May

...you've gathered your desired initial site photos, you've written your initial site text content, you've flowcharted your site's navigation, so, how do you now turn all of your content into a web site? ...today, the process of doing so, most commonly referred to as webmastering, can be accomplished in many ways

...certainly the first two questions you need to answer are: Do you have the technical knowledge to build and maintain your own web site? - and - Do you truly have the "time" to build your own site and perform the needed regular ongoing maintenance of it? ...many people, particularly those just getting started with a new venture, find that they already have so many tasks "on their plate" with the required day-to-day operations, that they really don't have the proper amount of time to dedicate to the process of building a professional looking and functioning web site, in which case, it may be most beneficial to you in the long run to have a professional content developer help with at least the "initial" development and construction of your web site

...oftentimes once a web site is "built", especially with the tight budgets most have to work with these days, money can be saved by performing the needed general ongoing maintenance and taking care of the desired "site updates" yourself, once the initial site construction is finished - so, if your "plan" is to eventually take over these tasks, it is important to make this clear to whomever you choose to build your site so as to ensure that your site will be constructed in such a way so that it will be compatible with your particular skill level for doing so

...today, along with the standard HTML programming of web site pages and/or utilizing WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editors such as Adobe's DreamWeaver™ application, there are also many additional "environment development tools" available for building and maintaining a web site ...these types of tools include some very powerful, yet relatively easy to learn and use environments known as Content Management Systems (CMS), such as Joomla! and/or WordPress to name just a couple ...CMS's typically have many pre-designed templates available at little or no cost, as well as allow for custom designed site interfaces that you can develop yourself if you have the appropriate computer skills, or with the assistance of a professional content developer - allowing you to create a truly customized web site interface if desired.

...most CMS's also provide the ability to "add on" additional capabilities to your site through the use of third-party "extensions" and/or "plug-ins", allowing for the addition of all sorts of features like event calendars, photo galleries, music and video players to name just a few ...the majority of these extensions are self-contained "modules" that contain all of the behind the scenes programming necessary for performing their designated task - typically you simply install them into your CMS environment, enter a few required settings to suit your needs and the rest of the technical details are taken care of for you

...the primary advantage of utilizing a CMS is that you can develop and maintain a professional looking and functioning web site with minimal technical or programming knowledge, allowing you to focus on the "content" of your web site ...by utilizing the services of a professional content developer, they can help you with the initial set up and development of your web site, which you can then, typically with some minimal training, easily take over when you are ready to begin performing the ongoing maintenance and updates of your site yourself

...while it is important to have at least a general working knowledge of HTML, as inevitably there will come a time when it is simply easier and quicker to 'fix' certain things by tweaking a small piece of code, but, most CMS's utilize some form of "control panel" interface that allows you to maintain your web site without needing in-depth HTML programming knowledge and in many cases, allows you to maintain and update your web site's content without ever needing to dig "under the hood" - if you can use a word processing program such as MS Word, you already have a great deal of the needed knowledge required to work with most CMS's

...as mentioned, there are many ways to build and maintain a web site, however, with a little research, you should be able to find a development solution compatible with your individual technical skill level - and again, by spending a little money initially to solicit the assistance of a professional content developer, you can save yourself a great deal of time, headaches and in most cases, save yourself money in the long run

...if anyone would like to know more about the types of services I can provide, you can learn more by visiting my web site at: http://www.evadware.com ...I would also be happy to set up a phone call with anyone interested in exploring how I might be of assistance - appointments can be requested through the "Request Info" page at the site, or by dropping me an email here at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

best to all!

:-)

evad