Hi all...brand new to all of this. Have been reading instructions for three days, and I must be really dumb, cause I still haven't figured it out. My husband went out and got Macromedia StudiosMX because I wanted to build a small website just for me (not for public use) to put gif pics and music on to link to my tourney pages (am a tournament Director for Cribbage). The tutorial was so complicated, and geared towards assuming I wanted alot of people to visit. So one of my best friends daughters sent me an email to come here...alot easier to understand, but am still confused on the VERY beginning part. After I make an index.htm (and for my purposes, what do I want on it?) where does it go? Was advised to build offline then upload it, and I think I understand how to do that part, but can someone explain exactly how to set up the folders? I will be putting 3 folders on, one for music (and how do you put music on anyway...not to play, to download) one for pics and one for gifs (if anyone knows of some really cool gif sites with fantasy stuff and animals, would appreciate an email!!)? Lissa, if you read this...this was the finest idea I ever saw, was joking with a friend, wondering if they made HTML for 3 and 4 yr olds...maybe I'd understand that...then found this...I am forever grateful!!!! I learned 3 yrs of computer in school...and we worked on Tandy-1000's....so everything I knew then is obsolete (not that I remember it after 20 yrs!!) I am going to cut this short now...saw warning about too long posts...am sorry, but this was my first. The rest won't be so long, promise. And one last thing...what is a signature??

And for got to mention something...in tutorials, I can't copy and paste, not sure why...my OS is XP and it's all brand new and up-to-date. And if I am running IE can I run Nav too?? I noticed in the tutorials they said that Nav can do some things that IE can't. My server is Comcast (the local cable company) and they require you to use your own editor...my Macromedia has Dreamweaver...is this what Lessa is talking about when she says editor?

heh, that was interesting.

okay, i suggest you read over the basics and HTML tutorial really slowly. Then, if you need other help (like letting visitors download music for example) you can put those questions in the appropriate forums (like General, Flash, CSS...etc...) :D

Okay... You got the basics. Thats good. You're on the right track. From what I understand, you want a personal page where you can post pictures and music and stuff, right? Okay, here goes.

You have your index.html (or .htm) page. You can put whatever you want on it. Normally, people put welcome signs and navigation to other parts of their site. You could put, for example "Welcome to my page! blah blah blah content, content.... link to pictures, link to music.."

To create different catagories or directories on your page, you need whats called an ftp program. I'm guessing you use a paid host, so you will have ftp. Now, what you can do is contact your host and ask for your ftp address, username, and password. Then, get an ftp program. I use smartftp (http://smartftp.com). Then, connect to your website and drag and drop your files from your computer to your webserver.

Now, to create the directories, right-click and it usually says create new directory. Create it and click it open. Then upload the files you want there. For example, if you wanted a directory called pictures to hold all your pictures, the url would be http://server.com/pictures/whatever.gif for linking an image.

An editor can be anything from Dreamweaver to help you with HTML, to Notepad, just coding by hand. Its all by preference.

Finally, a signature is a cute saying or whatever that personilzes (sp) the forum. Its just for fun. :)

Hope that helps.

Woo thats a lot!

>> Hi all...brand new to all of this.
welcome.

>> Have been reading instructions for three days, and I must be really dumb, cause I still haven't figured it out.
sometimes it takes time and patience. please do not think you are dumb. everyone learns at different speeds and you were smart enough to post a question when you need to.

>> My husband went out and got Macromedia StudiosMX
wow. that is a good editor at a fairly large price tag. nice husband. this editor is usually an easy one to use. type in the text or insert the images you like, and the editor will create the coding for you. there is probably a menu option to view the source coding. that is where lissa's site comes in handy. although the coding StudiosMX creates on its own may be difficult to understand.

>> The tutorial was so complicated.
with programs like Macromedia, yes, it can be rather hard to understand. finding lissa's site is definitly a step in the right direction.

>> So one of my best friends daughters sent me an email to come here.
good advice.

>> After I make an index.htm (and for my purposes, what do I want on it?) where does it go? Was advised to build offline then upload it, and I think I understand how to do that part, but can someone explain exactly how to set up the folders? I will be putting 3 folders on, one for music (and how do you put music on anyway...not to play, to download) one for pics and one for gifs
you have a page created. this is offline (on your own computer) right now. you will have to sign up onto an online host or your internet connection cable company might already provide some internet space for you. check the FAQ or HELP area. after that, you just sign onto your online account area and there should be an easy to follow procedure to create different folders and uploading web page files (such as your index file).

>> And one last thing...what is a signature??
check out the last portion of most peoples answers. there is a line then a short quote. that is a signature.

>> in tutorials, I can't copy and paste, not sure why.
kinda strange. usually its just take your cursor, highlight the area, CTRL-C will copy the area, move the cursor to where you want it put and CTRL-V will paste it there.

>> And if I am running IE can I run Nav too??
yes. most people prefer to use one or the other, but both can work on your one machine fine. i think most people use IE over Nav, but it all comes down to personal preference.

>> I noticed in the tutorials they said that Nav can do some things that IE can't.
yup. and IE can do more things that Nav can't.

>> My server is Comcast (the local cable company) and they require you to use your own editor...my Macromedia has Dreamweaver...is this what Lessa is talking about when she says editor?
essentially yes. but you can use a simple small one like Notepad which comes normal with your windows system. Try looking in Start, Programs, Accessories.

Thx all for the advice!! Kicker...umm...at the risk of looking really!! dumb, I gotta tell ya, I really didn't know what 1/2 of those other more specialized posts were for...and didn't want to spend alot of time reading posts I'm not ready for yet...but thx for tryin!!!!
PB&J. I have been using the Notepad in my attempts at the website over the last few days (had used it excessively for other projects...never would've guessed you could write html to it!!!!)...gave up (not forever, just for now) on Macromedia, and am still walking (slowly) through Leesa's instructions. Spirit, Thx!! for the idea of the links to the music, gif, and background pics...this is what I need help with...the in between steps. And I saw mention of .jpgs and .gifs, but is there a problem with .bmps?? Never saw it mentioned anywhere, but when I did the demo, used a bitmap, and it worked. And I know the pics, etc have to be in the same folder; but can they be in another folder in the folder, or do they have to be free for the program to link to them? Also...is there a program that I can take all my pics and put them at a uniform size? Without losing some of the picture? I have access to just about any program imaginable, I just need to know what I need, to do what I want to do.

So what's the difference between a quote and a signature?

>> Notepad... never would've guessed you could write html to it!!!!
yup. small free and powerful.

>> And I saw mention of .jpgs and .gifs, but is there a problem with .bmps??
bmp is another image format, but it is a very large one. if you have a logo drawn style image, gif is usually a better choice to use. if you have a photograph type image, jpg is usually a better choice to use. bmp is ok, but if someone visits and they are using a "dialup" internet connection, it will be a very long wait for them to see the image.

>> And I know the pics, etc have to be in the same folder; but can they be in another folder in the folder, or do they have to be free for the program to link to them?
when people start off, it's easier to keep everything in one folder, but by all means, you can have them in different folders if you wish.
example...
myimage.gif is located is a folder called pictures. to have the image tag find that image it would look like :
<img src="pictures/myimage.gif">
if the image was in the same folder as the webpage, the image tag would look like :
<img src="myimage.gif">

>> Also...is there a program that I can take all my pics and put them at a uniform size? Without losing some of the picture?
dunno on this one. probably one that deals with "thumbnails".

>> So what's the difference between a quote and a signature?
the signature is simply the text or image at the end of a post answer. if you are referring to the QUOTE button you see in the posts, that will act like REPLY in an email. it repeats the original text and lets you add your comments before or after it.

Hi all...am back. Figured out why I had been having such a hard time with this...had been trying to load the index file in...one editor had said make a .htm file...so I did, but my ISP server required an .html...oh the power in one letter!!! I also took PB&J's advice and spent all day today turning my .bmps into .jpgs (Snag-It is an awesome program for that!!)
Next problem...am setting up my next 3 pages as My Pictures, My Gifs, and My Music...what kinds of page do I make to put thumbnails of each file for the pics and gifs, and how do I set it up? Would have asked this in the proper forum if I knew what catagory that fell under. Is this what you use tables for? I have looked throught Leesa's tutorial, but don't think I have looked in the correct area...I found how to put a background on, but want to put many samples of backgrounds on one page, same with the gifs. The music page is a dif story...will only be putting maximum of 3 songs on it...and they will be there so I can link to them from elsewhere on the 'net, so I need instructions on how to link the songs in the folder to the page. (If someone could just say "go here in the tutorial, and this is where ya find this" that would be great too) I noticed, in surfing, alot of sites discourage people from direct linking to their site (not sure of the why of this) but this is why I am creating this site...to link it to my tourney pages...one more quick question....is there a way to keep my website private? Every editor I have found so far wants to put in metatags to publish it on the Internet...these pages will be for my private use, or the few people I allow to use my pages for direct linking...can I insert something so they have to put a password in to access the site?