Isn't Photoshop fun? :)

I have finally finished my photoshop lab. I sure hope I got it right. I spent a lot of time on this. The good news is, I have learned a few more tricks and the things that I do not know, I can look up in the book and the tutorial and (hopefully) figure them out. I consider myself a computer literate type of person, however, Photoshop is not an easy program to learn. I will stop complaining now. Onto the other homework assignments.
Wow you were not kidding when you said the "Web Designs from Scratch" had a lot of links. A lot of good information there. A lot of marketing stuff. What is the goal of the website? Is the information organized in a user-friendly way? Does the information get your attention? Will the user stick around long enough to find out if you are selling what he is looking for? Does it look good? Does it work? The way I see it.....It all boils down to preference. The same concepts apply here that you would apply to music, or any other marketable art. If people like it, they will buy it. If they really like it (love it) they will pursue it. To the question "Is it a good thing that anyone can create a website, start their own business" Why not? This is America after all. Free speech is our right. If people like what you are selling, you will be successful. If not, then try something else.
The benefit of creating your own website, if you have the ability and the knowledge.....you can create a website that meets your expectations and your vision. The downside to making your own website would be the reverse. If you do not have the ability or the vision then your website could be boring, may not work, possibly useless. So the moral of the story is, If you know what you are doing, go for it. If you don't, you have 2 choices, you either learn, or you pay somebody else to do it for you.
Accessibility - Is the website easy to use regardless of impairment or disability. Usability - Is the product easy to use? Usability is more important than appearance. If your website is not easy to use, that will limit the use of the website.
Chapter 3 - What are Web Pages?
If you use a web authoring software, making a web page is a lot easier. This makes web design a lot like using a word processor. You can format text, change colors, fonts, backgrounds, tables, frames, add graphics and a navigation bar. If you don't want a space between lines use the "break code". You can also add links such as ......
Internal link - takes you to another page in the same web site.
External link - take you to a page outside the current web site.
e-mail link - open up e-mail program and address an e-mail to a particular person.
anchors - takes you to another spot on the same page or to a specific spot on another web page.
Layers - each element of your web page should be located on a different layer.
Chapter 4 - Before you Begin Your Site
Organize your files. Rules for naming your files.
1. Use all lowercase letters.
2. Use only letters or numbers - no funny characters
3. You can use the tilde~, underscore_, hyphen-, or period.
4. Do not use spaces
5. Web pages must end in either .htm or .html
6. Use the correct extension for your file names
7. Keep file names as short as possible.
Assuming you have a place to house your website, to create a good website you need to plan ahead. Who do you want to reach with your website? Start by making an outline on paper. Gather the information you want to post on your website. Creating and designing a website will be much easier if you do the two following things.
1. Decide what you want your website to accomplish. What is its purpose?
2. Gather all the information you want to make available.
I am still trying to decide between a semi-serious marketing web-site for my husbands future wood working business, or a website which lists family information, pictures, and biographies. Haven't decided yet, but I better decide soon. See you Monday at 6:00.