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Software for building a web site

rlk

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Do any of you have experience with free software for building your own web site? I've visited wix.com, weebly.com, website.com, and a few others. Some say the software is free, but many have a monthly charge.

I'm building a web site for a non-profit organization, and we don't want anything fancy, just something where we can post a mission statement, a contact page, a blog and a few photos. I already have a domain name.

Any recommendations or experiences you have with this type software is appreciated. Bob
 

OhioTC18

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
I use Nvu for a couple of sites. I haven't had any issues at all. It's a basic software and you have to include their link on your site which is no big deal.
 

jimbo

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
You might want to check GNU (http://www.gnu.org/) a user maintained open source collection of programs. I've used several. GIMP, a Photoshop compatible image manipulator. Open Office, a Microsoft Office compatible substitute, and a couple of graphics programs.
 

Catavenger

New member
SUPER Site Supporter
A lot of website hosts now have templates. All you need to do is type in some basic info. You can select the background color, fonts etc. It is pretty easy. Just to keep my brain active I built my website the "old fashioned' way using basic HTML code.
http://catavenger.com/
If you right click it you will see the "source" click on that and it will show you the HTML coding that goes in the website.
It's really not hard to learn some basic HTML code but if you really want to keep it simple use one that has templates.

I am using 20megsfree (in my case I am paying for it) they have such a thing as a "site builder" which is like a template.
In the past I built a website for a non profit organization at Yahoo and they also have a type of template. I would suggest looking into something like that before you buy some special software.
 

Adillo303

Diesel Truck Fan
GOLD Site Supporter
Free usually means they put ads on your site.

You can use WordPress or Joomla. They are not "Out of the box". They are not that hard to do, they are free. All you part for is hosting. Yet see tutorials all over youtube that will show you step by step how to do it.
 

Catavenger

New member
SUPER Site Supporter
Free usually means they put ads on your site.

You can use WordPress or Joomla. They are not "Out of the box". They are not that hard to do, they are free. All you part for is hosting. Yet see tutorials all over youtube that will show you step by step how to do it.

Yep, that is one reason I'm paying for mine. Plus some webhosts have more restrictions (with a free site on what you can put there etc.).
However if you can get one for free like I did, try it out using their template/site builder or whatever they call them to check it out then if you like it pay for it that may be the way to go. Just a suggestion.
 

rlk

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Yep, that is one reason I'm paying for mine. Plus some webhosts have more restrictions (with a free site on what you can put there etc.).
However if you can get one for free like I did, try it out using their template/site builder or whatever they call them to check it out then if you like it pay for it that may be the way to go. Just a suggestion.

Thanks to everyone for your input.

Cat, I'm experimenting with WIX.com. They had a template that is sorta like what I had in mind. I'm modifying it now.

Like you, I prefer html myself, but understand that's falling by the wayside and the new things like WIX.com, and others, are the future.

Thanks again. Bob
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
No matter what 'WYSIWYG' (What you see is what you get) editor you use a little HTML knowledge will help. HTML Goodies has been around for years. Was started by a college professor and bought by some company 10 years ago. I"m glad to see the site is still there. It will help you manipulate the page data yourself when needed. All kinds of tips and hints.
http://www.htmlgoodies.com/
 

rlk

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
My experimentation with WIX.COM is about to come to a close. Even though their software is very easy to use and I like the web site I ended up with, I learned that in order to move the web site to my own domain, I have to upgrade to one of their premium packages, which translates to about a $12 per month fee.

If you don't upgrade to their premium package, you get almost no space for photographs, and they will allow ads to pop up on your web site, something I truly hate.

The non-profit I'm building the web site for will probably only see 100 visitors a month, so it's just not worth $144 a year.

Rant on: I have looked at other software products, and many charge a monthly fee to use their software in the cloud. Personally, I don't give a flip about the cloud, I just want to purchase some software that will allow me to easily build a web page and put it on my own domain. I'm not interested in paying a monthly fee so the software is available in the cloud so I can access it with my phone, iPad, and PC. Rant off:

Bob
 

OhioTC18

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
Did you look at the one I suggested early on? It's Nvu. It really is simple to use. I can quickly throw a page together and post it in just a few minutes. Yes, you're supposed to add their link on every page, but I must have forgotten that part. I have Doc host my two websites for $5.00 a month for each one. But we haven't changed them in a long time.
Take a look at them
The Little Blue Tractor
Little Ones Outlet and More
 

rlk

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Did you look at the one I suggested early on? It's Nvu. It really is simple to use. I can quickly throw a page together and post it in just a few minutes. Yes, you're supposed to add their link on every page, but I must have forgotten that part. I have Doc host my two websites for $5.00 a month for each one. But we haven't changed them in a long time.
Take a look at them
The Little Blue Tractor
Little Ones Outlet and More

I did look at Nvu, but when I saw the last release was 2005, I shied away from it.

I also looked at KompoZer that is mentioned on the Nvu site. From the main page it looks like the last update was 2009 - 2010.

On both of these products, I'm concerned about using software that old.

Bob
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
I did look at Nvu, but when I saw the last release was 2005, I shied away from it.

I also looked at KompoZer that is mentioned on the Nvu site. From the main page it looks like the last update was 2009 - 2010.

On both of these products, I'm concerned about using software that old.

Bob
html has not changed much in the last ten years (or 20 years for that matter). free is free. I suspect NVU will work for you just fine. Hot Dog was another that I ran into long ago and might still be available.
 

Bamby

New member
I tried various ways to write material for the web myself. Made a lot of huge mistakes that took a lot of effort to clear up. In the end I found a browser and web composer in one that's proved out well for my needs. It's also free which is also helpful.

The SeaMonkey Project
The SeaMonkey® Project

The SeaMonkey project is a community effort to develop the SeaMonkey all-in-one internet application suite (see below). Such a software suite was previously made popular by Netscape and Mozilla, and the SeaMonkey project continues to develop and deliver high-quality updates to this concept. Containing an Internet browser, email & newsgroup client with an included web feed reader, HTML editor, IRC chat and web development tools, SeaMonkey is sure to appeal to advanced users, web developers and corporate users.






Under the hood, SeaMonkey uses much of the same Mozilla source code which powers such successful siblings as Firefox and Thunderbird. Legal backing is provided by the Mozilla Foundation.


Note: Should you download this some of the necessary tools such as the composer are located on the lower left of your screen where one may not normally look for such things....
 
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