* How to create dynamic web pages with ASP.NET web forms and web server controls
* How to display and manipulate data using ADO.NET and Visual Studio .NET components
* How to persist state in different ways, within the "stateless" web environment
* How to create XML files and XML schema, and how to use them for data transfer
* How to integrate your web applications with others, through web services
* How to make your application more secure, via the security features in ASP.NET and IIS
* How to eliminate bugs and unexpected failures, through effective debugging and exception-handling techniques
* How to improve the performance of your application and prepare it for release
NOTE: There is an Apress title called Programming the Web with Visual Basic .NET (Torkelson, Peterson, Torkelson) but this title is aimed at a higher-level audience and is more of a transition book than an inspirational skills improvement book.