Help needed building a Web Site (2 Viewers)

[Wickham]

Google has to be a good place to start.

Google: photo album templates:-
http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ps/sb/template.php?cat=photoalbum
http://www.entheosweb.com/website_design/web_photo_album.asp

Google: photo website templates:-
http://www.templatesbox.com/
http://www.allwebco-templates.com/

Then use Dreamweaver or online tutorials to edit one to your liking:-
http://www.w3schools.com/

For very basic beginner's advice on creating a website from first principles using nothing more than Notepad see this:-
http://www.wickham43.supanet.com/tutorial/introduction.html
(It's deliberately boring in layout so that someone studying the code in examples isn't confused by lots of fancy stuff).

 

[Colin Key]

Thanks Wickham, loads of useful stuff here and I have bookmarked all these sites for further investigation. But, it just enforces what John (Reader) says that it is very daunting to begin with when you don't really know what you are doing.

I have just spoken to a Portuguese friend in Lisbon who is having the same problems; he is trying to set up a website to display and sell his artwork. He has been quoted, by a professional web designer, a price of a minimum of €1,500 to set up a site and €30 - €40 per month to maintain it. I will be interested to see what he gets for his money if he goes ahead with it.

Colin

 

[Colin Key]

Hi Colin

I know these marshes well having first visited them in 1995 then again in 1999. I was staying in apartments in vale de parra and the apartment garden overlooked these marshes. It was a superb area to visit and I got my first brilliant views of R N Nightjar there in May 1999.

Having said that even then it was obvious that this area was a prime area for development. I hope the area escapes all this and is kept the way I remember it.

John

Glad that you are one of the thousands of British birders who have enjoyed this wonderful locality. There have been many changes since you were last there in 1999, to date mostly for the better. In case you didn't get the link from my blog, the latest update can be viewed (in English) at: http://www.spea.pt/IBA/ibas/35.html

Colin

 

[Kiki]

Hi John,

we set up our (here) site using FrontPage which is quite easy to use as it is based around Word. Our ISP gives us web space with our ADSL account which we are using to host it. Like you, we wanted to display our photos on the web and also to raise awareness of what the island has to offer. It does take a bit of maintaining but, as long as you keep on top of it, it's not too bad. You will see our pictures are put up by date but, you can go to the database to search for particular species. Neither my husband or I have IT related jobs but, we are quite pleased with our efforts and the feedback that we get from the site. Have a play with the programme - you might surprise yourself!

 

[Colin]

John,
As Mickymouse and other have said, Google can give you lots of help in creating a web site and getting it hosted. Although many years ago I was a programmer, I had to learn the syntax of the various web building tools but produced my site by writing it myself - a bit amateurish with the code but it does work. It is at www.colinbutters.com and if you want to grab any code from it please do so. There is no copyright even though I have a symbol on the page.

 

[Colin Key]

Hi John,

we set up our (here) site using FrontPage which is quite easy to use as it is based around Word. Our ISP gives us web space with our ADSL account which we are using to host it. Like you, we wanted to display our photos on the web and also to raise awareness of what the island has to offer. It does take a bit of maintaining but, as long as you keep on top of it, it's not too bad. You will see our pictures are put up by date but, you can go to the database to search for particular species. Neither my husband or I have IT related jobs but, we are quite pleased with our efforts and the feedback that we get from the site. Have a play with the programme - you might surprise yourself!

Kiki,

You have some excellent material (many of the photos are A1) on this site, but I find the "gaelic" font you are using very, very distracting. Simple is better, "less is more" as the Americans say. Why did you decide to use this font?

Colin

 

[Reader]

Hi John,

we set up our (here) site using FrontPage which is quite easy to use as it is based around Word. Our ISP gives us web space with our ADSL account which we are using to host it. Like you, we wanted to display our photos on the web and also to raise awareness of what the island has to offer. It does take a bit of maintaining but, as long as you keep on top of it, it's not too bad. You will see our pictures are put up by date but, you can go to the database to search for particular species. Neither my husband or I have IT related jobs but, we are quite pleased with our efforts and the feedback that we get from the site. Have a play with the programme - you might surprise yourself!

Hi Keren

That's a nice site you have there, hopefully I can get a site that does what you have acheived with it.

I have been talking to a member on another site on the phone and he and his Mrs have invited me down to his house for a couple of days. He designs web sites using Dreamweaver and has guaranteed that he can design a website for me within that time. He will show me how to use it and what to do, then he will keep phone contact once I am home to go through anything I am not sure about.

I have actually saved a page that I like the look of from WebPlus 8 and e-mailed it to him. It's a lovely colour scheme and isn't at all cluttered (which I hate in web sites) and I am waiting to see if he can come up with anything similar.

I really do need to sit with someone and watch them. that way I can take notes allied to what I am doing / watching which will make sense to me.

Hopefully by the end of this week (or perhaps next week, as I am going to Lancs this weekend) I will have a web site that I like and is ready to be put onto some web space. I have even come up with a domain name that I am thinking of using, Coventrybirder.co.uk.

He has also mentioned the ongoing maintenance and is willing to coach me as and when necessary. This will allow me to update as new photos and new trip reports are needed to be added.

I am also having Dreamweaver posted to me by a mate so I will have that when I get back home and together with what has already been set up, and possibly understanding Dreamweaver a bit more, I might be able to improve on what was acheived at his house.

John

 

[Reader]

John,
As Mickymouse and other have said, Google can give you lots of help in creating a web site and getting it hosted. Although many years ago I was a programmer, I had to learn the syntax of the various web building tools but produced my site by writing it myself - a bit amateurish with the code but it does work. It is at www.colinbutters.com and if you want to grab any code from it please do so. There is no copyright even though I have a symbol on the page.

Hi Colin

I actually looked at your site earlier today via a link off the gloster birders site. It is nice and simple and as you say does the job.

I am putting things on hold at the moment because of the reasons shown in the previous reply.

Hopefully I will have a web site of my own by next weekend. If not I will be back on the boards asking for more advice but for the time being it looks good that something may be acheived over the next few days.

John

 

[Mickymouse]

Am I aiming too high?

John

Good luck, I deleted my original post because I took so long writing it by the time I posted it, it had become irrelevant.

Mick

 

[Reader]

Good luck, I deleted my original post because I took so long writing it by the time I posted it, it had become irrelevant.

Mick

Hi Mick

I have lost count of the times I have done that.

John

 

[paul goode]

Hi Mick

I have lost count of the times I have done that.

John

Good luck with the website John. When you've done it feel free to pass on a few tips, I've got as far as registering a domain name!
Pbase is excellent for hosting large galleries and is cheap so my plan is to keep my pbase gallery for large numbers of images and have a website to showcase a few images and to waffle on a bit more than you can on Pbase.

All the best

Paul

PS. How's life with the 30D?

 

[Reader]

Good luck with the website John. When you've done it feel free to pass on a few tips, I've got as far as registering a domain name!
Pbase is excellent for hosting large galleries and is cheap so my plan is to keep my pbase gallery for large numbers of images and have a website to showcase a few images and to waffle on a bit more than you can on Pbase.

All the best

Paul

PS. How's life with the 30D?

Hi Paul

I was looking at your gallery yesterday and there are some smart images in there. I also like the layout of the gallery.

The 30D together with the 100-400 lens is a cracking piece of kit. I haven't had chance to do a lot with it as I had a nasty accident the other weekend which has limited my time out but here are some photos I have managed so far.

The Kites are from Gigrin and I'm sure you will recognise the log the Blue Tit is on. The Nuthatch is from the same place BTW. The Robin is from the Ladywalk car park feeder station.

John

 

[timeshadowed]

I have my web site at: http://www.geocities.com/
They have very good html instructions. They offer free and paid web sites.

Here is another good free web site:

http://cjb.cc/

What I have done is use geocities for an index page of links and then I make use of several different free web services. That way, I have as much 'free' space as I want and yet it seems like everything is 'on one site'.

I taught myself html years ago and built my site using 'a blank' box like the one I'm using to post in here at BF. The only difference is that I put my completed html here instead of just typing words.

 

[Colin]

Hi Colin

I actually looked at your site earlier today via a link off the gloster birders site. It is nice and simple and as you say does the job.

I am putting things on hold at the moment because of the reasons shown in the previous reply.

Hopefully I will have a web site of my own by next weekend. If not I will be back on the boards asking for more advice but for the time being it looks good that something may be acheived over the next few days.

John

Good luck with the new forthcoming site, John. Once it is up and running, the additions/maintenance will be easy to do. However, it can be addictive and you may find yourself creating other sites. I have a couple more on my family history interests. But, and it can be a big but, once you start getting more, the cost begins to bite!!!!!! One good site on a main hobby/pastime/obsession (choose one) is very satisfying and is the main thing. Look forward to seeing the website.

 

[psilo]

sorted

 

[Reader]

Well I am back. We worked on it last night and this morning. He is doing the finishing touches to it and will burn it to disc and post it to me. He will then coach me through putting it into Dreamweaver and what to do next about purchasing my own site.

I know what name I am using and have checked out to see if that domain is still free, and it is.

The website will be made up of an entry page (a splash site he calls it). On this page will be a photo of my Digiscoping kit (scope and CP4500) and by the side of it my 30D and 100-400 lens. He will then work it so that five digiscoping images come out of the scope and five DSLR images come out of the camera.

Behind that will be five pages. He has created a really nice header (well I think it's nice). I chose the colours for the website and it is in two stages of green (dark and a lighter green).

We hope to have it online before next weekend but obviously it will still be under construction with many photos needing to be uploaded to it.

I am quite looking forward to seeing the finished article now.

John

 

[timeshadowed]

Sounds like you have a nice site planned.

However, there are many of us out there that still have very old computers. May I make a suggestion? How about a simple html link at the very top of the page so that it will load first, that leads to another very simple html links index page? There are many sites on the internet now that my old computer can not even view because they have such a 'splashy' front page.

Thanks

 

[Reader]

Sounds like you have a nice site planned.

However, there are many of us out there that still have very old computers. May I make a suggestion? How about a simple html link at the very top of the page so that it will load first, that leads to another very simple html links index page? There are many sites on the internet now that my old computer can not even view because they have such a 'splashy' front page.

Thanks

It's not going to be a flashy page whatsoever. In fact the whole site is being kept deliberately simple for the reasons you have stated. The first page is because I wanted to show the equipment I used. If I had put it on the index page it wouldn't have left me much room for the text I have put there. A simple click into that opening page will take you straight to the home page.

John

 

[timeshadowed]

Oh, ok then. It sounded like your entry page was going to be using a 'flash' or 'java' appelet. Both of these snarl an old computer.

Thanks

It's not going to be a flashy page whatsoever. In fact the whole site is being kept deliberately simple for the reasons you have stated. The first page is because I wanted to show the equipment I used. If I had put it on the index page it wouldn't have left me much room for the text I have put there. A simple click into that opening page will take you straight to the home page.

John

 

[Reader]

Oh, ok then. It sounded like your entry page was going to be using a 'flash' or 'java' appelet. Both of these snarl an old computer.

Thanks

Hi

I thought I might as well give you all an insight to what it might look like. It is on someone else's web site at the moment.

Here is a link to it. I will be calling myself Coventry Birder.
http://dawney.co.uk/coventrybirder/index.htm

Anyone looking at it be hypercritical if it is needed. You won't offend me. If you think there is something wrong say so. I might not agree but then again you might state something so obvious, that David and I have missed, that needs correcting or adding.

BTW I should mention that you won't get into the gallery as it isn't functional yet. That won't become usable until I have purchased a site and linked a gallery to it.

John