How did you make your website?

Hey guys,

I really want to setup a website... I have a mac, so there is a built in site maker called "iweb"... It doesnt really seem to make sites all fancy as some of the other users sites are... I want to setup a site, so that you could like click on the animals, and it brings you to another page and stuff if you get what im saying... So i just wanted to know what you guys use to build your sites...

Every bit of info helps!
Thanks,
Brandon

Grit - Spit - and a whole to of duck tape

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...nguins1jpg.jpg

Naa I used Dreamweaver CS3 and photoshop.:D

mmm I was about your age when I started tinkin around with Websites...it's never too early to learn!

First, you need a domain. Godaddy is good for domain registrations. (not hosting..see "next")
Next, you need hosting. 1&1 is cheap and does the trick.

Now - you gotta build your site! woohoo! the fun part :D

Photoshop isn't exactly at everyones fingertips. Yeah - you can download the 30 day trial, but it will take you months to learn it. Go with Gimp for now for your graphics (oh yeah, you already have Gimp...for your logo!!...i'll leave that note in there for others)

Think of Websites like...a Car.

You have your designers that design the outside and make the car pretty (graphics)...and then you have your engineers that make what's under the hood!! (the code) that's the part that matters the most :gj: of course, I'm biased because I'm a web developer.

You need to learn HTML first. Then CSS. That should get you going in the right direction :gj:

Or....you can hire someone, like I did! I hired AaronP to do my website. I knew that I wanted a more professional looking site than I would be able to design on my own.

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

Grit - Spit - and a whole to of duck tape

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...nguins1jpg.jpg

Naa I used Dreamweaver CS3 and photoshop.:D

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:D

Of course, you CAN use Dreamweaver - those kinds of editors help newbies out a LOT. I use to use DW exclusively and learned a lot from it..but eventually it comes down to really understanding the code and using the code view to fix boogered up code..DW is far from perfect.

I code by hand in a text editor(ultraedit, though any text editor, even notepad, works). I'm pretty new to this web programming/design stuff so I'm learning all the basics and learning to make a modern website from scratch before jumping into using Adobe Dreamweaver(a WYSIWYG, or "what you see is what you get", website builder) or anything like that.

It sounds like the kind of website you want to design would be pretty easy to just code by hand after reading a book or two on html and CSS. You wouldn't need PHP or javascript or mysql for anything like that, but a working knowledge of photoshop(on my list of "things to learn") or similar image editor/creator programs will help with any graphics you might want for your website.

My suggestion to you, if you don't know anything about web programming, HTML, or CSS, is to first read up on HTML. It's very basic in structure and you can read over the entirety of HTML and understand it in an afternoon. Then build a home page using just HTML so you get a working knowledge of how to write HTML code, that would take another afternoon.

To "prettify" a webpage, the easy and modern solution is using CSS, which adds styles to HTML tags to change font/color/position paragraphs, and many more interesting possibilities.

If you want to learn CSS(highly recommended), I recommend picking up a book called "The Missing Manual: CSS", also written sometimes "CSS: The Missing Manual". Google might be good enough to get you all the HTML resources you need, but this book really covers CSS much better than any web resource I came across.

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Originally Posted by Nate

You need to learn HTML first. Then CSS. That should get you going in the right direction :gj:

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This too. I highly recommend these links, in fact this is where I started reading up on HTML and CSS just a couple months ago.

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Or....you can hire someone, like I did! I hired AaronP to do my website. I knew that I wanted a more professional looking site than I would be able to design on my own.

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Did he do it for free?

Edit: Nvm, i just realized you said "hired"...

I used SwishMax to design my site. It was fairly easy to learn with a little practice. The program builds a website like a movie with scenes and frames.

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Originally Posted by DBD

Did he do it for free?

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Hired implies payment.


I vote sticky this thread because Nate is the MAN for that breakdown. I too have been considering a site for next year.

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Originally Posted by DBD

Did he do it for free?

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I hired AaronP to do my website.

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;)

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Originally Posted by Wh00h0069

I used SwishMax to design my site. It was fairly easy to learn with a little practice. The program builds a website like a movie with scenes and frames.

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You do have a pretty cool site, Im just sayin.

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Originally Posted by rabernet

;)

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LOL Yea i just realized you said hired, idk y.. I was thinking you said aaronp did it for you... LOL Nvm...

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Originally Posted by DBD

LOL Yea i just realized you said hired, idk y.. I was thinking you said aaronp did it for you... LOL Nvm...

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He DID do it for me, after I hired him to do it for me. :)

And I hired Laooda to design my logo for me.

Between the two of them, they brought my vision for my site to life.

Coffee cup has a visual site builder, no code required it still takes a bit of messing around with though

I've been hearing lots of good things about dreamweaver cs4... Im gonna get it... Where can i buy it and how much does it cost..?

If you have time I say try to teach yourself.

http://good-tutorials.com
http://www.w3schools.com/

These 2 sites were my #1 resources when I started out 7 years ago, and every now and then I still have to check W3 Schools.com.

Dreamweaver CS4 runs about $599, you can get it off http://adobe.com

I recommend you hand code though, in the long run Dreamweaver can be a crutch.

Inevitably, when we start talking about software costs - there's always a mention of illegally obtaining it. Please don't mention it on this forum. You will get infracted :)

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Originally Posted by Nate

Inevitably, when we start talking about software costs - there's always a mention of illegally obtaining it. Please don't mention it on this forum. You will get infracted :)

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Yea, i always buy all my softwares, so i wouldnt be mentioning anything about illegally obtaining it... Lol i dnt even know what an html is, i dont think i could get dreamweaver free if i tried haha

I tried using dreamweaver cs3 and I couldn't figure out how to use it.. not intuitive at all, I just didn't like it.

If you really want to make a website for yourself, it is my opinion that you NEED to learn what HTML and CSS are, and to learn how to code HTML and CSS. An understanding of them is as essential to web development as fingers are essential to typing.. you can technically do without, but why would you choose to?

If you're on a Mac, RapidWeaver can't be beat, especially if you have no idea about HTML/CSS. I did it to make my website. Mine isn't that special, but I haven't really even tapped into RW's power.

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Originally Posted by blueapplepaste

If you're on a Mac, RapidWeaver can't be beat, especially if you have no idea about HTML/CSS. I did it to make my website. Mine isn't that special, but I haven't really even tapped into RW's power.

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Thanks, im going to look into that...

If you want a website thats going to look great and do everything you want it to do plus more your going to need to hire someone to do it. You can always make your own but I found out unless you are a pro at making websites they are going to look a little bit off. AaronP did mine as well.

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Originally Posted by Beardedragon

If you want a website thats going to look great and do everything you want it to do plus more your going to need to hire someone to do it. You can always make your own but I found out unless you are a pro at making websites they are going to look a little bit off. AaronP did mine as well.

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Yea, thats pobably what im going to end up doing.. Hiring AaronP haha.. But you can always edit your site when you want to right?

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Originally Posted by DBD

Yea, thats pobably what im going to end up doing.. Hiring AaronP haha.. But you can always edit your site when you want to right?

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Yup, but you have to have the know-how of how to do it.

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Originally Posted by mainbutter

Yup, but you have to have the know-how of how to do it.

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Yea im good wth the small stuff like that, just not all the other things...

Do you have to pay extra to make your site secure for people to buy directly from there?

I can tell ya Aaron has worked hard to make site maintance as easy for the onwer as possiable.. you shouldn't have to write the first line of code with his sites..Hit him up it's worth it.

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Originally Posted by Boanerges

Do you have to pay extra to make your site secure for people to buy directly from there?

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yes, OR integrate Paypal. Truth is, I wouldn't put a "buy now" or any sort of shopping cart on a reptile site...you want to know who you're selling to, right?

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

I can tell ya Aaron has worked hard to make site maintance as easy for the onwer as possiable.. you shouldn't have to write the first line of code with his sites..Hit him up it's worth it.

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im going to do that now...

Photoshop and Dreamweaver for me.


I find it much easier to do it this way.


Given you still need to know some code, but its cakewalk. (no not the program cakewalk)


Jeff...I believe you can buy scripts that have the whole shopping cart dealy for ya.

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Originally Posted by Nate

yes, OR integrate Paypal. Truth is, I wouldn't put a "buy now" or any sort of shopping cart on a reptile site...you want to know who you're selling to, right?

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x5


I kinda think that it looks cheesy too.


You go to an awesome website with awesomely expensive animals....its so NOT personal to click a button.

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Originally Posted by Nate

yes, OR integrate Paypal. Truth is, I wouldn't put a "buy now" or any sort of shopping cart on a reptile site...you want to know who you're selling to, right?

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Yea, those Buy now buttons aren't such a great idea... IMHO, i wouldnt want to buy from somewhere with a "Buy now" Button, because it makes me feel like they just import thousands of animals and sell them as items.. I would rather be buying from somewhere i can see each individual animal and get information on them....

I don't think there is anything wrong with "Buy it now" buttons as long as they're integrated into the design of the site and they look like a natural part of it.

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Originally Posted by AaronP

I don't think there is anything wrong with "Buy it now" buttons as long as they're integrated into the design of the site and they look like a natural part of it.

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I think that it could look as seemless as pie, but it just takes all the interaction out of it.

I am sure there are exceptions, I'm sure there are people who go above and beyond to make their buttons interactive.

I think that same button could be an "inquire now" or "email us" and be much much more personable.

invisionfree.com has several different types of forums and they are free to use. and you can go to ifzskinzone.com to find the layout you want. its pretty easy to use. if you chose that route pm me and ill try to help you through it. maybe not what you are looking for but it will do the same basic things you described you wanted. Goodluck :rolleye2:

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Originally Posted by Patrick Long

I think that same button could be an "inquire now" or "email us" and be much much more personable.

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I like to offer both options. I would never have a "Buy it now" Button without an "Inquire" one. I think the people who would use "Buy it Now" like buttons have purchased from the Seller before and are looking to make a quick transaction.

I would also like to think that the Seller would have some form of contact outside of the paypal transaction before shipping the animal.

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Originally Posted by AaronP

If you have time I say try to teach yourself.

http://good-tutorials.com
http://www.w3schools.com/

These 2 sites were my #1 resources when I started out 7 years ago, and every now and then I still have to check W3 Schools.com.

Dreamweaver CS4 runs about $599, you can get it off http://adobe.com

I recommend you hand code though, in the long run Dreamweaver can be a crutch.

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+1 ... If you really want to have full control over your site, skip buying the fancy editors and learn the mechanics of how websites work. When I first learned HTML back in highschool, I was using notepad to write my code. After roughly 8 years of not touching a lick of HTML, I wanted to put together a site for the whole snake breeding deal that Connie and I are doing. Started off by checking out Dreamweaver, and after a couple of weeks I ended up back in a text editor doing everything by hand anyway.

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Originally Posted by Beardedragon

If you want a website thats going to look great and do everything you want it to do plus more your going to need to hire someone to do it. You can always make your own but I found out unless you are a pro at making websites they are going to look a little bit off. AaronP did mine as well.

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I'm far from a pro when it comes to making websites, and I don't think mine came out bad at all. You just need the time and motivation to learn how things work.

Photoshop and dreamweaver for me also. I dont see why anyone even says they use notepad or any text editors for html. Yes you can use notepad but then you have to save it and then you have to open up a visual aid (ie or firefox) to view it. Waste of time IMO and with most html editors they give you a source, source/visual or visual editor. Anyways, most web host providers give you a free site builder with the cpanel account. It is very simple and easy to use.

Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and a few tools that came from my host. I am just starting to build my site with the help of my Ol, who is going to school for Graphic Design. Ok, She did most of the work. I just paid for the stuff, and took a few pictures.:rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Clear

I dont see why anyone even says they use notepad or any text editors for html.

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Because some people, like me, enjoy programming at a more basic level.

I use Ultraedit because I use Ultraedit for everything, which happens to include a ton of binary programming, and it has one of the best hex-editors out there.

I'm pretty handy when it comes to C, C++, Python, and Javascript. They're all well known and very useful.

However nothing has been as satisfying to me as manually dumping bits into the memory of a PDP 8. I don't even like using punch cards, it's all levers for this guy.

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Originally Posted by Clear

Photoshop and dreamweaver for me also. I dont see why anyone even says they use notepad or any text editors for html. Yes you can use notepad but then you have to save it and then you have to open up a visual aid (ie or firefox) to view it. Waste of time IMO and with most html editors they give you a source, source/visual or visual editor. Anyways, most web host providers give you a free site builder with the cpanel account. It is very simple and easy to use.

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The way I see it is I'm going to spend 90% of the time using the source editor in something like Dreamweaver. Now I don't know about you, but a button to load up the html in a browser isn't worth $400 to me. Not to mention the time it takes to double click on a file is less than negligible to even worry about wasting.

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Originally Posted by m00kfu

The way I see it is I'm going to spend 90% of the time using the source editor in something like Dreamweaver. Now I don't know about you, but a button to load up the html in a browser isn't worth $400 to me. Not to mention the time it takes to double click on a file is less than negligible to even worry about wasting.

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Notepad doesnt have a super sweet File organizer!!!! lol

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Originally Posted by m00kfu

The way I see it is I'm going to spend 90% of the time using the source editor in something like Dreamweaver. Now I don't know about you, but a button to load up the html in a browser isn't worth $400 to me. Not to mention the time it takes to double click on a file is less than negligible to even worry about wasting.

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Notepad++ has a button to load it in Firefox/IE. :D

http://leon2ky.com/leon/notepadplusplus.gif

As well as a basic FTP Manager :D

I tried taking Nate's advise on my website.

I origonally bought my URL through godaddy and my hosting through 1and1 however I am extremely computer code illiterate and there was this pointing issue. I had to make my url point to my host so that the web page would come up when you tried to look at it online. If you can't tell I just couldn't figure it out at all.

So I bought my url with 1and1 and used their templates to make my website. I like template programs. I know it's not the most pro website out there but I think I did pretty good with it, and it was easy to use that was the key.

With what ever you choose to do good luck!

I'm still working on my site. I decided to use a buy it now button. I might get rid of it...not really sure yet. I am very easy to get a hold of. Just check my contact page.
I used Dreamweaver Fireworks and Flash 8.
I have a bunch of babies I will be posting there,09 spiders and a 09 clutch of 7 albinos some normals.
I know nothing of HTML, CSS or any of that other compu-geek stuff.

I did it all myself...and it shows. LOL

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Originally Posted by AaronP

Notepad++ has a button to load it in Firefox/IE. :D

http://leon2ky.com/leon/notepadplusplus.gif

As well as a basic FTP Manager :D

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Isn't open source great? ;) I'm actually back to using vim under linux now. Bonus points to anyone who has actually used vim. :D

starquakes.net Photoshop and notepad. S'all I used. :2cent:

But, I'm lazy and haven't bothered to work on it more than the front page. :giggle:

I personally use dreamweaver to build websites. Although I do it professionally.. sooooooo might not be up your alley?

It's a pretty easy program to figure out on your own, if you know HTML & other coding for web language. It just makes it alot quicker & easier than coding by hand (which I have to do at work...)

Photoshop (or other image editor) is pretty important for logo/layout/etc. Gimp is free, offers alot that Photoshop does.. but does not offer it as cleanly, or in depth.

One example of a site I built via photoshop & dreamweaver: www.flashforwardphotography.com