- 4,274
- New Zealand
- SkylineObsession
- Mangosaurus
Okay, i'm tired of using cheap and nasty web design programs to make websites (started with free Geocities back in 2000, then free FrontPage Express for ten years or so, and more recently i've been using 'free' Dreamweaver MX) and want to start getting a bit up with the times in terms of websites/website design.
I have two options as far as i can see, as since i don't have time/patience to learn CSS/PHP/HUR)#D(@(&^#BIZ etc coding (no idea what the last one is, but probably something ultra modern) that rules out the 3rd option of me designing one from scratch.
So...
1. I bite the bullet and find some company/person to create a functional, awesome looking pair of websites that are relatively easy to add/edit content etc and are nice and modern.
CONS: Cost. May not be able to change bits of the design if i want something in a different place or want to spruce it up a bit. Hidden secret spy code with a self destruct code that the webdesigner could have put in there.
2. Buy the latest software that has a WYSIWYG editor so that i can update the site and create pages quickly, and one which isn't too difficult to master.
CONS: Cost. Difficult learning curve perhaps?
These are the sites that would utilise the new software/design;
www.southernskylines.com (the car club i run)
www.gtseriescenter.com (lost a bit of motivation to update it because of the program making things difficult etc - but its WAY better than Frontpage Express!).
They are both HTML sites, both designed by one of my brothers, and the Skyline site has a few bits of CSS and something to make the image at the top change each time you refresh.
But i've kinda lost motivation to update the sites because of the fact they aren't just a matter of adding content to a new template page and moving onto the next one. Sometimes it goes a bit weird etc and something won't sit in the right place, or other things require a bit of figuring out to make them work properly.
Very hard to explain what i'm trying to explain, but what i'd like from a site;
1. Drop down/hover over/something menu links that are quick, editable and easy to change/add to. The GTSC is in dire need of a way to manage the links as being on the side of the page doesn't work anymore and the top is getting very cluttered now too. My brother does have a code for drop down buttons, but i had to edit/add new links via code instead of the WYSIWYG editor as it didn't display properly.
2. I still need to be able to use tables or something for the content sections, as i have a heck of a lot of tabled content on both websites (creating a Skyline Encyclopedia on the SSE site) and it needs to be able to be laid out neatly so that is is more readable.
3. It would be nice to have something quick loading and 'light' feeling (hard to explain?). Not slow, cumbersome and bulky feeling sites. So basically new technology? Both sites have Facebook pages (/southernskylines and /GTSeriesCenter ) so maybe a bit of content sharing or something (i believe its mainly just a matter of coping the code from FB, but still).
4. As much as i love how the sites look now, they are basically disguising simple webdesign. It works, but the graphics probably sucks up more bandwidth than they should.
I use Pair Networks for hosting so they are relatively up to date with features sites can use.
But yeah. I need to get motivation back, what option do you think i should take to get with the times and step out of the htmlstone age?
I have two options as far as i can see, as since i don't have time/patience to learn CSS/PHP/HUR)#D(@(&^#BIZ etc coding (no idea what the last one is, but probably something ultra modern) that rules out the 3rd option of me designing one from scratch.
So...
1. I bite the bullet and find some company/person to create a functional, awesome looking pair of websites that are relatively easy to add/edit content etc and are nice and modern.
CONS: Cost. May not be able to change bits of the design if i want something in a different place or want to spruce it up a bit. Hidden secret spy code with a self destruct code that the webdesigner could have put in there.
2. Buy the latest software that has a WYSIWYG editor so that i can update the site and create pages quickly, and one which isn't too difficult to master.
CONS: Cost. Difficult learning curve perhaps?
These are the sites that would utilise the new software/design;
www.southernskylines.com (the car club i run)
www.gtseriescenter.com (lost a bit of motivation to update it because of the program making things difficult etc - but its WAY better than Frontpage Express!).
They are both HTML sites, both designed by one of my brothers, and the Skyline site has a few bits of CSS and something to make the image at the top change each time you refresh.
But i've kinda lost motivation to update the sites because of the fact they aren't just a matter of adding content to a new template page and moving onto the next one. Sometimes it goes a bit weird etc and something won't sit in the right place, or other things require a bit of figuring out to make them work properly.
Very hard to explain what i'm trying to explain, but what i'd like from a site;
1. Drop down/hover over/something menu links that are quick, editable and easy to change/add to. The GTSC is in dire need of a way to manage the links as being on the side of the page doesn't work anymore and the top is getting very cluttered now too. My brother does have a code for drop down buttons, but i had to edit/add new links via code instead of the WYSIWYG editor as it didn't display properly.
2. I still need to be able to use tables or something for the content sections, as i have a heck of a lot of tabled content on both websites (creating a Skyline Encyclopedia on the SSE site) and it needs to be able to be laid out neatly so that is is more readable.
3. It would be nice to have something quick loading and 'light' feeling (hard to explain?). Not slow, cumbersome and bulky feeling sites. So basically new technology? Both sites have Facebook pages (/southernskylines and /GTSeriesCenter ) so maybe a bit of content sharing or something (i believe its mainly just a matter of coping the code from FB, but still).
4. As much as i love how the sites look now, they are basically disguising simple webdesign. It works, but the graphics probably sucks up more bandwidth than they should.
I use Pair Networks for hosting so they are relatively up to date with features sites can use.
But yeah. I need to get motivation back, what option do you think i should take to get with the times and step out of the htmlstone age?
