icons, and start-up screens; and more. After our conference you can find out more about Elisabeth by visiting her website at www.elisabethparker.com There you can meet her husband, cat, visit the places where she's lived, drop by her friends' and relatives' Web sites, and follow her favorite links. Elisabeth, it's a pleasure having you here in Talk City, welcome! To begin our conference, would you tell us how you got started in writing computer books?

Elisabeth Parker: I went through a stage where I kept buying computer books. A lot of them weren't very good, so I wondered how I could write some. The next day I saw an ad in the classifieds. Someone wanted help writing a computer book. So I got the gig and have been writing them ever since.

CCCola: I noticed you have a lot of HTML knowledge, do you mind if I ask some HTML questions?

Elisabeth Parker: Go ahead.

CCCola: My 16 color GIF image looks great in Paint Shop Pro, but lousy in Netscape Navigator. Did I do something wrong?

Elisabeth Parker: You need to use Paint Shop Pro's browser safe palette. Only 216 colors out of the 256 system colors look good in browsers when they're formatted as gifs

TOPPER21: What is the best platform for a cam, Win or Mac?

Elisabeth Parker: Both platforms are good. I prefer the Mac for anything with graphics and multimedia, but that's just me. There are lots of great products, in terms of software and hardware for both platforms. Windows is better for videoconferencing because you have more choices for programs you can use and the programs have more advanced features. Does that help?

Jbeing: Is anyone using the webcam for business uses successfully?

Elisabeth Parker: There are good uses for web cams for business. Some construction companies use them for monitoring more than one construction site remotely. Also, they're great for videoconferencing, which saves on phone bills and allows people to telecommute, work together in different locations, etc.

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