Web design help needed statim

[Tigz]

As usual, I have been procrastinating. I think to look around ever month or two for what I need, then I forget about it until I think of it again....or worse (as in the case right now) the customer informs me that they need it right away.

 

I need some sort of interface that allows the customer to update the site (without having to call me to do it). In other words they need to place in announcements and the like for upcoming events, etc.

 

I know, I know...it would be better to ask this on a webmaster forum, but I don't have time today to go surfing around. And I know we have several people here that deal with web design.

 

I have found one program called Web Update Builder...but it costs around $200, but I am hoping there is a better (or possibly cheaper) alternative.

 

Gah, this customer is going to drive me up the wall eventually, and the thing is, I am do their website for them for free. However, some sort of interface is going to be needed for others in the future....so he is really doing me a favor by needing it now.

[radi8]

For simple events and announcements, the quick-and-dirty way is to just embed a Google calendar in the page and let them have at it. Google makes it easy to do that, they provide the "embed" code in the calendar settings.

Or you could use a SQL-based events list if you feel like doing more work. I have a PHP events calendar that I use- PM me and I'll email you a copy if you want it.

 

You can also embed a google document. I've seen entire sites done that way, created in Word, then converted to a Google doc. A caveman can edit them that way.

 

 

 

If they need something more involved than that, you're probably best off using a CMS of some sort.

[creditnob]

Couple of suggestions:

 

---go to cpanel and login

 

---click on file manager or legacy files

 

---click on any .html file page

 

---click on html editor on right side of page

 

---click edit and update all you want

 

 

This is a simple way for anyone to update their

website. However, I suggest you or them to make

a backup file before any editing. This way you

can always get your page or website back should

they really mess something up.

 

Another totally different suggestion is to have

them get Komposer (free) to use. Also, not a bad

idea to use it to build their websites.

 

Finally, last suggestion, install for them a wordpress

blog. Lots of folks are going this route so the customers

can update sites on their own easily. Install the blog on

cpanel ==not the ones you build on the sites. That way they

can't just shut you down one day.

 

 

I lied, one more suggestion and a big one. Do you understand

how much money you can make building websites for folks????

Yeah, I do it too--build websites for friends for next to nothing

or free myself. But after much frustration, I am fixing to quit

this freebie crap-----you can never please them or they are always

wanting updates or more for free also.

I have friends making in thousands just playing around and I give it away!---arrrghh.

I seriously have to stop the freebies. At a minimum $500-$1000 from now on.

They charge $3000-$5000 for regular simple websites.

[Tigz]

Thanks both of you.

 

I spent yesterday looking for a easy fix, but I think I am just going to go back and use some sort of CMS on it....which of course means redesigning the site.

 

We have a google calendars for several of their pages actually...but I don't think they were ever actually able to figure them out. (my bad on that - I should have just gotten 5 different calendars, but I "thought" it would be easier for them to manage from one google account.

 

Creditnob....no way in heck am I going to allow them into access the actual html of the files. For the most part, the site is almost all html/CSS - written with a very specific CSS that mimics frames (his desire was for a Frames site ) an insertion in the wrong place will break the whole thing apart. Heck, I can't even edit the site in Dreamweaver CS3/4 using Design view- I have to do it by hand in Code view (although I can do it in Dreamweaver MX - go figure)

 

So now I have to bone up on Joomla or Drupal.

 

Yesterday I was mistaken...I thought his account was on a Windows server (which means I probably couldn't use either), but I went back and checked and it is on a Linux. (his hosting is with GoDaddy )

Looking at their CMS addons, they have:

anyInventory

DotNetNuke

Drupal

Joomla

Mambo

MODx

Moodle

Nucleus

SilverStripe

Tandem Server

Xoops

(Note: I listed all of them so if anyone thinks something other than Joomla or Drupal will work - they can mention it)

 

I believe that Joomla or alternately Drupal might work. I just - truthfully - don't know much about them other than some cursory reading a while back. (yes, I am woefully behind in the times) Still, they both look promising for another site I am about to start (which will need constant updating) however I don't know what the customer interface looks like and if it will be intuitive for the customer....I am presuming a simple text editor type interface (similar to this form used for posting here on the board)

 

Radi....forgive a stupid question here.....

I have read that .htaccess doesn't work well with GoDaddy. So if I want to use anything in php, I will have to convert the pages from html/htm to php. So I just have to change the extension from .html to .php....correct?

[Tigz]

WAIT!

 

Radi....can I take a google doc and embed it into a web page for announcements etc? you know, sort of like the calendar, where you can adjust the size. That would be the perfect quick solution.....execpting I would like it to disappear when not needed.

 

Off to Google to research! THANKS! I didn't even think about google apps (other than the calendar we already have (that appears to go unused)

[radi8]

WAIT!

 

Radi....can I take a google doc and embed it into a web page for announcements etc?

Yep, you can. I've seen entire sites that are nothing but iframes of google docs. It's a quick and dirty way to make a site easy for non-web people to edit.

 

 

I have a mix of PHP and HTM on Godaddy. I have the rewriteengine off in the htaccess file as it's useless with Godaddy's virtual hosting. In order for rewrite rules to work in a virtual host directory, Godaddy needs to set up the Options FileInfo directive in apache, which they refuse to do.

So- just use the PHP extension if you have PHP code in the page.