How to create a VERY basic website

This is useful to create your own website good enough to post your CV, works, etc. No flash or other dynamic features.

Write a web-page (the method below is the easiest way; if you want to do something more sophisticated, look somewhere else):

1) Open MS-Word (version 2003 or higher are better for creating webpages)

2) Save a new file as “index.html” (you have to change the type of the file from doc to html):

· the “index.html” will be the “front-page” of your website

· all additional pages should be linked from the front-page or from a page linked to the front-page.

3) Write what you want and save:

· text can be formatted like in a usual Word document

· almost everything can be done as in a Word document.

4) To put links, use the command (or button) “hyperlink”:

· if it is an address outside the folder where your page will be, you need to type the complete URL of the link

· if it is an address in the same folder, you may type either the name of the file only or the whole URL (it does not matter)

5) To insert images, add as in a standard MS-Word document

· you can also associate a hyperlink to an image: select the image and then select the command hyperlink and add the URL (when the user clicks the image, the URL will open)

6) You can create hyperlinks that will open image files like jpg, gif, bmp, etc. or media files like mp3, mpeg, etc.: just type the URL of the image like you would do for any other file.

7) To view your webpage in the browser, save, then click command “File-Web-page Preview”. It will open in your default browser.

8) Tips:

· select 100% zoom to have a better idea of how the website will look like;

· create tables on your page to organize text and images when necessary;

· eliminate table border liners by selecting the table and going to the properties;

· centralize the table if you want;

· change the background by selecting Format -> Background (add colors or patterns or pictures as the background).

9) Note that when you add a picture/image to a webpage, the image will be saved in an associated folder (this is an additional sub-folder in the folder where your webpage is). When uploading your website to the server, you must upload all the associated sub-folders too.

10) Name of files:

· html files can be named in anyway, except that it can’t have spaces or some unusual characters;

· the extension may be html or htm (it doesn’t make any difference, except for the “index.html” file).

· note that you can upload other types of files to the server, like .gif, .jpg, .pdf, .doc, etc.

· only html or htm are webpages; some image files, like .gif, .jpg, and .bmp can also be viewed through a browser; other files will be open by the proper software like Word, Excel, Adobe, etc.

11) Frames: frames are sometimes useful. My website uses a frame (i.e., the upper part is always the same, while the bottom part changes as you navigate through the website). It’s a little bit hard to explain how frames work. You will have to learn on your own. Start by trying: select Format -> Frames and the follow the instructions or help.

If you have questions, there are lots of online forums and websites that deal with web creation using Word. Likely anything you want to know can be found by searching in the net.