Should I create a Web site or a Blog (or both)?
You can use Adobe Dreamweaver to design a web site or customize a WordPress blog
When I first started designing web pages, it was relatively easy -- and vanilla boring.
More than ten years and a dozen books later, web design is much more complex.
You can design a simple tribute site to your beloved teddy bear, or create a business site to sell shipping containers of teddy bears, or you can set up a blog about the global teddy bear market.
This tutorial will help you decide if you should hire a web designer, download a WordPress template, or learn Dreamweaver. Once you've explored the options, you decide what you want to learn, buy, or hire someone else to do. My goal is to help you get your site online without blowing your budget or taking a year to finish.
Oh wait, web sites are never finished -- that's part of the attraction, and challenge. You can update your web site anytime day or night, but you need to prepare for growth from the start.
Today, I can teach you to design a simple web site with Dreamweaver in a matter of hours, or set up a basic blog in minutes.
But it can take years to master the programming and design skills it takes to create Web sites as complex as Amazon.com or CNN.
Sites like those are created by a team of experts -- you can't do everything they can on your own --but you can do more than you might imagine once you know what programs are best suited to what you want to create online.
You're not the first person to create a web site today, and that means there is lots of help and support out there that has been created by people like me who have been web geeks for more than a decade. (This article will help you learn what I discovered the hard way, a little planning can save you a lot of time building your web site.)
As you assess what you need to learn to create a web site or blog, consider the skills you already have.
Most of us in this profession did something else before we became Internet geeks, web designers, or digital alchemists (choose your title or make up a new one).
When Adobe Dreamweaver is the best design choice
Adobe Dreamweaver is the most popular professional web design program because it offers the most design features.
If you love Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign, you'll probably like Adobe Dreamweaver.
Adobe's influence on the interface and integration with other programs in the suite, gives Dreamweaver a similar look, and it's got the best design features of any web program on the market.
If you use every program in the Microsoft Office, or you work in a Microsoft shop, you may like Expression Web (just don't use FrontPage).
If you want to create something like Jasper Johal's Photography site, Dreamweaver makes it easy to create custom gallery designs, rollover effects, and more. Using Adobe Dreamweaver I had the advantage of many powerful design features, so I could give Jasper lots of control over the layout of each gallery, and he could make sure his photos take center stage on the site.
For portfolios, galleries, and almost any site that's less than 50 pages or so in size, Dreamweaver is my first choice, and all the program you need (visit the Dreamweaver help section for tutorials and videos).
When to a WordPress blog is the best choice
Blogs are best when you want to make it quick and easy to update a site and publish and manaage hundreds or thousands of pages and posts.
Anyone can handle the basics of a WordPress blog, but the learning curve between creating a WordPress blog, and editing the design of a WordPress template or theme, is steep. You can use Dreamweaver to edit a blog, but it's more complicated than creating and editing a site entirely in Dreamweaver.
When I wanted to start a conversation about design trends for the mobile web, I created the Mobile Web Design Blog with WordPress (http://www.MobileWebDesignBlog.com)
I'm simultaneously working on a new book, Mobile Web Design For Dummies, which will be out in the summer of 2010.
I used WordPress for this blog because it's easy to post quick notes and explore ideas with a community. Blogs come with commenting features and an easy interface for many people to post to the same place at once. I have a team working on the Mobile Web Design Blog and book, and WordPress blogs are great for managing collaborative projects on the Web.
The administrative features that come standard with WordPress blogs make it easy for anyone to post stories and photos.
In WordPress, the administrative page you log into to compose and edit posts is called the Dashboard.
But with ease of use, comes limitations in design control.
The more consistent you keep the look on each page, the more efficiently you can design a blog -- it's a tradeoff.
Choose the one that's best for your site
Only you know if your greatest talent is as a designer, writer, programmer, photographer, project manager, or all-around techno-wizard who is just dedicated enough to pull it all off yourself.
Although there are some efficiencies to creating a blog, for design control, designing with a program like Adobe Dreamweaver is still my first choice (Although you can use Dreamweaver to edit Wordpress blog templates for a best of both worlds solution once you get more advanced).
Where to start if you know what you don't know
Here at DigitalFamily.com you'll find dozens of tutorials on Dreamweaver, Expression Web, and WordPress blogs, so if you've come here with clear goals in mind, by all means, follow the links below to learn more.
- What is a blog, how does blogging software work, and how can I create one?
- What should I do as I begin planning my site and considering what I want to publish on the Web?
- What are the advantages (and challenges) of a blog, content managment system (CMS), or other dynamic database site?
- What are the advantages of creating a custom web site design with Adobe Dreamweaver or Microsoft Expression Web? And which one should I use?
- What graphics program should I use: Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, or Fireworks?
- If you just want to post a lot of photos online, you may find a photo site a great option. How can I share photos online at: Flickr, Kodak Gallery, Shutterfly, and Photobucket?
Most of us in the world of Web design work with a team of specialists on big web projects. My background includes writing, teaching, project management, and a few quirky things like Dreamweaver, WordPress, and CSS... but keep in mind, I live on the Web. (Learn more about Janine Warner.)
Publish Your Pictures Fast with Online Photo Sites
Even if you plan to create a more complex Web site, you may want to start with an online photo album because it's so easy, and free!
Online photo services make their money by charging for prints and other gift items, which they are happy to create from your uploaded photos.
Not only is this an easy way to share your photos on the Web, you can also link back to your own site, and add photos, like this Flickr badge to your site. (Learn more in our Share Photos section.)
Registering a domain name
No matter what kind of Web site you choose to build, you should definitely consider registering your own domain name to make your site easier to find and provide you with your own address.
partners & sponsors
MyEvent.com is our favorite family web site service because it's so easy and has so much to offer!
Myevent.com specializes in Web sites for weddings, babies, bar and bas mitzvahs, family and college reunions, and any other event.
They also offer a nice collection of easy-to-use tools for adding special features to your site, such as maps, hotel reservations, and gift registries.
And they offer free help when you need it. Visit them at Myevent.com.
