numpty website question

[dellzeqq]

I've agreed to get a website up and going for a secret and subversive cycling organisation. (Whoops, now I'm going to have to kill them all...). The website will be about thirty pages. The majority of pages will have graphics.

The problem is that the secret and subversive organisation will all have to agree to the content of the website, which will take time and messing around as, despite there being very few of us, we approach this from very different perspectives. I'm therefore going to have to produce the whole thing in page form and get it approved by my fellow secret subversives before handing it to an expert to put on the website.

I should say the domain name has been purchased, along with two e-mail addresses from an outfit called Namesco.

So - what programme might I use to set up the pages? I'm hoping that somebody will say Powerpoint, because I've got that, and I even know how to turn bits of text in to links.

I don't neccessarily need the best, but I don't want the website thingy to be horribly difficult for the person setting it up.

 

[gaz]

Do not use powerpoint, there are plenty of free applications that can make websites for you.

Edit: actually if you are handing it to an 'expert' it doesn't matter. just as long has he gets it in a format he will be happy with, so not powerpoint

 

[Carwash]

Is PowerPoint your solution to everything, dellzeqq?

 

[Norm]

Hmmm... yeah, Powerpoint is pants but...

If someone else will be building the site and all you are wanting to do is pass round something which can convey the general look and feel with the specific content, then Powerpoint could work if it's something that you know already.

It could take a while to learn a new package just to put together a few pages which will be completely disregarded in the final build. If you are confident with Powerpoint, then I would suggest using that.

 

[Wigsie]

You could download a 60 day free trial of Expression/sketchflow, its easy peasy to learn. Incorporates in flow charts and builds in the navigation between pages too, alongside allowing you to design the wireframes. Once your done the 'others' can view the spec and each page etc and make comments (but crucially not edit it).

If you are handing the site over to a pro to design/build then you can just export it to word to make it nice and easy for them.

Or just use powerpoint! It's not great, but gets the job done and if you already know how to use it then get on with it. If you want any pointers let me know...

 

[HJ]

Don't even think of using PowerPoint to build a a web site, you will seriously come to regret...

 

[Ian H]

There are some very good open source CMS packages about that make websites very easy. I used Joomla for www.ukcyclist and others.

 

[cisamcgu]

MS Powerpoint will work if it just a look and feel you want, MS Publisher will also do the job, and create a website based on the pages. But since you say it is going to be passed on to someone else to do the actual "web building bit" then pick whatever does the job you need and that you feel comfortable with.

Andrew

 

[dellzeqq]

Is PowerPoint your solution to everything, dellzeqq?

I've paid for it and it does do presentations, both visual and printed, in very short order.

 

[HJ]

A web site and presentation are two very different things in programming terms, you will seriously come to regret it if you try to create a web site using PowerPoint, don't do it. CMS is no where as scary as it looks, if it is just a simple web site you are after you could even get away with using WordPress...

Ps: Before anyone starts telling WordPress is just for blogging, try following the link!

 

[Wigsie]

Don't even think of using PowerPoint to build a a web site, you will seriously come to regret...

I agree, but was presuming he was just trying to get his idea/concept down and visualized so others could have an input.

PowerPoint is OK for a crude IA or Wireframe but not for look and feels, design or actually trying to build a site.

Open source CMS solutions like wordpress are ok for certain tasks (bit more than blogging happy HJ?) but do have their limits.

 

[Shaun]

Hi Dell,

Are you wanting to produce a paper representation of what you want the web site to look like? or are you wanting to produce a rough-draft web site to give to a professional designer / team to bring to full production?

If you're not actually producing the finished product yourself, then providing you can give the web designer / team all of the original photo files and site text, then you should be fine with Powerpoint.

Regardless of what you use to produce the draft, the web designer is going to re-format everything anyway - even if you put together some basic HTML, the designer is going to want to re-do it to suit the web design application he/she uses.

A CMS (Content Management System) may well be the way to go, especially as you're starting with 30 odd pages, however they are not always the easiest things to install on shared server accounts, and can be a little daunting to the uninititated.

Is your web hosting Windows of Linux based?

Cheers,
Shaun

 

[thomas]

Hmmm... yeah, Powerpoint is pants but...

If someone else will be building the site and all you are wanting to do is pass round something which can convey the general look and feel with the specific content, then Powerpoint could work if it's something that you know already.

It could take a while to learn a new package just to put together a few pages which will be completely disregarded in the final build. If you are confident with Powerpoint, then I would suggest using that.

Speaking as someone who does do web development for clients, if someone else is making the website for you, then putting how you want the pages set out in powerpoint isn't too bad! If you know how to use it and everything it should be fine. Word might be better, as it will allow for longer pages.

Just don't make a website yourself in powerpoint, then export it to html....that would be terrible!!!

 

[dellzeqq]

Speaking as someone who does do web development for clients, if someone else is making the website for you, then putting how you want the pages set out in powerpoint isn't too bad! If you know how to use it and everything it should be fine. Word might be better, as it will allow for longer pages.

Just don't make a website yourself in powerpoint, then export it to html....that would be terrible!!!

that's a very interesting comment. I'm looking for a screen-shaped page, rather than a (for want of a better word) letter shaped page. Most websites take you to the top of a page, and you then scroll down, usually to find all the linky gubbins at the bottom. There's usually a plethora of headers, side columns and what have you. I want a landscape page with links embedded in the text or in the pics. A bit like this kind of thing..(except this is doesn't have the links, cos it's from photobucket)

(or the fnrttc brochure which was going to be a website until it struck me that, since people were being turned away most months, advertising wasn't neccessarily so very clever)

The challenge with this approach is to use the absolute minimun number of words.

 

[matc]

Well - and I never thought I'd hear myself say this - that looks like a perfect use for a Flash based website. Downside of Flash is that it's harder to let Search Engines in and find indexable content, but if you're not looking to generate traffic (are merely wanting an online brochure), then Flash might be the very thing. Makes all the embedding of links in graphics a lot easier.

On the other hand, it's not very easy to update, so if this is to be a dynamic thing, then maybe forget what I said.

As others have said, your web-monkey will use their existing toolbox, and if you trust them then all (sic) they require from you are some mockups and a good idea of the functionality and features you want. Doesn't matter a fig what you use to produce your mockups.