What practical advice would you give yourself for learning the ropes and getting that first website up sooner rather than later?

- don't use a wysiwyg editor (they are actually wygiwyd -- what you get is what you deserve)

- do use validator.w3.org early and use it often -- and learn how to fix errors

- eschew gimcracks and doodads -- keep your site design clean, sleek, and simple

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