I am about to beg, even grovel at the feet of my readers! PLEASE, can anyone help me discover a book that can explain to me the basics of web design in the simple layman’s tongue? And is, preferably, recent enough to acknowledge that Windows XP and Firefox is in existence.
Are there websites, along the same manner, that one would recommend?
You may ask why I make this desperate plea.
It is two fold. First – my husband and I must make the leap from selling strictly on eBay to having our own website and using eBaymore as a means of driving customers to us. The reasons for this are many, but chiefly what we sell on eBay could be sold for five to ten times more than what we get on eBay, if sold on a website.
If we could accomplish this, we would not need to sell the volume that we currently need to sell to just barely keep our heads above the water. We could specialize in certain items and give up the big heavy items we often have to sell along with the smaller merchandise. I wanted to cry when I saw my son, barely 19, with his back hurting so much that a sneeze almost brought him to his knees. He tries not to complain – but it is obvious that even his 6 foot 3 frame is beginning to fatigue under the heavy work he and my husband are forced to do to forge out a living for us.
I have downloaded a click and drag program – so simple a child could use it. Obviously I grew up a looong time ago and no longer have a child’s mind as while I have managed to down load a template and drag some buttons into place – I have come to a complete stand still. There are these lovely buttons on the side that will allow me to compress files – but what files do I want to compress? I can click a button and drag a banner out and across the top of my page, but while it was easy make it nice and pretty, I could not discover how to change the type on it that says sample banner… I can click on another button and create a gallery – but where do I put it afterward? There are forms for emails and marquees to insert, but I have no idea how to use either.
Although I have managed to unlock my domain name from the website I parked it in last November, (my biggest accomplishment today after 5 hours of work on this website) I have not felt this stupid since my grade ten algebra class. I may have to lock this domain name down again as it could get snatched by another parking lot if I do not get it settled in with my new hosting company, who will not let me sign in with the password they sent to me use with this 'oh so simple a child can use it' program!
I went to Amazon to search for books only to discover that even second editions were referring to the latest edition of Windows as being Windows 98…
Now, if you recall – I mentioned that there was a two fold reason for trying to do this. It is my great desire to use this sought after new skill of website architecture to also build a website for myself. One where (having freed myself from my husband’s business by building HIS website) I will spend all this new found time on my hands that I will have – to write and write and write. If I have my own website I will have so much more control over it than I have here on blogspot. I will be able to place photos where I want, add buttons here and there to send you, the reader, to comics Anna has drawn or to a children’s story I am writing, or to that gallery I don’t know where to place yet.
Okay - so I won't really have a lot of time to write and write and write. But if we can successfully develope a website, I will have more time which I would use to just be a fulltime homeschooling mum who writes in her spare time, and maybe even makes a little spare change doing it.
3 comments:
Firstly, HTML is OS independent so that's not a problem. Also, HTML hasn't changed much in the last 10 years so an old book on't be much different from a new book. As such, Firefox/IE doesn't really matter much either (unless you start getting into CSS, but it's still more or less the same until you hit the advanced stuff). But anyhoo...
There are some good tutorials at http://www.w3schools.com. Once you know the basics I'd go around looking at the source code for sites you find visually attractive to get an idea of how they're put together. That's how I did it (though that's the way I learn, not sure about you). You'll also need to know your way around some graphics programs (unless you want a text only site).
I hope that's helped. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me at {Matt.Hackmann}@gmail.com (remove the braces). - dxprog <><
Dear mum2twelve,
I wish you had a computer guru-friend to make the website for you! To learn basic html, I recommend the HTML Goodies website: http://www.htmlgoodies.com/ and start with the introductions or jump right into the HTML Primer located on the left pane of their page.
I use Mozilla's Composer program, which lets you drop down tables and images and hyperlinks, etc., but if you want to edit something by hand you can click on the source code view and it takes you to the html. If you download the full Mozilla webbrowser, the Composer program is available from the "Window" menu at the top of the program.
I have tried to use a simpler program called Coffeecup to make a webpage, and the thing drove me nuts because I couldn't get it to do what I wanted. You might give the demo a try; however, since it is a simpler program (http://www.coffeecup.com/).
God be with you!
Devin
Post a Comment