Setting up a web site

Squaredancecalling Steve · February-22nd-2007, 03:06 PM

I need to do it, for promotional purposes mostly.

My son's going to help me and is recommending 1and1 as a good and inexpensive host (is that the term?).

Is that a good one? Does it matter?

Any advice or caveats before I begin to work on it will be appreciated.

Cem · February-22nd-2007, 03:10 PM

A blog may be good for you, Steve. It's also an easy to update format.

Squaredancecalling Steve · February-22nd-2007, 03:13 PM

Isn't a blog more like a diary?

My focus here is the calling business. People are finding me through other people's websites. If I had my own, I could have a page featuring club dances, another with party dances, school dances, my schedule.

Jazzzoline · February-22nd-2007, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squaredancecalling Steve

Isn't a blog more like a diary?

My focus here is the calling business. People are finding me through other people's websites. If I had my own, I could have a page featuring club dances, another with party dances, school dances, my schedule.

Yes a blog is more like a diary.
Cem, you got a blog?

Jazzzoline · February-22nd-2007, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squaredancecalling Steve

I need to do it, for promotional purposes mostly.

My son's going to help me and is recommending 1and1 as a good and inexpensive host (is that the term?).

Is that a good one? Does it matter?

Any advice or caveats before I begin to work on it will be appreciated.

You probably have some space available with your ISP (look in your cntract). If your page is simple, you won't need to pay more for hosting.

Cem · February-22nd-2007, 03:31 PM

You can get a blog set up to be less like a diary or not like a diary at all & take advantage of its simple utility. There are some problems with my site, but posting is kinda as easy as posting here & I don't blog.

Cem · February-22nd-2007, 03:34 PM

Also, from time to time, you could post recent photos, video, audio & blurbiage as part of your recent history.

Jazzzoline · February-22nd-2007, 03:40 PM

hmm..
My blog is definitely boring...

Enforcer · February-22nd-2007, 03:41 PM

Put it up, Jazzzy.

Jazzzoline · February-22nd-2007, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Larry Nagel

Put it up, Jazzzy.

You're too young

Enforcer · February-22nd-2007, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jazzzoline

You're too young

I love when you say that.

Jazzzoline · February-23rd-2007, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Larry Nagel

I love when you say that.

And it's free.

Squaredancecalling Steve · June-18th-2007, 12:01 PM

With much more than a little help from my friend Jaka:

http://www.steveminkin.com/

Jazzooo · June-18th-2007, 12:27 PM

Wow, I just saw this thread for the first time today, so it seemed like it went up really fast!

Nice site, Steve. I like having the music play immediately.

walto · June-18th-2007, 12:42 PM

Most excellent!

My only suggestion is that you put something on the front page that indicates you're not only an instructor for beginners. You can also go where no dancers have gone before.

Surfer · June-18th-2007, 12:55 PM

Nice, Steve. Simple design, no java. I like it.

Squaredancecalling Steve · June-18th-2007, 12:57 PM

Actually it does, Walter, in the third paragraph.

But the front page is skewed to appeal to the newbie. The club dancers all know me anyway.

cookie · June-18th-2007, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squaredancecalling Steve

Any advice or caveats before I begin to work on it will be appreciated.

Hi Steve. You may wish to use some music to make your website perkier, but PLEASE please please give the listener some control over how they listen to it.

I really HATE people who put immediate sounds on their websites including musicians. I am often already listening to something. Guess whose music gets turned off? And if I can't find a toggle button for off right away, I get mighty annoyed. All I do is jump out of the website.

I know that musicians think they will catch some passerby's ear with this. I know they want to put the "wares" right out there so that people will know this is a "serious" "professional" website. But here's the deal: I think that forcing music on somebody is like coming into a concert and forcing yourself up on the stage.

Anyway, I hate this when individual musicians do this and I hate it when super big companies like Disney do it. The Disney page made me freak out. I just want to kill Mickey Mouse. The music was loud and annoying and the off button wasn't apparent. When you did find the off button, it wouldn't go off until the entire page was loaded. FU Mickey!!

I love the idea of having music and clips readily available (in fact, I should put some music on the first page of my own website), but I prefer that "off" be the default position and that an inviting note to turn the music on is available for ME to choose when I want to listen to it. Otherwise, you're probably tromping on my own music (or silence) of choice and that doesn't put me in a mood to consume the product being forced down my throat.

There..... that's off my chest.

jaka · June-18th-2007, 01:42 PM

Your call, Steve...?

I generally think like cookie on this, but you're the boss!

EDIT:
Just saw Jazzooo's post... Have yourself a poll.

Squaredancecalling Steve · June-18th-2007, 01:46 PM

There's an OFF button on every page, Cookie. But I think I'm going to keep it as the default being ON. Just to set a tone.

My music is from Doug Adamz & Bravo! from the album 'Down by the Riverside'. They opened for The Dillards last night, and they're my first entry on my LINKS page:

The wonderful traditional fiddle tunes you hear on this site are from the band I've worked with most closely over the years, Doug Adamz and Bravo! Doug is a brilliant multi-instrumentalist, as is his main colleague in the group, Rusty Gauthier (one of the mainstays of the New Riders of The Purple Sage).
As you'll see from his site, Bravo! is only one facet of Doug's music.
web.mac.com/dougadamz

cookie · June-18th-2007, 01:46 PM

I could not access your page at all. Came up blank for me. Sorry.

cookie · June-18th-2007, 01:48 PM

That's nice that you have "off" on every page. Do you have to turn it off every time a new page comes up? Also annoying. If the user clicks off once, it should stay off until they say so.

jaka · June-18th-2007, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cookie

I could not access your page at all. Came up blank for me. Sorry.

Complete link: http://web.mac.com/dougadamz/iWeb/Site/HOME.html

jaka · June-18th-2007, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cookie

That's nice that you have "off" on every page. Do you have to turn it off every time a new page comes up? Also annoying. If the user clicks off once, it should stay off until they say so.

No, it stays off from page to page.

Squaredancecalling Steve · June-18th-2007, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cookie

If the user clicks off once, it should stay off until they say so.

It does, it does.

cookie · June-18th-2007, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaka

Complete link: http://web.mac.com/dougadamz/iWeb/Site/HOME.html

I meant the minkin page. Sorry!

jaka · June-18th-2007, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cookie

I meant the minkin page. Sorry!

And it's blank???

cookie · June-18th-2007, 01:56 PM

Yeah, and I tried it twice, too. Must be something in my own settings?

jaka · June-18th-2007, 02:02 PM

OK then, questions.

- What is your Operating System?
- What is your Internet browser?

cookie · June-18th-2007, 02:41 PM

Jaka--
I'm ashamed to admit that I don't really know! I know that I'm using some version of Netscape. My husband and kids tell me I'm nuts, but I don't like Explorer. As for OS, I have no earthly clue. I'd need to ask my old man. Thank god for live-in computer support.

I think that may be one reason I like simple promotional websites. I have a pretty simple (ignorant or old-timey if you wish) approach to computers and the Internet in general.