New Product- No Code Needed: Web Sites for Low-Techies

A new service called Placemark aims to make school Web sites simpler to use and manage—especially for those of us who aren't particularly tech-savvy. Placemark enables its users to create and post Web pages without having to know how to code HTML or use FTP software. Predesigned page templates, professionally designed layouts, a clip-art library of more than 500 images, and the ability to add links with a mouse click have been designed to make page-building simpler. The service is designed to be so easy to use that teachers, librarians, and support staff will be more likely to create and post their own Web pages. Placemark enters a field already offering several opportunities for educators to create and post their own sites, such as Yahoo's education service ("www.yourclass.com," Nov. 2001, p. 26), and yourhomework.com ("Great Expectations ," Apr. 2001).

"We already have a number of librarians who have signed up for their own accounts or are part of a school or district license," says Edie Perkins, the marketing manager for Tom Snyder Productions, a K–12 classroom software publisher that developed Placemark. An individual version of the service is available for $34.95 per year. A 30-day free trial is available at www.myplacemark.com.