which book?

[moranclan]

i'm a complete novice when it comes to computers, but would like to attempt to set up my own web site for my newly started business, could anyone steer me in the right direction on which book to purchase to walk me through the whole thing from start to finish (bearing in mind i need a version for the totally dumb) i've heard that "web building for dummies" isn't exactly for dummies, but for dummies with experience! please help

[ACtheTROLL]

dummies is as low as it gets
technical is the wrong word .. but go with the thought .... it's a steep learning curve

the principle of basic html is very simple (especially for those of us who remember wordstar)

each formatting attribute is switched on then off - simple really.
the talent is really artistic - if it works but looks bad it's useless. I can construct a page ... but I have no artistic ability ... my stuff is reasonably competent .. but looks terrible and so is not worth using.

you don't say what type of business ... but image is everything ...
I'd say if you can't make it look good ... either pay someone who can ... or don't bother.

if you are serious your local tec will run some sort of course ... try that

[vehelpfulguy]

If you are a complete novice when it comes to computers I think you are underestimating how much knowledge you need to set up a website.

Agreed that anyone can throw together some HTML to create a web page, but that is very different from designing a web site, and a badly designed site can reflect badly on your business.

If you really want to start from scratch I would start with this book. You can get it for about �10 from a decent bookshop

http://www.cookwood.com/htmlvqj/

It is a great little tutorial that assumes NO knowledge at all and starts from first principles to help you design a small web site (two pages).

After you have gone through that you will not know everything (far from it) but it is a good starting point.

[vehelpfulguy]

Once you have gone through the book above you can then start on this book.

http://www.cookwood.com/html6ed/

It is NOT a tutorial but is a bible for HTML and CSS web design.

The lady has a nice writing style and some of the early chapters do take you through some of the basics of web design.

btw It is possible to design a website WITHOUT a knowledge of HTML and CSS. Some products allow you to design a site using just a GUI interface.

But I think it is very important to have a knowledge of HTML and CSS in case you need to change the site in a way that is not possible via the GUI.

[vehelpfulguy]

Also, if you want to have a try at web design for free then download this free version of Serif Webplus.

You can get it here

http://www.freeserifsoftware.com/

Serif tend to give away their older releases for free, hoping once you have tried it you will want to buy the most recent version, or maybe some of their other software.

You will also need some sort of graphics software, for creating or altering images (JPG and GIF files).

The best is Photoshop Elements which you can get for about �50 I think.

You can download a trial version from here

http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshopelwin/

Or you could download Serif PhotPlus for free which allows some image manipulation

http://www.freeserifsoftware.com/software/Phot oPlus/default.asp

[WoWo]

As the others have touched apon but not expanded too much, writing the web page is not even half of your problem. If you really are non-technical then doing the pages won't be too much of a problem but when it comes to actually setting the site up I think it might be a bit of a challenge.

On the business front, I have set up a number of web sites for people with a new business and without fail their sites have been a total failure (not my fault ;) ), you need to consider if a site will have any practical benefit for your business, without more details I'd say it won't and with the upmost respect something you knock up definately won't.

[moranclan]

thanx all, mayb i'll have a re-think, but i wld like to have a go, maybe start with a website not related to the business.
thanx vehelpfulguy gonna try the book see how i go, wish me luck!

[fo3nix]

Websites are just another advertising platform, albeit a more intelligent one.

If you usually pay some company for the design of your company logo or flyers, then I'd recommend you get some company to design the site for you.

Just as an amateur-looking flyer for a company doesn't attract customers, neither will an amateur-looking website.