My Web site is finished - or is it?

I can't believe we are at the end of the class.

When I first created my Web site, there was something about it that just didn't feel right. I then realized that it didn't properly reflect the owner of the business, so I pretty much started over. I feel like it can still use some tweeking here and there, but I'm much more pleased with the results the second time around.

I was also pleased to discover that after being out of school for a bit more than a few years and in the same occupation for 30 years, I'm not too old to learn something new. What's even better is I have already been asked by a couple of people to create Web sites for their businesses.

There's still a lot to learn and I can't wait to see what lies ahead!

Shopping Carts

Just as in researching web authoring tools, I discovered once again that "free" is just a catchphrase to lure you in.

The person I am creating this Web site does not want to set up a shopping cart so I used my Pay Pal account and put in a donation button. I will remove it once the instructor has graded this assignment.

I did learn that if he does ever decided to sell from his site, something to consider is how a program handles international sales.

Web Site Interaction

A person could really go crazy adding interaction to their Web site. I had already put a counter on my page and, while Mr. Kent advises against using a counter, my friend wants one on his site and so it will stay. I did change the form of the counter and have now added a guestbook. I checked out numerous other sites and decided that http://bravenet.com/ was the best way to go.

Moving Right Along

The further I get in this course, the more I realize that I have made the right decision in my career change. I am really looking to seeing just where my imagination takes me.

I submitted my Web site to Google, as well as to a free search engine submission service.

http://www.quickregister.net/freeseoservices/freesubmission.html

Choosing a Web Host

As I stated in my blog respecting my Web site outline, the site I am re-creating already has a Web host. However, I did research this subject as if I were having to start from scratch and I don't mind telling you, given the seemingly infinite number of Web hosts available, it is just a little overwhelming.

I did a google search, went to http://www.free-webhosts.com/. For the most part, all the free sites I looked at offered upgrades for a fee. It helped to compare the two offers as I learned more about what to look for. For instance, some of the free sites do not offer spam or virus protection (http://www.50webs.com/). At http://www.awardspace.com/web_hosting.html/, I discovered that the free service charged $14.95 for domain registration while the first upgrade offered the first year free and the two further upgrades offered "free forever" domain registration. While http://www.atspace.com/ was top-rated site, I was instantly turned off by the typos on the home page. Just what is $0,00" and "3,99$?"

It has always been my opinion that more times than not you get what you pay for and if it's free, you need to really look deep down.

My Web Site Outline

When I started this class, I told a friend of mine that I would be creating a Web site. One of his businesses involves giving historical tours in the DFW area and he wanted to know if I would like to completely re-design the Web site he has for the JFK Assassination Tour he offers. His current site is one page with nothing but a picture and a copy of his business card so I will be starting from scratch. We both benefit financially from this project as he he already has a web host and domain name thereby saving me possible expenses and I'm doing the job for free.

My outline for jfkassassinationtour.com is as follows:
1. Home page introducing the purpose of the site with tabs to go to other pages on the site
2. Bio page introducing the owner
3. Detailed description of the 3-hour tour
4. Detailed description of the 4-hour tour
5. Detailed description of the 6-hour tour
6. A page with links to the owner's other sites
7. A copy of the owner's brochure for other tours that are offered
8. Contact page
9. Site map

I searched Web sites for ideas, but everything I found was way too busy. I want this site attractive but not so loaded with "stuff" that the potential customer forgets what he/she is looking for.

Web Authoring

Note to Self: Take new laptop to the Geek Squad and find out what it has against me.

I won't go into all the details, but between Dell, Kompozer and Winzip, I didn't think I would ever get this assignment done. I'm still having problems but as long as I don't close Kompozer, all is good. I looked at some other Web authoring tools, but wanted to be able to take full advantage of our instructor's assistance.

All things considered, the project itself was fun. I think I could have done more with it but I still have to get this week's assignment completed.

Learning HTML

WOW!!! I did Steps 1 and 2 of this assignment and thought "okay, this is a piece of cake." Then came Step 3 and I started feeling a little shaky, especially when I realized the seemingly inifinite number of codes there are. Thankfully by the end of Step 4, I was regaining my optimism.

I have already marked as a favorite the following website which is great for the person who knows absolute nothing about HTML:

http://www.w3schools.com/default.asp

Web Site Pros and Cons

Recently I found myself in the unfortunate situation of not having access to the internet for a few days. I was trying to find a business number and called a friend for help. The conversation went something like this:



Me: Can you look up the number to Acme Dynamite for me?

Friend: Have you checked the yellow pages?

Me: Well, no, I can't access the internet.

Friend: Have you tried looking the in the actual yellow pages book?

Me: That still make those?



Mr. Kent lists many reasons to develop Web sites, such as on-line and off-line sales, especially by companies who are very specialized; customer service and technical support; to promote one's own ideas regarding any given subject; to promote a business; and meeting customers. At the time he wrote this book, his reasons for why someone should probably not have a Web site were understandable, especially in the case of a local small business owner. With the advent of sites like yellowpages.com, I wonder if he has re-thought this. I use the internet to find just about everything, local and otherwise.



I know someone who has a couple of businesses. The Web site for one business is simply a picture of the subject and a copy of his business card providing his name and number. A lot of his business comes from this site.



I'm stepping way out of my comfort zone with my decision to change careers. For too many years I placed limitations on what I could do and I've finally realized at 50 years old that as long I'm still breathing, the sky's the limit. In that same regard, if someone feels they could possibly benefit from a Web site, then they should go for it. It can be cheaply and if it doesn't work, at least they know they gave it a shot.



I refuse to let Mr. Kent start putting up roadblocks before I even get out of the driveway.





Source: Poor Richard's Web Site