| After you have gone through the initial stages of Web site
planning and design, it is time to get down to the nitty-gritty. Many times, if the
organization is not committed to the project, one of two things will happen: First, if a
single person has taken ownership of the project with virtually no other support, the
planning and design phases tend to be rushed or skipped altogether. This Parish Web site
Lone Ranger prefers to rush right into building pages in the hopes that having something
to show will fire-up support for the project.
The second common scenario is having no single champion, but only a group of
semi-committed people. Normally, this committee will plan and design... and rethink and
redesign... and talk about it some more... and redesign the Parish Web site yet again.
I mention these common pitfalls at the beginning of this article on the building-phase
to help you in case your Parish fits either description.
If you are a Parish Web site Lone Ranger reading this article, make sure you read the
preceding articles, beginning with The Parish Webmaster. It is very important that you
spend time planning and designing your Parish Web site. Even if you cannot gain the total
backing of the Parish staff, you will show them that you are going about this project in a
serious, professional manner. You will offer the staff ample opportunity for giving input.
If they choose not to take such opportunity, they are at fault and should have little room
for criticism in the later stages of the project.
If you are a member of a committee working on a Parish Web site, make sure that your
project is not suffering from "analysis paralysis". Is there a single champion
who is pushing things along? If not, then identify someone who will fill that role. Have
that person read Planning Your Parish Web Site, and then get things moving. Only then
should you be worrying about the contents of this article!
Everyone else, please read on...
HTML: Hypertext Markup Language
Hypertext markup language, or HTML, is the simple coding language that is used
to create Web pages. In the early days of the internet, this simple code was all that
Webmasters had with which to work. HTML was a basic, straightforward way to display
information.
Today, the HTML file is usually only one part of a Web page. It is the framework that
holds all of the other elements and tells your browser how to display them. These other
elements may be graphics, java applets, javascripts, audio or video files, downloadable
documents or programs, or any number of other things. The field is changing all the time.
Tools – Software
There are numerous tools available for building Web sites. Everything from free ware
and share ware HTML editors to high-end design suites that can manage robust commercial
Web sites. The typical Parish Webmaster will want to find something in between.
Keep in mind that even though you utilize Web design software, it is still a good idea
to learn the basics of HTML. Most of these programs have at least some shortcomings. As
you become more familiar with Web design, you will discover that there are certain things
you want to tweak and the software won't quite handle it. You'll have to go behind the
scenes code a little HTML.
Web Host Page Generators
Many of the lower-cost Web Hosting companies are designed to cater to
individuals, entrepreneurs, small businesses and organizations on a limited budget. These
Web Hosts realize that their target market may not be able to afford a Web site design
program, or just don't have the time to learn how to use one. With that in mind, they
provide you with page generation tools so that you can create your Parish Web site online.
All you need is an internet connection and a browser.
One of the problems with the majority of these web-based tools is the limited
features available. In order to put any advanced elements on your pages, you'll have to
resort to hand-coding the HTML needed to insert them. Of course, this is not all bad. You
will be forced to learn at least a smattering of HTML, which is good for any Webmaster.
Another problem with these types of tools is that the pages generated tend to
look a lot alike. The templates available are usually very limited and very basic, which
makes you force your ideas to fit into someone else's design and layout. A design and
layout which, of course, is being used by many of the other folks using the same Web
Hosting company. Obviously, our hope is that your Parish Web site will have enough
compelling content, and be so easy to use, that no one will notice the layout is extremely
basic and looks very similar to a thousand other Web sites out there.
The final major drawback to using these online tools which are provided by your
Hosting company is just that... they are online tools provided by your Web Host. You must
be connected to the internet in order to use them. And you may not be able to take it with
you if you decide to go to a different Host. At the ParishWebmaster, we strongly suggest
choosing a Web building tool which allows you plenty of automated features, the ability to
work offline and thus the ability to have it hosted with whomever you choose.
Text Editor for HTML
The most basic way to code a Web page (but not necessarily the easiest) is to
use Notepad or whatever text editor comes with your computer. You must know HTML in order
to create Web pages this way, but there is no need to invest in any further software.
Coding HTML in a word processing program such as MS Word or Corel WordPerfect is not
recommended. In edition to potential problems with spellcheckers and automated functions,
these files are going to be saved with the .htm or .html extensions rather than as a
document file. The more basic your text editor, the better.
Most of the recent versions of the popular application suites (Microsoft Office, Lotus
SmartSuite and Corel Office 8.0) allow you to layout pages in a word processing program
and then convert them into HTML. Keep in mind that this function is fairly new and is not
a core competency of the applications. If you are going to use software to generate the
HTML for you, it is highly recommended that you use a program that is specifically
designed to do so.
Design Programs: HTML Generators/Editors
As I stated earlier, there are a great number of software programs available
that help you create Web pages. The way most of these programs work is to allow you to
design and layout Web pages with a WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) interface. These
programs allow you to decide how you want things to look, and the software generates the
HTML code in the background. Once the HTML has been generated, it is simply a matter of
uploading your pages to a Web server. This process is known as an ftp (file transfer
protocol) upload, and most of the better Web Design programs have automated wizards to
walk you through.
Keep reading on page two (2), or follow the links below to go directly to a particular
brief description of one of these more popular programs:
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