Markdown makes learning HTML less scary

A post by Adam Newbold about how to ensure your website is portable had me thinking about how I sometimes do exactly what he advocates — upload HTML files to a server. Hardcore IndieWeb: Run your own website 100% independently for only $0.01/day The idea is that you always have a copy of the site on your computer. So if the host shuts down for some reason, you can upload it to to a different server. I do this for a website I created for the local tai chi club that consists of only six pages. Why add the complexity of a platform just for that? But here’s the thing. You have to learn HTML. Adam insists that it’s easy, but I know a lot of people are going to nope right out at the thought of any kind of coding. For those people, I suggest markdown. This is a system of marking up text for the web that hides the code. Instead, you use asterisks, hash marks, dashes and underscores. If you want a bulleted list, for example, you put a dash in front of each item. You don’t even have to remember…