Acknowledgments

Nearly one year ago I sat in this same couch writing the acknowledgments for the first version of this book, Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Expression Web 2 in 24 Hours. At the time it felt like I was at the end of some bizarre roller-coaster ride and that after the book was bound and printed everything would go back to normal. That, it turned out, was a big bowl of ignorance with a generous helping of naiveté on my part: Just a few days after the book hit stores, I started getting emails from readers asking questions, providing feedback, and providing suggestions for future projects. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised—after all, I did provide my email address both on the book website and several places in the book itself—but it didn’t really connect with me until then that when you publish a book, people will not only buy it but also actually read it and want to tell you what they thought. And it is that feedback I have found to be the most rewarding of the entire process: When I was asked to write the original book, I said I wanted to write something that would help demystify web design and make it available to everyone. And based on the feedback I’ve gotten, I must have hit the mark dead on.

It may come as a surprise—at least it did to me—but revising and updating a book for the release of new software is almost as much work as writing one from scratch. And as with the writing of the original book, there is an entire cast of characters that have worked behind the scenes to make this book happen. First and foremost is my acquisitions editor, Loretta Yates, who put her unwavering trust and support behind this project and has walked with me every step of the way. Without Loretta you would not be holding this book in your hands, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Apart from making the book up-to-date with the new and exciting third version of Expression Web, one of the main items I wanted to check off on the revision list was to get rid of some of the errors in the first book. And for that, the comments, questions, and suggestions from my readers have been invaluable. In particular I would like to thank Ray Pennoyer and Salvador Torres, who both provided extensive (as in several pages!) feedback and suggestions that have been of great help in shaping this revision.

Another important update in this book is the new and much better looking example project, designed by my loving partner in crime Angela Chih. Demanding only hugs and kisses in return, she produced a great looking site I hope many of my readers will find useful and maybe even use for their own site. Faced with having to rewrite 24 chapters of content, having someone else take care of the design portion was an immense load off my back.

When the first draft of the revision was complete I was lucky enough to have Anna Ullrich from the Expression Web team and Doug Holland sign on as technical editors ensuring that everything I wrote actually made practical sense so that I wouldn’t lead you astray. On the development and editing side, Anne Goebel, Todd Brakke, and San Dee Phillips have to be credited for making my sometimes archaic language and run-on sentences make sense.

On the practical side, a big thanks goes out to the Expression Web development team, and in particular to Steven Guttman and Anna Ullrich for giving me unrestricted access to and influence on the application months before it was in its final version. It goes without saying that without access to the prebeta and beta versions of Expression Web 3, there is no way I could have revised my book to have it available at the time of the release of the new software.

I’d also like to thank my friends Paul LaBerge and Qixing Zheng from Microsoft Canada not only for their continuing support and assistance but also for nominating me to receive the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Award for my work with Expression Web. Receiving the award was an honor, and I can only hope I am living up to it.

There are countless others involved in both the pre- and post-publishing process I have not mentioned, and they should all be gravely offended for not being named by name. Without their contributions, this book would never have made the journey from my mind to the hands of the readers, and they should be acknowledged for their invaluable work.