Week 5 – Storyboard and My Website

After the class on week 4, I went home and started to create my storyboard on how I wanted my website to look. Since I have a boring life with no hobbies, I was not sure where to start. I do have grandkids but do not like the idea of their faces appearing on the web. The only thing I really had to write about was when I remodeled my outdated bathroom. Therefore, that is how I came up with a topic.

Once I had the basic pages created on paper I searched the internet for a place to create my website. I decided to use Google sites. I will be creating the other required website in FrontPage while in class. I started the 2.0 web site first because I had a day off of work (snow day) and wanted to get a head start on the process. I did find the storyboard very helpful in getting the layout of your web site in your head first before starting the process. You can make changes from the original storyboard but it does give you a place to start.

The name of my website is Kapaona’s Korner – How to Remodel Your Bathroom. All of the pictures were taken by me using my digital camera. I then downloaded and opened the pictures in Photoshop and cropped and changed the resolution (72) and saved the images for the web using a .jpg extension. After placing some of the pictures on the website, I needed to go back to Photoshop and make them smaller saving as a new .jpg image.

The web site consists of 5 pages. The 5 pages are the home page, getting started, shopping list, step by step, and useful links. I went to the Google site and created a username and password to get started. You could then choose a template and your Home Page was created. The original template I choose I did not like once the Home page appeared so I went to the site setting and choose a different theme. Google sites allows for the creation of up to 5 pages. Once the first page was created, I went into the “Edit page” feature and added my text (Trebuchet – 10pt) and pictures. I then added text by the pictures to explain what they were. From the home page, you can also edit the sidebar. I added a welcome box under the navigation area. There are also site setting that allow for a title change, theme change and allowing other users to view your web site.

Once the home page was created, I choose the create a new page button to add my Getting Started page. I changed the layout from a two-column style (home page setting) to a one-column style. I added my text to the page keeping with the same font type and size as the first page and added three pictures to the bottom of the page. I then added a description to the pictures. I added the pictures by choosing the edit and then insert images. I typed all of my text for the web site in a word document first and then copied and pasted into the web page.

I then choose the create a new page button to add the Shopping List page. For this page, I went back to the two-column style. Again, I copied and pasted the text from my saved word document and verified that the font type and size was the same as the other pages. On this page, I added a table to hold the pictures that I added to the bottom of the page choosing the insert image feature. Michele suggested that I bullet the list so I copied the same type of bullet from my Getting Started page to keep everything consistent.

Again, I choose the create a new page button to add the Step-by-Step page. I went back to the one-column page style and then copied and pasted my text from my word document. I then highlighted the text and selected the numbered list button while in the edit mode.

This took me to my 5th and final page. I choose the create a new page button and went back to the two-column page style. I added the text making sure it was the same as the other pages and added tables to hold the pictures. I inserted the picture by choosing using the add image function. I added a one-word description to each of the pictures changing the font as needed. I looked up all of the web sites that I was planning on using and then copied and pasted the links into a word document. I just had to copy the links into my Useful Links page. I then highlighted each link and selected the option to have the link open in a new window. I then tested the links to make sure when clicked it opened in a new window.

I then went back and checked each of the pages for font type, size, spelling, and placement of pictures. I also checked the page settings to make sure the Show in “Navigation” was checked. I also unchecked the Allow attachments and Allow comments since I did not need them on my web site.

Since this is the first web site I ever created, I can’t really say if the Google site is a better or worse place to create a web site. I did not find it very difficult but sometimes it did not want to do what I wanted and it gave me a hard time when trying to change the font. All in all, I found it very interesting and for anyone who needs a web site it sure beats paying someone a lot of money when you can create your own. You do need a sense of style and creativity which I don’t think I have but I tried my best. I look forward to re-creating the web site in FrontPage.