Writing and Editing

Shirley Kaiser, owner of SKDesigns, is a highly regarded and well respected author. She has written a new book on Web site essentials, “Deliver First Class Web Sites: 101 Essential Checklists” dozens of popular tutorials on graphics, HTML, CSS (style sheets), Web site design and related topics, and a chapter for a college textbook on advanced dynamic HTML (DHTML). Shirley has also done technical editing and reviewing, and expert reviewing for Course Technology, Glasshaus, and SitePoint publishers.

Shirley also keeps busy writing an almost daily column, a quarterly newsletter, she's been a featured writer (guest expert) for WebReference.com, Digital Web, and Wise-Women.org, and she was also a contributing editor for Wise-Women.org.

In addition, Shirley has a master's degree in piano performance and literature and writes articles about music, such as how to use music to alleviate stress, how to use music to promote creativity and other positive aspects of our lives.

Below is an overview.

Books

• Deliver First Class Web Sites: 101 Essential Checklists
  SitePoint Books, Publishers, July, 2006.
  Author
  Shirley recently completed writing a new book on Web site essentials, published by SitePoint Books. Learn more about Deliver First Class Web Sites: 101 Essential Checklists (via SKDesigns).
• Creating Web Pages with HTML and Dynamic HTML, Comprehensive,
  Course Technology, Publishers, 2001
  Contributing Author (one chapter on DHTML).
• Creating Web Pages with Dynamic HTML, Introductory,
  Course Technology, Publishers, 2001
  Contributing Author (one chapter on DHTML).

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Regular Columns, Newsletter

• Brainstorms & Raves
  Several times a week Shirley writes “an almost daily column about the Web, design and development, typography, music, and anything else.”
• WebsiteTips Newsletter
  A quarterly newsletter geared toward new Web site owners or designers, written from 2000-2002. Topics have included examining the benefits of reciprocal linking, keeping Web site content fresh and alive, and what to do once your Web site goes online.

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Articles, Tutorials

About the Web

• Accessibility Lockout for Olympics 2002 Site -- Again?!
  Article at Brainstorms and Raves that prompted much coverage around the Web, including an article/interview in the New York Times. Shirley wrote in detail about several serious accessibility blocks with the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics Web site, with further follow-ups at Brainstorms and Raves.
• Review of Opera 6 Web Browser
  Published at New Breed Librarian's Tech Talk for their first year anniversary issue (February, 2002), this review covers the helpful new features of Opera 6 from both a user's perspective and a web designer/developer perspective. Opera Software ASA has also listed it among their reviews at Opera in the News: 2002, January-March along with Shirley's Brainstorms & Raves reviews and comments about Opera 6.
• The Inspiration of Independent Content
  Independent content writers, photographers, and other artists are thriving on the web, which was especially seen in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks. Published at Independents Day.

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Web Design and Graphics

• User-friendly Contextual Navigation with Simple PHP Includes
  Published at Brainstorms and Raves. A two-part well-received tutorial with simple instructions, code samples, and graphic examples of how to create user-friendly contextual navigation using simple PHP and PHP includes.
• Semantics, HTML, XHTML, and Structure
  A helpful reference by SKDesigns owner Shirley Kaiser. At Brainstorms & Raves.
• 3D Dingbats: Bringing a Dingbat to Life
  Published at WebReference.com. Featured Guest expert in the Graphics Experts section.
• Converting Existing Content to CSS
  Learn how to easily convert your existing site from <font> tags to style sheets (and why it matters!) with this interactive tutorial for WebsiteTips.com.
• Designing for Search Engines and Stars
  Published at Digital Web Magazine. Popular and thorough tutorial about designing a search engine friendly Web site. Stated as a “must read” by many industry experts.
• Fast and Easy XHTML
  Learn how to convert your existing HTML to XHTML with this down-to-basics new tutorial by SKDesigns for WebsiteTips.com.
• HomeSite's Find and Replace Tools
  A six-part tutorial series at WebsiteTips.com on the popular HTML program by Macromedia (formerly by Allaire).
• Passion Matters
  Published at Wise-Women.org. How passion changes a spark to ignition with one's work in Web design.

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Music

• What is Healing Music?
  A popular article published at ShirleyKaiser.com describing how to use music to relax, relieve stress, help productivity, and to enhance meditation.
• Childhood Dreams and Finding Your Way Back
  A music review and true story of a schoolmate and fellow musician and prodigy becoming a Grammy-winning rock star and more recently a Grammy-nominated smooth jazz acoustic guitarist. Published at Brainstorms and Raves.
• The Speckled Piano
  A humorous true story about the influence of American folk music (Tom Dooley) and a speckled piano on the author's life. Published at Brainstorms and Raves.

Misc.

• My Second Christmas Without Your Cookies
  Remembering past holiday seasons, this light-hearted column at Brainstorms and Raves reflects on tradition, sweet memories of holiday seasons, and her mother's delicious cookies. Published at Brainstorms and Raves.
• The Red Velvet Cake
  An article originally published at GriefNet.org. A touching, sweet, inspiring story based on the first birthday following the death of Shirley's mother in 1999.

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