Web Design Forums

editorfcm · 18-10-2005, 19:28

Hi Everyone

Can you give some advice please. I am starting my own web page and am having problems finding a good host that has a good web design package. Do you think it would be good for me to stay with a host that offers a design a web page package or shall I get the Macromedia program and do it myself?

Cheers

Chris

Dimmy · 18-10-2005, 21:24

If it's your business website: Get professional help.
If it's your personal website (with your blog, and some pictures of your family BQ ,for example): You could do it yourself, but ... remember that the webpage IS a reflection of yourself, so people from the net might as well "judge" you by it. So if you are a lawer for say, think how that might effect your image :/
I'd always recomend professional help.
(For a better Global Web Design hygiene at least

)

Rakan · 18-10-2005, 22:01

I agree with Dimmy... but I would also recommend an open-source CMS solution if you want to save time and money... the best out there in my opinion are:

www.wordpress.org ---> For a good blog,
www.joomla.org ---> For a good CMS (formerly Mambo).

Try them out... all you need is a host that can support MySQL and PHP and the setup is relatively easy. You can download from a wide variety of skins to change the look of both.

------

But as Dimmy said... a professional designer would be the ideal way to go...

pgo · 19-10-2005, 02:39

I take it this person is a complete beginner (why else would they be looking for a "web page maker" with their hosting??). Diving right into a CMS like WordPress wouldn't work. And Joomla/Mambo confuses the crap out of me - and I'm not a beginner.

editorfcm:

Tell us more about the site you're wanting. What kind of site is it? How often does it need updating? What kind of functionality does it need - forms, etc?

As Dimmy said, if it's for a business (especially), get a professional to do it.

superstoffe · 19-10-2005, 04:07

WordPress must be one of the easiest blog/publishing systems you can find out there. Okey Mambo/Joomla might be a bit harder, but defs worth it if you get someone to install it for you, for example the webhost company. You can ofcourse try to install it yourself, but nothing I recommend for someone new to it. Movable Type still confuses me the most, heh..

In other cases, if you dont want to do it yourself .. just get a professional to handle it for you. Business or not, it might be the best way in the end anyway.

pgo · 19-10-2005, 04:12

You're right - but a personal site might not be worth the fees a professional would charge. And even though Wordpress is very easy to set up and use you've got to know XHTML/CSS to do anything with it beyond simply using the default templates and posting articles.

superstoffe · 19-10-2005, 05:00

Ye, ofcourse. When it comes to that you probably need some basic xhtml and css skills. But I guess that goes for every publishing tool, including the most basic ones out there. Well I would say.. either get a professional to do it, or find a easy CMS system for you and take it from there. You can always learn the basics and then start customizing later ..

Or, do it from scratch - there's lots of tutorials and good books out there.

Rakan · 19-10-2005, 07:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by pgo

I take it this person is a complete beginner (why else would they be looking for a "web page maker" with their hosting??). Diving right into a CMS like WordPress wouldn't work. And Joomla/Mambo confuses the crap out of me - and I'm not a beginner.

editorfcm:

Tell us more about the site you're wanting. What kind of site is it? How often does it need updating? What kind of functionality does it need - forms, etc?

As Dimmy said, if it's for a business (especially), get a professional to do it.

I don't see how you can say that Wordpress or Joomla are confusing... they are dead easy to setup, come with decent insteructions and there are TONS of online tutorials on how to do almost anything related to both...

As we all said, a professional is the ideal way to go, but if this person can't afford it, then a CMS option is a good one.

Dusteh · 19-10-2005, 08:34

Mambo is only confusing because it has such a bad interface... its content structure and admin layout have not been thought through properly, thankfully there is a planned revision that should make things smoother but thats a way off.

I am not surprised people are put off by it, and difficulties customising it aside, it generates a horrific mess of code. Tables all over the place, CSS that only has so much control over style before you have to start hacking module templates... it still has a long way to go.

pgo · 19-10-2005, 08:36

Exactly. That's why I've never bothered giving it more than a passing glance.

Rakan · 19-10-2005, 15:34

Interesting... I never used Mambo for more than experimentation, but never actually checked out the code... I still think Wordpress is a good choice though... It is dead easy to setup and the interface can't get any simpler in my opinion... I know it's just a "personal publishing system" aka blog... but I've seen a number of sites that have played around with it and used it as a regular site. This is definately not an ideal way to go.... but as far as cheap and quick goes...

pgo · 19-10-2005, 22:08

This first bit of code spit out by Joomla is...

HTML Code:

<div align="center">
	<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="808">
		<tr>
			<td class="outline">
		  		<div id="buttons_outer">
		  		  <div id="buttons_inner">
						<div id="buttons">
						<ul id="mainlevel-nav"><li><a href="index.php" class="mainlevel-nav" >Home</a></li><li><a href="index.php?option=com_contact&amp;Itemid=3" class="mainlevel-nav" >Contact Us</a></li><li><a href="index.php?option=com_content&amp;task=section&amp;id=1&amp;Itemid=2" class="mainlevel-nav" >News</a></li><li><a href="index.php?option=com_weblinks&amp;Itemid=22" class="mainlevel-nav" >Links</a></li></ul>						</div>
					</div>
		  		</div>
		  		<div id="search_outer">
		  		  <div id="search_inner">
		  		  
<form action="index.php?option=com_search&amp;Itemid=5" method="get">
	<div align="left" class="search">
		<input name="searchword" id="mod_search_searchword" maxlength="20" alt="search" class="inputbox" type="text" size="20" value="search..."  onblur="if(this.value=='') this.value='search...';" onfocus="if(this.value=='search...') this.value='';" />	</div>

	<input type="hidden" name="option" value="com_search" />
	<input type="hidden" name="Itemid" value="5" />	
</form>		  		  </div>

Rakan · 19-10-2005, 22:12

messy, indeed.

Dusteh · 20-10-2005, 06:22

Some people were working on a tableless version that is standard compliant. I would give it a year or two before a stable standards version is actually useable.

18-10-2005, 19:28	#1 (permalink)
editorfcm Registered User Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 1	I've got problems??? Hi Everyone Can you give some advice please. I am starting my own web page and am having problems finding a good host that has a good web design package. Do you think it would be good for me to stay with a host that offers a design a web page package or shall I get the Macromedia program and do it myself? Cheers Chris

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18-10-2005, 21:24	#2 (permalink)
Dimmy Агент. Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Sofia, Bulgaria. Posts: 25	If it's your business website: Get professional help. If it's your personal website (with your blog, and some pictures of your family BQ ,for example): You could do it yourself, but ... remember that the webpage IS a reflection of yourself, so people from the net might as well "judge" you by it. So if you are a lawer for say, think how that might effect your image :/ I'd always recomend professional help. (For a better Global Web Design hygiene at least )

18-10-2005, 22:01	#3 (permalink)
Rakan Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 567	I agree with Dimmy... but I would also recommend an open-source CMS solution if you want to save time and money... the best out there in my opinion are: www.wordpress.org ---> For a good blog, www.joomla.org ---> For a good CMS (formerly Mambo). Try them out... all you need is a host that can support MySQL and PHP and the setup is relatively easy. You can download from a wide variety of skins to change the look of both. ------ But as Dimmy said... a professional designer would be the ideal way to go...

19-10-2005, 02:39	#4 (permalink)
pgo Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 12,340	I take it this person is a complete beginner (why else would they be looking for a "web page maker" with their hosting??). Diving right into a CMS like WordPress wouldn't work. And Joomla/Mambo confuses the crap out of me - and I'm not a beginner. editorfcm: Tell us more about the site you're wanting. What kind of site is it? How often does it need updating? What kind of functionality does it need - forms, etc? As Dimmy said, if it's for a business (especially), get a professional to do it.

19-10-2005, 04:07	#5 (permalink)
superstoffe Super Individual Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Sydney / Stockholm Posts: 367	WordPress must be one of the easiest blog/publishing systems you can find out there. Okey Mambo/Joomla might be a bit harder, but defs worth it if you get someone to install it for you, for example the webhost company. You can ofcourse try to install it yourself, but nothing I recommend for someone new to it. Movable Type still confuses me the most, heh.. In other cases, if you dont want to do it yourself .. just get a professional to handle it for you. Business or not, it might be the best way in the end anyway.

19-10-2005, 04:12	#6 (permalink)
pgo Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 12,340	You're right - but a personal site might not be worth the fees a professional would charge. And even though Wordpress is very easy to set up and use you've got to know XHTML/CSS to do anything with it beyond simply using the default templates and posting articles.

19-10-2005, 05:00	#7 (permalink)
superstoffe Super Individual Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Sydney / Stockholm Posts: 367	Ye, ofcourse. When it comes to that you probably need some basic xhtml and css skills. But I guess that goes for every publishing tool, including the most basic ones out there. Well I would say.. either get a professional to do it, or find a easy CMS system for you and take it from there. You can always learn the basics and then start customizing later .. Or, do it from scratch - there's lots of tutorials and good books out there.

19-10-2005, 08:34	#9 (permalink)
Dusteh Sir digby chicken caesar Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 5,382	Mambo is only confusing because it has such a bad interface... its content structure and admin layout have not been thought through properly, thankfully there is a planned revision that should make things smoother but thats a way off. I am not surprised people are put off by it, and difficulties customising it aside, it generates a horrific mess of code. Tables all over the place, CSS that only has so much control over style before you have to start hacking module templates... it still has a long way to go.

19-10-2005, 08:36	#10 (permalink)
pgo Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 12,340	Exactly. That's why I've never bothered giving it more than a passing glance.

19-10-2005, 15:34	#11 (permalink)
Rakan Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 567	Interesting... I never used Mambo for more than experimentation, but never actually checked out the code... I still think Wordpress is a good choice though... It is dead easy to setup and the interface can't get any simpler in my opinion... I know it's just a "personal publishing system" aka blog... but I've seen a number of sites that have played around with it and used it as a regular site. This is definately not an ideal way to go.... but as far as cheap and quick goes...

19-10-2005, 22:12	#13 (permalink)
Rakan Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 567	messy, indeed.

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20-10-2005, 06:22	#14 (permalink)
Dusteh Sir digby chicken caesar Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 5,382	Some people were working on a tableless version that is standard compliant. I would give it a year or two before a stable standards version is actually useable.