Websites

shachr6 · Mar 5, 2007

Ok I already put this in one topic but nobody replied so since its for a wedding site and you guys probably have one ill ask in here. What is a good place to get a domain from? any ones you might reccomend?

LeeLeeMelis · Mar 5, 2007

I use TLC and enjoy their service.

http://www.tlcwe.com/

Bev_K · Mar 9, 2007

I use IX Webhosting and have been very happy with them.

Bev

nkmaurer · Mar 19, 2007

I also have the same question.
I am currently working on starting a business and I am wanting to stay away from printing proofs. These are a few questions I have and characteristics I am looking for when searching for a website:

1- realistic pricing, I would really like to be able to update it on my own but not sure how companies work

2- password for customers to view images.....

3-copyright issues....how do you get it where users can't right click and hit save as? does this cost more?

What are important issues that I need to look into when trying to start my website?

Thanks,
Noelle

mr e · Mar 19, 2007

shachr6 said:
Ok I already put this in one topic but nobody replied so since its for a wedding site and you guys probably have one ill ask in here. What is a good place to get a domain from? any ones you might reccomend?

There's a difference between registering a domain name, and getting hosting.

I'm not sure which you need, since it sounds like registering a domain name, but two other posters listed hosting companies, which you can still usually register domain names from, but as a general rule, I would never register a domain name and get hosting from the same company, just heard too many bad stories come out of that.

If you're looking to register a domain name, the two most popular are probably www.godaddy.com, and www.namecheap.com, and either one is probably just fine.

If you're looking for hosting, then there's a whole range of different hosts, but I won't get into that unless that's actually what you mean.

nkmaurer said:
I also have the same question.
I am currently working on starting a business and I am wanting to stay away from printing proofs. These are a few questions I have and characteristics I am looking for when searching for a website:

1- realistic pricing, I would really like to be able to update it on my own but not sure how companies work

2- password for customers to view images.....

3-copyright issues....how do you get it where users can't right click and hit save as? does this cost more?

What are important issues that I need to look into when trying to start my website?

Thanks,
Noelle

I'm assuming you mean hosting, if not let me know.

1) Almost (if not all) hosting companies will give you space for your site and let you do whatever you want with it, so yes you could update it whenever you wanted, but then I'm not exactly sure what you're saying you want.

2) Passwords for customers to view their images would be part of the website you (or someone else, you hired for example) built.

3) Making it so users can't right click and hit save as is just some code inserted into your website, so yes it's free.

Important issues? That's a very open ended question, but the most important issue for having a website in my opinion, would be to make sure you (and your audience) know what purpose your site serves. Why should they come to your site as opposed to others, etc.

Jim Gratiot · Mar 20, 2007

...the most important issue for having a website in my opinion, would be to make sure you (and your audience) know what purpose your site serves. Why should they come to your site as opposed to others, etc.

Bingo. If your Web site doesn't specifically target the people who are visiting it, it's a waste of time and money. Say you sell wedding photos: better to have 100 prospective brides visit your site than 1,000,000 fanatical quiltmakers.

So figure out your target audience... then design your site to appeal specfically to them.

As far as how to do that... do a Google search for terms such as "portrait photography," "wedding photography," "landscape photography," etc... take a close look at the top 10 or 20 sites in each... a few days of this should give you a good feel for what makes a top-quality site.

darich · Mar 20, 2007

nkmaurer said:
3-copyright issues....how do you get it where users can't right click and hit save as? does this cost more?

Probably not worth whatever they charge for this service. Anyone who's computer literate will simply do a screen dump.

Best thing would be fairly lo-res and possibly a watermark although some are against them since they detract from the image.

nkmaurer · Mar 21, 2007

so I have been researching and get the difference between hosting and domain name....finally!

I have been reasearching website designers, and for what I like the cost is outrageous everywhere! Starting out do most photographers design their own? Should i been spending time learning to design a website that I want instead of searching for something in my price range. A couple yeras ago I had some experience with frontpage and marcomedia, but it would take a lot of refreshing for me to try and do it on my own.

Does anyone have suggestions? I want to be able to put sessions online with a password so I would have to deal with a space problem, about how much space do you think I should get? I know that question is probably impossible to answer....

Thanks for the answers so far!

Noelle

Aquarium Dreams · Mar 27, 2007

You could buy a domain name and sign up for low-cost hosting somewhere like pbase.com or freewebs.com. Without a domain name, your site would just be freebase.com/yourname. Pbase gives you albums and galleries, and you just add your pictures and modify the style. They also let you password protect albums. For somewhere like freewebs or any other hosting service, you could use templates or something like jalbum (at jalbum.net) to make galleries.

astrostu · Mar 28, 2007

nkmaurer said:
I have been reasearching website designers, and for what I like the cost is outrageous everywhere! Starting out do most photographers design their own? Should i been spending time learning to design a website that I want instead of searching for something in my price range. A couple yeras ago I had some experience with frontpage and marcomedia, but it would take a lot of refreshing for me to try and do it on my own.

Does anyone have suggestions? I want to be able to put sessions online with a password so I would have to deal with a space problem, about how much space do you think I should get? I know that question is probably impossible to answer....

I say learn how to do it yourself. If you really don't want to, then try to find a friend of a friend of a friend who may do it for you at a discount for a nice apple pie or something.

darich · Mar 29, 2007

astrostu said:
I say learn how to do it yourself. If you really don't want to, then try to find a friend of a friend of a friend who may do it for you at a discount for a nice apple pie or something.

You might need lessons or another book on how to make an apple pie though!!
:lol:

mr e · Mar 29, 2007

nkmaurer said:
so I have been researching and get the difference between hosting and domain name....finally!

I have been reasearching website designers, and for what I like the cost is outrageous everywhere! Starting out do most photographers design their own? Should i been spending time learning to design a website that I want instead of searching for something in my price range. A couple yeras ago I had some experience with frontpage and marcomedia, but it would take a lot of refreshing for me to try and do it on my own.

Does anyone have suggestions? I want to be able to put sessions online with a password so I would have to deal with a space problem, about how much space do you think I should get? I know that question is probably impossible to answer....

Thanks for the answers so far!

Noelle

Looking at the Websites section of TPF it seems a number of people create their own sites, but these people are usually photographers by trade, not web designers, so my opinion is if you really want (or need) a well designed site, look into having somebody design it for you (or use a template), but the back end of your site (how it works) you could learn how to do yourself as it doesn't have to look particularly pretty since only you see it.

The cheapest way is of course to do it yourself, but you might try buying a template from somewhere (usually $20 to $50 or so) and start with that, then with a little HTML, and some PHP you should be able to accomplish what you want, and if you ever need any help there are a plethora of forums out there dedicated to web design.

Or as Aquarium Dreams said, you could use gallery software to get it done, but if you do look into getting somebody to skin it for you so you aren't using the default layout/color scheme.

How much space would depend on how many photos you have, but bandwidth is a different issue, you'd need to figure out how many images your site would be serving up per month and multiply that by how large the images are, that should give you a rough estimate.

Hope it helps some

Alex_B · Mar 29, 2007

nkmaurer said:
I have been reasearching website designers, and for what I like the cost is outrageous everywhere!

Well, a techically perfect webpage can be done by any computer nerd (not meant offensive

), a webpage with logic and fuctional design, which is well useable and still looks stylish though, requires skills which most computer nerds do not have. And most good designers/graphic artists aren't good enough at the computer side of things and at wesite ergonomics.

So in order to create the perfect page you need people who are good at at least those three fields ... and they are a rare breed and hence expensive. Really well disigned pages for large companies go for at least 5 digits in dollars, not 4 or 3.

Of course you would not want this perfection. But still even mediocre pages have their price ... so you either have to be lucky and find someone who does it cheap. or you get a template, or you learn HTML and PHP for yourself.

I myself do not consider myself talented in webdesign and my webpage is not one of the seven wonders of the world, but for what I need it is useable. So most people with some persistence and patience can do it, if the like spending some (or some more) nights at their computer.