Thread: If I had it to do over again

If I had it to do over:

• I would probably seek the help of one of the BV developers on this site earlier in the game. They are not that expensive and are very good at what they do. At least a lady with a keen eye was for me…..Gotcha ya!!
• I would get the template perfect, perfect, perfect, before I ever built page 2. I had the misfortune of having to fix over 125 pages after publishing because I did not catch a couple of mistakes. An http:// in front of a www. link; the wrong title and meta tags on page properties and some very, very key aesthetic issues (you see, I do not have an artistic bone in my body);
• Once you have a template, everything else is just a cookie cutter. Fill in the content, save your pages and move on to the next topic. Don’t forget about your H-1 and H-2 tags (do a search on that subject…LOL) or the fact you need to put a |topic| topic| topic| vertical bar spacing in your title pages.
• I would not waste a second trying to figure out how to build forms. It is a part of BV that needs some work in the tutorials and the new releases are overlapping the directions. Spend your time gathering content and let someone else build your forms for you. Sleep well at night and quit grinding your teeth. They know it is out of sync and are probably working on it.
• Want a forum? Same as above. The phpb and soholaunch tutorials are behind the release versions. Like a blind man walking in a dark alley. Grab someone’s arm to lead you through the morass. Let them do it for you.
• For the few shortfalls of BV, I still think it is the best drag and drop Web site building software on the market and the hosting service/price is hard to beat. Know what I like best? I have control of my website. I can make additions, deletions, corrections, changes, add new pages, photos etc. without having to have a web developer on my payroll, wait for or pay for them to make my needed changes or worry about the fact they are on vacation for the next 2 weeks when I am up to my posterior in alligators because of a mistake on my site. If I need to make a change. I do it! If I want to add a photo. I do it! If I want to add a new page. I do it! If I want to add a new link. I do it! Then, I publish it!
• My first web site. Over 125 pages. I’ll have about 8 more before the end of January but much smaller than this one. This one was a hairy beast that just kept growing new legs.
• I welcome you to visit my site and find out about this beautiful city in which I live. Perhaps you will visit someday. Medical and Dental Health tourism is a very big business here. Many of us are baby boomers getting ready for retirement and facing an uncertain future with rising health care costs in the US. A lot of that section still needs some work but it is my next priority. The local Docs are very interested in my site.
• I’ll take all comments constructively and thank you in advance for your time to comment. It is not perfect but I sure am proud of her. Thanks again my lovely eyed lady. Would not be here without you. Stay warm! For all that are interested, she and I have never met.

Sandman
www.medellintravelguide.com

I only scanned the first page (125, eh? wow....) but in your "Events" section, your links are under an image.

I thought it odd also that your "open letter" at the bottom is such small font....I am sure that if it was one or two sizes larger it would appear more menaingful and part of the continuity.

Nice layout and design. Colors are nice too.

> but in your "Events" section, your links are under an image.

You looking at it in IT or FF? Thanks for the heads up and response. I'll fix it.

Chou

Sandman

Fixed. Amazing how stuff jumps around on you when you publish. Oh, the wonders of the internet!

Folks, see what I mean. Find a problem, typo, bad link, photo covering a text box.

Just go in, fix it, re-publish it and all is good!

Thanks buddy!

Sandman - Run your home page through this - it is showing some dead links on your home page..

Wow. Thanks Lara.

Actually, I am building some splash pages for my other intended sites so there are no dead links (all in my spare time of course...LOL). I'll check the other links to sites outside my site for corrections.

The spell checker element of your link is really nice. I am a scrabble/typo fanatic so that will be great for my fat fingered mistakes. Maybe this could solve the "wish I could have spell checker" in the wish list site on the forum.

A labor of love that turned into a labor.....and will continue to do so.

The baby is born. May she grow into a beautiful young lady.

Thanks for the feedback.

Originally Posted by sandman0011

Wow. Thanks Lara.

Actually, I am building some splash pages for my other intended sites so there are no dead links (all in my spare time of course...LOL). I'll check the other links to sites outside my site for corrections.

The spell checker element of your link is really nice. I am a scrabble/typo fanatic so that will be great for my fat fingered mistakes. Maybe this could solve the "wish I could have spell checker" in the wish list site on the forum.

A labor of love that turned into a labor.....and will continue to do so.

The baby is born. May she grow into a beautiful young lady.

Thanks for the feedback.

Sandman
you can click the thing that says link check and it will tell you which ones aren't working specifically..
and yes, I love that site; it can give lots of great info.

And, I know what you mean about the darn thing growing legs, I did one (www.pondandgardennursery.com) that was only going to have like 10 or so pages and it too ended up over 120 pages.. LOL

Enjoy..

Beats the heck out of trying to find miniscule mistakes on every link, page etc on a 125 page site.

Thanks again. Should be a mandatory task for every BV first publisher to make sure they "get it right" the first time.

Hate to tell you how many hours I have needlessly wasted making corrections that could have been corrected in minutes had I "done it right the first time". Just consider the past 6 days, about 12 hours per day.

I could have been out partying or building my next sites but no, I published without making my template perfect and paid the consequences. I can do 41 clicks, moves and adjustments per page in my sleep.

Learn well newbies. Make the template perfect!

Thanks again Lara

when I click the links in the top menu bar from the contact us page ... the about us, help, links buttons all go to page not found error 404 ... it also happens fro the home page as well ...??

I fixed the link problems but I think my Home/index page may be corrupted. The words are jumping around and the font sizes and colors are changing. Looks fine on my PC but when I preview or go directly to the site via the web, they all jump around, change color and get real small.

Guess I get to rebuild my index page.....does it ever end???

Get it perfect the first time!

Thanks for the heads up on the other links.

It was just a bad HTML code. after I removed it, everything was fine.

Thanks again for all your comments and assistance.

Hi,

I enjoyed your remarks, Sandman. I have just begun...and I have a difficulty.

My software won't work because I had trouble with my email...so I punched buttons, etc. and ended up with a new IP.

What do I do? Just download the software again.

Thanks!

Carol

I'd defer your question to the mods but it seems like a good place to start.

Just remember. Get your template perfect before you ever build page 2. I am still fixing links when I could be adding content.

Good luck and do not be afraid to ask for help on the forum.

Originally Posted by sandman0011

I'd defer your question to the mods but it seems like a good place to start.

Just remember. Get your template perfect before you ever build page 2. I am still fixing links when I could be adding content.

Good luck and do not be afraid to ask for help on the forum.

Hey Sandman - have you thought about doing a php include menu, as described here?
It may seem daunting at first, but will save you tons of time in the end...

Originally Posted by sandman0011

I'd defer your question to the mods but it seems like a good place to start.

Just remember. Get your template perfect before you ever build page 2. I am still fixing links when I could be adding content.

Good luck and do not be afraid to ask for help on the forum.

Sandman,

Thanks for responding. Who are the mods?

What were the main things you did wrong with your index page? I am currently using the Homestead software. It was fine when I barely knew how to use a computer, and I knew nothing about building websites. It is expensive as well.

Blue Voda offers much more for considerably less money. For what we pay for a year on Homestead, we can get three years on Blue Voda.

I hear people talking more and more about web-standards. I know that Homestead does not comply. Do you know whether Blue Voda is better? I am not looking for perfect, but I would like better than what we have now.

Thanks for your time.

Carol
www.wabashfirstumc.org

My whole motivation for using BV was to have control over my destiny.

I did not want to have to rely on a web developer, his mood swings of the day, his other priorities or other clients priorities, a monthly bill coming in for god knows what because his rent was due or he needed new tires on his car. I wanted to be able to make additions, deletions, corrections and changes to my web site without hearing my developer was on vacation, sick, in the middle of a divorce or visiting his sick aunt in Yehaw Junction Florida.

I cannot live my life or run my business based upon other peoples priorities, problems or excuses.

Now, having said that, I do not have a creative bone in my body. I can't draw a straight line with a ruler. If it is not brown, beige, black or white, it is not in my color spectrum.

I signed up for BV and BH based upon the control I have over my site. I drafted the talents of a lady with a very keen eye (hint) to help me make my template and punched forward. I built a site with over 125 pages but I failed to get the template perfect before I built page 2. Now, I have had to go back and make massive corrections at a cost of very valuable time that I could have used for developing content.

I cannot comment on your SW package but if you are a novice at using a computer then I highly recommend you use a package that is designed as: Easy to use, drag and drop; has a group of people willing to assist you and self use tutorials that can help you remember which thing/Icon to click on for what you are trying to accomplish on your page.

If you have never built a web site and are in first grade with computer skills (I am about a 9th or 10th grader) get one of the BV developers to help you build your template and you fill in the content, based upon your area of expertise, whether it is baking choclate chip cookies or how to Laser Imprint serial numbers on Diamond Jewlery.

Let them build your forms, as that seems to be a shortfall of the current releases of software and the tutorial sequencing and spend your time doing what you do best...www.yourbusiness.com ; Not www.yourbusinessbutIamlearningtobuildwebsitesinmys paretime.com

Trust me, you will sleep better at night, and may make some good friends along the way.

If you are a computer novice, I recommend you avoid the techy, acronym weilding mods or be prepared to experience some frustration. (mods are generally the Generals on the board)

Go with the people that know how to "Talk to the Dog". Ones that are able to explain things in laymens terms and give specific examples. Not ones that tell you to use Phpbb, in MY Sql, with a PHP extension except when using the gobbeldygoop form unless the HTML or java script reads like a .gif file in Mambo. (greatly over exaggerated but approprite).

Those folks just do not get it. This site is all about newbies building their own web sites. People that sell auto parts, run B and B's, train dogs, sell Native American Jewlery or re-condition golf clubs.

The BV clients are not about learning advanced computer skills, not about learning the intracies of a SW program and all the except exceptions of this particular release if you try and put a photo on line 1,299 of your page. They want a web site they can control and not have to spend a fortune doing it. They do not want some techno geek who is more interested in the latest gaming software release and how many people have reached level 5, controlling their destiny.

Carol, I can only offer you 25 years of Senior Corporate level experience with a fortune 10 company. I cannot advise you on software selections. I still forget to save stuff when I am finished and am notorious for forgetting to include attachments when I send stuff to people. I type with about 5 fingers on two hands and very slowly at that.

I am a BV fan for the reasons mentioned. Yes, I am paying the price for wanting to finish pages before I had my template perfect (kind of like building a home only to discover you have to tear parts of it down because it was not built properly in the first place). It would have been easier to do it right in the first place. I wish I had taken a little more time and sweated the small stuff (like link naming conventions). Maybe I can save others hundreds of hours of wasted time by learning from my mistakes and making fun of myself. (no one ever gets mad when you make fun of yourself)

Like you, this is my first web site. It just happens to be a little large (126 pages and counting). My cross to bear because I was antsy to publish quickly (well, it has been 3 months in the making). Do not ever hire me to build you an experimental car or airplane because it would probably crash. Now, show me a finished, engineering tested product and I will show you how to market and sell it anywhere in the world.

I am the wrong person to ask about technical issues with BV. But, it does work (with a little help from your friends).

Good luck.

BTW (by the way); The Control Panel AWstats are really cool. Being the Ex Corp. Exec. that I am, I watch those closely. I like to make decisions based upon data and not gut feel or heresay. Test your template with the site Loura (above??) suggested above before you build page 2. It has been very helpful in identifying where I need to fix stuff instead of guessing. Like using a computer to test your car engine rather than a mechanic guessing, guessing, guessing until he finally gets it right and $580 later when a $39.95 water pump would have fixed the problem in the first place.

Whatever you do, do not repeat my mistakes or you may never have a web site. I just happen to have the time on my hands and will not be denied my desired end result. (wouldn't a "mistakes made" section on this forum be fun? Maybe not, as most people do not have the self confidence to laugh at themselves)

Wherever you are, I hope you are warm, comfortable and getting ready to have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year...!

.

Lara...not Laura. Sorry! I knew I was close but could not scroll up to get it right.

Hi, looks like you have been doing a lot of work.
Only a suggestion & it maybe to late now? But Naval’s php method would of saved hours of work with this type of site.
On the passport page, the about us/help/links are giving a 404 error.
The home page needs centering.

Good luck.

Thanks Chris. I looked at Navs but decided on this one.

I am making corections to the links as you read this. I just have not made it to the "P's" yet....LOL