Creating a Web Presence!! Increasing my digital footprint.

Hello Guys, I just wanted to add my Weebly site address.  It's not finished but boy did I have a time loading up pictures and making comments.  This has been a very large learning curve for me.

http://skoolmarm27.weebly.com/

Starting the Journey

My blog journey has been interesting and exciting.  The more I read about being a blogger the more drawn in I have become.  Even one of my other classes has a blog site for us to use pertaining to the class. As I was Tech Playing with the features of the blog I realized it offered many differing hyperlink technics that I can add on as I go along.

The new class assignment is to create an e-portfolio.  The amusing thing about this is that just two years ago the university where I work offered all students and faculty/staff the opportunity to develop their own web-portfolio. I went to two workshops and even set up a site through Weebly but felt I was not ready to embark on that journey.  It made me feel overwhelmed even though I was very curious about the prospect for doing one.  Always I let myself talk me out of doing it right now.  What could I possibly need it for was my initial thought. Oh foolish scholar! Just since I began reading the articles and the sample e-portfolios I’ve come up with two ideas of how I could use this excellent tool.  At that time I had a chance to check out five or six different sites.  Today they have even more; I discovered the pros and cons of each along with sampling them out. Strange, I was still too frightened to actually start one of my own. Since I have started this doctoral journey many of my views have changed. This is what I have discovered:

First, it is the kind of tool that can give you a basis for showcasing your accomplishments and those things you plan for the future.

Second, it is a ready description of your life’s path that you can reflect upon as you continue to update and improve your site.

Third, never put yourself in a box and say “I’ll never need or use this or that” As long as there is life there is possibility for change and the desire to improve one’s self.

The sites that I have reviewed and their pros and cons are:

 

Weebly & Yola

http://www.weebly.com

https://www.yola.com

 

Pros

·         Both of these sites give you drag and drop templates

·         Free with ability to upgrade service

·         Ability to export site

·         Ability to edit CSS & HTML

·         Fastest and cheapest tool

Cons

·         Designed by the manufacturer

·         Limited design options

·         Words “Weebly” or “Yola” appears in the web address unless you purchase the upgrade (when you upgrade you create your own brand)

WordPress

https://wordpress.com/com-vs-org/

Pros 

·         WordPress is viewed as a more sophisticated tool

·         Free with ability to upgrade

Cons

·         Difficult to format

·         Limited to preset template unless you upgrade

Muse

https://www.muse-themes.com/

Pros

·         More Flexible

·         Similar in features to the other

Cons

·         It is design driven and not best for large sites

DW (Dream Weavers)

http://www.adobe.com/products/dreamweaver.html

Pros

·         Most design flexibility

·         No need to know code

·         Ability to host under own name

Cons

·         Cost is expensive

GoDaddy

https://www.godaddy.com

Pros

·         Inexpensive

·         Integrates products well

·         Has good security features

·         Good support and little down-time

·         Hosting is current on the latest technology

Cons

·         Uses a custom hosting panel which some may not like

Squarespace

https://www.squarespace.com

Pros

·         Large selection of templates that are heavy on photography

·         You can put in your own photographs

·         You can truly make it yours easily

·         Excellent security and data export

Cons

·         Can be difficult to edit and publish homepage

·         Can also be difficult to figure out design edits and setting up analytics

 

There are ten top sites listed through google and I did not go through all ten sites, I limited my reviews to the one I had heard the most about; but here are their names. Several of these listed I have never heard of being used by limited proficient users.

·         WiX.com - Comments: real-time site dashboard

·         Web.com – Comment: Enhanced build-it-for-me options

·         eHost.com – Comment: Simple all-in-one solution

·         Weebly – Comment:  Intuitive drag-and – drop builder

·         Bigcommerce -Comment: Best online store solution

·         Site123 – Comment: Build a custom, responsive website as easy as 1,2,3

·         Duda -Comment: Built for professionals

·         Register.com – Comment: Expansive domain search engine

·         Sitebuilder.com – Comment: Great starter website builder

·         Imcreator -Comment: Ready-made, responsive templates

All-in-all this process of building an eportfolio seems as if it’s going to be an amazing adventure of learning and discovery. Let’s hold on for the ride!