This web site was created using Microsoft FrontPage 2000. I began using FrontPage several years ago because it was a point and click way to set up my site and have kept up with the upgrades. With FrontPage 2000, you don't have to know HTML or Java to have a up to date web site, but can edit code if you choose.
If you are interested in setting up your own web page, you should decide what you want to accomplish with your site. Is it going to be an online brochure that you can refer customers or inquiries to for the latest images of your work? Do you intend to offer items for sale on your site? How involved do you want to be with the creation and maintenance of your site? Many makers have chosen to hired out the web site creation and maintenance and stick to what they do best. For a good place to start check out:
Daniel O'Malley has created this site for knifemakers and has done a nice job.
Atlanta Virtual is a web host that provides web design and development for folks
in the knifemaking community including the American
Bladesmith Society and The
Custom Knife Directory. They provide a full service operation and can help
drive business to your site.
If you decide that you would like to create your own site, you will have to do a little homework and put in some learning time, but the effort can be very rewarding. Start with some reading.
Books
Before I began making my site, I read a couple of books on the subject:
<designing web graphics.3> by Lynda Weinman Recognized as one of the
leading web designer and experts, Lynda Weinman lays out the basics of working
with web graphics in this book. It is essential that you have some understanding
of how to work with images and graphics before you start working on your site
and this is a good place to start. Check out her web site at http://www.lynda.com/
for helpful web tips.
Web Sources
Web
Monkey Is a site off the Wired Magazine
web site that is a good source for how to tutorials and tips for web page
development. Check out this site.
Electronic Payment
I have looked into ways of accepting electronic payments and despite the fact that most commercial service providers offer market baskets with their web sites, I have not felt comfortable with accepting information and not having control over the security of that information. A way around this has just appeared and it is called PayPal. It is a third party that acts as the go between for email transfers of money. The service is free and was written up on the commercial web pages. To find out more about it click on the link below and be happy that you have helped sponsor this site through a referral fee. You too can get referrals via their generous startup program.
Web Servers
There is a temptation to host your web site using a free host or by using the space provided by your local ISP, but if you want to have a reliable and professional looking web site, it is best to have a separate web server host your site. There are a lot of choices out there and it can be confusing. I have been using ValueWeb as a web server for several years now and I can recommend them. They are not a reseller, but a major hosting service. They provide 24/7 technical support, offer a variety of packages and can expand to meet your needs and they are very affordable. For more information click on the banner below.
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