Last week, I wrote about getting started with your own website and told you I would be writing about creating content for you website this week. Today, I want to explore a couple of different ways you can create your own web pages.

When you view a page on the internet, that page is written in a basic format known as HTML or Hyper Text Markup Language. Want to see what HTML looks like? Just visit a web page, right click on a blank spot on the web page and click “View Source” from the context menu that appears. Don’t worry if the HTML looks confusing, the good news is that there are programs that will write the actual language for you.

If you are up for the challenge and want to learn how to write some basic HTML, I have just the place for you to begin, a website named Boogie Jack.com at: http://www.boogiejack.com/html_tutorials.html If you want to just see what writing HTML is all about, and understand some of the basics, this is the place to start. If you decide you are serious about creating your own web page this way, I would advise you to purchase Boogie Jack’s book, Website Design Made Easy, at boogiejack.com

I started out writing the HTML for my website using Boogie Jacks first edition of Website design made easy, and I am currently studying and using the third edition for reference.

Not interested in learning HTML? What you need is a WYSIWYG (What You See is What You Get) web design program. There are several of these types of programs available. They allow you to design your web pages like you would in a desktop publishing program, and then it will convert the pages to HTML for you. If you go to Google and search for wysiwyg, you will find a variety of programs.

The most widely used HTML program is Dreamweaver from Adobe. You can take a look at this program on the Adobe website here:

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

As you can see from their website, the program costs hundreds of dollars, but it is a standard in web publishing. I have not used dreamweaver, (it has never been in my budget) but I know people who do use it, and they claim that it is easy to use.

For a long time, I took pride in the fact that my web page code was all written by hand. As my website grew, however, my site suffered from the fact that writing by hand is so very time consuming. Several years ago, I decided to swallow my pride and find a program that would make it easier to add content to my site on a regular basis. I already owned (and was very happy with) software from a company named, Serif, so when they offered me a discount on the newest version of their WYSIWYG web design software, I decided to give it a try.

WebPlus is a good program, easy for beginners, but with advanced features that allow you to add your own code in places. WebPlus even works with paypal, allowing you to create your own online store. If you are not sure how a website should be put together, WebPlus comes with a variety of templates, and each template can be modified by changing the color schemes. All you have to do, is add your text, maybe a few pictures, and you are all set to go.

You can learn more about WebPlus and purchase the program here:

I have created my website, and a few sites for other people using WebPlus. Here are a few for you to look at:

http://www.veggielight.com
http://www.godstuffonline.com
http://www.allthingsseptic.com
http://www.subsurfaceinspections.com

I encourage you to visit the websites listed in this article, and decide if you want to write your web site by hand using tutorials like the ones on Boogie Jack’s website, or if you want to use a WYSIWYG program.

In the coming weeks, we will continue on this discussion, and talk about getting your site up on the internet for the world to see.

Elizabeth