How to Build a Personal Website

Maybe you would like to be able to post photos from your weekend vacation, but you would rather not use Flckr.com. Perhaps you would like to have a blog but websites like Blogger.com just are not what you are looking for. Perhaps you want a unique way to express yourself to your friends and family. If this is the case, consider creating your own personal website.

Many people get scared off when they hear about HTML and how it has tags, coding and other intimidating functions. However, it is not as hard as it sounds and there are easy ways to put together a website that will suit your needs.

First, you will need to gain access to some sort of web design software and graphics editing program. This could either be by finding a library has the software you plan to use, or purchase the software. While Microsoft has a web design product called Front Page, a program used more often by professional web designers that is rather user-friendly is Adobe Dreamweaver. The latest edition, Creative Suite 3, is available for $399.00 and college students should check on campus to see what educational discounts they may be able to receive. Another popular piece of software to consider is Adobe Photoshop, in which the current version retails for $649.00.

Next, I would recommend getting a how-to book, such as HTML for Dummies by Ed Tittel. It is currently on Amazon.com for under $20.00 (before shipping). How-to books come in quite handy when trying to make a website, as they contain many tips that you may not have otherwise thought of. For example, I have learned that the first thing any webpage should start with is a table to contain all the pictures and text. This way it all has a uniform look and the pages all seem to fit together as a viewer goes through the website. It is an easy way to turn a mediocre website into a clean-cut website.