Lumenbrite Training

Client Spotlight

What it took to create SusanFarago.com

SusanFarago.comWebsite URL:

www.susanfarago.com

Training Course Taken

Dreamweaver CS4: Essential Skills I

Training Class Date

June 29-July 1, 2009

Prior Web Development Skills

4+ years with HTML, templates, and managing/maintaining content for major website areas at IBM.

Website Creation Overview

I started my own business and wanted to create and maintain my own website. I knew my web development skills were very much out of date so I purchased a copy of the Adobe Dreamweaver software thinking I could figure it out and have a website up within a week. I spent 15 minutes with the software and knew I was in trouble. If I wanted to do this right, I needed a hands-on training class. After the 3 day "Dreamweaver CS4: Website Development" class at Lumenbrite, I was ready to create my own website.

The hardest part of the website development process was simply starting. Should I pick this layout? What about that color? Oh and I really like that design! After 4 days of churning, I finally turned off the computer and sat down with a piece of paper and a pencil. It was a good way to start and helped me focus on the layout, look, feel of the website as well as the overall purpose and the content I wanted to include. From there, I opened Dreamweaver and began the actual website development process.

High Level Website Development Process

After securing a domain name, this is the process I followed to develop my website:

1. Identify the type of content to include on the website (articles, pictures, testimonials, etc.).

2. Lay out the structure and design on paper to include the content elements above.

3. Set the design aside for a few days and researching other website designs.

4. Go back to my design and modify it based on other designs I found and liked.

5. Identify the theme for the site (sporty, outdoors, professional yet fitting my personality).

6. Identify 3 main colors to use on the site and then find a picture to capture the theme and colors. I used www.istockphoto.com and www.kuler.adobe.com.

7. Build the design structure from scratch in Dreamweaver. Save as a template with #DIV tags and CSS rules.

8. Add content to website design structure.

9. Solicit feedback from 2-3 individuals on draft design and usability.

10. Publish the site at 80% complete.

11. Make final tweaks and adjustments to site. I keep a file called "web things to fix.txt" on my desktop and use it to keep track of things to add, adjust, or fix.

12. Run metrics reports to ensure metrics work.

13. Send out website launch announcement via e-mail and Facebook.

14. Plan monthly content updates.

Biggest Challenges

The biggest challenges I had in creating and launching my website included:

1. Actually getting started with designing my own site.

2. Really understanding the different CSS styles and how they actually work. I understood the concepts from class but it didn't really click until I started using them on my own site.

3. Making the shift from formatting each piece of text to using CSS styles. What a huge time saver in the end!

Advice for Those Starting Their Own Websites

1. Keep things simple to start out. Don't get caught up in whiz-bang effects or designs.

2. Identify the point of your website. Is it to convey information? Market your services? Who is your audience? Kids? Adults? Professionals? Use this information to help design the look and feel for your site and to stay focused.

3. Take a class and get help getting started. Make sure the class fits your learning style, time, and budget. Sometimes it's worth spending a little more money for a hands-on class rather than a self-paced tutorial. Either way, formal education will help you get up and running much faster with much less frustration.

4. Be patient. Quality work takes time so invest the time in your website and the results will show.

5. Use other tools. I actually used Powerpoint to test out some design concepts to see how things would look rather than spending hours coding in Dreamweaver. Powerpoint gave me a "quick and dirty" way to throw together colors and layout designs without having to do a lot of work.

Next Steps

Good websites are dynamic and give people a reason to visit again and again so refreshing key content areas is key for me and I plan to do so at least on an "end of month" basis or as needed. I will use my website to support my marketing and advertising strategies. In the future I envision adding a shopping cart feature and perhaps a newsletter feature to the site.

A BIG thank you to Lumenbrite for helping me learn the skills necessary to create, launch, and manage my own website. I couldn't have done it without them!

Official Launch Announcement

I announced my website via e-mail (announcement below) and posted the URL on my Facebook page as well as 2 groups I manage on Facebook. The response and support has been very positive. Here is what I wrote:

Hi Everyone:

After much work, I am happy to announce my new website: www.susanfarago.com.

And with it, my "new career" which includes:

I continue to work with Texas Iron for my coaching activities, and I am also working with Red Licorice Events as a coach resource for clinics and their "Susan Says" Twitter tips. I am also working with publications such as: Austin Woman Magazine, USA Triathlon Life, UltraRunner Magazine, as well as other local and national publications.

Please feel free to check the site for news and updates and I also plan to add some additional features now that the main site is built (I had to dust off my web developing skills which has been fun!) I will also update the photos fairly often so don't be surprised if you see yourself on these pages!!

Thanks!

Susan

Article by Susan Farago, M.Ed., USAT L1, USAC L2, NFPT Sports Nutrition.

Susan is a training coach for the Texas Iron Women's Only Multisport Program and the Texas Iron Trail Running Program in Austin, TX and she is a health and fitness writer. She works with athletes of all ages and abilities and has a special passion for coaching and supporting women in multisport and endurance activities. She can be reached at coach@susanfarago.com or at www.susanfarago.com. © 2009.

Student Resources
We'd love to Help!