What's an Easy Alternative to iWeb

[GovtLawyer]

I have a site on Lunarpages www.NYPetShots.com, which I built using their now defunct SohoLaunch software. I want to add a second site, law related, and can use the same hosting space I have for the other one, as I use very little of my allotted space. All I need is to buy a new domain name.

I now have an iMac, but it looks like iWeb is very basic, almost too basic. I'll need an idiot proof (I do not know coding or html, etc.) web builder where I can build a decent looking site, which will have no commerce, just email and information on traffic tickets. It will also have a video of me.

Any suggestions on a decent software program for this? It ought to have some ability to optimize or allow me to optimize for search engines, keywords, etc.

Thanks,

Steven

BTW: if the cost is cheap enough I'd consider using a service which has a low monthly fee.

 

[design-is]

Hi

This has been brought up many times in the past, doesn't hurt to search or check out Mroogle...

...but RapidWeaver. Sounds right up your street!

Hope that helps!

/Doug

 

[angelwatt]

It kind of frustrates me when people think they can just create a web site without knowing about the field. Perhaps I should just do some lawyer stuff and see how far I get. Making a decent looking site takes an understanding of the field. Programs like RapidWeaver are alright and will make a decent site using other people's work (the themes), but you'll be limited in what you can do not understanding things like HTML, CSS, SEO, etc. Perhaps you should hire someone to do the site for you. I mean if I'm heading to court I wouldn't pick up a law book, I'd be calling a lawyer group. /rant

 

[GovtLawyer]

You're Kidding, Right?

It kind of frustrates me when people think they can just create a web site without knowing about the field. Perhaps I should just do some lawyer stuff and see how far I get. Making a decent looking site takes an understanding of the field. Programs like RapidWeaver are alright and will make a decent site using other people's work (the themes), but you'll be limited in what you can do not understanding things like HTML, CSS, SEO, etc. Perhaps you should hire someone to do the site for you. I mean if I'm heading to court I wouldn't pick up a law book, I'd be calling a lawyer group. /rant

Gio take a look at my web site www.NYPetShots.com, created using an onsite web builder, without any knowledge of the field. There are sites which can do that, and software as well.

Your remark was very immature. You wouldn't expect a lawyer to not take notice, would you?

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Gio take a look at my web site www.NYPetShots.com, created using an onsite web builder, without any knowledge of the field. There are sites which can do that, and software as well.

Your remark was very immature. You wouldn't expect a lawyer to not take notice, would you?

But that site doesn't look as professionally done as this one.

 

[angelwatt]

Gio take a look at my web site www.NYPetShots.com, created using an onsite web builder, without any knowledge of the field. There are sites which can do that, and software as well.

Your remark was very immature. You wouldn't expect a lawyer to not take notice, would you?

Your site:

• 94 HTML validation errors just on the minimal home page, and 103 on the next page.
• The navigation doesn't work when JavaScript is disabled, which means search engines won't be able to index your site and it's less accessible.
• Layout is done with tables, which is an old method for web site layouts.

Just because a tool lets you do something, doesn't mean it'll be good. Just like if I walk into a courtroom as a lawyer, doesn't mean I'll win a case. While you may find my remarks immature, they are completely true. I'm not trying to tell you not to use these tools, but you need to understand that without an understanding of web design, you're sites will be very limited, even if you don't see why. You'd likely be best off using something like WordPress, which lets you use their interface to pick themes, add widgets, and easily add and modify content.

 

[haydn!]

A company called Coffee Cup make some great software, most of it based on the WYSIWYG format. They do site builders, form builders, blog builders.... the lot!

 

[astroot]

But that site doesn't look as professionally done as this one.

That's not saying much...

 

[miles01110]

Gio take a look at my web site www.NYPetShots.com, created using an onsite web builder, without any knowledge of the field. There are sites which can do that, and software as well.

Your remark was very immature. You wouldn't expect a lawyer to not take notice, would you?

Immature or not, totally justified. Not really sure why you're holding that website up as a shining example of "what website builders can do"- make something look like it's from 1998? The fact that there's 94 validation errors on that site is fairly pathetic considering the lack of actual content on it in the first place. Your stated goals:

I'll need an idiot proof (I do not know coding or html, etc.) web builder where I can build a decent looking site, which will have no commerce, just email and information on traffic tickets. It will also have a video of me.

Are incompatible with the features you want:

It ought to have some ability to optimize or allow me to optimize for search engines, keywords, etc.

If I were you I'd start a WordPress Blog, not utilize the blog function, and just create a static page with the theme you want. Even someone non-technical should be able to follow basic installation instructions. You've basically got a choice between getting your hands dirty and being able to customize, do SEO, etc. or going with a cookie-cutter webpage that will be an SEO mess.

Lastly, I would contend that if SEO is actually an issue for you, you should hire someone to design this page for you.

 

[ChicoWeb]

I hate to say it, but I think this type of stuff is becoming the norm out there. I get calls all the time asking about creating custom web applications and people just think you can snap your fingers and create a dynamic solution custom for their business.

With sites like flickr, myspace, youtube, facebook, etc., the capabilities of the web and free are really limitless. However, most people fail to see that there are thousands of hours, millions of dollars, and years of development behind these "easy" solutions. They just see how easy it is to hit the browse button and start to work.

I recently astounded a client about the price of his ecommerce aggregate online menu ordering system. His requirements were to create a restaurant database, associate menus to restaurants, each menu having menu items (ie. Hamburger, salad, etc), menu items have extras or exclusions (mayo, exc pickles), and menu items can be associated to addons, such as 50 cents extra for cheese, then an additional sides options for chips or potato salad etc....Not to mention orders are only taken from 8am-10pm via fax.

He was astounded by the bid, I think he was expecting a few grand. It's good thing I've learned to do ballpark informal bids or I would have been out 8 or 10 hours for a proposal.

 

[covisio]

But that site doesn't look as professionally done as this one.

Erm, which is a WordPress based site, probably based on a template. That somebody else designed.

BTW, I'm not knocking that, that's how I do most of my sites now.

If you don't want to get involved in any code, then Freeway might be a good choice (www.softpress.com). Freeway used to be the darling of the Mac press and is capable of creating perfectly valid sites without touching code.

 

[Jason Beck]

Rapidweaver is okay. I used it for my site. I prefer it to iWeb. I used iWeb
for like a week and got rid of it. Realmacsoftware.com or .org or something
is the site, I think they have a shareware download available to try.
It's not bad, I found the blog that is built in to be more powerful than iWeb's.
Hrmm. Then there is Rapidblog, a third party plugin, also Rweaver has
a Wordpress integration mod that isn't too hard to get working.. So you can
have your site, with a front end and then a Wordpress section. Also there
are ecommerce baskets and crap for it.

I just use it because I am lazy. ^_^ I spend most of my day in Photoshop,
so I don't have much time to code. Rapidweaver also lets you input your own
code too and it's pretty configurable. But it can also really be frustrating.

If you don't have much experience with design, maybe a web based editor
that comes with most hosts would be your cup of tea. Give Rapidweaver
a shot if you want. It's not bad.

 

[chrono1081]

Wow so much hate here over a simple question!

Yes everyone knows knowing coding and such will make a nicer website, but that is not what the OP is asking the OP is asking about something EASY to use that is similar to iWeb.

OP I really like Rapid Weaver. I've been using it a lot lately to make my blog. Its really easy to use and has photo gallery options and everything.

 

[Cromulent]

Gio take a look at my web site www.NYPetShots.com, created using an onsite web builder, without any knowledge of the field. There are sites which can do that, and software as well.

No offense but your site looks like it was done by someone with no knowledge of the field. Knowledge is something you should always strive for, especially if you want to do something well.

 

[rtjstevens]

iWeb alternative

Hi, a sensible question; ignore the troll-merchants; they're upset that their precious craft and knowledge is being undermined by software that now takes the drudge out of the task(s), - even if some of the html code is not quite as 'pure' as the roll-your-own type.

My vote too goes to Freeway.

My sites can be accessed from http://rtjhomepages.users.btopenworld.com/index.html

-which is plain to the extent of being juvenile - but look, for example, at the SCC and Redmires sites. All are done on Freeway. You can download a 30 day trial from their softpress website.

(now waiting for the howls of criticism from those of the true faith; constructive criticism -if at all- only please).

BW

Rich S

 

[kernkraft]

Gio take a look at my web site www.NYPetShots.com, created using an onsite web builder, without any knowledge of the field. There are sites which can do that, and software as well.

Your remark was very immature. You wouldn't expect a lawyer to not take notice, would you?

Enough of that lawyer-crap already! Other people went to law school too and we don't name ourselves lawyers... If you were any good in what you do as a lawyer, you wouldn't have time for posts like these, anyway. I know that because some of those, who I went to law school with work from early morning til they die in the evening... Choose management and economics and you can waste days of your life on these sites occasionally... Lots of travelling... but as a lawyer? No, something stinks...




Anyway, I just wanted to say that all these sites that you showed suck. Just as well, you could have used Espresso, a Photoshop demo or even Firefox plug-ins. Or worse, you could have used iWeb and accept the limitations of that crazy file structure and say goodbye to search engines.

 

[NoNameBrand]

(now waiting for the howls of criticism from those of the true faith; constructive criticism -if at all- only please).

- Line length is too long in many places - increase the font size or use narrower blocks of text.
- Increase white space padding inside your boxes, it will make things look less busy.

 

[rtjstevens]

Thanks...

Hi, thanks; I think I knew that the SCC site is a little too 'busy' - so it's good to have it confirmed.

BW

RTJ

- Line length is too long in many places - increase the font size or use narrower blocks of text.
- Increase white space padding inside your boxes, it will make things look less busy.

 

[freeny]

Web design comes at a high premium. Not everyone can or wants to pay thousands of dollars for a website. Some web designers are threatened by apps like iweb and such that makes it easy to "build" a website....

Some dont care but there are a handful of elitists that will always take offense, this is true for any industry where a novice tries to accomplish what professionals spend many years polishing and honing...

To the novice web builders- Ignore the hate and do what you gotta do, its an expensive world out there

To the pro web developer- remember, they get what they pay for

carry on...

 

[astroot]

...Some web designers are threatened by apps like iweb and such that makes it easy to "build" a website....

I could care less about how many people know how to build websites, and how easy it is. Just like any lawyer could care less about how many other lawyers there are in the world.

What I do care about though is web standards, and a lot of these "easy apps" spit out some garbage code that make a mockery of the word "valid." Want to move past a world where you spend countless hours trying to figure out why your site looks like trash in IE? Good luck. Want your site to still display properly years from now? Good luck. Want a blind person to navigate your site built on tables? Good luck.

But continue to use your WYSIWYG editors and authoring invalid sites if you must, and the rest of us will concentrate on moving the web forward.

 

[jakeOSX]

part one:

iWeb is still a good choice. Rapidweaver as well. Nvu from Mozilla is free, not as feature rich, but free. the wordpress idea has merit. I'd suggest Drupal as well, but you do need some HTML to make that work.

hey, i think photoshop has added in features for that stuff too. been a few years since i used it tho.

part two:

i had a proffessional friend who did not know code. she used dreamweaver. her sites are fanstastic visually, and really that is mostly what matters. but the thing is this: she spent as much, or more, time learning how to use dreamweaver than i did learning HTML + CSS. So in my mind, if you are learning something, might as well learn what will always be useful.

i mean you are here because one site builder is gone, looking for another site builder. what happens when that goes away?

 

[Sauron's Master]

Your site:

• 94 HTML validation errors just on the minimal home page, and 103 on the next page.
• The navigation doesn't work when JavaScript is disabled, which means search engines won't be able to index your site and it's less accessible.
• Layout is done with tables, which is an old method for web site layouts.

Just because a tool lets you do something, doesn't mean it'll be good. Just like if I walk into a courtroom as a lawyer, doesn't mean I'll win a case. While you may find my remarks immature, they are completely true. I'm not trying to tell you not to use these tools, but you need to understand that without an understanding of web design, you're sites will be very limited, even if you don't see why. You'd likely be best off using something like WordPress, which lets you use their interface to pick themes, add widgets, and easily add and modify content.

I see multiple grammatical and spelling errors in your writing. Per your logic, you shouldn't be allowed to write anything since there's a need for a trained writer (someone who's invested at least college into studying English) to do it for you, especially since you can't do it without creating "validation errors" in your code.

 

[angelwatt]

I see multiple grammatical and spelling errors in your writing. Per your logic, you shouldn't be allowed to write anything since there's a need for a trained writer (someone who's invested at least college into studying English) to do it for you, especially since you can't do it without creating "validation errors" in your code.

Care to point out those spelling and grammatical errors?

If this were a book or some published material, then there might be merit in what you're saying, but you have to twist the logic to get there. This is just a forum. You miss the point that the OP wants idiot-proof and a good web site. They're on the mutually exclusive side of things.

 

[GovtLawyer]

Amazing Answers

I am the original poster. I've read every response. It seems that some of the trolls and the professionals with fractured egos missed the point. I really couldn't care how many errors my web site has. I happen to like it. It works for me. Others like it. Certainly, I could have paid one of the geniuses here to build a more eye popping site or award winning site; I didn't need that. What I needed, I got.

All I'm looking for in the next site is an informational site. The site isn't the product, I am. I'll look at Rapid Weaver, and see if that works. Or, I'll pay some rocket scientist kid, a small sum to go ahead and have some fun. Doesn't seem like any of the ego driven professionals who answered my post actually enjoy what they do.

Steven

 

[yellow]

RapidWeaver++.

It a cheap great app that is easy to use and scales pretty well into more complex use. Small effort can produce a good looking site.

If you go the RW route, you might want to investigate some of the plug-ins from Yourhead (awesome stuff) and Yabdab.

I do not work for any of the above.