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View Full Version : General Web Design Questions..Where to Begin



The_Grudge
07 Oct 2007, 12:26 AM
Hi everyone,

I have been asked by a few of my friends to put together a website for a local charity. I was selected for this job because my friends assume that because I'm a Computer Programmer by day, that means whipping up a website will be a breeze. Now, I did take an HTML course about 5 years ( :rolleyes:) ago, so I'm no stranger to HTML. When it comes to all of the latest web technology though, I'm totally lost.

Here's what I want to do. Maybe if I explain where I want to go you guys and gals can help me get there?

At this point I just need a basic website with one or two images and a body of text, that's it. Down the road it'll become more complete but for now we just need to announce the arrival of this charity to our community and list a few contacts.

So I'm thinking of using a header with maybe two columns below (One column for links, one for content). I would like the site to automatically resize with the users window, and I like the idea of having margins on either side. Basically, I'd like it to function like the Toronto Star's Website (www.thestar.com).

Now, I have Dreamweaver MX installed on my computer and I've been told the best way to accomplish something like this is to use CSS. The problem is, I'm totally confused between what Dreamweaver does, how CSS works, and how the HTML fits in among all of that...if it even does fit in anymore. I understand what CSS is supposed to accomplish, I just don't get anything else!!

I need someone to explain all of the different technologies to me and how they fit together. Also, how would I go about creating my site? I know it's simple but if I could start off with a nice template and set it up how I like, then I'd be set and wouldn't have to redo everything 2 years from now.

Please....bomb me with information!!

:yawn: