Calling all Web Gurus

[Oliver Clozoff]

Hey, everybody.

For a long time I've wanted to build a personal website as an outlet for my creativity and to bring all my disparate interests together by linking to all kinds of interesting and fun sites.

The problem?

I'm a techno-dunce. I really don't know much about what goes into making a site. I know you have to get a provider and that there are programs available to help you write the code, but beyond that I'm fairly clueless.

I know there are a lot of techno-geniuses on this site, including many who have sites of your own. Any advice for a rank novice? At this point, I don't even know enough to ask very good questions. Are there any free providers? Are they any good or is it worth it to spend some money? How do you go about staking your claim to your 40 acres of internet homestead?

Are there good resources out there on the net to help you put together your site? Any ideas?

Oh yeah. Free plastic surgery/penile implants to the poster who helps me the most!

(and don't think I won't make good on it, either. Just last week, I heloped give a guy perma-wood with a couple of malleable rods in urological surgery the other day. He won't even have to be conscious to satisfy his wife anymore.)

 

[Weird Harold]

Since you mentioned homesteading, that might be a good place to start. Go to Homestead.com's home page, and follow the links to instructions on joining and constructing your webpage. There are dozen's of other sites that host free personal webpages.

One resource that's worth the price, is HTML for Dummies which will give you a basic background in what is and isn't possible.

 

[DarlingBri]

I'm a professional web designer. For most client projects, I use an excellent but much-derided WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor, FrontPage 2000.

It's poorly viewed because the previous version sucked and turned out non-standard code. The 2000 version is FINE no matter what other people tell you. Trust me on this, I'm a doctor.

If you can use any MS Office product, like Word, it will feel familiar to you.

The other major competitor is Dreamweaver. I think it's got a steeper learning curve, has fewer cool tools the average person wants to put on a site, and its more money.

Actually learning HTML (raw code, for coding by hand) is essential if you're doing to go into this in any sort of major way. But if you just want to produce one site, I believe in WYSIWYG editors.

If you're interested in FrontPage, post here, and I'll give you some useful info.

 

[Imoen]

If you're looking for a website that gives lots of really great info on setting up webpages you should really check out http://www.lissaexplains2.com/intro.shtml

Its an excellent resource and extrememly simplified. Good luck!

 

[cymbidia]

"RBG hexadecimal color chart"

I don't know a whole lot more than you, to be honest, but there's one thing i have learned: you want to use non-dithering color when you get to the coloring book portion of your efforts. http://cwm.ragesofsanity.com/otn/wink/wink.gif

 

[Oliver Clozoff]

Why do I get the feeling Cym's pulling my leg?

But if she's not, I'm gonna have the most fun coloring. I don't know about the non-dithering color, though. Some of my best work has been done dithering.

Seriously, thanks to all of you for your great suggestions. I went out and bought HTML for Dummies at your suggestion, WH. It looks to be at about my level. It's already on my nightstand looking out of place next to Bullock's Hitler: A Study in Tyranny" and Schwartz' Essentials of Surgery, but I'm more than willing to swallow my intellectual pride and embrace my inner dummy.

Right in line with this is the excellent HTML site for kids you introduced me to, Imoen. Designed by an 11 year-old! Why does it remind me of my 6 year-old cousin who consistently kicks my ass at Super Mario Kart or those toddlers that zoom past you on the slopes?

I'm always wary of taking on a new interest like this because my perfectionism can be a bit consuming. In my feverish mind, it's not enough just to have a good website. It must be the paragon of websites! (This is apparently also how I chose my career: "I can't just be someone with a normal job, I have to have a godlike job!") Gotta keep reminding myself of Bill Murray's sagelike wisdom in What About Bob?: "Baby steps. Baby steps..."

I'd love it if you'd post some more FrontPage info, Bri. It sounds like a great starting place. Does it allow you to write your own customized code into your site or is it all templates?

Thanks for the info on Homestead, WH. It looks like a really good setup. I know it has a lot of competitors, though. Anyone have a suggestion on the best free web-hosting service?

Thanks for help, y'all. You da best.