Often questions are raised regarding how one goes about starting a similar site. Hopefully this will help you find what you need/want to know. I can't answer all questions, but hopefully I can help you get started to finding the answers. Feel free to provide feedback on this if there is anything that could use more information.
I have broken things into a number of topics to try and make it easier to find what you are looking for.
- Where should I start?
- I suggest starting with an idea. This may sound stupid, but without a good idea of what you want, you will never make it. You may change the idea over time, but start with what information you want to convey. A good idea is to start with a travelogue of some sort or other (similar to this site).
- How do I make the pages?
- Today I would encourage you to use a Content Management System (CMS), or a blog engine. The choice of which is right depends on your primary idea for your site. If you primarily are thinking of content in a series of pieces as they come to you, then a blog is best. If you are thinking of some more rigid and less time bound presentation, then a CMS is right.
- For blogs, most people find Word Press is the choice. It powers a good many sites. For others, the choice becomes a bit more complicated and the best advice I can give is to search out other people's opinions.
- Where do I put the pages?
- I would either start with a blog service, or go to a web hosting provider.
- What about domain names?
- Most hosting providers provide registration services.
- How do I get the pages on the web?
- If you are using either a CMS or blog engine, it will have a means of writing your pages right inside of the system.
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The creation of this web site has very much been a work in progress. There have been a number of considerations that have affected the how and why of page design. One of the first, is that I (the webmaster and Kirk's son) firmly believe in the original intent of the World Wide Web. By this, I say that I believe in content over and above presentation. There is a growing trend to make the pages have a universal look and feel. The designers wish to control the look the same way that printed material is controlled.
Thus, I will state the obvious that the Web is not print. It should not be thought of in the same line. Different people have different equipment, software, and preferences. When you force them to look at the information in the same way, you have placed presentation above content. But then, often presentation is the only thing many seem to have to offer.
When we started the site, my dad would compose the articles in Front Page and then I would place them on the site with FTP after modifying a javascript file for the menu. Around 2007 we moved to a Content Managements System (CMS). I chose Joomla at the time for reasons I really don't recall. I have kept in in Joomla partly because it is there, and partly because I appreciate that the menu system is completely separate from the articles. Most other systems don't have the separation between content and menus.
Today, I believe that most people should just start a web site using a CMS (even with only a few pages). Many providers have setup scripts that remove any need to know how to set things up. Also, if you have the right system, it will take care of adapting to the device on its own.
This article is in response to people asking my dad how he created his site. He used to send their email to me and I would let them know what I did in setting up his site, and what it would take to start one of their own.
The first thing to get started is a place to put your pages. Often times your Internet Service Provider (ISP) will include space to host your web page. If you go that route, then you will have their name at the start of your Internet address or URL. (This is the part you see where you type in another web address to go to.) The next level allows you to select a sub-domain. My dad's site is setup with one of these in the form of adventure.1tree.net The "adventure" part refers to the sub-domain. This will also then be reachable through the alternative of www.1tree.net/adventure. While the two links look different, they point to the same place on the Internet.
You can also choose to register a domain. This is what I decided to do back in 1998 when I registered 1tree.net. This allows you to always maintain the same address even if you change who provides the web hosting. I have moved the domain several times due to changing companies and offerings. As a note, you also then get to choose the first part of your email address this way as well.
Once you have gotten this far and decided on where to put your pages, you can begin the real work. I won't go into what you decide to put on your pages. But to create the pages, you will have a number of options. The most rudimentary, is to use a simple text editor (such as notepad) to create your web pages. If you are reading this far though, I would guess that is beyond what you will be doing starting out. You can also use a number of editors you install on your computer. An easy entry point is Microsoft Front Page. This is an integrated solution and will likely integrate directly into the system your web hosting provider has in place. Thus, you can easily create (or edit) your pages and put them in place on the web from the single place. It will also help you organize.
Many providers now also have web site builders built right into them. They help you create your pages right on the web server. You will use your web browser to access them. I don't have any experience with them. The next step up to consider is to use a "Content Management System." This is what we are using. It includes an editor that allows you create your pages. And has many tools to organize (and re-organize) your site. There are a number of free systems out there and if you choose to get your own address (as we have) then many hosting services will even have an automated installation setup for you.
If this hasn't scared you off, then feel free to write me and I can answer more specific questions to get you going.