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ironmaiden

ironmaiden

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Hi all,
dont know if this is the right forum for this so no doubt I'll get me ankles slapped if its not.
anyways ... I want to build a web site all about the trials and tribulations of building "simunye" our steel cutter.
I want to be able to put photo's and also short film clips etc, and I want to be able to use it when we do the BIG "off we go" to keep in touch and record our travels. It must also have the ability to add an E-shop to it.
I'm sure you all know the sort of thing and I'm sure there must be someone out there who can recommend a DIY way of doing it, I've already got a domain name so nows the time to start getting it all put together.

regards rachel.
ps I can find my way around a pc but I'm not a pc geeeeeek.
 
We’re not exactly up to date with the latest software (when living on a cruising budget, any new software has to be a very very big improvement (or free) to be worthwhile getting). I am sure that others will be able to tell you far better ways than ours.

However, for what it’s worth, for our site, we use:

FrontPage 2003 for web design – old but we can use it and it works for us – we have a basic page template set-up and just drop in text and pics. We create all the pages off line and upload with FileZilla.

WP is Word 2003

For playing with pics, we have Photoshop 5.5

For the one small bit of film of us smashing up the Red Sea, used Windows Movie Maker – yeuk!

Not sure about tagging on an e-shop.

We tend to write the material, play with the pics and create the web pages off line on passage, in nice anchorages etc – as soon as there’s a hint of free wireless, the first job is to upload.
 
ironmaiden said:
Hi all,
dont know if this is the right forum for this so no doubt I'll get me ankles slapped if its not.
anyways ... I want to build a web site all about the trials and tribulations of building "simunye" our steel cutter.
I want to be able to put photo's and also short film clips etc, and I want to be able to use it when we do the BIG "off we go" to keep in touch and record our travels. It must also have the ability to add an E-shop to it.
I'm sure you all know the sort of thing and I'm sure there must be someone out there who can recommend a DIY way of doing it, I've already got a domain name so nows the time to start getting it all put together.

regards rachel.
ps I can find my way around a pc but I'm not a pc geeeeeek.
Click to expand...

try installing WordPress or similar. This will allow you to use a Wysiwyg editor and upload a small number of photos in your posts. Upload videos to YouTube or vimeo, photos to picassa or flickr and documents to scribd; all of which provide wordpress embed code (copy the code, write a new post, switch the mode to code, paste, switch to wysiwig and continue editing).

Once you've got that sorted. You can play with the template to personalise it and add links etc.

Not sure about an e-commerce app. But should easilly be linked.
 
HinewaisMan said:
However, for what it’s worth, for our site, we use:

FrontPage 2003 for web design – old but we can use it and it works for us – we have a basic page template set-up and just drop in text and pics. We create all the pages off line and upload with FileZilla.
Click to expand...
The snag I found with Frontpage is that it relies on the site being loaded on a server with additional software - Frontpage extensions - so you have to pick your host with care. If you choose to use Frontpage without the extensions it's a bit limited and you need to know which bits to leave out.

There are plenty of people around who can provide you with an e-commerce engine, just google.

You might also consider using a blog host for the traveller's tales and a dedicated website for the selling.
 
Blogger?

I'd just go for Blogger. It's part of the Google empire, as is YouTube so one login for both and the videos go on YouTube. It's very simple.
 
If you want to do e-commerce you will need to purchase a SSL certificate for your site and install it on the web server so that you can host the site using HTTPS. Your ISP may be able to help with this, if not look at someone like Go Daddy they are much cheaper for signed certs than say Verisign who will charge you a couple of grand for a signed cert.
 
Web sites

Sounds like you need to set up a web site using something like Joomla http://www.joomla.org/
or Drupal http://drupal.org/

Wordpress is good too - very simple to set up but perhaps wont support e-finance

All these gives you lots of flexibity and you don't need an html editor to enter info on the site once set up - all done over the web.

You need a hosting service that supports sql - preferably mysql and go for one hosted on Linux rather than windows.

Whatever you do don't use front page it really is a rubbish html editor
Have fun
 
Have a quick look at my site - www.cockpitcards.co.uk - we do sell from it (in a small way) and it uses Paypal.

Very easy to set up, the basics were done in an afternoon. It does have its limitations but as a non-geek I found it quite straight forward. Adding pictures is easy, I havn't tried video but have got a small Flash animation.

We do have the odd problem with font size but that may be me. Sales are via Paypal, so no SSL to worry about (if people don't have a Paypal account the can use a credit card).

It is produced by www.mrsite.co.uk and they have various versions, ours is the Pro (about £60.00 ish per year) which includes hosting and a domain name. They also do a more basic version at about £30.00.

I have recently added an instructional section on Tides and Secondary Ports so looking for feedback on that if anyone feels the urge.
 
Right, as one who does this as part of my business, here's the Website 101:

Avoid Front page. It's pants.

Avoid Flash (as in animations), your visitors don't want to sit and wait for your site to load AND Flash isn't accessed/indexed by Google/search engines etc.

To get good listings, your content needs to be current (read updated regularly). Blogging will do this, however I get the idea you want a bit more than a "simple" list of posts.

Therefore you need some form of Content management system (aka CMS). This can be mine field. Word Press is a sort of Blog/sort of CMS system. Here's a great little article about CMS selection:

http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/01/how-to-choose-the-right-cms/

I tend to use one called CMS Made simple (aka CMSMS). CMSMS

There is an e-commerce option (though I have not used it).

Paypal also offers a straight forward way of embedding purchase/payment methods into sites too (though could be expensive on low volume transactions).

Hosting needs for CMSMS: Linux (plenty of of Linux hosting sites out there).

There are a reasonable number of templates (easy to upload them too).

If you've done a bit of simple programming, (more than 10 print "XYZ", 20 goto 10, but not too much more) then editing/customising a template of one of the numerous template sites is quite straight forward too: Template site

Quick summary:
Word press, blogger etc Pros: big, established, can be tailored. Cons: May start charging? can be restrictive, templates can be "samey"

true CMS (CMSMS, Joomla etc) Pros: Full control, Cons: DIY or pay to develop

mjcp
 
Wordpress can easilly be installed on your own hosting server. My host even has a 1 click install. You can of course pull the posts into any webpage via PHP, therefore no need to use there templates.

Paypal or wordpay is a good idea. The legal aspects of taking financial and personal data are not to be sniffed at.
 
Apple Mac's iWeb is a no brainer. If you were changing out your PC i would go for a Mac. I did this 3 years ago and have no regrets.
 
Try this: http://www.zoomshare.com/ It's free but you can upgrade and pay about $7 a month and get an e-shop with a secure payment page, paypal, etc. I have used it for some time and find it relatively easy to use - photos, blogs, video clips, etc. You also get an email address with it, and if you want can be linked to Google and other search engines. Have a look at my website if you like, to see how it looks (there are other templates available) http://southwithhurkur.zoomshare.com/
 
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