 |
News and Views Internet Technology |
 |
Internet Resources To Help You To Launch And Support A Web Site |
|
Read Reviews Of course, it makes sense to read independent reviews before you buy software or hardware. My favorite sites for this are www.pcworld.com and www.macworld.com. Reviews for any of the software or hardware I’m recommending below can be found there. Buy Stuff A mega-site that includes most of what you’ll need to author and support a web page is (of course) www.amazon.com. Examples of tech specific retailers are www.microwarehouse.com and www.macmall.com. Create your web page While programs like Word will allow you to export files in HTML format, I’d recommend purchasing a program dedicated to the task. Any number will do the job, but the big two these days appear to be GoLive 6.0 (by Adobe) and Dreamweaver MX (by Macromedia). Both are available in both Mac and PC environments; steep discounts are also available for educators. I’ve read and heard a number of debates regarding which is the better product, GoLive or Dreamweaver. The most sensible analysis I’ve read likened this debate to a Coke versus Pepsi pettifog. (However, if you are already working with Photoshop or Illustrator you may enjoy GoLive’s seamless integration with these programs.) Do yourself a favor. Once you decide on what web page authoring program you wish to use, acquire a self-help book for that program. Whether you’re computer savvy or petrified by the sight of a keyboard, you will find yourself turning to such a reference on a regular basis. Go to Amazon, type in the name of the program in the book section, read the reviews, and pick the one that best suites your learning style and budget. The dummy and 24-hour series of books tend to be good. Get pictures for your web page There are a number of ways to place images on your web site. You can import them directly from pictures you’ve taken on a digital camera (I like Canon’s PowerShot cameras; see www.powershot.com), turn hardcopies into digital images using a scanner (Epson has a number of serviceable options; see www.epson.com), purchase a collection of pictures (tends to be expensive) or download selected pictures from a pay-as-you-go Internet service. My favorites in the latter category are www.clipart.com, www.weststock.com and www.corbis.com. (Keep in mind that placing any of the images from these sites onto your site, without paying the appropriate fee, violates copyright law.) Create and use animation A conservative use of animation can add to the appearance of your page. If you have some time available and enjoy web page authoring, you can acquire a program that allows you to create flash pages, animation and rollovers. The big two are LiveMotion (by Adobe) and Flash (by Macromedia); your choice should be dictated by whether you’re working with GoLive or Dreamweaver (see above), as integration and consistency will be smoother if you stay within the same suite of products. Even if you do not wish to create animation, you may enjoy the design freedom these programs offer (i.e., you can place elements wherever you want on the page and are not constrained by tables). You can add small animation files, called GIF files, by visiting the following sites: www.animfactory.com, www.fg-a.com/gifs.html and www.gifart.com. Some are free while others have a small fee attached. An interesting sidebar: www.gifworks.com will allow you to edit the properties of a GIF file for free. Place your site on the Internet If you have an account with an ISP (e.g., AOL, MSN, Earthlink, etc.) you probably already have access to space on a server where you may place your web site, at no additional charge. If you have a fairly straightforward site, without a lot of bells and whistles, this may suite your needs quite nicely. Be in touch with the ISP about how much space you’re allowed (it will likely be adequate) and the steps you must take to upload your files. The three most likely reasons why one might choose not to use this option are (1) sometimes the file transfer methods are cumbersome, (2) sometimes the ISP requires that you place adds on the site and (3) sometimes the ISP does not allow you to perform certain advanced functions (i.e., those involving CGI scripts). If you decide to rent space on another server there are a plethora of options. Many of these will also register a domain name for you as part of an introductory package. For instance, two good options are www.hostsave.com, and www.ipowerweb.com. (See also www.webhostingratings.com for reviews of web hosting service providers. ) Buy a domain name Get them before the good ones are all gone! www.(your name).com, www.(your town)therapist.com, www.(your specialty).com and other easily remembered domain names can be registered at sites like www.namesecure.com, and www.cheap-domainregistration.com. Be sure to get an email account with your registration too, as this will make your email address easier to remember as well (e.g., david@kidtherapist.com). It almost defeats the purpose of having a web site if you need to tell people that your site is located at members.aol.com/davidp623/homepg.html (i.e., only you and your mother will remember that address). Besides, you can register a domain name, for one year, for about the price that you’re paying for HBO each month. Be searchable I mean this in two ways. First, It’s a good idea to offer visitors a search engine so that they can quickly find what they want. To include a search engine on your site go to www.atomz.com; it is free and performs very well, so well, in fact, that I’m not bothering to list other options. Second, it is important to ensure that you are favorably positioned on search engines. To this end, you will need to both submit your site to a number of search engines, and make sure that your site is constructed in a search-engine-friendly fashion. Clear as mud? Well, a site that will both automate the former and teach about the latter is www.bcentral.com; click on the “Search Engine Submission” link on the left side of the page (also see my article Adding Features to Your Web Page posted on this site). Other search engine submission services are www.addpro.com and www.addme.com; by the way, I recommend subscribing to the free newsletter offered on addme.com. PDF for all It seems fairly clear that most people scan more than they read on the Internet (see the usability books I’ve listed in the next section for an elaboration on this). One of the most common errors I see on psychologists’ web pages is the over-inclusion of text. We’re verbal people after all. But, it’s not a good fit with the Internet. Go ahead and be chatty, just put it in a format that people can download and print out if they wish. PDF files allow you to do that; people click on the link and the file is downloaded to their computer (see my article Upgrading a Basic Web Page). Programs that you already possess may allow you to output into PDF format. If not, you can purchase Acrobat (by Adobe) or use Adobe’s pay-as-you-go service at createpdf.adobe.com. Obtain some good reference works and sources Probably the most important piece of advice I have to offer is to make sure to review a book on web usability before you design your site. In my aforementioned articles I review some of the high points. But, you’ll need to read more. I can recommend two books:
Steve Krug’s book is to the point, well written and humorous. His web site is www.sensible.com. A tip from his web site gives you a feel for his style: “If you really want to know if your web site works, ask your next door neighbor to try using it while you watch. (You bring the beer.)”
Jakob Nielsen’s book is not as approachable as Krug’s but it contains more information. His web site is www.useit.com. He is widely considered to be a usability guru. By including useful links (i.e., to information clearinghouses, to self-help groups, to mental health resources, etc.) your site makes a more substantive contribution to the Internet community. Two books that can help you with this project are as follows (the titles accurately portray you what you get):
Quick Hits
That’s it for now. Maybe I’ll be back later with more offerings. Meanwhile, feel free to be in touch if I may be of any help. My e-mail address is david@palmiter.com. You can find my web site at www.helpingfamilies.com. |
|||
So, you’ve decided to launch a web site, or you already have one. Congratulations on a wise decision! My purpose here is to list some Internet resources that may support you in your effort to offer a quality site. I just need to offer three qualifiers before I begin. First, I’m not promising that I’ve named THE best resource in each case; I wouldn’t have time to be a psychologist were I to try to pull that one off, plus THE best Internet resource today may not be THE best Internet resource in ten minutes. What I am promising to do is to make a good faith effort to identify solid resources, placing an emphasis on the price/performance ratio. Second, I’m not striving to teach here. Hence, if you’re confused by any terminology or concepts I employ, please consult the series of articles I’ve written on web page authoring that you may find on this site (return to the