Today you will get your grades on the past two projects. We will also review some suggestions for what t do after this class if you are interested in continuing with web development.
But first- you just designed your very first mobile app and saw how it looked on an Android phone.
Consider now- the Past, Present, and Future of Smartphones.
What to do when considering launching your own website, or if someone asks you to help them with creating a website?
1- PLAN the site
– What is the main goal and topic of the site (informational, blog, sales, promotional, etc.)
– Gather resources for the site (images, links, information, videos, graphics)
– Wireframes (sketch out pages of site and rough page layout)
2- Determine platform
– First, consider if a free Facebook page is appropriate. That is a good place to start. It is easy to use and manage, and can help you, or whoever you are working with, get into the right mindset of how to communicate online and how to organize content. It can also be integrated with Twitter and other social sites to immediately help increase the site’s reach.
– Create pages by hand using HTML and CSS in Notepad or Dreamweaver (or other editor)
– Use content management system such as WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, or other CMS
– Use Google Sites, Weebly, or ready-made template on a site like eteamz.com, for example
– Depending on platform, choose web host- see hosting-review.com
Registering Domain Names
To make your life easier try to register your domain name through your web host. It keeps your records and billing in one place and you usually get a better price. Don’t be fooled into paying hundreds or thousands of dollars to secure a domain name!
Web Stats and Analytics
– Your web host will likely have a way to determine your web traffic (page views, unique visitors, hits, etc.)
– If your web host doesn’t have an analytics program Google Analytics is free and easy to use. Just sign up for a free account and don’t forget to add the Google Analytics code to every page of your website!
– A unique visitor is basically one IP address (usually one computer) that accesses your website. This is a good measure for how many people actually visit your website. Hits are the number of downloads of content on your site so they don’t accurately represent how many visits you receive.
Remember:
– Websites are always a work in progress- they are dynamic and there are always ways you can improve them or make them more user-friendly. You should constantly be evaluating whether the website is meeting your needs or your client’s needs and its goal(s)
– Think about ways social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) can be used to grow your site’s audience and to communicate
– Think MOBILE first. Design your site so that it will look good on all screen sizes, or choose a theme (if using something like WordPress) that is mobile-friendly. Don’t just build a site that will only look good on a desktop computer or laptop.
What I recommend:
– WordPress is a free content management system that is easy to use and can meet the needs of just about any website. WordPress comes in two “flavors:” You can begin blogging in minutes with a free blog hosted at www.WordPress.com, or you can download WordPress to install on your web host at www.WordPress.org.
– Bluehost.com is a very reliable and affordable web host
– Consider getting an Adobe Creative Cloud account. There is a significant student discount! This is an affordable way to use great products like Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and Phone Gap Build. You can sign up and try it free for one month.
Further learning:
To really advance in web design I recommend taking courses in:
– Javascript, JQuery, CSS3, HTML5, PHP, MySQL, app development, and other programming languages.
– You can learn on your own at sites like Khan Academy and Code Academy, or free online courses offered by Harvard and MIT (I like the intro to computer science course)
– Also consider more graphic design courses and more practice with Adobe programs
Resources:
Free (or cheap) web-building applications (cool and useful things to add to your website):
https://www.mhswebdesign.com/cool-stuff/
Helpful websites:
http://www.w3schools.com/
http://htmldog.com/
15 Checks Before Launching Your Website
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/04/07/15-essential-checks-before-launching-your-website/
9 Essential Principles for Good Web Design
http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/designing-tutorials/9-essential-principles-for-good-web-design/
What do I charge?
The ability to create or update websites is a valuable skill. The work is time-consuming and labor intensive. Charge accordingly! Determine how many hours it will take you to complete a project (creating an entire website from scratch, maintaining an existing site, adding pages to an existing site, etc.). $25 per hour is a fair starting point and many web design professionals (with more experience and skills) charge much more.
What do I put on my resume?
– It’s important to add what you’ve learned this year in class to your resume
– Put a “Skills” section on your resume and list the following:
HTML, CSS, mobile app and website development, Dreamweaver CS6, Photoshop CS4
Integrating Social Media
– Social media such as Twitter and Facebook can help you expand your website’s reach, create trust, spark “buzz,” and communicate with your audience
– Facebook, Twitter, and other social media have ways for you to integrate their sites with yours such as the Facebook “like” button or embedding a Twitter feed. Also consider using a free “Share This” button or a service like WidgetBox.com (not free but fairly cheap)
– RebelMouse is a new site that lets you set up a home page using Facebook, Twitter, and other social media feeds