Today’s goals:
– Review your live webpages
– Discuss steps for launching a website
0. New quarter, new seats!
http://www.classtools.net/random-name-picker/index.php
1. Today’s featured website:
http://www.medfordpublicschools.org/MHS%20Web%20Design/
What is this page? Why does it look like this? What happens when you click on someone’s name?
2. Some questions
Individually or in groups of 2, please answer the following questions. You can use paper, your paper Post-it’s, or the digital Post-it’s.
a. What was the hardest part of this project? Why? What was the easiest part? Why?
b. If you had to change something on your webpage, how could you make that change appear on the live webpage? What steps would you have to take?
3. Launching a website
First, consider:
What is your website about? What is the goal of the site? Are you blogging? Are you selling something? What is the purpose of your website?
The answers to these questions will determine how to proceed:
– Just use Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr? Maybe try Rebel Mouse (remember that?)
– Use a service like Wix or Squarespace or some other ready-made template (Google Sites, Weebly, etc.)?
– Launch your own site from scratch?
Consider: What are the pros and cons of each approach?
Starting from scratch
a. CAREFULLY PLAN THE SITE AND CHOOSE A WEB HOST! Go with a reputable web host and expect to pay a few dollars a month; avoid free hosting as the service will ultimately match what you paid. Check out host reviews on sites like http://www.hosting-review.com/ and http://hostingreviews.io/.
b. Make life easier for yourself and register your domain name through your web host. You will likely save money, will have an easier time renewing, and will have less accounts and headaches to deal with.
c. Depending on the site, consider using a content management system (CMS) like WordPress, Drupal, or Joomla. Most web hosts support these; if you do your homework while searching for a host you can determine what meets your needs best- ALWAYS PLAN AHEAD!
d. Make sure your website is responsive so it will look decent on a variety of screen sizes. You can do this from scratch, use a responsive theme for WordPress/Joomla/Drupal, or create one using something like Bootstrap.
e. Check out the resources for launching a site on our After School? page