This bit of magic is as easy as blocking your text and choosing a color from the color palette.
You can find the color palette under the Format drop down menu or the color square just to the right of the font size number on the toolbar.

The steps again are:

1. Block your text
2. Pull up the color palette
3. Choose a color

Changing the Background Color

Even folks with half a dose of brains can do this.  Just right click your mouse, choose Page Properties, click on Background, and choose your color.

The steps again are:

1. Right click your mouse to bring up a menu
2. Choose Page Properties by left clicking on it
3. Click on Background which brings up your color palette
4. Choose your color

Notice that you can also click on the Format drop down menu to get to Page Colors and Properties, which is the same thing as Page Properties.


Changing Colors of Links, Active Links, and Followed Links

Notice that when you right click your mouse to get to Page Properties, you can change your text colors, your background color, as well as your link colors.

Normally, these link colors are determined by the browser.  However, you can override the regular browser colors for links if you absolutely have to.
 
 

Keep in mind that on the web any user can tell his/her browser at any time to override all the colors that you have worked so hard to insert on your web page.  Alas, no one has total control on the web.

 

Adding Background Wallpaper
 
You must have a background image already saved in a file.  You can find backgrounds on the web at the following URLs.

The Backgrounds Archive
http://the-tech.mit.edu/KPT/bgs.html

Use the same procedure to change the background color by going to Page Properties.  Only this time, click on the Use Image box in the Background Image area.  You must then click on Choose File button.  This will bring up your files in a dialog box from which to choose your image.

Those steps again are:

1. Right click your mouse to bring up a menu
2. Choose Page Properties by left clicking on it
3. Click on the Use Image box in the Background Image area.
4. Click on Choose File button.  This will bring up your files in a dialog box from which to choose your image.

 Images:  Getting them and putting them in your web page 

The Fine Print:

You can actually copy any image from any web page that you see.  Be advised, however, that some images may be copyrighted or at least require permission to use.  A copyright statement or request for permission to use usually accompanies such images or may be near the top or bottom of  the web page.  It is considered good netiquette to request permission from someone before stealing their really cool image for your own web page.  It is also good nettiquette to put a link on your web page stating something like, "these images courtesy of Freaky Freds web page at www.something.com."

Getting Images

Just place your mouse cursor over the intended image and right click.  A drop down menu will appear in which you will choose Save Image As.   A dialog box that shows your files will appear to allow you to choose which directory to put the file in.  Note that the image will already come with a file name.  You may accept that name or rename it something yourself.  However, never change the file's three letter extension (.gif, .jpg,. wav, .auv, etc.).
 
Those steps again are:
 

Place mouse cursor over the intended image Right click to bring up the drop down menu. Choose Save Image As. From your files choose a directory, name your image, and click Save.

 

There are many places to go on the web for free images.  A few URLs are posted below for your enjoyment.
 

HTML Goodies  www.htmlgoodies.com/	Yahoo Graphics  www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Graphics/Clip_Art/
Barry's Clip Art Server  www.barrysclipart.com/	Pictures  Yahoo Pictures  www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Multimedia/Pictures/

 
 Adding Sound Links
 
There are actually two ways to add sound to your web pages. The first is very easy, the second somewhat difficult.  The first way is to make the sound file a simple link which will play whenever the link is clicked on.  (Example:  hereweare.wav )  The second way is by using an html tag called an <EMBED> tag which will actually embed the sound file in your page (HTML Code).  I will explain the first method here.  For the second method you should have some HTML experience, but I'll at least give you the code so you can imbed it yourself.

To create a link to an existing sound file simply click on the Link drop down menu.  Type in the text that you wish to make into a link in the Link Source box.  Then click on the Choose File button.  This brings up a dialog box of your existing files.  Just choose one and click on Open.  Your linked text will now cause the browser to play that sound file whenever the link is clicked on.

Those steps again are:

1. Click on the Link drop down menu.
2. Type in the text that you wish to make into a link in the Link Source box.
3. Click on the Choose File button.  his brings up a dialog box of your existing files.
4. Choose a sound file and click on Open.

Use the <EMBED> tag and an audio file as follows:

<Title>Jerry Seay's Home Page</Title>
<body background="side4.gif" LINK="#993333" VLINK="#333399" ALINK="#cc3333">

<EMBED SRC="filename" width=144 height=74>

The above <EMBED SRC> tag will put a small sound player on the web page. It has play, stop, and pause buttons as well as a volume control. The width and height can be changed, but if you make it smaller than 144x74, it will start to cut off some of the controls.

You can add some more attributes to this tag as shown in the following example:

<EMBED SRC="twilzone.wav" width=144 height=74 hidden=true autostart=true>

An explanation of the aboveEMBED attributes:

EMBED SRC="twilight zone.wav" indicates the actual sound file "twilight zone.wav".

HIDDEN=TRUE means to hide the player from view.  If HIDDEN =FALSE, then the player will appear on the screen.

AUTOSTART=TRUE means that the sound file is activated when the web page is downloaded.  If this tag is not included, then the sound file must be started manually assuming, of course, that HIDDEN=TRUE.

Technological Terror
I got a bad feeling
Lack of Faith
 
There are bizillions of places to download sound files from the web.  The following is a small sample of some of the URL sites available:
 

Yahoo Sound  www.yahoo.com/Computers and_Internet/Multimedia/Sound/	Sound America  soundamerica.com/
The Daily Wav  www.dailywav.com/	Har's Wave World  members.aol.com/Har92/index.html

 
 

Changing Text Color	Changing Background Color
Changing the Links Color	Adding Background Wallpaper
Images	Adding Sound File Links