The transition from HTML to XHTML can be an intimidating idea for many web designers out there. It takes you from a land where you know all to a land of code that seems mysterious and full of black holes. CSS bugs and browser inconsistencies can be frightful when trying to figure out just what is going on with your webpage. It can be a very, very frustrating time.

Adding to all this new CSS is a big fat 'X' clinging on to the front of a very familiar HTML. What does that 'X' mean and should I even pay any attention to it? Well, the 'X' stands for 'Extensible' and "Yes!", you should pay attention to it. Too many have forgotten all about that 'X' in their struggles with CSS and that's a real shame. It can't be stressed enough on how much that single character can mean to the accessibility and usability of your CSS based designs.

Let's compare it to this: If you a carpenter, and the only tools you have are a hammer and a nail, how well do you think you can build a house? Keep in mind that you must use your hammer and nail to make measurements and then use your hammer and nail to mark where to cut and then use your hammer and nail to cut the wood. Things looking bleak? For good reason. It's a known fact that you have to use the right tools for the right job. It applies to every arena of construction, whether it be house-builing or web design.

Thankfully, XHTML gives us the right tools for the job. If you to identify a quotation, just use the 'q' tag. An acronym, easy, just use the 'acronym' tag (for example, to explaine what 'CSS' stands for). It's like replacing your grandpa's rusty old toolbox with a brand new Craftsman 230 pc. Mechanics Tool Set. In other words, you don't have to use a 'div' or 'table' in every bit of code. You can use a tool created exactly for that job and with much more success.

But to really take advantage of this technology, you need a new way of thinking. Now that CSS can visually control every element on your webpage, you can use every element out there. Forget about a table of links, instead use an unordered list for it (because, after all, your links are an unordered list). Instead of hiding your copyright information in a 'p' or 'div' tag, surround the text with an 'h6' tag. It is, after all, one of the least important pieces of important information on a website.

And it doesn't stop there! Use a definition list for product listings or use an 'address' tag to tell a phone number or physical address. This list goes on but the idea is there. The new way of thinking is this: I will only use the right tools for the job.

And while there is more to XHTML than just nifty tags, learning how to them correctly can be one of the most important turning points in your web design career. It will make every website you build and the hopefulyl the entire internet more accessible and more available to everyone.

You can view an entire list of XHTML tags at W3Schools website: http://www.w3schools.com/tags/default.asp

maybe mis-posted and meant it for xhtmlbeauty.com or thought this was his blog instead of an open forum?