Getting up Courage

[EdM]

I'm thinking of taking the plunge if I can get our Non-profit org to foot the bill.

I am somewhat computer literate but building and administering a web page will be a new experience. I know I can come to the forum and to tech support with specific questions but is there a good source of basic information I can obtain before jumping in and screwing up everything I touch.

How have other people with the same limited experience fare?

[fcsnc]

To be honest, this may not be a good place to start if you are an absolute, absolute, beginner.

Your Powweb account does not include support for web design or learning HTML or even learning how e-mail works.

The forums are great.

However, for the price, this is as good a place as any to begin if you are bold and careful at the same time.

[alphadesk]

Hey Bob,

I am 51 and bought my first computer 2 years ago. Took one class and was on my way. If I can do it anybody can. You just have to be determined.

You might want to try one of the many free host before you plunk the money down. One I have used is netfirms.com (http://www.netfirms.com) that allow you to do almost everything that you can on a pay host. Learn on there dime then jump in and join the fun. There is a nice community of people emerging on these boards that will help you with just about anything.

[josh929]

if you wanna learn some web design stuff, you can use tutorials at:

www.htmlgoodies.com

[Bud]

excellent recommendation josh929!!

Back in early '97 I needed to learn some basic html, I learned from Joe Burns who runs the htmlgoodies site.

Joe is one of the best teachers I've seen, he combines a little humor with some very simple instructions that most anyone can understand. If you want to learn webdesign for free, Joe is the way to go.

And if you really appreciate his work, buy his books ;)

~bud

[kriviere]

Outside of learning the details of HTML, FTP, email, cgi, etc. an important consideration is maintenance. It might be fun to put together something that has lots of gee-whiz features, but if you plan to have an active web site (as opposed to simply putting up a contact info and mission statement kind of advertisement) then someone is going to have to update pages with current data, change announcements, and so on. As was suggested earlier, you might want to try putting up somethings on a free service and play with it for awhile. After you've had it up for a few months, go back and play with the things you first did. Most likely you'll realize you have learned better and perhaps easier ways to get done what you're trying to do. Good luck!

-JoKeR

[Starr]

One of my fav sites about html is http://webmonkey.com