Would you all please tell me EVERYTHING you know about webpages? I know just enough to get me in trouble. I have 1 and 2 (below) done/working, but what do I do next? I've done some searches, but found there is way too much information to absorb... so afraid to make the wrong turn. If you can help, I sure would appreciate input.

1. Have an idea
2. Have a plan
3.
4.
5.
etc.

I've had way too much time to dream today... having to stay close to the phone for my husband. He's in and out, trying to get a computer system set up and I'm 'sweetly' playing phone operator. I get to be on BWS forums all day, tho, so there is a plus to bonus that comes with my efforts.

I'll start you off with these thoughts:

1. What is the purpose of your website? To provide info, to sell things, to blog, etc?

2. What information do you need on the site? Links, pages, images, contact info, etc.?

3. Go look around at sites similar to what you want. Check their pages, content, links, colors, etc. Make notes or copy the links of the things you like so you can find them again.

4. What is your budget? Are you doing this yourself, or are you prepared to pay someone?

5. Do you have a domain name? Go to www.godaddy.com to search for names. They cost about $9, but be careful, because they try to sell you lots of things along the way. And "Website Tonight" isn't as easy as they make it sound.

There's your to-do list for now!

Kathy

Thanks, Kathy.
I've started a word doc, adding to my 1 & 2 as I think of things based on your 1 - 5.

I use godaddy for my webpage. I have done the work myself. I would love to have a webdesigner at some point...it just hasn't been in my budget. I do have a shopping cart, blog and e-zine through the same godaddy account. Not many bells and whistles but it gets the job done!

Your site looks fine, Jane. But it doesn't look like you used "website tonight" did you? They claim you can set up a a site in just an evening, but if you want any individuality it takes longer and can be more difficult. Plus, if you mess up, you have to start from scratch all over again. At least, that was my experience.

Jane, I would never have guessed you designed your own. You have more talent that I do!

I did find a webmaster to help design my site. I did all the content and the pages, but he put it together so it was easier to click through to other pages. I found him on guru.com and he was inexpensive and fair. Did not try to sell me things I did not want, and worked with me every step of the way. PM me if you want his name.

Stay away from 1&1, by the way. I had so much trouble with them. I use vdeck now, and I think that Dotsie does, too. I think . . .

Thanks...I did it with website design...it's been almost 2 years...so I don't remember much about the process...It's time to upgrade to their new version that can do more...I dread doing that!

I've done my own website, using Microsoft Front Page. I'm in the (very slow) process of revamping it based on my survey results. However, I've switched to using Dreamweaver because I'm able to do more things. I do have a tech background, so it makes it easier.

I do web programming for a living so if you write a little more about what you are wanting we can make better suggestions. Kathy's tips are great. Here are some more.

1. A good website is one that is updated regularly. Commit yourself upfront to keeping it fresh and current.

2. Color and style must be thought out ahead of time. Nothing makes a worse impression than colors that clash or do not fit with your purpose. Don't use a lot of primary colors (red, yellow, blue) together. Pick a color and then try to use shades of it with maybe a complmentary color to contrast.

3. Consistency, consistency, consistency. Make sure all the pages of your site have the same look to them, and that you navigate thru your site by the same mechanism on every page. If you use a left menu on the home page, use a left menu on every other page. If you use a top menu, then do that throughout.

4. For the most part pick a font and use it throughout. Don't use 10 different fonts. Keep it simple and consistent. You can use different sizes and formatting to provide emphasis where you need it. One exception would be if you have a logo or something similar. That's fine if it's not the same font as the rest of your site. Verdana is a good font for web design.

5. Images - the better the quality of the images you use on your site, the more professional your site will look. Again, nothing looks worse than a bunch of hokey pictures; people with their heads cut off; dogs or cats (or people)with red eye. Also, images for web pages don't need to be very high resolution. The smaller the file size the faster they will load. Use .jpg format for complicated images (those with lots of color shades and contrasts). Use .gifs for solid colors like backgrounds and such. Try not to use .bmps. The files sizes are usually too big to load quickly.

6. Scrolling down the page is OK. Scrolling left to right on a web page is not. Make sure your pages are designed so users don't have to scroll left to right. Design your website for a screen resolution of either 800 x 600 or 1024 x 768 (these are the settings for your monitor display)

7. And most important, be VERY CAREFUL about what personal information you put on your site. There are lots of whacko's out there.

Great tips, ktri! And welcome to the forums,
Kathy

Kathy and ktri, great tips.

ktri, welcome to BWS. Do you have a web site you want to share? You can put it in your signature if you want. I'd love to learn more about you.

The most helpful thing I did prior to launching BWS and NABBW was researching sites similar to my idea. I took tons of notes, printed pages off other sites, bookmarked ones I liked, made notes about what I liked and didn't like including colors, fonts, page set-ups, navigational buttons, everything. Then I took that information and shared it with my Web designer which helped her get a feel for what I was looking for. I spent hundreds of hours researching prior to launching both sites but I'm so gald I did. It was well worth it.

Another thing you must consider is site optimization. Without it, no one will ever find your site.

Lots of luck. Feel free to ask more questions.

ktri,
Thank you so much for the information. I actually understood everything you said. I'm either learning or you put the info out so plainly that even I understood. More than likely it's the latter.
When I have a good draft, I'll surely accept any and all advise.

I'm trying to make a web page for Katie. Even using the same one I used for my blog, isn't going well. It's taking too long to upload the photos. Any ideas on a quick, easy, free way of doing it that doesn't take forever to do? I can't just add a page to my website. I can't make changes on that right now.

Does anyone know about "site optimization?" I mean, once you have the site, how do you drive traffic to it?

On mine, there is an item to click that says "promote site." When I do that, I can add it to search engines such as google and others. I have to put in lots of key words that would pull it up in a search. Then you can also do things like link swaps with other people who have websites and use a link to the site in your email signature.

Louisa, are you looking for a quick way to add a website or a quick way to upload photos?

ktri

I've been trying to make a page on my Tripod site that is a separate site or blog about my grandchild. It was taking forever to get a picture uploaded. Then I tried to do another aol page. I've done both of these before. This too was taking way too long and the photos weren't showing up. I can do the photobucket thing for here, but I don't think that will work on them. On my luvs2write website, I could upload photos pretty quickl, but I can't make changes to that now because I don't have the software for it now.

You should use meta tags at the top of each page that have a list of keywords that relate to your site. And a meta tag with a description. Don't put anything in that doesn't relate to your site. Also, take the keywords and put them in a table at the bottom of your page hidden by using the same font color as your background. This will help some with the search engines that don't use meta tags. The meta tags should go on every page. The hidden table can just go on the home page.

Here's a sample of a meta tag. <meta name="keywords" content="collies, Tango Collies, breeder, smooth, rough, smooth collie, rough collie, champion, show dog" />
<meta name="description" content="Home page for Tango Collies, breeders of smooth and rough collies." />

(Put what you want for your site inside the double quotes after content=)

There are lots of other things you can do, too. This is one list of things you can do:
http://www.web-source.net/webpage_optimizing.htm

Then submit your site at dmoz. http://dmoz.org/add.html

if you want, you can go to Google and see how Google-friendly your site is:
https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceL...%3Den&hl=en

You can submit your site to Yahoo here: http://search.yahoo.com/info/submit.html

As for what actually works, you guess is as good as mine! Sometimes I think it's as much magic as it is science.

Maybe it's a problem with the size of the photo file? Just an idea - especially since it isn't working on either domain.

Please remember that your web site is your calling card. You have about 3 secs to keep someone at your site. If you have a shabby, poorly done web site, .... well, you get back what you put out there.

How important is your Web presence? That has to be question #1. If it is important, then let your Web page reflect it.

What I'm trying to do is totally separate from my own website and my Carousel Kisses one. (Eventually I will do one for the new book.) right now, I'm just trying to make one about Katie. I don't want to go public with it. I just want to send it to friends and family.

It may be the size of the pictures.

P.S. Any family member who doesn't spend a lot more than 3 seconds on Katie's site (if I ever get it going) will be cut out of my will Am I sounding like a grandmother yet?

LOL! Love it Louisa!

Well, I've already spent hours on this. (More than it took me to build my blog.) I think I might just stick to my little aol albums instead to send to people. They work faster and at the rate I'm snapping pictures, I can't sit here fighting with technology. My daughter has a brand new Sony Handycam that she hasn't even figured out yet. So, today, techno-gram (me) showed her how to use it and I got to take the first movies of Katie. She slept through most of it, but she graciously woke up a couple time and made faces for me. This is so much fun.

Send me a copy of the will, along with the pics please.

chick

Anno, what was your problem with 1&1? My meredithbead.com website is with them.

Louisa, have you tried "myfamily.com"? My family use to have a webpage there, because it was so easy to use and all could participate. We had a lot of fun with it, too. I think we just all got busy, growing our families and all, and quit using it.

I just looked at it. You can't see the sites because they are not public. I may try it, but I'm looking for something that is free. Thanks.

My oh my, it use to be free!
I been trying to remember when we used the site. It's going on 10 years. The site has a message board and that's what we used to communicate with each other across states, pre-IMing. Sorry, I thought it was still free.

It sounds like a nice idea, but it's $30 for a year for a standard site and I think $109 for a deluxe one. You can try a 30 day free trial, but I think it has pop up ads on it and they if you like it you would have to buy it or you couldn't use it anymore. It probably grew and grew and they started charging for it.

KTR !!!! I have a question. Email me if you would...please.

I have recently used a company which provides website solutions and have found them to be very good.
They provide a very easy to use WYSIWYG 'What you see is what you get' Website Builder. It's very straight forward once you get the hang of it.
Depending on your ideas and plans, and your budget, they can provide you with a range of options for promoting a huge range of different products.
Web site optimization (so the search engines can find you) is also very high on their list of must do's, and with the aid of a mentor they explain how to do it.
If you would like their website address so that you can make your own inquiries, please send me a PM (Private Message).
(I cant tell you now, because that would be an advertisment and I might get into trouble)
Good luck, websites are fun!

Just an update on my post (above)
I've been advised by JawJaw that it's OK for me to give you their website address. Thanks JawJaw, (I'm still learning the ropes).
If you want to contact them for a chat about what you may need, here is the link: http://www.omnibizsolutions.com/

Thank you so much SharonE! ... and the rest of you, too.
I'm still working on my ideas... not coming along very fast, as I'm having to put it off to a couple other things going on right now.