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I have a Blogger blog site..that I kind of made into my website. It is not at all pretty and I want something more 'designery' and individual ...that looks more professional but I am not a computer person ..I want a drag and drop type of a one that requires nothing more than basic knowledge as I dont speak computer language!!!
Anyone out there got any ideas which one is the best or which one you like best ? I have looked at a few and the easiest I found is IMCREATOR..I did my hubbies site using this but you have to host your site with them and I already paid for a year with my regular hosting chappie. So I just need that style of a tool but with no obligation to buy hosting. I dont mind paying for software if it's not an arm and a leg..
Any ideas gratefully received!! 
Plum Cottage BearsI'm interested in a website builder too. I have a domain parked at the Microsoft small business site, but I need something simple to build it into a bearsite.
FenBeary FolkMy computer friend says Word press is very easy to use, not tried it as I fought with fasthost's sitebuilder and won, need to build my strength up to do battle again
desertmountainbearI used Yola for years, till I went with Blogger. I had my own domain, but still had to pay. It was $60.00 a year. It is very easy to use though, drag and drop, unlimited bandwidth. If I went back, I would probably go back to them. Jenny, I think your website looks really nice.
I do now have two blogger accounts, I use one for my blog and one I keep clean and use it for my website. I have them looking exactly the same which I like, and they are linked back and forth to each other. You can have lots of pages on blogger now, up to 20 and it is free. I have my domain name pointed over there.
I have that too on mine but I don't like it...I don't like the look of my site..to me it looks like a blog and I like the idea of the photos being in a gallery etc. I'll have a look at Yola...I looked at Moonfruit...not sure yet though...
Thanks for the input!!!!
I found these reviews which might be helpful to you. (My web hosting includes Weebly Drag and Drop - definitely easy to use.)
http://www.websitetooltester.com/en/web … r-reviews/
Becky
Plum Cottage BearsThis may sound like what came first, the chicken or the egg, but where does one start to design a webpage? I know a little bit about hand coding of HTML, but that's just part of the process. Where does one begin to build a website?
desertmountainbearThe place I was talking about Yola is a website builder. You do it all there in a template. They have many to choose from, then you customize it how you like it.
Gail, from the little I know, you can do it all yourself with WYSIWYG language and html codes; you can use software (such as Dreamweaver), which is pretty expensive; or you can use a web builder with templates like the ones Joanne and I have used. (Those have the advantage of a ready-made color scheme, layout, font, photo galleries, etc.)
Personally, I began by looking for affordable (and understandable) web hosting with real people one can contact for help. Once you set up your domain name, etc., you can try the web builders they offer, or you can buy another, or try your hand at making a website from scratch.
Becky
bingle bearsI made my website with Yola and was pleased both with how it came out and with using it. I thought of changing back to Blogger like you and Joanne, but basically I'm too lazy to change it now that I have my site the way I like it. In the beginning with Yola, I used digital scrapbooking pages and bling to jazz up my pages, but after a while I took off the background pages because it just took too long to upload.
Cheryl
I started out with Dreamweaver a long time ago and, boy!, do I need to update. The problem is that I have such a large website and so many sections I never get through them to update them all. Some sections are kind of like that stuffed closet you never open because you don't want to face it all 
Now I find using code easier than going back to the original template and changing it through Dreamweaver. Not a good idea when you're using a web building program. I think in the future I will use Dreamweaver for the original framework of my website and I'll use code to fill in the pages.
TC Folk OriginalsI know nothing about this, my husband does it all. I just pay the bills and so all I can say is, we use IX Web Hosting! He is in the process of redoing our website in his spare time, which there is little of, so it will be awhile before this happens. We run 2 websites thru IX. However, when he is working on the sites, there is not a lot of cussing, so I assume this is good!!!! 
When I bought my domain,I got a package of software to create my website.But I dont like to use templates which everybody uses.
Normally this package includes a drag and drop editor,which you can use without programming skills,FTP,a photo software a.s.o.
I design,created and programmed my website all by myself-HTML and Jacascript -no fuss...I am oldfashioned there..
I use good old GoLive-its now Dreamweaver.There are no updates available but I dont need one-programming languages will not change...
And I love Photoshop-yes its a complex and expensiv software-but its worth every penny-IF you use it on regular bases..
A lot of my friends use wordpress for blogging and they didnt complain..
Sabine
GermanyI have only a blogger-blog and am happy with it.
By the different sides it is like a web page. The Blog has a translator, information about me and a linking to the gallery. The gallery is another Blog.
Well years and years ago I did a Dreamweaver course and it's so long ago that I just can't remember it as I haven't really used it. I don't know HTML ....don't see the point now because I just want an easy life.
I looked at Yola ..Weebly ...and a few others.. They do look good...the trouble is that I have been hosting my website and email with a friends hosting company ..and he is on the other end of the phone...and he's a local business and I just like to support local business...so most of these have a requirement to host with them with no alternative to that. I want to find some easy peasy standalone web building software...that's drag and drop wysiwyg stylee...
I just don't want to get into spending forever learning stuff that I don't really enjoy that much...I like making bears and sewing ..but I just want an easy life..;o]
gugu;s teddiesOh boy you ladies are so talented with designing your own sites ect im still struggling to insert a photograph on TT
Happy Days Paula
I like your website Jenny, I keep going back on Blogger to try again but I just can't get to grips with it! I'm building a free website with Wix.com its simple to use needs to be with me because I'm useless with this sort of thing. I'm pleased with how its coming together, the only down side is the pages are not very long which means I can't have many photos on one page but that just means adding extra pages. Hope to have it up and running soon!
Sandra
How about SiteSpinner? http://www.virtualmechanics.com/products/spinner/
Becky
Thanks guys..I will check those out......
I am just nt keen on the look of my blogger one ...I think it looks like blog. I read about Jux and Wordpress....I think they might be more businesslike ...
Hi Jenny, I use wix.com, I found it very good, but I personally think you get more traffic through the blog..there's heaps of free background templates if you just want to change the look..
here's my wix website
http://denisehayes.wix.com/densteds
Denise i think you might be right. I might just make a few changes and see how it goes.
I recommend Webplus from Serif (www.serif.com) I've been using their DTP, Serif Pageplus since 1993. it's a fairly simple drop-and-drag, wysiwyg program that I swear by and have used for my own website & graphics work for over 18 years. I actually use the Pageplus to create my website, and publish it with Microsoft's ExpressionWeb because my website is so big and unwieldy that I've been unable to import into serif's Webplus, but from the little I've played with it, Webplus works as well as their Pageplus. (ExpressionWeb is a horror to lay out graphics with)
I think all of Serif's programs are really great - equivalent to Abobe, but much cheaper and far easier to use
Thanks Kelly I will take a look at that!!!
Jenny, I buy digital scrapbook graphics from http://www.designerdigitals.com/ and then just drop and drag, there is no html to write or dreaded 'tables' to nest things in. and it turns out perfect html - it does come with lots of templates, but just start with a clean page.
you can often find older versions of Serif's programs on ebay, and I don't find much difference in the various versions of their PagePlus, but I would definitely recommend the latest version of the Webplus. another good thing is that their money-back guarantee really is money back, no questions asked, if you don't like it. I've returned several upgrades that I didn't think were worth the money (and once you're on their mailing list, they'll start sending you offers for discount versions of the other software - the photoplus is very nice, too)
plus Serif is a U.K-based company ;-)
I have looked at it Kelly ...but I looked at it on my iPad ....to see it properly I need to look on my pc as th iPad is not built for that sort of thing but it does look good and from the reviews it seems to be what I am looking for. I need to have a proper look around it....! Thanks for that!
