Need Help with Web Page

Gregg Brightwell · #1 01-02-2008, 07:08 PM

Ok all. I know some of you out there are computer masterminds, and building a website is a piece of cake. I am pretty good on computers, but have basically zero experience with web pages. I have many pictures on my hard drive, that I would like to share with everyone. I would also be using it as a 'builders log'. I have already reserved a domain, and paid for 100 gig of webspace. What is next?

PLEASE Help...

Gregg J. Brightwell
A & P / Avionics Tech.
RV-4 emp.

brayski98 · #2 01-02-2008, 07:29 PM

I'm sure Doug would be one of the best to answer this, but you can acquire software that will build your website and you will need to connect and upload, probably through an FTP program the files to the host computer. Or if you're a real glutten for punishment, you can just write the HTML yourself.

prkaye · #3 01-02-2008, 07:47 PM

Quote:

you can just write the HTML yourself

This is what i do for web pages i have made. I find I prefer having direct control over things, and learning HTML is pretty easy... probably no harder than learning the ins and outs of a software product for creating web pages. Also, I would suspect that such software may generate pretty ugly HTML that may be tougher to maintain.

I find that the hardest thing when doing HTML directly is to get the layout tweaked just right. For this, I found learning how to code CSS style sheets to be very useful. The style sheet basically defines the layout, making your HTML simpler, and makig it easier to add new pages following the same format.

If you decide to go this route (html), the best thing to do is start with a page that you like the general layout of, and make a copy of the HTML source (in Internet Explorer you can select "view" -> "source"). Then start modifying the source, inspecting the effect of your changes as you go. Before you know it, you will have converted the original page into your own creation!

There are lots of references on the web too for the various html tags, and for CSS sheets. Feel free to have a look at the source for my site to see how I used a CSS style sheet to define the layout. (www.c-func.com).

DevDad · #4 01-02-2008, 07:47 PM

Gregg,

Shoot me an e-mail to mike (at) 41past (dot) com. I am a web designer by trade, and would be glad to help set you up (at no charge for the builder's log).

I look forward to hearing from you!

Mike

Gregg Brightwell · #5 01-02-2008, 07:48 PM

Ha... I appreciate that.... if i wrote it in html... i would be flying before i got it done... lol... thx for the info.

GJB

Gregg Brightwell · #6 01-02-2008, 07:57 PM

Mike, thx so much for the help.. I will email you in the morning.. thx again.. GJB

n5lp · #7 01-02-2008, 08:09 PM

I used to do my very simple web page in HTML and that worked for a while but it does get tedious. I finally got Microsoft Front Page (what Doug uses) and a Front Page for Dummies book. That made things pretty easy after I figured out that frames and tables are kind of the reverse of what you think they should be.

It seems like a lot of people are espousing the blog format for ease of use. I like to have quite a bit of control of the layout and I don't think a blog does that very well.

MTBehnke · #8 01-02-2008, 08:20 PM

Check out coffeecup.com. I use their HTML editor for my site which makes inserting pictures and creating other links pretty easy. It also automatically creates thumbnail images from your full size images and links them to the full size picture.

They have a bunch of other software including a photo gallery, although I haven't tried any of these.

brayski98 · #9 01-02-2008, 08:40 PM

When I had my own page, I wrote the HTML. I also did that in some of the college classes I took. But I'm old school I guess. Others in the class used front page or some other toolset. Depends on how complicated you want it. You can also take a simple page and click on view->source and see some HTML for an example.

txaviator · #10 01-03-2008, 09:27 AM

I bought Front Page and when I noticed it had zero documentation with the software, I also bought a few books on the subject at the local bookstore. I bought the Dummies book, etc. While I took an HTML class during my undergrad degree, I was still mythed.

Working in Front Page, to me, was a little tougher than say- memorizing all the words within War and Peace.

So I just opted to hire a fellow to do it for me. (Jason, son of Tom Brink- President of GAHco)

Anyone want to buy a cheap, licensed, essentially un-used copy of Front Page, along with books?

Take care,