Flash, Dreamweaver, forums and chatrooms

[Leeza]

Hi- I really AM almost done with my website (tho it seems I might still need an SEO person) and of course just now, relatives just asked me to build their website for them. She asked if I used FrontPage or Dreamweaver...well I use BV, of course. But she also wants to have flash, chat, a forum, audio and video on her site. A great learning opportunity for me.

So-
a) could anyone tell me where to go to learn about these? I'm sure there a big thick books, but anything step-by-step that would help me? And...can a BV website contain all of that?

b) I've noticed alot of users here refer to FrontPage or Dreamweaver? Why? Were they unhappy with it so wanted to move it here?

A) Can I put all these options into BlueVoda?

B) What would happen if she didn't want BV to host it? (of course I'll tell her this is the BESTEST...but she said she looked up builders and it wasn't in any of the top ten...yet when I see the main screen, it says we're number one for bandwidth etc...so why AREN"T we in the top ten when we say we're number one? That's been asked of me before this, too..so if anyone has a great answer, please do let me know what it is.

Thanks for letting me know. And by the way, everyone along the way who has helped me learn as much as I do now know, again I want to thank you for all your wonderful help, Holly,Beth and Vasili especially. I'm gaining more confidence every day!

Leeza

P.S. I also hear alot about php (I know how to use it for just one app...and mySql- anyone know where I can find good tutorials on them?

Merci!

[Watdaflip]

Re: Flash, Dreamweaver, forums and chatrooms

a) could anyone tell me where to go to learn about these? I'm sure there a big thick books, but anything step-by-step that would help me? And...can a BV website contain all of that?

There isn't really anything step by step that would be all inclusive on learning something like flash. There are many tutorials on the internet that have step by step guides to doing some pretty specific in flash.

Heres some good websites for tutorials on using common programs

http://www.pixel2life.com/

http://www.tutorialized.com/

For things like forums and chat you can just download existing software/scripts and upload it to your website. Creating one of these from scratch simply isn't possible without lots of experience with programming.

b) I've noticed alot of users here refer to FrontPage or Dreamweaver? Why? Were they unhappy with it so wanted to move it here?

A very large portion of people who run websites use drag and drop WYSIWYG programs. Some people find certain programs harder to use then others. Dreamweaver was designed to be used both as a drag and drop editor and source editor. It pretty much comes down to either what people like, or what they are needing in an editor. I personally use Dreamweaver because, at least in my opinion its the best program to use to make a website if you are hand coding it. I've used it to make all of my websites since I first learned how.

A) Can I put all these options into BlueVoda?

Out of the things you listed, flash is about the only thing you will add to the website from within BlueVoda. Forums and Chat (and just to let you know, VH doesn't allow chat scripts) will have to be added from outsite of bluevoda. BlueVoda isn't capable of editing either the functionality of existing software, or changing the look of it on your website.

B) What would happen if she didn't want BV to host it? (of course I'll tell her this is the BESTEST...but she said she looked up builders and it wasn't in any of the top ten...yet when I see the main screen, it says we're number one for bandwidth etc...so why AREN"T we in the top ten when we say we're number one? That's been asked of me before this, too..so if anyone has a great answer, please do let me know what it is.

If she doesn't want it hosted with VH then you won't be able to use BV to make the website. BV isn't ranked the top 10 even though the bandwidth is number one because bandwidth and opinion aren't comparable. I can tell you now that BV isn't the most used program to create websites in the world. I'm not sure where the figures for bandwidth came from either, I haven't seen that figure anywhere.


All in all, you won't have a problem creating a website with all of the things you listed. Its pretty simple to add these features to a website. BV can add flash, audio and video files to a website, and the rest can be installed pretty easily.

And as far as php tutorials, these sites have pretty good ones

http://www.w3schools.com

http://www.tizag.com

http://www.codewalkers.com

And for a complete php documentation check here

http://www.php.net

[Vasili]

Re: Flash, Dreamweaver, forums and chatrooms

Lisa....

You were asked these questions most likely so the person could get an idea of what kind of site she would be left with, and whether or not she would be able to maintain it herself. You should confidently report back that you use Blue Voda, the premier WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor that includes more of the desired functions people want nowadays (like Flash elements, video, sound, etc.). This truly does make Blue Voda the preferred editor/website creator for most people, since it is simple to learn and allows just about anyone the ability to update and maintain their websites.

Dreamweaver, FrontPage, Java/CoffeeCup are all software programs/editors that focus on the "coding" method of producing websites like our friend Clay (Whatdaflip) mentioned above, back in the day when pretty much everything was HTML-based and "hand coded", Dreamweaver was King, and since it was an awesome beast to tame, not too many people invested the time to learn how to use it effectively (thus the "specialization" by many overnight).

Flash (by Macromedia) is a whole different animal, and requires it's own editor to create or edit, and still leads the way when it comes to creating dynamic animations or effects for websites. There are a number of free Flash editors you can download to edit files and even pre-configured complete website-ready Flash templates (which is not as hard as it sounds, and a very inexpensive way to get a very impressive Flash site without having to do all the work: simply load up your Content and swap out a couple labeled images!).

Now when it comes to "chat" and forums and such.....I think you need to clarify your terms with her. You can offer a "chat-like" experience simply with the addition of a Forum. And, as you know, Forums can move quickly enough between posts to be the perfect solution. Keep in mind that there are a lot of "templates" available for forums too, which allows you to have a truly customized look and feel if not a completely complimentary theme between your site and the forum itself.
If not too enthused about forums, there are also options for "Support" functions offered in Fantastico, and rather than call it "Support" she can just re-label it and use it the way she wants.
>> This is merely a matter of "tweaking the technology" to make it do what you want even if it is beyond how it was originally intended --- your creativity is the driving force here.

Basically Lisa, you can do just about anything here with the tools and technologies available from VodaHost, especially using Blue Voda as a foundation. When it comes to the issue of bandwidth......I doubt that will really be an issue, for if you were to exceed it on a monthly basis it would mean than you are getting way too many millions of page views (visitors), and that would be something I would like to see happen once amongst the tens of thousands of VH customers!

[Leeza]

Re: Flash, Dreamweaver, forums and chatrooms

Thanks guys. Been sick, til recently came back here and got myself in trouble. But I'm working on all of it...and will take in all this info and do something!! What, I don't know. I think first I must wait til I fiugre out the Vista problem. I called ******* again- they said nothing is wrong with my computer. Because: I can move to any website I want, I can open any/all files, I don't get frozen/shut down, stuff re: Operating System. Would you agree? If so that would eliminate the thought this may be my computer and leave it that VISTA is the one and only culprit!

Leeza

[Vasili]

Re: Flash, Dreamweaver, forums and chatrooms

I know exactly how it feels.....I have 4 sites ready go live, and have been delayed for 3 weeks now, due to "unforseen crisis upon crisis" ... gets old!

Check out your other thread in the PC Problem Forum.....and use the link I posted to check out getting the XP Pro CD .... I think after all the hemming and hawing that I am going for the Media Edition after all. It's XP-Pro with more stuff added, so why not use it to advantage seeing as how it's all about building great sites, right?