Need to build! Not sure where to start. Please read!

[dbnjzb]

So, 'm staying home with the kids but need to get myself started in what I really want to do. I'm working to acquire the skills to make it! HTML, CSS, JS, Ruby etc.

I can't get myself to start building my first website. I've taken teamtreehouse.com courses, codecademy and some codeschool courses and also watched some lynda.com. i thought i knew my stuff but haven't been able to practice much to put it to the test. It's hard for me to sit down and start writing! Partly bc of the kids partly bc of ADD! I feel I'm ok with my html and CSS but not so much JavaScript or jquery. Should I learn these first before jumping in? Are there any other languages I should be proficient in? I want to do front end work but would also like to do some back end and some Wordpress. I'm kind of all over. Guidance?? Please.

Any tips to get started? Any tools I should have in my arsenal as in snippets, templates, or the like? I feel like if I use things like that it a crutch! Is that bad or am I just being nuts?

It gets a little frustrating! I need to build a portfolio but I don't know what to build. Not sure where to start. I would appreciate any guidance/tips please!

Thank you so much!

Dave

[ralph.m]

Hi Dave.

I need to build a portfolio but I don't know what to build. Not sure where to start. I would appreciate any guidance/tips please!

HTML and CSS are all you need to build a nice website. JS is handy at times, but it's worth learning to do without it at first, so that you realize that you don't need them, and that they are an enhancement only.

In terms of where to start, focus on the need. Forget all those fancy layouts you could have, or how others are doing everything. Take a break, sit still for a moment and reflect on what your site needs to do with your content. That's the first question to answer: what does your site need to say? What message does it need to convey?

Good web design starts a long way away from code, image editors etc. It starts with the message. Note the main points on paper first. Then build on them, until a picture starts to form of the whole. When you know what the site needs to say, start to organize that content into a meaningful order that would be appropriate for the web. Soon you will find that a structure emerges, and you'll know what pages you need on the site and what content they need to display.

Then start to organize that content on the page in a logical way—and hey presto, you have the beginnings of a design/layout—and one that actually serves your content. (Too many people choose some pretty design and then shoehorn their poor content into any nook it will fit, which is crazy.)

You are then in a good position to start to build your HTML layouts and add a bit of CSS to style them up a bit.

At all points, let the content guide the process. That way, you have fewer decisions to agonize over, and you'll end up with a site that actually does what it's supposed to.

Hope that helps.

[dbnjzb]

Hi Dave.



HTML and CSS are all you need to build a nice website. JS is handy at times, but it's worth learning to do without it at first, so that you realize that you don't need them, and that they are an enhancement only.

In terms of where to start, focus on the need. Forget all those fancy layouts you could have, or how others are doing everything. Take a break, sit still for a moment and reflect on what your site needs to do with your content. That's the first question to answer: what does your site need to say? What message does it need to convey?

Good web design starts a long way away from code, image editors etc. It starts with the message. Note the main points on paper first. Then build on them, until a picture starts to form of the whole. When you know what the site needs to say, start to organize that content into a meaningful order that would be appropriate for the web. Soon you will find that a structure emerges, and you'll know what pages you need on the site and what content they need to display.

Then start to organize that content on the page in a logical way—and hey presto, you have the beginnings of a design/layout—and one that actually serves your content. (Too many people choose some pretty design and then shoehorn their poor content into any nook it will fit, which is crazy.)

You are then in a good position to start to build your HTML layouts and add a bit of CSS to style them up a bit.

At all points, let the content guide the process. That way, you have fewer decisions to agonize over, and you'll end up with a site that actually does what it's supposed to.

Hope that helps.

Thank you! That's great! I'm gonna start doing!

[wongsoon]

Well I think your problem might be,
you don't know what kind of web site you want to create right?

If like that you can create something that you know well.

Me, my self has created 2 websites. I created my first website with order from my wife.

She need to has website for her new business , travel and tours, with little budget.

I read lots of books for html, CSS, Php and self study from Linda.

and some of Javascript (I don't understand it at all only know how to use it)

For me, Php is easy to understand, you should try to know it.


My first website it toke about 2 months to finish.

My simply suggestion is "JUST Do IT ".

You will not know how to bike, if you don't go to ride it.

PS. For website, you should know some in graphic program, such as Photoshop.

[Siick26]

Just start with the basics, no need to get hooked up on coding. I use a package called Serif Webplus, it's probably the easiest software to use, and it's very professional too. You only need very basic knowlegde of site building, don't even need to know much code.

[kmnzombie843]

My simply suggestion is "JUST Do IT ".

You will not know how to bike, if you don't go to ride it.

"JUST DO IT". I love that. wongsoon!!

[ralph.m]

Off Topic:

"JUST DO IT". I love that. wongsoon!!

You should trademark that before someone else gets it.