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Which one? html or wysiwyg?
leader
Posts: 17
Joined: 29 Apr 09
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04 Dec 09 4:16 am

Which one? html or wysiwyg?

Knowing what you know now how would you address your need to be able to build websites, landing and/or squeeze pages?

Would you say, focus your learning curve on html building of webpages......or get xsite or some other similar tool and master that?

And please,... don't send me an affiliate link to some product....OK!

Thanks.
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Moderator
wollowra
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04 Dec 09 5:05 am

 Hi Leader,
If you are pretty switched on and think you know how to learn HTML then it will never be a bad thing.
However, I find that knowing a tiny bit of HTML is ok, because the last thing I want to do is sit down and code my own site.
You will probably use dreamweaver or frontpage anyway... but it will get to a certain point where you will just outscource your site building.
I would be more inclined to learn wordpress.. inside and out.
Xsitepro is great... but it can have it's limitations when it comes to customized menu's and navigation.

Not sure if that helps.
I hope others can chip in here as well.

Regards
Troy
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Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize
they were the big things.

-- Robert Brault
 
leader
Posts: 17
Joined: 29 Apr 09
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04 Dec 09 5:56 am

 Hey Troy.

Thanks for the info.

I guess I don't really know what Wordpress is because I don't know how you can compare it to dreamweaver or xsite pro????

I'm sure you've noticed the abundance of contradicting information out there.
Some say you don't need a website just Blog,..others say you must have a site and a blog,... others say blogs are no good, go for websites only and add pages every week,....and so on and so on........

I know there is no hard and fast rule and that the internet changes fast.

I have been getting results from direct linking or with ezinearticles I use a simple landing page (a service that comes with my Auto Responder)

So far My simple efforts have gotten me simple results,.....but now that I am seeing regular paypal alerts in my email,....I want to expand and do it WELL!

I have not yet passed any task off to someone else so at this stage I will be making my own sites, I love to research and write, and like the idea of using templates.

Is this where wordpress would come in?
If I use WP can I eliminate the need for a site building tool,???....(oh I hope the answer is yes).

I guess what I need is one tool, gizzmo, or thingy that will cover my website, blog,....all of my online presentation needs for the next couple of years then I will master that sucker enough to teach others.

That way I can build something that works very well, know EXACTLY How It Works,... And Then Hand It Off to someone else to maintain while I go off and do it again and again.

And most importantly focus on the parts that prove themselves worth my effort.......as in producing results.

So is it XSitePro?
That nightmare called SBI?!!!!
WordPress?
I hope the answer isn't Dream Weaver......

(Seems like everyone who has talked to me about Xsite or SBI is trying to sell me one or both......maybe that's a clue!)

Anyway it's been a long day of Christmas shopping with my kid's,....I hope you forgive the rant and that you have an exceptional evening.
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Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave.
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wollowra
Posts: 869
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04 Dec 09 7:16 am

 Xsitepro is the best web builder for newbies I have ever seen.
Especially for your first couple of sites...

If you plan to outscource later, I would go with Wordpress as you can use it for a website and a Blog.
Keep in mind that there will be a learning curve with anything..
Yep, it can also frustrate the C**P out of you..lol
You just need to get in there and do it and learn.
The affiloblueprint covers building a site from start to finish with Wordpress.

Anyway.. I hope this helps.
Regards
Troy
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Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize
they were the big things.

-- Robert Brault
 
gthomas3
Posts: 9
Joined: 01 Sep 09
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04 Dec 09 1:53 pm

 WYSIWYG, and take a look at the code every now and then. HTML isn't really coding, and I'm confident you could have a firm grasp of it just by sitting down for a weekend. It's not necessary to know everything thoroughly--as the days of writing out a site 100% in notepad are gone--more so to be familiar, so if a table is acting strange for example, you know the difference between the <tr> and <td> tag.
Personally I use Frontpage 2003--old school I know, but it's great. It's a bare-bones WYSIWYG editor that does everything you need. I find editors such as Dreamweaver to contain far too many functions that the majority of users don't use and just intimidate/confuse them.

I haven't used xsitepro, but my word of advice is to keep your editor simple.
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leader
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Joined: 29 Apr 09
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04 Dec 09 8:35 pm

 Thanks for the input.

If I do go and "Embrace" WordPress, would I still need to master an editor?
Or is that somehow included in the WP picture?

I don't mind a huge learning curve I find it's just another area where you can quickly separate yourself from the many who are not willing to work for it......but I don't want to waste my time,..either.

It is starting to sound like WP could be a very long term answer. Which is what I'm looking for.

Here is an example of why I want this out of my face.

Last Monday I got an inspiration for an article that turned into a series of articles........so I laid them all out in point form and made a quick list of potential phrases to throw into the search tools I'm using.

Then I do my attempt at a strategy or plan of attack,.......And that's where I get stalled because I really do not have a satisfactory, (to ME), place to send people.

Landing page?
Blog?
Website?
Squidoo? (I hate Squidoo.)


And I do understand that my needs will change once I find that niche where all the plus signs come together.
That's where I will hand the building and much of the SEO to some of the long term site building wizards.

But what I am hoping to do is put the tools together that will help me test niches and develop them in order to find some of those diamonds that are worth the extra effort and expense.

And I'm not looking for absolutes either just clues like gthomas gave that he has learned from his own personal experience.
Which is much appreciated.

Have a good day.
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jmpruitt
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09 Dec 09 6:28 am

 Depending on the theme you use, wordpress can be used for blogs and static sites. Wordpress is a content management system., with the right plug-ins and themes you can do just about anything you want without knowing much code. of course learning a little will help. I usually find that when I hit a coding problem I can usually find someone in the forums that knows the answer.

I currently have 5 sites all built in wordpress. I have not had any problems with it at all. it is fairly simple to use. It does get a little difficult changing different themes since they all operate differently, but once you find one or two you like, it is pretty straight forward.
Personally I use the AB theme for my static sites, and Privateer for my blogs.
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leader
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09 Dec 09 6:59 pm

 Hey jmpruitt.

Thanks that makes a lot of sense.

So far wordpress sounds to be the closest to what I want. Or should say need.
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geniuzs
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15 Dec 09 4:48 pm

 Following up with the discussion here. Great informative reading. Here is my opinion -
a. Knowledge of something is always a ++ . So spending some time to learn HTML/XHTML is always a better idea. Reason- You can finetune the pages that you design.
b. While going for a WYSIWYG editor for web development, use any thing that has following features (minumum requirement you can say) -
i. Supports the Preview of the page that you are writing
ii. Allows you to play with the HTML code it generates (many a time it becomes necessary tweaking the code for exact results)
iii. Doesnt stuff your web page with its own content and links
iv. Allows support for the CSS and other features like embedding Images, Flash and videos.
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leader
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Joined: 29 Apr 09
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18 Dec 09 12:18 am

 Hi Geniuzs

Good points here.

The list you mentioned can be filled with a few of the free services and many of the ones under $60.00usd

I am in the middle of an html course right now and it isn't nearly as hard as I thought and as you say the lessons learned here will carry me through the full length of a career.

In my looking around for a consensus, I talked to some designers for price and some advice as well.

Even though all of them have the Adobe tools they all use other stuff as well. Even some of the free tools.

Of the 4 I talked to 3 said just go with the free tools because there is no all in one solution and the free tools offer unlimited flexibility.
Their advice is to learn some html and css as you go, nothing heavy, and use 1stPage or Kompozer and Gimp or Paint with some good templates and get to work.
They pointed out that in the process of learning this way I will end up with new skill sets I will easily be able to market.

Which is a heck of a good idea.

The other guy just tried to sell me an Adobe Suite,?? For a ridiculous sum of Moolas
What is it with these affiliate types anyway? :-) ahem.

Like they say, you're going to sweat bullets in the beginning with any program anyway so you might as well do it for free.

So.......I don't know if I'm more confused now or what but I have downloaded some goodies, (I love new stuff), and I have the beginnings of a plan and will get to work.

Thanks for the input.
I sincerely wish you all a very good Christmas.
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