Making a website

Orogogus

One of the Chinese choirs I'm in asked me to look into setting up a website for them. This isn't something I've done before. I'm okay with computers, but I'm not a web genius. I can muddle my way through HTML if I have a reference, but I don't know CSS, scripting or anything remotely fancy. I've modified these things for work before, but I don't know how to do them from scratch.

Their needs are pretty simple, though. Some pages for the announcements, schedule, contact information, a gallery, maybe the current song list with PDFs and MP3s if it won't get anyone thrown in jail. A message board, possibly.

So. If I do a Google search, there are plenty of hits of unknown reputability. Google itself seems to offer something that could be usable, Google Sites, which is apparently part of their Google Apps suite. The standard edition is free, and appears to be adequate for the purpose.

So I guess my questions are:

1. Is there anything I'm missing that makes this Google Sites thing totally unsuitable after all?
2. What's the best way to go about registering a domain at minimal cost?

Heartlash

I've never used Google sites before, so I can't give you any advice regarding that.

There are plenty of services out there from domain registration (you should probably never ever pay more than $10 a year for one), but you also need to actually purchase some webspace to host anything online. I use Dreamhost for mine (you can get a solid package for $7-8 a month). They actually include a domain in most of their packages, and allow you to register additional ones through them. If you're not expecting to get absurd traffic (which it sounds like you aren't) then I'd recommend using them.

Also, http://www.w3schools.com is a great resource for learning more about web coding. I pretty much learned CSS directly from there.

Orogogus

If I'm understanding correctly, Google Sites offers 10 GB of hosted space for free, which for this choir would be far preferable to a monthly charge. At least, that's what I gleaned from the info page:

Use the file cabinet to upload files up to 10MB in size. Each Google Apps account receives at least 10GB of storage in Google Sites. Google Apps Premier and Education editions get an additional 500MB for each user account.

They have an option to handle the domain name registration, which costs $10/year, so I guess that's okay. So does this seem acceptable as a modern Geocities sort of thing?

Scrublet

I can't speak to actual domain registration. However, I've setup several sites where I already have domains using www.templatemonster.com. You still need some knowledge of HTML to tweak stuff, but by and large it can help. Bear in mind though: this advice comes from a compsci BS major who HATES web development and has ZERO artistic talent. This is my quick-fix bandaid solution to websites.

brandotheninjamaster

Heartlash wrote: »

I've never used Google sites before, so I can't give you any advice regarding that.

There are plenty of services out there from domain registration (you should probably never ever pay more than $10 a year for one), but you also need to actually purchase some webspace to host anything online. I use Dreamhost for mine (you can get a solid package for $7-8 a month). They actually include a domain in most of their packages, and allow you to register additional ones through them. If you're not expecting to get absurd traffic (which it sounds like you aren't) then I'd recommend using them.

Also, http://www.w3schools.com is a great resource for learning more about web coding. I pretty much learned CSS directly from there.

That site is fucking awesome! How could this have slipped under my radar?

Morinoko

Hello, Orogous; you can try these:

* For Domain name registration + hosting: DreamHost or MediaTemple

* For the actual built of the site, why don't you try one of the existing Open Source CMS (Content Management Systems) out there. I could recommend Joomla; it has a ton of modules (forums, galleries, etc) and a ton of free templates (the design, wich you can then change / edit).

* If you go the done by yourself HTML way, take a look at Dreamweaver (it has a 30 day trial version). It can help you a lot with the HTML & CSS. Plus, you can use it as a text editor if you need to hand code.

Sorry, i don't have any experience using Google Sites.

Hope this helps.