Thread: Woodwork web site

Is your computer Mac or Windows?

If a Mac I can point you towards a very good program for setting up and maintaining your own website.

If Windows, you'll have to wait for some other responses.

Des

G'day Andy
It's not difficult to make your own website. There are lots of applications available where you need very little or no experience. If you can type a letter in MS Word and add pictures to it then you're halfway there. Getting it hosted is pretty straightforward too. Just google "Website building". You can even do something in MS Word and then save it as and HTML document In other words a webpage. Then do a search for web hosting and go from there. You can get hosted for a few dollars a month.
Having said all that though It would be easier to just make your own FACEBOOK page dedicated to your woodwork. That's free.
Cheers
Mike

Try webs. I have a website and I used them. Many templates to choose from.
If you need a .com there are plenty of domain names to choose from.

Webs - Make a free website, get free hosting

I have Windows.

I might have a look at those links above.
I always thought if it was that easy, why are people charging $500 to build you a site?

Andy

Originally Posted by groeneaj

I have Windows.

I might have a look at those links above.
I always thought if it was that easy, why are people charging $500 to build you a site?

Andy

Because people are willing to pay them that plus much more if for corporates. Of course the more complex web sites have Shopping facilities, secure transactions and all sorts of stuff not generally in the skill-set of ordinary duffers like us.

Originally Posted by Des.K.

If a Mac I can point you towards a very good program for setting up and maintaining your own website.

Yes please.

Originally Posted by Wongo

Yes please.

This was my response in an earlier PM:

I use RapidWeaver version 5 for my website. It cost me about $90 18 months ago. I think it's now also available on the App Store for a bit less.

I've found it to be a good program for the basics, but the beauty about it is there's a very active programming community built up around RapidWeaver, and the various add-ons allow the program to do just about anything you want it to do.

These add-ons are also reasonably priced. Most of the ones I've bought are under $10.00, and the more complex ones are still only around the $15.00 mark.

There's also a good forum community. There's one bloke who runs a RapidWeaver educational website with video explanations which I subscribe to. It's not cheap, but to me it certainly has proven to be worth the money - RapidWeaver Classroom (I've got no connection to him other than a satisfied subscriber).

Regards

Des

An idea you might want to bear in mind is if you're going to be building this up eventually, what I've seen some people do is they get their dot-com so people have an address to go to, but that redirects them to their free hosted blog. that way you can minimise your start up cost and get the word out there. Later on down the track if you want to shell out for a proper site, you've already got the domain name sorted. That's just an idea that has worked for some other crafty types I've known.

- Matt.

Thanks Des

Here's a suggestion for any beginner,- I use a Company called, " Easysell. " for my Website construction. It Free to set up for the Business owner. All one does is register themselves, set up a personal username, so you have direct access to your own site, - and best of all,- IF you get stuck, you can email the Australian Office of Easysell, which is in Brisbane, ( genuine Aust for once ), and they will assist you,- even help you set up photos, etc.
** Have a look at my site which is promoted in the Members Business Services Section of this forum, which should give you a few ideas.
I have tried FreeWebs.com,- but got totally confused with their system,- and I mean, " Confused " too,- that site almost," drove me up the wall, across the ceiling, and down the other side. " Probably alright for those who are computer savvy, but for a dummy like me, I find Easysell.com.au heaps easier.
I now get about 50% of my sales enquires from this site, which is 50% more than I used to get when I simply relied on newspaper ads, or promo fliers, as I now simply set up my promo fliers with the website marked on them and prospective clients can hop onto the net, as see my workmanship for themselves.
Hope this info will help you decide.
Roger

OK. I've now set up my own Website using the Webs.com freebie. It was easy and is easy to maintain. Has a CRM Lite attached to a Contact Me Button which works pretty good (Tracks numbers, contact details etc). Interesting to see how many hits I get and even more interesting if I actually sell something. I put an advt for my chairs on EasySell and added my web sitelink. And it works good too. Check it out here if you're interested to see how it all works. I'm hard to impress but after years of tooling around with proprietry web design software I have to say I AM impressed. I reckon it took me about an hour and a half all up to set up.
Cheers. (and thanks for the Easysell heads up Roger, I'd never heard of them before. Bye bye ePay).
Mike

Hey mate,
I just briefly checked your site out and it looks great - just what I want!
When you say an hour and a half for set up, is that everything we see there on your site?

Andy

Originally Posted by groeneaj

Hey mate,
I just briefly checked your site out and it looks great - just what I want!
When you say an hour and a half for set up, is that everything we see there on your site?

Andy

yep. dead simple mate.

HI everyone,

here's a link to some Free software, it's called WebPlus. Has a lot of good features, I've started using it 4 / 5 years ago - and theres several other products on the same page. These are SE's (Starter/Standard Editions). And a good forum. This is a visual type of development base - pics, graphics of your own etc.

If I ever get a good load of my projects done (Bsawn boxes etc) I'm planning on doing my own site. Seems some of us developers never get that done. ' like a plumber never getting his own leak fixed'

Not sure on todays 'full version' but I think I paid around $45 - 50 a couple years ago.

Serif Main

Serif Freestuff

And a link to a friends page up here in Canuck land, I need to update it a bit since they've had a lot of paranormal investigators out there lately.

Buckaboo

If you or any member need any further info on Serif P.M me. Be glad to help,

Somehow I missed Sledhands reply, sorry, - it looks like a good deal and as said easy.

Glenn.