[rodawn]

Okay, I need big help.

I seem to have broke my old computer which was running Windows XP and so I was using Adobe Contribute 4... this was an uber-easy, super-duper program for editing a website, making new pages, blah, blah. LOVED this program. But it only works on Win XP.


So, now I have this other computer which runs Win 7. Contribute v.5 is a big upgrade, but it works directly with Dreamweaver... a program I find incredibly FRUSTRATING and not at all easy to work with because I don't know a stitch of HTML and it seems you need to know at least some of that to work with Dreamweaver. Sigh.

I need something that works in English, has easy-to-use drop-down menus to get things I want and just does all the translation for me.

Ideas and help please....

[Halt Near X]

If this is for the website in your signature, your web host offers a site building application. These tend to be pretty much point-and-click, which is what you want. I would start by looking into that and see if it will work for what you need.

[Tehzebra]

If you need help with dreamweaver, shoot me a pm. I can help you out for sure!

[rodawn]

My web host has very basic templates none of which caught my eye for what I want. I really like most of Andreas Viklund templates and his are modifiable - too bad he lives in Sweden. Tehzebra...lovely offer, but I think my illiteracy is well beyond a PM. I've also approached several website designers, but all wanted a maintenance contract and/or require the site hosted with them, and while I get that it's their business, I want to have the freedom to update as necessary.

Anyone know how good the Dreamweaver for Dummies book is? I'm willing to learn and certainly not afraid of work. If it's a good book, I will tackle that as my starting point!

[Halt Near X]

Maybe look at http://www.coffeecup.com/

I've never used it, but I heard good things about it when they were first getting going. It looks like they have a trial version so you can make sure it'll work for you. Then you can pick and choose what features you want to buy, so if you just need a few basic tools, it won't break the bank.

[philosoraptor]

IMHO Dreamweaver is the only product I'll use for web site design. The down side is that because it's so powerful & feature-rich there is learning curve. Why not buy some video tutorials or sign up for a class at your local community college?

For the most professional web site (i.e. for a business), nothing beats hiring a competent pro. I know it can cost, but if you shop around you'll find some talented people who can produce great results on a limited budget.

For more of a blog-style site, instead of either choice, I might suggest installing the Wordpress engine on your server. There are a bazillion (free) templates, add-ons, and widgets. Once it's installed, you need only minimal site design/programming knowledge. It's nice because you can then upset your site from anywhere; the editing tools all run on the server. I've been converting my sites over to be powered by wordpress because I just don't have the time to do 100% of the design work by myself (or at least have the time to do it and be happy with results).
http://wordpress.com/

[Shannon.Ryan18]

I use GoDaddy and while there's definitely a learning curve, the more I play with it, the easier it gets. Our website is still under construction and changing so don't judge me too hard

[kathy s.]

You Tube has a wealth of free tutorials. I have used it for statistics and to learn more about my camera. There are a lot of Photoshop tutorials and I bet some on Dreamweaver are available too.

[Wraper2]

Have you tried windows compatibility mode on the old program? You can run it as if you are using Win XP.

[horsegal301]

For the most professional web site (i.e. for a business), nothing beats hiring a competent pro. I know it can cost, but if you shop around you'll find some talented people who can produce great results on a limited budget.

http://wordpress.com/

I can't emphasis this enough... but I might be biased because I am a web designer. I cringe when I see sites created in wix or watch that terrible 1and1 commercial, I just think of how unprofessional they look. If you want to appear professional, you need to make sure your online presence is the same, considering many people will be looking for it.

My dad uses what was GoDaddy's website tonight to create sites for his friends, and it frustrates me every time because they just look horrid. For a professional company, it's just worth it to invest in something that is going to make you money in the end.

There are many people who are willing to design a regular site (not an e-commerce site) from anywhere from $1k and up who can give you something pretty decent. When you work with professionals, you get people who are educated in user experience and understand best practices for web... something most people making simple sites know nothing about.