Getting Started
Getting started with your first web site is pretty exciting. It doesn't matter if it's for personal, hobby, business, craft, church, or other group use, but it will need certain guidelines for it's existance. So before diving into your first site, you'll need to plan and have ideas of what you want for your site. It is my hope that in the following paragraphs, I will be able to help you with these topics as well point out some important tips for making your site successful. Please note I am no expert but like to share what I've learned with others. It would be impossible for me to list everything concerning this, so I recommend doing research on the web. By doing research on your particular topic of interest, you'll get to see what others are doing. And by learning this way, you'll be able to make better decisions as to what you do and don't want for your site. Since you're probably going to be surfing the web anyway, why not make some good use of it? And take notes, as some things may be hard to remember once your research begins. With that said, let's get on to making some decisions for your site!
With my aim focused at the beginner creating their own site, I'll try to keep this simple. If at any time you need help please contact me. If you're more advanced you may want to browse the rest of my site.
If you have done the research on your particular type of site, you should have a pretty good idea of what you want and how you want your site to look. You will need some type of editor to work on your site. You can use the old fashion "Notepad," or a "WYSIWYG" (what you see is what you get) editor, or purchase one of the "Web Site Builders." Now, let's talk about the differences of these three. More and more hosting sites (where you'll have your web pages stored for all the internet world to see) have their own Web Site Builders. Some are included in the service, others allow or require you to purchase them in addition. Some allow you certain templates, (like pre-made page designs), so you can arrange them to your preference. If you like the graphics and templates, then you should do fine with those types of editors/site builders as they're fairly simple to use. If, on the other hand, you're starting out on a small budget, want to avoid extra costs starting off, then you'll need to consider one of the other two options. The "WYSIWYG" editors are just that; what you see is what you get. If you know nothing of "HTML" (hyper text markup language) and don't have the time to learn, that would be the route to go. You can purchase these editors or get one free. Of course the more expensive the editor, the more control features you'll have over your site's design. But let me say that somewhere down the road you will need to know at least the basics of "HTML" regardless of what type editor or site builder you use. So make plans in the future to take some kind of "Basic HTML" lessons, you'll be glad you did and will understand what I mean in time. And last but certainly not least, is the old fashion, old faithful, "Notepad" editor which comes standard on your Windows computer system. Notepad is what I use and recommend it, but you need to know the basics of HTML with Notepad as there are no drag and drop features, just copy and paste. Notepad gives you control over what goes into your page as you're telling it what to do with every line of coding. So take into consideration your time, budget, and how active you intend to be with your site before choosing an editor. If you have the time and want to contol your site by yourself, and not hire someone else to do it for you, go with the old fashion Notepad editor. Learning HTML is very fun and you can always change over to a different type of editor in the future. One last comment on HTML; it will be more fun and easier to learn if you can see what you're doing as you go along. There are many free lessons on HTML, just make sure you choose one that is a "Hands-On" tutorial. I'll be posting my own Mini "Hands-On" HTML tutorials as time permits. Now that we've discussed a little about using editors and site builders for your site, let's get onto our next topic of
"Designing Your Page."
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