Fe-Wood Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 I have been struggling with my "shopify" website.... I hate it . It is to hard to make any changes. I just don't understand how it works. I've looked at web design software but my eyes glaze over after a few minutes. I'm looking for real world feedback from people who work with the same materials as me.... Some of you guys have great sites... Care to share a bit about your process? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 By far the best software I've seen is WebPlus 4X from Serif Download the free version to try it out, might be all you need, the full package is $100.00 but can often be had for $50.00 sometimes from Amazon. The thing that really makes it great is the forum community, lots of folks willing to hold your hand and walk you through anything. Not unusual to get answers in a couple minutes: I whipped out the Western States Conference website in an evening (in my signature) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted January 31, 2011 Author Share Posted January 31, 2011 Thanks Grant- I signed up for the free download! Waiting for the return email.... Western conference site looks good.... All that in one night huh? Hope to see you and many others up there in August!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Clad Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Great info Grant, I'm thinking about a web site as well. Can't wait for the Western States Conference, especially since I live so close to the lodge! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 When/if you guys get started with it, don't hesitate to use the Serif forum even for the simplest thing. You'll be amazed at how helpful they are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted January 31, 2011 Author Share Posted January 31, 2011 I was all exited to get started and they don't support a mac platform :angry: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtforge Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 We've used Front Page and have recently went to Dreamweaver but haven't been happy with it. We'll try The WebPlus X4 to see how it does also. Thanks for the tip. Mark http://mtforge.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 We've used Front Page and have recently went to Dreamweaver but haven't been happy with it. We'll try The WebPlus X4 to see how it does also. Thanks for the tip. Markhttp://mtforge.com/ Then your experience is with "fluid" pages that adjust with the resolution. WP is a WYSIWYG editor so that pages always appear the way they were designed. Has advantages and disadvantages. Common now to design for 1000 px wide. Anyway, post your experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtforge Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 We downloaded the free edition to look at but it won't import an existing web site. The forum had others asking how to do this on the full version and most were told to save the pictures and such but start from scratch and not to import. It comes in messed up. So we won't be using WebPlus 4X. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tzonoqua Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 If you're using a mac and want a simple site you can use iWeb, it's pretty easy to use, I've used it for years, I throw away the template and start with a blank white page. Some things you can't change on it though which is quite annoying, but good for beginners or people like me who'd rather be forging than tapping keys on a computer. You can also get applications that add on the code to allow google analytics, paypal etc. Some issues with loading web pages on the new ie microsoft browser... but that may be because my version of iWeb is outdated, (my g4 is from 2003) but have been told that it's because there is a setting in the new ie browser that you have to alter the preferences to allow it to work. otherwise you can also use Wordpress, another free and fairly straightforward solution. Flux is another one, can't remember if it's free or not, I didn't really get on with it. I'm getting a new mac soon, so will be updating to the newest iWeb and also going to be looking for other options so will be good to hear how you get on. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
son_of_bluegrass Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 For my website, I went with free hosting and use the drag and drop that they have for creating the site itself. I decided on weebly.com for the host. They don't have intrusive ads and I like it well enough, if I ever start making money I'll likely pay for the pro version instead of just using their free version. I can update with new stuff in less than a day, including taking the pictures and trying to make them look right. ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rthibeau Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I used to use Microsoft Front Page, but my web hosting no longer supported it so I changed to Adobe Dreamweaver. Hated to change, but now I'm used to it. For any of the available software to work right, you need to learn how to use it. I use Dreamweaver to maintain half a dozen different sites. Like anything else, it all depends on how much you're willing to put into it to get good results out of it. If you're willing to use Dreamweaver, I can help you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 Thanks for all the replies and insights. I've looked at all of your sites and like them. A big question I have for all of you is how hard are they to maintain and update? I noticed some of you haven't updated in years. Is this because its to hard with the program you use or there's just no reason too. rthibeau- what version of dreamwaever do you use? Once you learned it, how hard is it to make changes... add and subtract content etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tzonoqua Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 updating iWeb is as easy as whenever you want to... that is the bonus about doing your website yourself. As long as you can ftp to your host server, it's really whenever and as often as you like, and that goes for most other DIY web tools.. (i think!) and yeah, forgot to mention dreamweaver, doh! its probably the way to go if you've got the time to invest in learning it. Just get the latest version that works with your OS and system spec and i think you're good to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rthibeau Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 I use Dreamweaver CS3, part of the Adobe CS3 Suite of products. I can change anything whenever I want although my own website doesn't need much attention. One site I manage takes only half an hour a month and I change whole pages at a time. you can get the CS3 suite by download for less than $90 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Blacksmith Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 I have designed websites before, by hand with tags; this is very hard to do. If I was to be hired to do you website I would basically story board your site, layout the design, the links, and then I would put together a model on paper for you to see. I would go from there to use my design suite, whichever one I am using, and layout the site as a computer based site. Which means you can view it providing you have the flash drive the file is on. Then if you like it I would choose a web host or you would and it would be sent to them to be hosted on their server for x amount of money a month. However like has been said here you could go and purchase or download a program or a book. And design/build your own. Pros of this being it is cheaper, cons it is hard for most people, if I was to be hired I have already taken the classes and have the experience. Pros, I take all the design and production headaches. Cons, I’m expensive. Also a con, you lose work time doing your own website, it may not look as professional, and it may end up being a bust. E.G. you quit and you have spent precious time and money on the site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Blacksmith Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 I have seen a lot of people have been interested in doing a website for their shop(s). I wanted to take some time to help explain some of it to the lost beginner. When you reach the stage where you can afford to host (put a site on the web) your page(s), you will need to first decide on a few things:1. How large do you want your site to be? Two or three pages with your contact info and maybe some pages with photos?2. What do you want to do about a company name and logo? Do it yourself or send one out to be done?3. Do you want to display your work on the site?4. Do you want to make your work available for purchase on the site?5. If you choose to make your work available for purchase on the site how do you want the store to work out? Do you want customers to email your private email address? a store address (my_forge@gmail, yahoo, or msn.com). Do you want to pay for a PayPal set up?6. How do you want to deal with shipping if you do make work available online?7. What do you want your site colors to be dark, light, neutral colors. (Stay away from neon, super bright, and extremely light colors. this makes it hard to read)8. Do you want to place links to friend’s sites, or charge for advertisement?9. Do you want to do the entire process yourself? Do you want to send it out to be designed or do it yourself? Do you want to build the site or send it out?10. What can you afford to do with your budget? Do you have a budget for this kind of thing? Do you think you should for internet advertisement? These are just right off questions; one might also what to think about how they want to set up the logistics behind the site, including funds and attention to shipping and up to date information on the site.If you do have a hand drawn logo design or some ideas you may PM me for some help, I may even be able to do a logo design for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyGeorge Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 I have a basic web site setup. This is just a hobby, for me. But I have received orders from places like Michigan, and just last week, from Texas. It doesn't cost me a lot and I enjoy having it. I took some classes and was able to design my own set up. That helped me, a lot. Thank you for posting this, because I think that some folks on here would like to have their own site but don't know how to go about it. I am going to be contacting you on how I can make a few small changes to mine. Thanks again. http://www.thecurlygeorgeforge.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Blacksmith Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 No problem, I saw that this was one thing I knew I can contribute to on the forum. I do enjoy building the sites, but I don't have too much time now with school, work, and smithing. I enjoyed the classes when I took them and got awards for being the most distinguished web designer in the classes =). I fixed the students and teachers problems with their sites! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsurgeson Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 Hi Guys I have been fortunate enough to have been able to learn web development over the years so do all my own stuff. My 10 cents worth and a few suggestions: All you need to code a basic through advanced database drive web site is a plain text editor. There a 100's if not 1000's of web page editors, the ones worth there salt are expensive, Zend, Eclipse etc the rest are not worth paying for, and those along with the freebie's you might as well just use a text editor as they are nothing more than a text editor with some project/file management and build in html validation. If you do not understand how to code a basic static web page by hand, using a editor will just produce a whole lot of code you do not understand, know how to fix or change. If you want do it yourself, buy a decent up to date book on html/css and play a bit. In fact you dont even need to buy a book, all the info is available on the internet for free, html/css/php or any other scripting language is open source, so is free as is the spec and documentation, you just need to search for it, best of all the info is latest up to date, not 3 - 5 year old printed stuff. Forget about fancy editors, especially proprietary ones like ms front page, or other msoft ones that tie you to specific servers etc. If you get stuck and cant get it right, I will code any forum members site for free, all I ask is that you let me host your site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Blacksmith Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 If you do not understand how to code a basic static web page by hand, using a editor will just produce a whole lot of code you do not understand, know how to fix or change. If you want do it yourself, buy a decent up to date book on html/css and play a bit. In fact you dont even need to buy a book, all the info is available on the internet for free, html/css/php or any other scripting language is open source, so is free as is the spec and documentation, you just need to search for it, best of all the info is latest up to date, not 3 - 5 year old printed stuff. Yeah there was just recently a new Html, 5 I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsurgeson Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Yeah thats the problem with anything web related and probably computer related, you know "moore's law" and everything. Not only it there a new html spec, there is also a new css spec, html5 css3 All the more reason to get the latest info from the web and not a 1 year old "html for idiots" book. If you are going to learn, learn the most cutting edge. And for those who say "html5" is not official or ready to be used, take a look at the source code of google.com, it uses the latest, html5, so if its ready for Google its ready for all, I reckon they probably set the pace now days!http://www.w3.org/TR/html5/http://developers.whatwg.org/http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS/http://www.w3.org/TR/css3-selectors/http://www.css3.info/ For non developers these specs will be fairly difficult to follow as the require an understanding of web technology, but not impossible, this along with a few good html5 tutorials will do the trick.http://www.net-kit.com/html5-css3-layout-tutorials-and-templates/http://net.tutsplus.com/tutorials/html-css-techniques/html-5-and-css-3-the-techniques-youll-soon-be-using/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Blacksmith Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 But I must say the older Html books, if you can get them for nothing, are a good start. For instance i'm sure you are all aware now borders is going under. If you get some html for idiots books, it may make it easier to learn, but you do have to go look up the newer info. So if you are having a hard time it may help some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeman Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 When it comes to getting a clean website design, there's really no comparison between hiring a professional designer and trying to do it yourself with software. It takes some serious design chops and years of study to master designing web pages. Heck, building websites is so complicated larger projects require three largely unrelated skill sets: back end development, front end development and design, any one of which is enough to found a career on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Blacksmith Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 I can agree, when I was taking websites, people would say "well I started it, but didn't finish it, can you make it like WWW.qwerty.com or like abcd.com with what I have?" with only a few tags was the small print. or my favorite, "can you give it more neon, or pop, or just something that reaches out and catches your eye?" only to realize that they wanted their site in neon pink with neon green secondary with mouse tail effects and radiating stars from every letter.... yeah I spent 6-7 months in class on how NOT to make a website. If you get a good web designer, you will pay for it, but it will show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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