abcqwerty123 Posted May 20, 2014 Posted May 20, 2014 Hey guys/gals! I am currently attempting to relearn how to create a website and I am having trouble. I made websites for companies back when I was 14-15 years old, but that was 10 years ago and a LOT has changed. Basically, I am trying to make a personal blog type website where I can have my articles on different topics, as well as an about me page, video page, and maybe a few others that I haven't decided on yet. So, what I am looking for is really just any advice anyone can offer. I have been attempting to learn wordpress since I was told it's the hot in thing right now, but I feel sad to admit that it is pretty far above me. I am not saying I cannot and will not learn it, just maybe there is a different system, or possibly an easier way, or even any tutorial recommendations of some sort. I will take any advice I can get! Thank you sooooo much in advance and when I do finish the website, eventually, I will be sure to post it on here so people who help can see what they spent their time helping.
todofixthis Posted May 20, 2014 Posted May 20, 2014 If you're looking to publish a personal blog, then you'll want a platform that abstracts away all of the technical stuff so that you can focus on what's most important for you — producing and marketing your content. wordpress.com and blogger.com are both good options, as you don't have to do any coding, and you can pick from pre-designed themes so that you can get right down to business. And they're both free, which is a nice plus. I've been blogging professionally for about 2 years now. If you have any questions, drop me a line anytime (:
DFPercush Posted May 20, 2014 Posted May 20, 2014 Are you wanting to host this on your own private website? For popular types of websites like blogs and forums, there are often lots of open source toolkits available to you. You just have to download one and follow the instructions pretty much. As long as you have the database passwords from the hosting provider, and access to the site's files, it's just a matter of uploading a directory full of php code and then running the install script. I don't have experience specifically with blogs though, so I don't know which package would be best. Go browsing on SourceForge or Github.
abcqwerty123 Posted May 20, 2014 Author Posted May 20, 2014 If you're looking to publish a personal blog, then you'll want a platform that abstracts away all of the technical stuff so that you can focus on what's most important for you — producing and marketing your content. wordpress.com and blogger.com are both good options, as you don't have to do any coding, and you can pick from pre-designed themes so that you can get right down to business. And they're both free, which is a nice plus. I've been blogging professionally for about 2 years now. If you have any questions, drop me a line anytime (: Thanks man. Sorry, I didn't clarify fully. I already have paid hosting/domain and I want to actually make the design more unique, which is what my problem is. I installed the wordpress system and a design, but I want to edit it so it has my own look to it. =) Are you wanting to host this on your own private website? For popular types of websites like blogs and forums, there are often lots of open source toolkits available to you. You just have to download one and follow the instructions pretty much. As long as you have the database passwords from the hosting provider, and access to the site's files, it's just a matter of uploading a directory full of php code and then running the install script. I don't have experience specifically with blogs though, so I don't know which package would be best. Go browsing on SourceForge or Github. Thanks! I am hosting on my own site and I am actually trying to setup my own design and such so it has my own look. That is why I am having such difficulty haha. So, what is your specialty in? What kind of sites do you work with?
DFPercush Posted May 20, 2014 Posted May 20, 2014 Web design, honestly, is not my forté; I'm more of a systems programmer, but I do have a smidgin of experience with web backends. I helped set up http://forum.metroidconstruction.com/ and a few other phpbb-based forums. With that software, you have a directory of images along with some color settings for text and backgrounds, collectively called a theme. You can either replace the templates with your own images, or make a new folder and have users choose their theme. So even though it's stock software, it looks like you have a custom built site. Can't help you with graphic design though.
Melissa McWilliams Posted May 20, 2014 Posted May 20, 2014 I recommend Wordpress all the way. It's an incredibly powerful and versatile platform; you won't believe how amazing it is. It does take a while to learn, and any website (I've found) requires a LOT of security measures against bored punks. For that reason, I highly recommend you contact Kim from CrunchyData-- she specializes in creating & mantaining great Wordpress sites, and is a friend of liberty, too. Kim has worked with me extensively on my website, and I love how it's turning out. Also, I highly recommend using HostGator for both domain purchasing and hosting. I'm currently paying them ~$12/yr for my domain name (and will pay an extra $10/yr for each additional domain I purchase), and only $9.99/mo for hosting with their "Baby" plan (the hosting will cover all domains you wish to add on). They have a free email service too, though it's a little dated and clunky. One last thing: before you jump in, I highly recommend you watch this YouTube video on how to make a wordpress site. It's slow to watch, but it's worth the time.
abcqwerty123 Posted May 20, 2014 Author Posted May 20, 2014 I recommend Wordpress all the way. It's an incredibly powerful and versatile platform; you won't believe how amazing it is. It does take a while to learn, and any website (I've found) requires a LOT of security measures against bored punks. For that reason, I highly recommend you contact Kim from CrunchyData-- she specializes in creating & mantaining great Wordpress sites, and is a friend of liberty, too. Kim has worked with me extensively on my website, and I love how it's turning out. Also, I highly recommend using HostGator for both domain purchasing and hosting. I'm currently paying them ~$12/yr for my domain name (and will pay an extra $10/yr for each additional domain I purchase), and only $9.99/mo for hosting with their "Baby" plan (the hosting will cover all domains you wish to add on). They have a free email service too, though it's a little dated and clunky. One last thing: before you jump in, I highly recommend you watch this YouTube video on how to make a wordpress site. It's slow to watch, but it's worth the time. Thankyou for the info. I have heard wordpress is great, and I already currently have it installed. I am just attempting to create my own theme or edit an existing theme so I have my own look along with everything I want on it. Is Kim pretty affordable? I am actually asking for help on here because I don't have the funds to pay really. Your website is great! I am guessing you do graphic design and stuff? Is that your career? I already have my domain and hosting under ipage. I used them back in the day very often and they are much much cheaper for much more then HostGator. As for the youtube link, I will give it a watch for sure! Thank you for that. I need all the help I can get because 9-10 years of not making websites, well, let's just say you don't realize how fast technology grows until you walk away for a few years and come back to see you know nothing hahaha.
Melissa McWilliams Posted May 21, 2014 Posted May 21, 2014 Thankyou for the info. I have heard wordpress is great, and I already currently have it installed. I am just attempting to create my own theme or edit an existing theme so I have my own look along with everything I want on it. Is Kim pretty affordable? I am actually asking for help on here because I don't have the funds to pay really. Your website is great! I am guessing you do graphic design and stuff? Is that your career? I already have my domain and hosting under ipage. I used them back in the day very often and they are much much cheaper for much more then HostGator. As for the youtube link, I will give it a watch for sure! Thank you for that. I need all the help I can get because 9-10 years of not making websites, well, let's just say you don't realize how fast technology grows until you walk away for a few years and come back to see you know nothing hahaha. You're very welcome! I actually don't know how much Kim charges, since she happily accepted logo designs for her business and her son's website as payment for our project. I'd contact her for a quote and see what she can do for you. Thank you! Yep, I'm a graphics designer (and I love it); my specialty is custom logo design. iPage looks great; if somewhere down the road I end up wanting to switch from HostGator, I'll give these guys a try. You're very welcome! I'm a website newbie myself (hell, I don't even know what an IP address is, or exactly what ".com" is supposed to mean). I'm among the generation who has grown up perfectly accustomed to all this incredible technology; it must be a trip to see how far science has advanced in just a few years.
Thomas-Jefferson Posted August 4, 2014 Posted August 4, 2014 Squarespace is a pretty good alternative to wordpress aswell, It's pretty much all drag and drop but you can add custom css code as well. It has a logo creator that can make super simple logo's that look good in case you don't have photoshop and it has a pretty good blog post system where you can upload photo's, text, etc. And then people can like it and share it automatically. Joe Rogan was doing a discount promotion for squarespace a while ago, might wanna look that up.
Melissa McWilliams Posted August 4, 2014 Posted August 4, 2014 Squarespace is a pretty good alternative to wordpress aswell, It's pretty much all drag and drop but you can add custom css code as well. It has a logo creator that can make super simple logo's that look good in case you don't have photoshop and it has a pretty good blog post system where you can upload photo's, text, etc. And then people can like it and share it automatically. Joe Rogan was doing a discount promotion for squarespace a while ago, might wanna look that up. I heard Joe Rogan promoting Squarespace too. Looked up & it seems pretty good. That said, as far as the logo creator goes, I highly recommend staying far, FAR away from premade or "clipart" logos (not because I'm paid to make the real deal )-- but because they're already being used elsewhere, by other companies; who knows how many. As a temporary solution, I'd say go for it-- but if you plan to use it as a permanent mark of your brand, it looks cheap and can cause problems down the road.
LovePrevails Posted August 5, 2014 Posted August 5, 2014 have you tried youtube for free tutorials? don't worry - you can learn at your own pace it's not an exam
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