Anyone know where to find resources on developing a site? All I know is html. If I want to host boards, have a blog, a mailing list, that sort of thing, what do I need?
Also, where can I find clipart that I can reproduce on the site? All I have so far is a pretty bad image that came from a friend.
But the Page Builder (not the wizard) will let you play around with enough to make a good start and let you have a blog (text) and a guestbook and counter...www.geocities.com will have links to the Page Builder.
I do freelance web design, and I have to say that if you are having to ask US this question, your skill level may not yet be up to par to managing all those things yourself. Setting up and running bulletin boards and blogs usually involve knowing some programming code. Take the easy way out. Find a competent blog site, like www.livejournal.com, establish your blog then simply link to the page.
You can find a myriad of free software and script for web design. Just GOOGLE the keywords of "web design free blog script" or similar attributes. You should come up with a plethora of options.
Keep in mind a little known clause that Geocities (owned by Yahoo) has in their "fine" print of their agreement. Technically, when you agree to use them as your host you have to sign off on all your content, which is then considered "theirs."
Do NOT put any of your writing on a Geocities site. If you wish your work to remain yours, suck it up and pay for hosting for your own domain. Do NOT let someone ELSE sign you up for your domain. Do it yourself, with your own credit card. If someone... like a webdesigner, for instance, does the sign up FOR you, then they technically "own" your domain name and it is completely in their control. If you ever decide your designer or hosting service stinks and you want to change services, you'll be up a creek. Without that ownership -- and password -- you will be unable to transfer your domain out of their control. Just a little word of advice based on experience.
Anyway, what you will require depends on what you want your site to actually do. If you're mostly looking for a blog, livejournal would be ideal.
Fictionpress.com could be a place to host your stories.
If you want your own fully functioning site, there are various software packages (CMS, portal scripts come to mind) that make setup relatively easy if you have access to your site's server. I run two fansites using this way. I would suggest for something like that, what you need most is a really good friend who can do this for you. It requires knowledge of FTP and the basics of databases, and access to your own server and database.
If you want a forum of your own and don't care where it's hosted, ezboard.com allows you to set up your own forum for free. You don't need to know a damn thing about code for it. All you'd have to do is make an ezboard account, set up your forum, then link to it in whatever page you do have (like geocities).
[This message has been edited by nimnix (edited November 03, 2005).]
[This message has been edited by nimnix (edited November 03, 2005).]
www.bkbirch.com
www.thescruffydogreview.com
I can code but I'd rather not.
Hope this helps.
Liadan
I've recently been turned onto Wordpress for content management. It is surprisingly flexible. And free. These are all sites I put together with Wordpress.
http://www.maryrobinettekowal.com
http://www.radiowork.com
http://www.otherhandproductions.com
I too can code, but why not take the shortcuts?
[This message has been edited by mikemunsil (edited November 03, 2005).]
I'm a lazy programmer; I don't mind learning code, but if it is insanely complicated I'd rather spend my time doing something else. Just curious as to what solutions existed for this sort of things.I'd also recommend EZBoard.com for a bulletin board site. I set a site up there for a client of mine. I felt it was relatively easy to figure out, but my client had no patience or computer experience and he found it too frustrating. He eventually hired out the functioning of his bulletin board to someone else, then never kept it up to date because he didn't have the time. At that point, why bother to HAVE it, I ask?
Whatever you decide, don't forget the statcounter. I use www.statcounter.com - another FREE service!
Liadan