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Before We Begin While the page might contain a lot of elements, it is actually quite simple to utilize the new web page design. There are a few things you need to consider before diving into putting up your own Ferrum.edu web page: Q: Do I already have an existing web page? Q: What if I am an experienced web site tinkerer? Q: What if this is my first web page, or I'm
just unsure enough that I'd rather take it slow?
Understanding The New Template Features Take a moment to read the Template Example/Features Page (if you click this, it will open in a new window). It might be a bit too technical, but bear with it. Also, play with the new Menu bar on the left and notice some of the features it has. If you are interested in more information on web design in general, a great resource is www.webmonkey.com (they have a nice Beginners page) or do some searches, as there is plenty of free information out there. Also, Right-Click or Control-Click on web pages you like and "View Source" to look and see what makes things tick. None of this is required to build a simple web page with our template, but it helps if you want to broaden your horizons. One thing you might want to do is play with FrontPage; Create tables, throw in images and just get familiar.
Building Your Site Once you have FrontPage on your computer and you know the bare minimum, take a second and download the Template Download we have for you. Now what you want to do here is Right-Click or hold down the "Control" button (lower left on the keyboard) while clicking this link; a menu will pop up, and you want to select "Download Link To Disk" (sometimes called "Save Target As" and other similar names). It will ask you where you want to save it on your hard drive. Here is the link: Download a Blank Template When you open the Template in Front Page you'll see that the instructions for how to insert your new content are actually in the .html document you just downloaded. Before you dive in, take the time to finish reading this page. One of the basic hurdles for beginning web designers is the strange language everyone encounters. But the basics of getting your content (laying in Word documents, emails and memos) is really very simple. You'll be making a .html or .htm file (there are no differences between the two names, they both will work, just make sure you know whether yours has the "l" or not). And the hard work has been done for you by making it stylized with the header, footer and menu bar. So essentially what you are doing is opening your Word document or text source of content, cutting or copying what you want in the web page, and then pasting it into your FrontPage document. Go ahead and try it on a blank document (the Cut, Copy and Paste commands are in your Edit window at the top of most programs). Once it's in there, all you have to do is play with the text size, font, color and add anything else (like pictures). Now while that might look complicated, it is not much different than using a word processing program. Adding links and images is easy too, just select where or what you want to do and right-click to see your menu of what you can do. Most of your essential tools are located up with the button rows at the top of FrontPage, just scroll over them to see what they do. And when all else fails, use the Help menu.
What we have given you in the Template Download is essentially a blank document with the instructions to delete the stuff in a table (or invisible box, think of tables like the sides of a piece of paper) and plug in your content without having to mess with any weird code. As you stretch your wings creating really simple pages, try adding images and shaping your content. The font settings we prefer right now are either Arial or "Default" font settings. I tend to leave the size on "None" or "1" at the most. (The "Default" and "None" settings, and ones like it mean you are just letting the browser looking at it determine those things. It's what most websites do when they aren't going for a specific look).
Getting the Site Up Once you have created a page, you need to get it up on the server somehow. If you are already working inside a folder Computer Services set up for you (a "folder" on the server is sometimes called a "directory") then once you save that page inside the folder, it is already up on the web. If you are confused as to whether you are already set up to save things to the web, or don't know where to begin to get your own space and directory on the web, call Computer Services (365-5571) and have them come get you situated. Once you are ready, I think you'll find working with the Template and FrontPage really easy. The designs and tricks used in the Template were utilized with the most common browser standards in mind, and as we change designs in the future, this Template will allow all the pages to chnage at once (for example, if we decide to change the logo in the header, if I change the image every page will call up the new logo image). Also, once your new site is up, if you would like it linked elsewhere in Ferrum.edu, simply contact that area's administrator or the Web Services Specialist and they will consider it for linking. If you would like it to appear in Ferrum's Site Map, contact the Web Services Specialist and he will consider your new site on a first-come, first-serve basis. We have a limited amount of time to help everyone with their web questions, but we will try to help those with needs not fufilled by the Web Guides (but please try and find your answer here). As stated in the Web Policies, we will help those requesting assistance for Official Web pages first, and others as time permits. There are a wealth of resources on campus including Faculty and Staff that have learned in the duPont Instructional Technology Center. Ask around your Division to find out who might be able to help you in a one-on-one fashion faster. Finally, there will be workshops in the future where we can show you some of these basic steps up close. |
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