Novice trying to design a shelter website - help!

OK - so I ended up on my own trying to design a website for the shelter.

We've got the domain name/web hosting purchased. We got the confirmation e-mail, etc - but it all means *nothing* to me.

Can anyone help, cuz I think I'm gonna need a lot of it! I honestly don't even know where to go to get started trying to design anything - I'm that clueless.

(And no - I don't know of anyone else who can help me with this - the person who agreed to has apparently changed their mind)

ETA: I've encountered something in the tutorials called Microsoft Frontpage - not sure what it is - or if I need it? So far I'm just going through tutorial after tutorial!

Can anyone offer any advice? I'm not getting far at all.

Try google.com/sites - I'm not sure if you can use your own web space, but it should be able to help you create a page, and provide tutorials.

I created a lame web site using iWeb which is a program that came with my Apple computer. I hate web site stuff...

Did you see this website? http://www.weebly.com/ Apparently you can create websites there.

These people recommend some software that is $40 if the shelter wants to spend a little bit of money - http://website-creation-software-rev...al-review.html

It would probably be worth it.

I just realized I can see the HTML code of other places! Oh the things I'm learning. Right now I'm just looking at other sites I like, and looking at their HTML code.

I'm going to take a look at those links, too....thanks Sarah! I'll take any help I can get.

ETA: If I can figure out how to get to my DNS management page - I just might be able to get going with Weebly!

Hopefully with Weebly, I'm getting somewhere.

Only things I need to figure out is:
1) How to upload a file to link to on Weebly (like our adoption application - right now it'll be pasted onto the page)
2) How to link from our new webpage to our petfinder one & vice versa - as many people will only know of our petfinder page, not our new web address

Originally Posted by white cat lover

2) How to link from our new webpage to our petfinder one & vice versa - as many people will only know of our petfinder page, not our new web address

Click to expand...

Paste the following into the HTML code and change the link to the petfinder address.

<a href="http://www.InsertPetfinderLinkHere.htm">Please click here to visit our Petfinder website</a>

Originally Posted by white cat lover

ETA: I've encountered something in the tutorials called Microsoft Frontpage - not sure what it is - or if I need it? So far I'm just going through tutorial after tutorial!

Click to expand...

I use Front Page to build my websites. Or at least to generate the initial code.

When I first started web building I had purchased Front Page, but after working my way through their mini tutorial, the only thing I learned was to build a very basic website with only one design, which was completely pointless to me seeing that I wanted to custom design pages, not have them all look the same with different themes.

From there I decided to learn Note Pad and HTML. It wasn't easy! I scoured the net looking at different websites and their properties to see how things were done. It took me months, but I learned how to do HTML and build websites from scratch.

Then a couple years later I found a book called "Front Page 2000 - Step by Step." It was the best investment I ever made in a book! Within 6 chapters I was generating unique websites. In fact I never did finish the book. Everything I needed was covered in the first 6 short chapters!

I still use my knowledge of HTML, but now since I've learned how to use Front Page in depth, I just tweak the code to what I need and add extras that Front Page can't generate. It makes being a dyslexic web builder, much easier.

I also have Dreamweaver. It's another web building program that is more advanced than Front Page, but the learning curve is also very steep. I've never been able to figure it out. It's one that many professional designers use.

Two websites that really helped me when I was learning HTML code and Note Pad were these:

HTML Goodies

Lisa Explains it all


You can also download free websets to get you started.

Here is one for animals:

http://www.touchamemory.com/set_aimals/animals.htm

http://websetsbydonna.com/catsdogs.htm
http://websetsbydonna.com/newest.htm

Here are others:

http://angelasp.topcities.com/
http://angelasp.topcities.com/websets.html

http://www.geocities.com/websetsbysparky/

http://www.graphicgarden.com/files17/eng/freesets.php

Look under the LINKWARE area for free sets

http://anniereb.net/websets/

You can also find many more sites by googling "Free Websets"

Nat I told you ages ago I was happy to help and I probably still have that mock somewhere along with the 5 or so we made before finally deciding on a design for our shelter

Nat I chcked and I still have the mock up I made for you a while back when you first talked about wanting them to have one

Nat - Mine is built on weebly, I know it upside down... PM me any questions... Happy to help...

I am a freelance website designer. I've done a few animal rescue websites.
Feel free to PM me with any questions you have.
Here are three of my more recent projects, the last one is still a work in progress.

http://www.pawsociety.com
http://www.bearvalleyab.org
http://www.fsjhumanesociety.org

HTML is like a language, and if you learn some basics, there is not telling how far you can take it. CSS & Java & XML are other languages that may be mentioned in tutorials and such. If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to PM me.

Good luck!

Honey you need a web designer then a web master!

I just did one for a friend she's just starting up a lesson-business (horses) and she had a page with her phone number on it then a couple pictures on a geocities page. I felt SO bad I did that whole thing for free.

I'm SURE you can find someone to help you out with a shelter site no/little charge. You need to design something that is professional looking, and even more so, you need someone to keep it updated for you & work out any bugs!!

You don't want the sort of page you can just throw together with a few clicks, they don't look good.

Best of luck!! I think there are lots of people here excited to help you .

Personally my speciality is graphics...

If you're REALLY determined, YouTube has some interesting tutorials.

You may have got your site up by now but just in case you have not I thought I would throw in a little bit about what I know.

If you already have your domain and hosting than all you really have to do is make a page and upload it to your host.

I know that may be over your head but its really not that hard.

I would forget about using Frontpage as it is old and very out of date and on some browsers things will not show up correctly.
A good free program that you can use is "Kompozer". It has a little bit of a learning curve but it really isn't that bad. http://www.kompozer.net/

Kompozer is a easy website building program.

If you need help learning this program the best site I've found for learning lots of things on building websites is
http://www.thesitewizard.com/

Once you get to the sitewizard you can search on anything you find interesting or go right to Kompozer.

If you have hostgator for hosting you can also put up a site real quick using your cpanel and fantastico and just install "Wordpress"

If I have given you an overload than just ask anything you want and I will try to help!

Good Luck!

Mm