ok i’ve searched the net… get 2 million hits…
but i need to set up a simple ( i think) web site for my loft project… first it’ll be a sales tool later it I’ll turn it over to the condos as a message/ news board
how hard is it…? do i need to purchase a program?
thanks in advance
p
Replies
pony... as the veteran of several DIY attempts at websites I can honestly say, sub it out. The time, agida, and general hair tearing for a maybe OK result ain't worth it. Find "fatroman" here and PM him, he did mine. A great, painless, job and a bargain all things considered.
(my site: http://www.finecontracting.com)
PaulB
nice site... very professional... whatever you paid... i think you got a deal
p
thanks for the heads up
p,
I feel just the opposite, if you have a good handle on how to handle digital pictures and can navigate a new piece of software with relative ease, then go for it. I did my own and got Ok reviews from everyone here once it was done. You can do it yourself if you have the patience and the basic skills.
Two recommendations...
First, contact fatroman like the other poster said. He's good. If you're doing it yourself and you get stuck, he's the man for help.
Second, check out http://www.coffeecup.com. Easy software to learn and to use.
I'm betting you can get it started by yourself, and maybe someday down the road you can hire someone to help if it gets too complicated.
Joe
“The richest genius, like the most fertile soil, when uncultivated, shoots up into the rankest weeds..” – Hume
Send me a message and fill me in on what your thoughts are for the site. Be happy to help you out.
Best,
Steve
I just went through this in Feb. to set up a website for some rental property.
I would not call myself an expert or anything, but I am web savvy and I had some guys from the IS department at work to fall back on when I had a bug I could not fix.
Here is my 2 bits:
1. if you pay more than 20 bucks for your web address you are getting ripped off.
2 There are tons of places that can host your website (a server where your pages actually live) for less than 10 bucks a month. (includes a gig of server space, 500 email addresses, an incredible amount of traffic, ftp service and so on and other services I had no interest in). You can PM me if you want a link to the one I use.
3. I suggest you register your own domain name and get the hosting service yourself. The hosting service will have specific instructions to get you started. After you have done those things you will have a better handle when you go to talk to a web designer, plus you will have saved some serious cash as this is the area where you don't need any creativity to do it right.
4. Submitting your domain (web address) to the search engines is FREE. It takes about 5 min to do it. Don't let some crook charge you 80-100 bucks to do it. Simply google "submit your site to google" and "submit your site to yahoo".
5. Ask around (like you have here) and find a web designer to do your site. Make sure you look at what they have done before on the web. Go through the whole site. Look for broken links, look for miss-spelled words, if every website has a lot of flash or graphics you don't want that designer. This is just like a homeowner looking for a GC, make sure you are happy with their past work, that you get along, and don't cheap out.
6. You need customers to be able to find you in search engines, that means text. Your site needs to be more text than graphics. Search Engine Optimization is a whole industry by itself, but the basic tips from google when you submit your address to them are a great start. Make sure the web designer you choose understands these basic principles. New designers - especially graphic art background kids straight out of school - tend to miss this boat.
So this boils down to:
DIY the easy stuff where you can get the most done
Hire out the creative work where the appearance is important.
Good Luck!
man thanks guy for all your input and time it took to post...
i swear i was better at dos than i am in windows.... (i remember computers before the web... 256k 10meg hard drive and 6000 dollars) it was do or die then because i'd already spent the $$...
it use to be fun to sit up all night until something worked as i planned.... been a long time since i was that motivated to make a program work... but
think I'll use the info you guys provided and at least try... if it's crap then it's crap but at least i'll know what it takes...
again many thanks...
p
"frontpage might be easy but it's not very good software"
But it works.
Content:
Write in a manner people understand, set a tone or your own unique personality. People love that. I had a customer four weeks ago from Bermuda who was vacationing in Orlando. He and his wife drove out of their way 3 1/2 hours to see us. One hour later they walked out of our little store after spending $ 12,000. His comments went something like this:
"If I get into a website thats too wordy or technical I'm gone..what I liked about your site is you make it easy for a guy like me to understand..and navigate"
Before you invest in web design software, pick a hosting service. Some of them (I use Homestead) have their own design software available as part of the package. I've had a lot of fun working on mine. I look at it as a hobby that might bring me moolah. Might be the wrong attitude, but I'm a DIY kind of guy.http://grantlogan.net/
Ponytl,
What I would do in your chair is take a piece of paper the size of your monitor, maybe twice as tall and, as a starting point, transfer the page layout of Breaktime to it.
Then I would print out the pictures you're going to want on the front page in the size you want and lay them on the paper. Print out a sample header and menu and add them.
When you get what you want, take its' picture and email that to FatRoman. Just as a starting point.
Did I mention, I hate pages with fixed width with objects on them? By fixed width objects, I mean Frames and layout tables objects. I don't mind scrolling up and down, but sideways too?!?!?!?
Well you're in luck. I woke up in the middle of the night in one of those moods. So, after writing the above and remembering that you like DIYing, I dug out my old WebHelp CD and pared it down to the bare basics.
That is the attached zip file.
After you read Planning and Design, and you're ready to 'roll your own,' open one of those pages in notepad or other plain text editor and use Stephen LeHunte to decipher the code. I say use one of the pages included because I have already taken out all the unnecessary junk and left just clean code.
AArgh!
My ISP won't let me upload big files. All the attachments are folders that I zipped individually.
So, make a new folder "Web Help", unzip Planning and Design as folders into Web Help. Unzip S.LeHunte as a folder into Web Help.
Unzip LeHunte2 to 5 into S.LeHunte as files. LeHunte 2-5 contain folders, you just don't want folders named LeHunte2-5 in Web Help or S.LeHunte.
IOW, you want the contents of LeHunte2-5 in S.LeHunte.
SamT
There are three kinds of people: Predaters, Prey, and Paladins. The really strange thing is that Prey feels safer from Predators by disarming Paladins.
I've been messen' with websites for a few years.
Microsoft Frontpage is pretty easy to use to design and maintain your website.
I use bluehost.com for my domain names ( about $12 a year for each name)and hosting (about $100 year for 5 different websites!!!) They also have 24 hr 800 help with anything service. I've put hundreds of photos on websites and still have plenty of free space.
That's really all you need. Just tackle it and enjoy. I would be glad to help.
As for search engines, don't depend on them to bring you business, especially at first. Find a good domain name and get your name out in every possible way besides the web, IE: signs, advertising, etc.
Here is a coin collecting website I did. burolls.com
Brant
Edited 4/18/2007 10:25 am ET by pacificsbest
Edited 4/18/2007 10:34 am ET by pacificsbest
Consider using Blogger.com
If you are using a mac: I'm currently using Rapid Weaver to build a website. It's very straightforward. I'm having the most trouble simply deciding on what I want the content to be. And I have a lot of design/artmaking experience. I may still go to a pro, but after giving it a go myself, I'll be much better prepared to know what I want the pro to do for me.
Pony,
I have a little ad agency. I'm just the dumb sales guy but I know a bit about this. My two cents:
Your web site is a direct reflection of your company. If it looks, reads and navigates great, you look great. If not...
Parallel web development to construction. You'd be a diy as a webmaster, as opposed to a professional contractor. Some dyi's builders do a great job, others prove to be hacks. Pro builders have the knowledge and skills to produce a better rate of consistent quality but not always. Same with web.
If you can write in a compelling manner, develop content objectively with your audience in mind, and learn the technical aspects of creating a great site, go for it. Or, if your talents lie elsewhere, hire it out, as others have said.
And as is sometimes asked at BT, is your time worth anything?
Gotta disagree with Pacific, frontpage might be easy but it's not very good software. Dreamweaver is tons better.
Good luck, don't forget to post your new site when it's done!
Todd