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The following brief notes describe some of the experiences encountered when building this web site. The basic task is not difficult especially if you are already familiar with word processing packages such as Word. Difficulties do begin to emerge when you start using "frames" although these are not in vogue as much as they used to be mainly because some search engines have trouble grabbing information for their indexes. Lou Johnson - Editor & Webmaster Site Development This site was originally developed using Microsoft FrontPage. This easy to use WYSIWYG interface is very similar to Word. After a few false starts, it quickly becomes intuitive producing satisfactory results in most browsers. Eventually I switched to Dreamweaver (currently MX 2004) which has many more features although it needs far more effort to learn. CGI Scripts There are a few places on this site where CGI scripts have been used to process information gathered from forms. Each script has been credited and linked to the author. It is better you use their sites for information. Installation is easy once you have all the server paths but DO read the instructions carefully. Most problems occur because you have not followed coding and installation Instructions! Search Engines After spending time building your site you need visitors! Don't be disheartened as it will take time for people to find you. However you can get help by adding your URL to the search engines. To get the maximum benefit you need to make sure your Meta Tags are well constructed. Useful Books - Dreamweaver Magic
Be User-friendly Slow-loading sites are frustrating. At every stage of your site's development you should consider the speed at which each page loads. Images look great but are often so slow loading that people lose interest and browse elsewhere. Optimisation of image quality is all important and considerable loading time can be saved by compressing JPEG images. File and path names should be kept short as each extra character means extra loading time. Complicated backgrounds and watermarks can also hinder loading times and should also be used with care. There are also many other "fancy" features that can slow page loading and these also need to be used with care. Digital Cameras My first camera was a Kodak 240 with images taken on the best available quality settings. Subsequently changed to a Minolta Dimage 7i and am in the process of switching to a Nikon 200. As with any camera you should not expect great pictures in poor light. The best pictures are obtained early morning and late afternoon in sunlight. Concentrate on this time of the day for your masterpieces. Although it is easy to crop and manipulate digital pictures at home, make sure your composition is well thought out in the first place! This will cut out frustration in the digital darkroom. Images An essential element of all web sites they help set the scene. However they can be very slow to load if not compressed and some very good sites are spoilt by what appears to be total disregard to loading times. Choose appropriate compression ratios. Quite often you need to alter images on your PC. To do this you need one of the many pieces of software that allow adjustment of digital pictures. Photoshop CS is the software currently used. Cascading Style Sheets
PHP & MySQL This site is part database driven with conversion of the remainder due for completion in late April 2006.
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Merrell Boots Protect Your Feet
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There is some use of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) combined with javascript and layers. This method of dynamic presentation has been used with the panoramas. Current development of the site will see greater use of this effective combination, which is well within the capabilities of those with more than just a basic understanding of HTML.
