Ok,
now for the part you've been waiting for... How to actually
create your site. There are three ways to go
about this: Code-free methods, downloadable templates
and working from scratch.
Regardless
of which way you choose to create your site, be sure
to always keep a backup of your latest version in at
least two places. You wouldn't want to lose all your
hard work, would you?
CODE-FREE
METHODS
This
is the method to use if you're phobic about anything
that remotely appears to be HTML. Before you decide
that you fit this description, be aware that the scariest
thing about HTML is that it sounds so gosh darn
technical.
If
you can get past the acronym and look at the basics,
you'll see that it's really quite simple. If you're
shaking too much to click on the link above, it's time to
go code-free. Try this link:
Downloadable
templates are pre-designed webpages. You just change
the text and customize the title and meta tags.
If
you have a WYSIWYG editor to open the template in,
you may be able to get by without knowing HTML.
For
other templates, especially those with built-in JavaScripts,
you'll need to know what basic HTML
tags mean, as well as how to read JavaScript. Again, this is much less scarey or mind taxing than you'd think.
Congratulations!
You're jumping right in. Don't overwhelm yourself. Start
simple, with basic HTML.
Learn a little about the ins and out of building
websites.
Don't
worry if you don't understand everything right away.
After you feel comfortable making pages with HTML,
you can slowly add in things like cascading
style sheets and JavaScript.
Or
not. You don't have to know these things to create
a perfectly functional and attractive website.
You
can learn to create your own graphics
or you can choose from the thousands of public domain
graphics available for free.
TWO
WAYS TO WRITE & EDIT HTML
There
are two ways to work with HTML
documents. One way is using a "text editor".
In this case, you're working directly with the code.
The
other way is to use a WYSIWYG (pronounced "wizzywig")
editor. WYSIWYG stands for "what you see is what
you get".
Our
recommendation is to learn to work with both. Sometimes,
you really need to see what you're creating visually.
Other times, your WYSIWYG editor just can't
seem to get something right, and you have to go to
the code directly to fix it.
For
your text editor, we recommend NoteTab.
It comes in free and professional versions. The former top two providers of WYSIWYG editors, Macromedia and Adobe, have merged under the Adobe name, and provide a range of products to suit a variety of needs. However, buying the latest versions can be expensive.
If
you're strapped for cash, you may want to look for
an older version at an online
auction instead (scroll down for listings).
If even old versions are too much,
you can look for freeware WYSIWYG editors
here. They're not quite on
the same level as Dreamweaver, but if you're broke, you're broke.
