06.23.08
Posted in website building, website software at 4:16 pm by Ron
I’m currently building a website for a couple who are offering disc jockey and live music entertainment. The site is just in the embryo stage at present. Take a look at it here
Please note that these web pages will not change much, if at all. I shall continue working on the site but at a different URL to protect the privacy of my clients. When it’s finished, and if my clients give approval, the complete site may be revealed.
There are only two pages at present; any more will depend on my clients. At present I’m just using a folder on the Shed 18 website. Nobody can access it unless given the URL. You’re privileged 
.This is a useful dodge until the website is ready to publish on its own domain. I shall set it up to receive payments, provided my clients open the necessary accounts. WordPress may form a further part of the site, where my clients can publish details of events and accept comments.
As I say, the website is in an embryonic state and the final site may look and feel completely different. But I’d like to tell you how I set about it. I used the web editor Dreamweaver 3, a very old version, but one that I know very well, but I could just as well have used Profit Site Pro In fact I used a template I developed using Profit Site Pro that gives a page that’s OK in all screen resolutions. But more of that later.
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Making the header graphic
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I started with a picture from my customer, resized it and edited it in Irfanview (available from the Shed 18 member’s zone, graphics section). Then, using an ancient graphics program, Fireworks 2, I inserted it into an existing header graphic of a similar color and added some text. So,in a way, the pic determined the look and feel of the web page, the main colors of the pic being brown and green.
The size, or rather the width, of the header is important if you want it to work in various screen resolutions. The header graphic needs to fit the lowest useful screen resolution, that I consider to be 800×600. But this leaves an ugly gap at the RHS when viewed in higher resolutions. My solution, and I’m sure there must be others, is to fill the gap area with a matching color. You’ll see this on the Shed 18 and Member’s zone headers as well.
To match colors I use a simple little tool “Hex Color Finder”. Using the eyedropper tool any color can be sampled.
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The Home Page
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At present the home page contains very little as I’m waiting for photos and content. Apart from the DJ Yazoo” and “Disk Jockey” under the header it’s virtually the template.
The two buttons will be made “rollover” and may even change completely. The buttons work - try them.
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Intermission
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This page is about Diane “The Girl on the Fiddle” and contains samples of music from her latest CD.
I copied the tracks from the CD to my hard drive, then took the samples using an open-source program “Audacity” You can get it through the Shed 18 Member’s zone, Audio section.
Then I used Impact Web Audio to turn the MP3 files into streaming audio and provide the buttons. I matched the color of the buttons to the page using “Hex Color Finder”
There’s an offer on Rons Deals at the moment for Impact Web Audio. It’s great, and a pleasure to use. Use it as I have or for voice recording with optional music backing.
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02.08.08
Posted in website building, Internet marketing, website software at 4:52 pm by Ron
There’s a different world outside your comfort zone!
We all live our lives within limits that we have set up or that have been set up for us by accident or design. As long as we stay within these boundaries we feel confident and safe and it may take courage to step outside the boundary. But we should all extend our boundaries from time to time to make life more interesting.
Many years ago I took a job with a company with global interests as a Design Engineer. After a time my responsibilities grew and I was required to travel to the company’s headquarters in Switzerland to discuss design ideas. Having never left the UK before, I was apprehensive but I needn’t have worried. I survived and did all that was expected of me.
After that I was called upon time and again to undertake a variety of duties in various parts of the world, often at short notice. And not always confined to my specific field of design.
In other words I was often working outside my ‘comfort zone’ but the experience was rewarding. These particular boundaries of my comfort zone became, through repetition, the norm. In this case I really had no choice if I wanted to further my career; but it’s more difficult to break out of one’s comfort zone voluntarily.
We all have our comfort zones in the field of computing but there’s no real reason for it. Many people who surf regularly, post to forums and download music files tell me that building a website would be quite beyond them. People who already have a website tell me they’ll never understand HTML, or any other programming language, or CSS, or RSS or any other of the multitude of techniques, but it’s these that make building websites so exciting; the joy of breaking out of your comfort zone - and winning.
I’ve been messing about with websites as long as they’ve been around and I try anything that becomes available once I think it’s reasonably well developed. And if I have the time!
I believe that many folk are intimidated by names put on processes by Geeks. Terms such as MySQL, permissions, Cron jobs, CGI and many others can be intimidating but if tackled one at a time aren’t difficult to understand. If you’re unsure of a term just do a search for it on Google. Wikipedia is a great resource.
Using a process, say installing a script, may take some time for the first one. Then the second will be easier and after that it’s all downhill until you wonder what the problem was. The problem was fear; fear of failure. But we all have to make mistakes in order to succeed.
When tackling something new, like installing a script, look ahead to see any possible snags and keep copies of original files before modifying them, just in case you need to backtrack. Keep notes of progress and above all persevere.
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01.26.08
Posted in Uncategorized, website building, Internet marketing, website software at 5:05 pm by Ron
I am sorry that I have neglected Shed 18 Report for a long time but I hope to write more regularly in 2008.
Recapping, Shed 18 is dedicated to building good websites for all purposes, from family and hobby sites thro’ personal business websites, hence our slogan “Building Websites for Pleasure or Profit”
I have had a good career as an engineering design engineer but am now retired. Starting a new engineering design involved starting with a clean sheet of paper on the drawing board. The designs I produced were entirely mine, from first concepts to overseeing the manufacture on the workshop floor. Then delivery to the customer and making sure that the product performed as per specification and that the customer was entirely happy.
Website building is very similar and has filled the need for me to produce products that are appealing and fit for the purpose for which they were designed. They involve writing, photography, graphics, layout and other skills that I didn’t know I could learn, such as audio and video. It’s been, and still is, a fantastic journey with no fixed frontiers; there’s always something new to learn or try out.
And yet, for all this, building websites is a cheap hobby when compared to most others and doesn’t involve getting your hands dirty. In fact, spend a minute or so firing up the computer, spend as long as you like enjoying the work. When it’s time to stop, just tidy your files and shut down the computer. No gardening tools to clean and put away; no wood chips to sweep up and dispose of. Heaven!!
I don’t pretend to know everything there is to know about building websites, does anyone?, but I’m constantly trying new stuff and experimenting with programs. Shed 18 a sells a range of superb software for use in building or promoting websites. The software is easy to use and comes with support and a guarantee. There is new software added every month.
Shed 18 publishes a magazine every two weeks that will keep you in touch with us. Subscribe free to the magazine and get some free webmaster’s software. Subscribing to Shed 18 News also allows entry into the Member’s Zone, where there are more useful articles plus access to a load of reports and software free to download.
If you’re not a member, please go right now to this page to subscribe. You won’t regret it.
Ron King
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07.20.07
Posted in Uncategorized, website software at 3:46 pm by Ron
We’ve added a directory to Shed 18 where loads of up-to-date information can be found on many subjects.
Take a look at it now.
And while you’re there add a link to our website.
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03.14.07
Posted in website building, Internet marketing, website software at 10:53 pm by Ron
In the last few days we’ve rehashed the site, consolidating the Premier software on to one page.
From the point of building a website we still believe that ProfitSitePro offers the best allround alternative, allowing almost instant creation of an outline website of three pages and an advanced WYSIWYG editor. Too many features to even begin to discuss here.
But our newest software is a little miracle. Starting with a few short articles in plain text this program, Article Site Power Kit makes complete website, including Adsense and Amazon ads if you want. It’s fantastic and has to be tried to believe it.
But just this month there’s an upgrade;
Article Site Power Kit PRO VERSION that adds new features. It works like this. You buy Article Site, then if you wish to upgrade, PRO VERSION is available at a low extra cost. The choice is yours.
Unlike many vendors, our sales pages aren’t full of exaggerated claims and false testimonials. They offer, as far as possible, a true indication of what the program does, with helpful notes. In fact we always recommend that, when you buy the product that you print out the sales page to ensure that you miss no features. There are often extra programs that might be overlooked. Also there are no hidden prices.
We’re always ready to support our products and there’s a cast-iron money-back guarantee.
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