Website beginner

We are wanting to create a website at work and I have been interested in learning how, so what better way then on the companies dime?

I know NOTHING about ANYTHING on building websites. I think I want to get a software package but not real sure what is the best. I would like to learn HTML, I think, but I am not sure what is the best format.

I am pretty lost on all this so any help would be great.

Thanks
Mike

It's very rewarding to create your own website and way cheaper than paying someone else to do it for you. I designed my own snake site (click on my banner to check it out) after reading a book that I will recommend to you. It's called 'The Non-Designer's Web Book' by Robin Williams & John Tollett. It gives you all the basics you need for getting started on designing a website. As far as software goes, I hear a lot of people like Dreamweaver. I am hoping to take a Dreamweaver class in the near future but have not worked with it so far. I designed my site with Web Easy, which cost less than $100 and is very easy to work with. I haven't worked with anything else yet to compare it with, though. Good luck! :)

I got a book called "Sams Teach Yourself HTML and CSS in 24 hours"

I have learned a little and it is very easy.

I was going to try to do some HTML on here but it didn't turn out right, I thought we could use HTML code on here? Am I wrong?

Mike

I bought Dreamweaver and got my son to do our site.

It's always a work in progress.

Last summer I had him insert the PDG shopping cart. Now that is a lot of work, it interfaces with my Quick Books, and takes credit cards online.

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Originally Posted by hoax

I was going to try to do some HTML on here but it didn't turn out right, I thought we could use HTML code on here? Am I wrong?

Mike

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No HTML in the threads. The forums use a BB code that has similar tags for some simple tasks like enhancing text and inserting pictures and links, but that's it.

I have been doing web design for over 10 years. I would suggest Dreamweaver as suggested above. There are MANY MANY MANY books and lots of online tutorials. Basically, find a method of learning that works for you. If you learn hands on, video tutorials or classes will work best. If you have good reading comprehension, just do some google searches for beginner Dreamweaver tutorials.

Myself, I use Notepad++. The comfort of an IDE to do most of the coding for you is way to easy to get use too, then you start to loose what it means to really understand a lot of the code. Nothing irks me more than a decent web designer that uses a specific CSS tag or javascript but can't explain why he uses it or how it works.

I just expect more from the people I work with though. I would never criticize anyone else unless they asked me to.

Good luck! And don't forget to watch the "You suck at photoshop" series on YouTube if you want to get into Photoshop design.

intuit it where its basicly set up for dummies
http://www.intuit.com/

if i register my domain through intuit, do i have to use their website layouts, or can i create one from scratch using software like dreamweaver?

Lynda :gj:

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Originally Posted by boasandballs

I bought Dreamweaver and got my son to do our site.

It's always a work in progress.

Last summer I had him insert the PDG shopping cart. Now that is a lot of work, it interfaces with my Quick Books, and takes credit cards online.

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I would like to get into Dreamweaver to make some really sweet sites but for now I think I should learn the basics, even if that means I go and get Dreamweaver in a month.

That PDG deal does sound complicated, but Über slick.

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Originally Posted by jfreels

I have been doing web design for over 10 years. I would suggest Dreamweaver as suggested above. There are MANY MANY MANY books and lots of online tutorials. Basically, find a method of learning that works for you. If you learn hands on, video tutorials or classes will work best. If you have good reading comprehension, just do some google searches for beginner Dreamweaver tutorials.

Myself, I use Notepad++. The comfort of an IDE to do most of the coding for you is way to easy to get use too, then you start to loose what it means to really understand a lot of the code. Nothing irks me more than a decent web designer that uses a specific CSS tag or javascript but can't explain why he uses it or how it works.

I just expect more from the people I work with though. I would never criticize anyone else unless they asked me to.

Good luck! And don't forget to watch the "You suck at photoshop" series on YouTube if you want to get into Photoshop design.

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What is Notepad++? I will definitely be getting dream weaver and photoshop, it is after all being funded by bigger pockets than my own so the sky is the limit.

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Originally Posted by 771subliminal

intuit it where its basicly set up for dummies
http://www.intuit.com/

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I really want to learn how to write the code first so when I run into specific problems later I will already know how to fix it instead of not having a clue where to look, but I do want to get some software to save time in writing code by hand later on.

Nate your avatar is hilarious. I will have to try Lynda $25 a month how can you beat that?

I would suggest using wordpress cms and finding a theme that you like and just go with that. Tons of plugins and makes it easier to edit content on your site.
There is tons of sitebuilds were you do not need to know anything and most hosting plans come with one.

CMS = Content management system

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Originally Posted by hoax

Nate your avatar is hilarious. I will have to try Lynda $25 a month how can you beat that?

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haha :D

I learned a LOT with Lynda.com. Yeah, for $25/mo, you can learn HTML, CSS, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and the list is just about endless. I'd stick with those mentioned and you'll be well on you way to building out your own site :gj:

We already have a Domain name at work but I don't have any of the admin stuff. How can I test my HTML with out having my domain info?

Mike

I don't know how savvy you are with computers, but if you're running windows, you can install WAMP. It will get a local webserver running pretty quickly. Or you can use IIS built into windows, but it's more advanced to get up and working.

http://www.wampserver.com/en/download.php

Notepad++: http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net/uk/download.php

Notepad++ has no GUI for design...it's all done by hand coding.

I used webs.com to build my site using the HTML and CSS that I've picked up over the years. You can sign up for free and play around with HTML all you want. ;)

Any browser will open a simple html file.

I set up a webs.com site and registered and am at the FTP page but I can not figure out how to load my .html file...

Nate how do I use my browser to open a html file from my computer?

Thanks
Mike

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hoax

I set up a webs.com site and registered and am at the FTP page but I can not figure out how to load my .html file...

Nate how do I use my browser to open a html file from my computer?

Thanks
Mike

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I figured out how to edit the file. You just click the little edit button that is a pencil. and if you would like to rename it you click the button for that.

I still don't know how to open a file from my browser.

I have a web site and it has content. Not good content or content I am really sure I want you seeing but hey here it is it is two lines of typed text at the top of a white page in plain black font... can you feel the excitement? But since you guys helped me I figured it was only fair to let you share in my simplistic victory.

Mike

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nate

Lynda :gj:

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Good place to start, also you can refer to this thread that I started about this very subject:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=112855

I've found that Web Designer/Development is like Othello, few hours to learn, a lifetime to master. (Been doing it for 10 years..., last 3 of those as a freelancer)

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Originally Posted by 771subliminal

intuit it where its basicly set up for dummies
http://www.intuit.com/

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no NO NO NO NO!!!!!!!!!!!

intuit is absolute freakin' crap. paid 60 bucks to find out their software doesn't work AT ALL. i will be demanding a refund.

i had to re-do my ENTIRE website over again twice, even though i saved after practically EVERY change i made. the most ANNOYING part, the program would crash and every single time it crashed, you could still click on the pages you made, and see the changes, but you couldn't actually go in and edit them again.

I did some more work last night so that there will actually be something there to read, next up pictures!

But when I try to type in the address it gives me a page saying my site doesn't exist and I should use webs to create a web site...

I will be working on changing the background color and text color, black and white is a little plain for me.

Mike

We used Yahoo: http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ps/sb/index.php
This was the first website I built and it was a breeze:gj:

Here is our site so you can see for yourself:
http://www.rossireptiles.com/

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Originally Posted by Herp_Herp_hooray

We used Yahoo: http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ps/sb/index.php
This was the first website I built and it was a breeze:gj:

Here is our site so you can see for yourself:
http://www.rossireptiles.com/

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that looks great! when you sign up for a web hosting plan, do you get your www.whatever.com address to use as well?

I figured out how to check my web site using a browser with out having it published, looking back at it now I feel way stupid for not thinking about it before. Just like any other file you want to open in any other program you go to your drop down file menu, click open file and select your desired file. I know that you people know but some one who sees this thread might not.

But I still can't "publish" I am using fireFTP and I transferred the home page "under-construction message" but when I go to the web site via my address bar it gives me "Directory Listing Denied This Virtual Directory does not allow contents to be listed."

I'm done with my little victory, on with your daily business.

Mike