“Rule the Web” by Mark Frauenfelder
Author of this post: Tara MacKay | About Blog Authors »
I have a feeling that a lot of people, especially those unfamiliar with Mark Frauenfelder’s work (BoingBoing, “Make” magazine, and lots more), will look at this publication and think that they’re above it. The subtitle, “How to do everything on the Internet—better, faster, easier”, describes exactly what this book does. But those of us who have worked on the web for over a decade now think we know it all. Rule the Web proves us all wrong with tons of tips that even seasoned web users can play with right now.
The tips are a combination of things you always wanted to know, but were afraid to ask (”How do I create my own blog?” “How can I record my own Podcast?”), along with things you didn’t even know to ask in the first place (”How can I edit and retouch my photos online?” “How can I create my own Wiki?”). And while you’ll certainly learn to rule the web with this book, you’ll even begin to rule parts beyond, like your cell phone, iPod, and home network.
While there’s a huge range of handy topics covered in this publication, our design-focused readers (especially print designers who want a better understanding of the web) will benefit most from those in the “Creating and Sharing” section of the book. Here you can learn the basics of web publishing, including how to get more visitors to your site, how to create and manage your own blog (about design of course!), and how to share photos. Additionally, this book will show you ways to become about a million times more productive than you ever thought possibly before. Get ready to type faster, search more efficiently -you’ll be amazed at how much you didn’t know about Google- manage team project effectively, and work productively from the road.
And it’s not all work: sections on shopping, gaming, and entertainment (eBay, MP3s, videos, role-playing games, and more) will give you ways to fill all that extra time you’ll save being freshly productive at work.
My only criticism of this book is no fault of Frauenfelder’s, but rather the mutable nature of the web itself, which will render some of the information presented here obsolete over time. Many of the tips are dependant on specific websites, but, as we know, sites constantly change, merge, or… get closed down by the Russian government (as was the case with AllofMP3.com, which closed less than a month after the release of this book).
To combat this drawback, the author has set up a companion website (http://www.ruletheweb.net), which includes a blog and an updates/corrections section. It’s worth visiting the blog frequently to see Frauenfelder’s latest tips and sites.
Overall, there is nary a web user that can’t benefit from this book in some way. “Newer” web, iPod, and wireless users will get their communications off to an incredible start, and web veterans will find dozens of ways to improve upon what they (thought they) already knew.
