creating your web site

When I first set up my web site in 1996 I was given a UNIX account, space on the server, and was told, in essence, "Knock yourself out." I was very much on my own and had to learn what I could from the sources I could find.

Much has changed since then. In the following years tools proliferated, from the simple and free to the complex and expensive. Some required strong HTML knowledge, while others, like Dreamweaver, provided a graphical user interface.

Today the landscape is very different. In this era of The Cloud there are many online services that not only host your web site and provide a graphical interface, but which offer drag and drop tools for creating your web site. I just finished launching a web site built on Wix, which allows your to build a complete web site via drag and drop. I was a little reluctant to give up control over the underlying HTML code, but I was doing this for a nonprofit and I wanted them to have an environment where a non-technical volunteer could update the site if they decided to go that route. Wix pricing is also reasonable, and it was easy to claim the organization's desired domain name. Both very helpful for a nonprofit.

Wix has a few limitations, but there are generally workarounds. I was able to accomplish everything I wanted to on the site. I was pleased with the results I achieved for the Student of the Month program.

There are other services that do much the same thing. My cousin is a freelance marketing consultant. He has been using Squarespace for a number of years and is very happy with it. He has also used Virb for a client and was impressed with that service.

Whatever route you choose, creating your web site today is much easier than it was in 1996.