Website Creation and Blogging

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There are many methods today to create a web presence. Below is a summary of available options. Some people choose to combine several or all of these. For example, the website http://www.resourcesforlife.com has an associated blog (this blog), two Yahoo Groups, an Apple .Mac account and website as well as a presence in other online venues.


SUMMARY OF WEBSITE HOSTING OPTIONS

1) Blog - free and simple

2) Group - free, simple, allows for newsletters, basically a collective/cooperative blog

3) Social Network Page - free but very restricted page design

4) Hosted Website With Online Design - $150 per year but more customizable, can be edited from anywhere

5) Hosted Website With Website Software - most customizable, most expensive, can't be edited from anywhere simply using any browser, $150 per year plus software costs

6) Apple iLife and .Mac Service - very elegant solution, requires a newer Apple computer to use, about $100 per year for hosting and $80 for software


DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF WEBSITE HOSTING OPTIONS

Below is a more detailed description of each web solution with associated benefits and drawbacks (+/-). Sample sites are given.

1) Blog
An online blog is perhaps the easiest and least expensive way to create an instant website with the following benefits and drawbacks:
+ free
+ quick and easy to setup
+ multiple people can be designated to maintain the site and add content
+ can be maintained from anywhere using a Windows or Apple computer without special/expensive software or advanced knowledge
- typically, only minor changes to the basic design and color are possible for the beginning user
- html knowledge may be required to make extensive changes or customization to the page
+ lets you have a unique domain name such as:
http://resourcesforlife.blogspot.com/
+ For more information, visit:
http://www.blogspot.com/


2) Group
Although a group web page is generally considered to be a resource for a club or group of people to use, it works very well as a means for a single individual to create an online presence and keep in touch with many other people. A group page has the following benefits and drawbacks:
+ free
+ quick and easy to setup
+ multiple people can be designated to maintain the site and add content
+ serves as a single blog for a group of people all contributing to the same site
+ can be maintained from anywhere using a Windows or Apple computer without special/expensive software or advanced knowledge
- typically, only minor changes to the basic design and color are possible for the beginning user
- html knowledge may be required to make extensive changes or customization to the page
+ includes a mailing/distribution list feature
+ may include other features such as photos page, links page, calendar page, online databases, online surveys
+ lets you have a unique domain name such as:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/resourcesforlifenews/
- the address for your page is not as simple as the blog
+ for more information, visit:
http://groups.yahoo.com


3) Social Network Page
There are various websites dedicated to tracking social networks such as Facebook (primarily college students), LinkedIn (primarily business professionals), Friendster, and MySpace. These offer the following benefits and drawbacks:
+ the site facilitates social networking and meeting people
- you typically don't get a personalized website address, at best you might get something like this:
http://iowa.facebook.com/profile.php?id=14828547
- people typically need to login to see your profile
- the content is not easily managed by multiple users
- the structure of the page is typically focused on contact information only
- sites such as Friendster and Myspace typically have a lot of advertising


4) Hosted Website With Online Design
Many website hosting companies now offer easy to use templates and online design tools for creating your own website with the following benefits and drawbacks:
+ much more storage space for larger files such as photos, audio, and video
+ you get a personalized address such as www.yourwebsite.com
+ typically includes e-mail service with personalized e-mail such as yourname@yourwebsite.com
+ quick and easy to setup
+ multiple people can be designated to maintain the site and add content
+ can be maintained from anywhere using a Windows or Apple computer without special/expensive software or advanced knowledge
- typically, only minor changes to the basic design and color are possible for the beginning user
- html knowledge may be required to make extensive changes or customization to the page
- Cost may be around $100 per year or more
+ For more information visit the following providers:
http://www.globat.com/
http://www.networksolutions.com/


5) Hosted Website With Website Software
If you need a website with a specific design and layout, it may be necessary to purchase website design software such as Macromedia Dreamweaver which will offer the following benefits and drawbacks:
+ much more storage space for larger files such as photos, audio, and video
- website design software can be $100 to $400 depending on what you purchase
- a dedicated computer is generally necessary, meaning that you need to install the software on one computer and then always use that computer when editing the site, or purchase more copies of the software and install it on other computers that can be used by other people (be sure to clearly delegate and communicate about who is editing what part of the site)
+ you get a personalized address such as www.yourwebsite.com
+ typically includes e-mail service with personalized e-mail such as yourname@yourwebsite.com
- tedious and time consuming to setup
- training and classes may be required to learn the software
- requires that you have a computer with software loaded on it
- not as easy to update the site from anywhere
- not as easy or inexpensive to have multiple people maintain the site
+ a very customizable design and layout are possible
- html knowledge may be required to make extensive changes or customization to the page
- Cost may be around $100 per year or more for hosting and then another $100 to $400 to keep software up-to-date depending on what program is used
+ For more information visit the following providers:
http://www.globat.com/
http://www.networksolutions.com/
http://www.macromedia.com


6) Apple iLife and .Mac Service
The most elegant solution is offered by Apple through their iWeb software and a .Mac account. The website is created using the iWeb software included with the iLife '06 suite of programs: iPhoto, iTunes, iMovie, iDvd, Garage Band, and iWeb. The iWeb software helps the user develop a very personalized, professional, and artistic website including a wide variety of rich content. The Apple solution offers the following benefits and drawbacks:
+ much more storage space for larger files such as photos, audio, and video
+ expensive website software is not required
+ iWeb and iLife are easy to use
+ elegant and impressive websites are easy for even a beginner to create
- a dedicated computer is generally necessary, meaning that you need to install the software on one computer and then always use that computer when editing the site, or purchase more copies of the software and install it on other computers that can be used by other people (be sure to clearly delegate and communicate about who is editing what part of the site)
+ lets you have a unique domain name such as:
http://homepage.mac.com/resourcesforlife/
+ includes e-mail service
- requires that you have a computer with software loaded on it so it is not as easy to update the site from anywhere
+ a very customizable design and layout are possible
+ html knowledge is not required to make extensive changes or customization to the page
+ Cost is $100 per year for hosting and then about $80
+ setting up a calendar, blog, video, audio, photos, and other pages are easily done
+ For more information visit Apple here:
http://www.apple.com/dotmac/


Note that Network Solutions can arrange to redirect a domain name to a specific destination. So, you could purchase (register) a domain name such as www.yourwebsite.com and then configure that domain name so visitors are redirected to your blog or .Mac account. This can cost as little as about $30 or $40 a year and it makes it easy for people to remember your website address.