web site designers/site logo?

i only have basic skills in this area, i do have CS4 Dreamweaver. can anyone sling a basic page together that i can start building on? email me a folder with files in to FTP up.
now that we have a site name sorted, we are going to need a template set up + a logo...
i think we will need a few pages... should we have a page per van/truck model?
link the forum off the site, that way it keeps all the current usernames/posts
page layout/colours. i do like the blues we have in the forum, nav bar at the top(vertical) in the darker blue


1) main.index
2) links page
3) DIY how toos...?

i am tempted with the logo to just keep it in text form..

any suggestions?

I'd be tempted not to rush things to much at this time, eager as we all are Why not let stuff develop on the basis of 'as and when needed' - no point in making work.

I'm currently looking to book myself in on a website designers course starting in April - I missed the enrolment date for Jan and would like to think that I could offer some help when I know more about how it all works. I like the current forum design and the logo.

If you need a page moderator then please let me know if I can help.

leopard_pagan wrote:i only have basic skills in this area, i do have CS4 Dreamweaver. can anyone sling a basic page together that i can start building on? email me a folder with files in to FTP up.

Sod building a web site, use a content management system.

On the Cpannel of the hosting account you should be able to install an application a bit like phpbb2 that builds the site for you, a bit like a blog. All you have to do is alter the style sheet to how you want the site too look. You can then alter the pages on the fly.

All the DIY's and How2's want to use a wiki format that allows fully searchable content.

This way all the pages end up being fully w3c complient thus improving the google ranking.

We used to build websites 10 years ago, now we use a web application to do all the code/link junk. Also this way many people can be authorised to manage the content and they can work on it together.

(please excuse typos, batteries dead in keyboard)

SkippyGLI.... where, cost, etc?
i can do a site, its not beyond my skills. but it wouldent be bells and whistles! in-put from users is key to adding/changing etc.

we all admit that we need something to get google to be nicer to the place.

Have a look at this:-

http://sourceforge.net/projects/phpwebsite/
http://phpwebsite.appstate.edu/pagesmith/5

You simply installl the app on the webserver like phpbb2, then log into the website created by phpwebsite, from there you can alter the layout without code, and add pages etc. Phpwebsite creates the menus and sitemaps etc and you can give many user different levels of rights so they can edit and create different bits of the site etc.

Colour schemes and graphics can come anytime, and changed many times, but building the content on the site is priority. Allowing members to build the content means less work for the Boss and greater community feeling for the members.

Most web courses are pritty lame, your best just getting some hosting and building some sites. Photoshop, dreamweaver, a script editier etc on your PC, and then keep messing. It won't take long before you catch the jist of how it all works. If the tutors were any good at web developement they wouldn't be working in a school for peanuts.

LP,

The course I'm look at is part of the adult education syllabus run at Exeter college - it costs £120 and runs on a Saturday for 10 weeks.

I've spent a few hours today doing a website for someone and I think Wordpress is the web app you'd want to use to build the static site.

hi my wife has the facility to produce self adhesive vinyl stickers either individual letters or a panel i relief

the basic colours can be made in reverse for sticking inside windows but the metalics can only be used on the outside, sizes and colours are limited but she can do them at a much reduced cost they can be done in a 10mm to 15mm letter height for either web address or forum address for £2.50 inc post. We have her web address and what she does in the back window of my car in about 30mm letters a local sign writers quoted us £85 just to make just the web address up.

i use Dreamweaver, its the industry standard for web design.
i may need a bit of help installing the phpbb2 stuff, if i cant get it done. i'll yell fer help! lol

web site stickers will come a little later, lets get the core stuff up and running 1st.

will get the web stuff sorted sunday/sunday afternoon. i'll get a basic page put together with links and get google started off.

I've installed a copy of wordpress and given you an admin acount Leopard_P, check your PM's.

Anyone who wants to have a look at the demo site its at:

http://www.simpsonsolutions.co.uk/hijet

Hi van stickers can be done anytime we always have the stuff was only thinking of the advertising and know how dear they can be if you go to a sign writer.

Rich.

i got a "Beck Row Bikers" logo + small font the web site addy done from a chap on flae bay for less than £10. it stretches across the width of the rear screen, 3" wide.
vinyl these days is getting cheaper, the other day i was looking at Vista print for some bike show banners. out door ones for £50 ish.. not bad.

Thats a good price for the banners and the bike stickers our machine will only cut a max of 1 meter by the narrow width of a A4 sheet for us its the material that takes most of the cost coz of the small amount we use when I did the one in the back of my car I had to piece it together but its a craft cutter mainly its used to make the hanger cards for the top of Clare's cards and stock. Like I said though if only one person wants one web address for themselves we can do it without having to charge loads.

Rich.

its good to know. i am sure we'll sort sammat out.

its official.. i am a ditz!
went to register/sort out the domain/host a few mins ago.
logged in to my C panel to add a new account (streamline.net)
the suggestion of mvo.co.uk i thought was good so i put it in to the required box, selected the package (power user- £40 for the year) and clicked select.

it took the order and that was that... i thought it was odd that it didnt check to see if the domain was even available!
Its owned by someone else (whois)! crap! just sent them a "ticket" saying i made a mistake & if i can get it changed to microvanowners.co.uk ! if not get it cancelled and start again!
i'll phone them tomorrow.

bugger!..

*update*
they are changing the name to microvanowners, will take 48hrs then be ready to play. phew!
cant believe they dont "check" its availability in CPanel before you commit to the purchase!

Done some work on the start of a microvanowners web site.... See what you think?

http://simpsonsolutions.co.uk/hijet/

Very Good. now all we need is some content ??

Speaking of content does anyone have any collections of hijet and or microvan pictures?

or would anybody fancy doing a section of text for a page?

Or submit a writeup for the articles, news and writeups section?

I don't mind doing write up's etc. Tell me what you want and I'll draft something up.

how tos, the door card project was brilliant, i already have a how to to dismantle the sun roof.
i have a bunch of Manuals that i want in the main site (free access). if anyone else has manuals they want to share, let me know as i'll get them hosted for you.

weird stories?

specs page for each model/type? i know you can find this info already online..
probably only have a page for each make, with in that page the models with a break down.

already got the forum page

might have to watch what manual content you put on as I downloaded the wiring diagram and its a copy from a dealer manual and the one I had out from the librarary clearly stated not for copy without permission I don't know what Daihatsu are like but if anything like the septics if found to be a not autherised copy the web site could be pulled out from under your feet so tread carefully.

Rich.

I'm sure a 10 year old hiet manual is well worth a legal job!

Its worth knowing Clare saw a lot of small crafting websites shut down over very minor copyright matters. I for one think that manuals in particular should be shared after a reasonable time after a model has been discontinued but it depends on who has the copyright and what a bunch of pratts they are, septics are by far and large the worst for things like that or if someone gets a bee in their bonnet and reports you that is the way a lot of Clare's competion was whittled down, she was even checked out to make sure she was a bonefide craft retailer coz she has Disney stuff.

Rich.

i had a run in with Haynes a few years ago as i do sell Honda Microfiche sets/HRC manuals for my bike (1987-96) on ebay. to start with i included a Haynes copy, they didnt like that. BUT no one from Honda has ever bothered me. been selling them for over 5 years now.

on the Daihatsu owners site, they sell manuals for the 4 tracks (sp?) and other Daihatsu's (not hijet!)

TBH,

I don't think Dedhatsu will bat an eye lid at anybody posting wiring diagrams or any of their other material on the net, I've had stuff from Honda on the net for over 8 years and even when directly asked about it they didn't care - to them it's old hat, worth nothing and definately not worth the hassel - now had we been trying to hack their ECU software then perhaps they might sit up and take notice; but those sort of folks don't generally make it known what they are doing all over the net

I've found in the past you are more likely to run into problems publishing stuff with copyright that belongs to individuals rather than corporations/businesses, and more over if you are making money from it, hence why Haynes got shirty with you LP. We've repro'd stuff from Haynes on the bike website and they gave us an okay, after we told them we were a 'not for profit' club.

One of the best things we did was to make all information submited on the site 'none copyright and in the public domain', all contributions, photo's, drawings, write up, diagrams etc. could be copied and reproduced with little reference to the site owners. What we did include was a small clause on the site that stated that nothing could be reproduced for profit. This proved very useful with Ebay when some cheeky Chinese manufacturer nicked our club logo and started trying to sell our club badges - for more than we were selling them!!

If it really does still concern you, the simple and final way to make sure you don't fall foul of any copy right holders is to ask them; why not contact Daihatsu and ask if they have any objections to you publishing their workshop manuals etc.?

Haynes might be more of an issue as they offer back dated manuals from right back, and I think its a bit wrong to offer haynes manuals complete as you can just buy one normally. I like haynes as a business as they offer a great product/service and would like them to continue what they do. Data is their entire business model after all. Scanning a page or two to help someone is reasonable though in my ethical standards!

Car manufactures on the other hand are not interested in machines no longer current, as such we're probally doing them a favour so the dealers don't have to put up with the troubles of yester-years product. Not that dealers do fixing, they are just fitters.

I used to sell ECU's on ebay for honda's, I would reprogram them and include a few different roms for people to play with and data logging kits. I also offered custom alterations for modified machines like mini's with vtec engines in. A few people are still selling roms that I butchered. Nowadays though everyone knows how to replace an eprom, shame they don't know the code behind the file

No worries about Haynes having a problem with Hijet issues as they don't do a haynes manual for the 1.0l hijet!!.

Haynes dont cover any Hijet or Porter!
they do cover the Carry and one or two other micro vans so we'd have to not have them posted "live".

the manuals i have are all dealer types.
i know its kinds burying head in sand.. but i am inclined to post them up and see if we/i get any emails from the "owners" and deal with it when/if it happens.......?

I think Skippy has the right idea to just ask Like I said we have seen sites pulled for copyright and the owners issued with a fine and I also agree with Highlyjetted about them pleased someone else deals with the old stuff so dealers don't have to. And I is not a fitter i'z make proper things and repair rather than replace check out my YB tank for starters there is a saying in the bike trade a bike mechanic can work on anything - car technitions can work on anything

Rich.