Building Web sites

[Ian]

Shortly Tom will shift some other messages under here (hint, hint) but lets start the topic off as there are a few folks that have built their own web sites, some that are thinking about it  and some of us that get serious at building sites that are willing to help others get a site up.

Let me start this discussion with the first things I feel you need to know before you begin working towards a web presence; before you even put pen to paper and think about pictures and places and things, work out the 5 W's of it.
Who do you want to be able to see it?
What do you want it to be able to do?
When do you want the site to be ready and how long should it be up?
Where do you want it to be hosted? (Do you have some web space as part of your ISP account or do you need to look for somebody to host it for you)
and the one that most folk find hardest to pin down, yet it is such a basic requirement because it underlies everything else you do for the site...
Why do you want a site? To me this is the biggie because it determines how committed you are to see it happen AND to see that it is kept up to date and alive with information and action.

Once you get those answered you will have a pretty good idea what you want to do. Then you know what to ask so you can be pointed in the right direction.

 

[kriscad]

I can help too if anyone has any questions...

 

[Ian]

Thanks for putting your hand up Chris. If there are a few of us ready to help then folks wont hold back and think having their own site is beyond them. Well that is my hope.

I thought that the other messages about web site building might have been moved over here by now, they really have nothing to do with "Canada and Alaska in May" which is why I started this thread over here.

 

[Tom]

I thought that the other messages about web site building might have been moved over here by now...

Several reasons Ian, including:

• I've been quite busy with other things and have had limited time online for the last week. e.g. we're currently away for a 4-day weekend and I'm on an extremely slow cellular (GPRS) connection. I also spent 4 long days preparing for this trip.
• The context in which the discussion came up in the other topic was related to how Paul displayed his Alaska photos and as such was relevant.
• Our prime focus is RVing, which is why folks come here, not to find info on building web sites.The lack of response to your post would appear to confirm this.
• Given all of the above, moving messages to this topic was not a priority for me.

 

[Ian]

OK Tom, I wasn't picking.

My goal was to take those elements out of the discussion, bring them over here, leave the ideas as a starting point so if somebody came across them later then they would have a point of reference.

I think web sites, especially sites like we have been discussing, are a great part of RV'ing. When those folks are out on the road, there are still others around the countryside who are interested in what is happening with them. A site that is simple to build and update is a great tool to keep people in touch and to share the experiences. That's what I was looking for.