So heres my deal, I have recently become interested in building websites and e-commerce sites. I am somewhat computer savvy. I am using a Mac and have a free hosting site (for now) with a few registered domains. I have Dreamweaver and Photoshop right now, I hear its easy to learn on those programs. But its rough finding informative sites on building a website from scratch. Most want my creditcard number. Can anyone offer advice or insight as to how to educate myself? Any blades build sites for a living or an internet entrepreneur? The eventual goal is to be able to obtain passive income in some sort of niche market or venture. If there is someone out there that can help and would feel comfortable with a skype session id love to learn or watch you work to learn the ropes. i swear not to sound too much like a noob.
You'll want to learn HTML coding first then CSS, i'd recommend w3schools as it's very easy to understand and they have a lot of tutorials, I think that using Dreamweaver to make websites is sort of cheating, it's quicker and easier to use then straight coding the website with HTML but only knowing how to use Dreamweaver doesn't give you alot of functionality. Think of it this way, knowing how to use Dreamweaver is like being able to perform minor repairs or upgrades to your car, However, knowing HTML & CSS is like beingg able to take your car apart completely and put it back together again. If you need any help feel free to PM me
There is a big difference between a simple web page and an ecommerce site... Software - can't code, don't expect to write an ecommerce site without hiring people Security - a dedicated IP, have to have certificates, and your hardware has to be secured. Hardware - servers, routers, internet connection that can handle the bandwidth (you don't set up 'shop' on your home connection...has to be at least a shared t1) CC 'middleman' to process all cc transactions. Solutions; school to learn programming and a few years of experience hire someone that creates and sets up ecommerce sites for a living Not to burst a bubble, but there is a lot involved in ecommerce site creation, it isn't as simple as buying ('borrowing') some software to point and click until a page looks pretty.
Thanks globian, ill see what I can find to learn those. I understand a website is a tough project but the beauty of it is you don't have to go to school for years to learn it. I have a friend that just started messing around with sites in highschool and now he is 20 completly independent. I would ask for his advice but he is very good at giving the run around when it comes to how he conducts business. What I mean is, its hard but school isn't nessicary. If I learn how to build a site on my own from the bottom I will have a great understanding of the process. Globian, Are there certain programs that are popular when it comes to site creation? One of the problems I found is trying to get legit software that will help as compaired to all the bs they have flying around the web
Don't worry too much about the software. Dreamweaver is fine and dandy. Honestly once you are up and running, most text-base code editors will work just fine. The software you use is only a means to an end. You could write your code in Notepad and it would work perfectly fine. Honestly you should purchase a book that covers setting up a website from start to finish. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I have met far too many people who call themselves "web developers" because they know a little bit of HTML. Knowing HTML is not enough on its own; you want a good understanding of web server software, as well as networking/firewalls/NAT/port-forwarding/etc. Also, keep in mind, you said yourself that your friend has been doing this for 2-6 years already. It takes a while.
Any books you would recommend? I was going to head to the store tomorrow and grab a book for dummies or something. And thanks for the site, im going to give that a try.
Unfortunately I didn't stick with programming much after high school so I never bought any particular web development books, but I would recommend going to a bookstore like you said so that you can browse and flip through the books to see what's in them. A word of warning, though: tech books are incredibly tiring to read. I normally can't stay awake for more than several pages
I am built websites professionally(for myself and other companies) and I did study computer science and uni but it's not really a pre-requisite. I would suggest you look at what you need and what possible e-commerce websites do. If you think about it HTML will never be enough, all you can make is static web pages. CSS is nice but you won't be needing that unless you have something working that you want to make fancy. I would suggest considering the above that you look into HTML very briefly as soon as you understand how it generally works (make a form and display data from the form onto a submit page or something) then learn PHP and some form of database (MySQL is the old standard that everyone seems to love but more and more people are using Postgres) they all mostly work the same. Then get coding, make some small websites to try out some skills. Once you have that generally down (2-3 weeks max) start on the first draft of a larger protect, maybe even your e-commerce site. Try to get it aesthetically pleasing and maybe incorporate some Javascript(look up jQuery). You should now have a large enough base of knowledge to start work.
Depends exactly what you're trying to build. I knew very little about coding and such, but I've managed to learn as I go along. I made my first portfolio by myself with a couple of tutorials. :] Sure, I am using Wordpress, but it suits my needs just fine. The link is in my sig.
[quote name='"Parable"'] Excuse my elitism, but w3schools is really sub-par.[/quote] Not for beginners I think
Thank you all for the input. I'm going to post up any work I eventually get done. Pointers and tips are always welcome. The general theme I have in my head is a simple site with 4-10 pages and a shopping cart. Also want to put 2-5 minute info videos on the homepage.
follow tutorials and learn from experience??? thats what ive done to learn every program i use on my pc.
One of the best places I have found for endless information on web design is by creating an account on stumbleupon.com and stumbling "web design" I get access to 1000's of great tutorials, CSS generators which will create site layouts real easily so you can just copy/paste the code to use and lots of other great materials.
Stumble is a great site lol.. as of now I put the projects to the side because school started up again so I want to focus on that for a month to make sure I don't fall behind working on a hobby.
Gah stupid phone didn't mean to hit send.. But I posted a personal profile site online what I need to do now is learn how to build graphics for my site, as well as research niches I can exploit any ideas? From my own research, the dumb and extreamly specific ones aren't too bad. I was thinking of an inspirational texting service.
Ok, So by any small chance would anyone here happen to be a programmer/graphic designer? I have 2 projects I believe have potential. I plan on buying the template for the site from theme forest so id need someone to help on making all the technical side work. I have a 2 products I'm going to focus on, each one on its own site. I would be willing to do a project based fee or hourly (if reasonable). If anyone of you blades would be interested in helping me out please PM me asap.
[quote name='"redeyeninja"']Ok, So by any small chance would anyone here happen to be a programmer/graphic designer? I have 2 projects I believe have potential. I plan on buying the template for the site from theme forest so id need someone to help on making all the technical side work. I have a 2 products I'm going to focus on, each one on its own site. I would be willing to do a project based fee or hourly (if reasonable). If anyone of you blades would be interested in helping me out please PM me asap.[/quote] Too lazy to pm but i'd be interested as a developer