Customer Reviews

Build a Website for Free

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is awesome! I am currently trying to create my first website, and have had ZERO training in this area. I was considering taking a college course in web development, but after reading this book there is no need! I learned more in this book than I did in several of my undergrad classes :) Most of all, it is extremely well organzied and easy to understand. I am brand new to web development and I feel that I have a fundamental grasp on the basics just after the one weekend I spent reading this book. Most of all, it gives some fabulous websites to check out that are very resourceful. Best of luck!

In this day of "freemium" this book is the real deal. It is exceptionally well-written and organized and lives up to its name and purpose by walking you through the entire life cycle of a web site all the while providing multiple examples of open source and freeware that just about anyone can use. The book provides added value by pointing out typical pitfalls to avoid and additional information for the person who is not a technical novice. The writing is clear and concise. Jargon is minimal, concepts are explained in standard, well-written language that anyone can understand.

The book offers an optimal balance between technical parameters and business strategy. In my mind it is a classic! I plan to use it in my course on eCommerce.

The author has provided an honest appraisal of what it takes to succeed in eCommerce and an honest critique of the opportunities posed by Open Source and freeware web development applications. It is so filled with good advice and resources that it is "must reading" for any business owner or manager who wants to develop a web presence or understand open source and Web 2.0 applications and strategies.

In the Introduction to Build a Website for Free, the author, Mark Bell, notes there are two primary reasons for buying the book: 1) you don't know anything about websites but you want/need to build one or 2) you know something about websites but you want to know more about the "free" part. Build a Website for Free is written in the "for dummies" style--lots of rudimentary information presented in short paragraphs with prominent headings. This book is great for someone in category 1...I'm thinking of passing it on to my Dad who keeps threatening to "learn computers." For those in the fairly savvy but thrifty category (that's me), there are plenty of references to free products/services...BUT...the old adage "you get what you pay for" applies. These free tools are great to build a site for the little league or your annual family reunion, but if you are starting a business the "free" route is probably not going to produce a website of the caliber you will need to be taken seriously by the average internet consumer.

Build a Website for Free

Even if you have been writing HTML code with a text editor for years, you'll find this book to be an invaluable resource. After all, there is far more to making a good web site than just knowing tags. The six parts of this book provide a road map to follow, from making design ideas with pieces of paper, to finding a suitable host, proper maintenance, and how to use a Content Management System. For those who are completely new to the topic of making websites, you'll not find yourself overwhelmed with "geek speak". All of the relevant topics are covered in a very concise way, with directions and suggestions for more information if you need it. If you have any doubts on some aspect of getting that website made you've always talked about, this book will be a great help to you.

To give a little background for myself, I've been designing websites since 1994. In 1999, I started a website design business where I created and operate online stores, corporate websites, and personal websites. So I have some experience in website design and related technology fields.

This 'Build a Website for Free' self-help book is written for the new-to-web-design, know-nothing (or very little) type person... a "newbie". For this purpose the book is helpful. This book does basically one thing, and it does it quite well: it tells you where to sign up and download free software for website design, as well as website hosting. Each recommended software or website contains a description, it's pros and cons, and a quick "how to". The book can be read in an afternoon. It's more of a "go here and try this" rather than a "how to create a website" guide. Basically, the author went online, read other people's blog and forum recommendations for free website stuff and put it in a book.

What you won't find is instructions of how to actually create a website using cascading style sheets, HTML, JavaScript, Flash, CMS, etc. The author does dedicate a few pages to introduce these things, but you won't find adequate instructions to create your own website from the ground up.

This book is written for the mass public who wants a website, but doesn't require the website to reach an audience, generate sales, leads or income, or perform any advanced functions. You won't find design strategies, SEO, marketing strategies, or online sales methods. This book is basically a list of "go here and try this" free online resources.

If you are a bit lost on where to begin and how to do it cheap, then this book will help you to get your foot in the door. But don't think it will make you an expert or train you how to write HTML.

I read every page, and expected more.

I wanted to start a business site and learn how to handle credit card purchases from customers directly, ASAP. This book did not really help with those details. Other resources might be better, even by the same author or publisher.

Still, the information and references are good, in general. The code-writing and "tweeking" (I would call it) information is good, but I did not need much of that. The lessons here are very basic and introductory, in terms of creating a web page.

I work for a used bookstore and we had put together a website using Microsoft Publisher. It worked ok, but Publisher does not create web 2.0 compatible websites (basically, if any one tried to view the website using anything other than internet explorer, the website would not display well or wouldn't work at all). So we searched for a solution, and I came to this book.

I wanted this book to be great. How do I build a unique website on a budget--one that will play nicely with firefox and safari? Well, the answers in this book are about the same as if you were to google "create free website" (yes, google is one of the places that has free website design tech). The book does give you a break down of exactly how "free" different services are... but at the end of the day, there are no simple ways to build a FREE website because:
1) either only parts of the web design program are free, and after a trial, or to unlock certain features you must pay
or
2) you are not free to do much. You must conform to very rigid templates (or pay lots) and sometimes you cannot even use your own domain name (unless you pay).

To be fair "Build a Website for Free" does warn readers of these pitfalls. Unfortunately, most of these schemes are readily available for free with a quick google search.

At the end of the day, there is no free website construction set. We are slowly trying to learn Dreamweaver / CS5.5 (these are not newbie-friendly programs) in order to create a web 2.0 compliant website.

If your website design needs are very simple, and very static perhaps you will find one of the schemes in this book useful. But honestly, you'll find these programs easily by googling the info.

I was hoping to be able to do this myself, but I'm afraid that I'm rather technically challenged; so the book was difficult for me to absorb. However my husband, even though a senior, understood it quite well. He was a technician in the early days of personal computers. Apparently, as long as you have some technical skills, this is an excellent guide on how to set up a professional looking website, at a minimum cost. While it isn't exactly free, since you do have to acquire a server and a domain name, the information will help to keep the costs down.

For those planning to do it themselves, it gives the key information for establishing either a website or a personal blog, whether it's for a small business or a large, multi-media based site. It may seem a little intimidating to those who have no programming experience; however, for those who are computer savvy, it's an excellent guide with good examples of websites that are already built and steps to follow to obtain similar results.

As I say, my husband understood the book much better than I did. So here are the important points he discovered:

It definitely helps one to understand the process of building a website as it walks you through the creation of different types.

- Blog (web log) - which includes a list of dated entries, content management systems, and a personal social
- Basic website - planning, design, building, testing, promotion, and maintenance
- Multi media - showing your company products, demos, music, how to use audio, visual and flash files
- Wiki - enables users to collaborate and create a site with others that organizes the submitters information - i.e. - T.V. shows, camping trips, etc.

As well, the books excellent appendix provides
- lists of common HTML tags
- free and open source software websites- e.g. text editors, graphic editors,
- video editors and HTML, blog software, etc.

It also analyzes the pros and cons of the main servers such as Google, Firefox, etc. and explains their limitations. And it guides the reader to a variety of sites to acquaint you with what's available on-line.

My husband's analysis is, even if you don't have the patience or knowledge to do it yourself, BUY THE BOOK for your computer savvy spouse or teenager, explain your need, and offer a reward. Try this before contemplating an expensive professional website builder and maintainer. It's money well spent.

While I have a technical background and learned Fortran and Cobalt years ago, I am no computer geek. Computers, internet, and the use of the web have evolved well beyond my basic skills and understanding by choice. (I have focused my energy and attention on start-up companies in the life sciences and the development of break-through medical products.) I have not lost interest but, rather, did not have the time.

When I saw "Build a Website for Free, 2nd Edition" on the Amazon Vine list several months ago, I decided that this may be a quick and painless way for me to get up to speed, at least with the nuts an bolts of basic websites, multimedia websites, blogging sites, content management system sites, and Wiki sites. I was not wrong. "Build a Website for Free" will give the reader both an excellent foundation and a step-by-step, easy to understand guide for in each of these web site types. This is a great choice for a novice or for those wanting to expand their knowledge into applications beyond a building a basic web site.

Author Mark Bell has 15 years in the computer industry and ran a website design company for many years before landing at Indiana University's Telecommunications Department as a doctoral candidate, where he is today. Bell's focus is on helping people like me understand the process of creating the five different types of websites noted above. He shows how to build each for free and covers everything you need to know from planning, designing, building and maintaining these sites, using free tools. Step-by-step instructions with useful tips and cautions are threaded throughout.

The book's introduction begins with "world wide web 101" and promises, even to those most intimidated and fearful, that they will be up and running on the world wide web before they know it. The book is a bargain as it delivers beyond expectations on the author's promise.

The basic premise is undermined by the fact that this information changes so quickly that one day it is there and the next it isn't.
I found tha chapters dealing with the technical very good but the websites are too unstable and much of their nformation does not work with many of the programs I may be using.
A good overall premise but the parts do not live up to the whole.