Creating a Character Web Page

Well, I've begun thinking about making a web page for at least one of my characters. I'm curious what some recommendations that folks who have made successful web pages are.

I, like most folks, don't know much about HTML. Because of this I'm stuck either using some kind of Drag-and-Drop web page maker (similar to what GeoCities uses) or a step by step web page maker that allows you to input information and it then organizes it all.

Are there any other options that allow those with no HTML experience to create decent web pages?

Also, what are people's favorite things to see on a Threshold Character web page? I know Dal has posted what she likes. But what about other people?

Please, give any comments, suggestions, ideas or whatever.

First point: HTML is not difficult to learn.

Start with a basic skeleton with your general framework, and start tinkering - it's just plain text. Here's a barebones HTML file (please folks, don't flame me for not including content-type and whatnot - I did say barebones):

{HTML}
{HEAD}
{TITLE}Rosuav Esstu, Insanity Extraordinaire{/TITLE}
{/HEAD}
{BODY}
{P}This is where you would put the text of what you have to say about your character.

{P}Each P marker makes a new paragraph of text.

Blank lines don't mean anything, this is the same paragraph as the above line.
{P}
Some people like to put the P marker in between the paragraphs. It really doesn't matter mattermattermattermatter.
{/BODY}
{/HTML}

Note that since the forums software parses HTML, I've changed all the angle brackets into braces. It should be all <> and not {}.

What's between the TITLE and /TITLE tags becomes the document title - very important. Google for "html title" and you can find some pages explaining why it's important to set it well, and how to set it well.

In between BODY and /BODY is the main text. Start by just putting your text in, as paragraphs, with each paragraph preceded by a {P}. (There's other ways to conceptualize it; it's all the same really.)

Ahh but you want to format it, don't you! Well, then you add a few other tags. Start with basic ones like {B} and {U} for Bold and Underlined. Then google for "html primer" and start having fun! There's heaps you can do, but not a lot that you have to.

Hope that helps. If you have other questions post, or PM me.

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Originally posted by Gilgamar
Are there any other options that allow those with no HTML experience to create decent web pages?

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The best option is to learn html. You can do it from scratch, or you can view the source of web pages that you find particularly pleasant. It's very simple to use.

Here's a place that I think is easy to follow and not so boring.

http://www.htmlgoodies.com/primers/basics.html

I enjoy seeing a list of friends and enemies.

I use geocities for mine and I am happy with the way it turned out even though it has those annoying ads. However, you can at least close the ads.

Isaviel's

I second Pyrosama's recommendation of the HTML Goodies site. Anytime I have any HTML questions, that is the first place I look for answers. And really, HTML is easy to learn. I have made pages both ways, and like the freedom that doing my own HTML gives me. Although it really depends on what you want to do and how much work you want to put into it. For my personal family page, a photo page, I just use a template.

I used the book for html goodies to learn more, but I started by looking at Webmonkey

As for content...I'm a lover of wanting to know just 'why'. Why a character is like they are, and how certain things affect them. Doesn't have to be pages...just a few explanations is all I crave.

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Originally posted by Isaviel
I enjoy seeing a list of friends and enemies.

I use geocities for mine and I am happy with the way it turned out even though it has those annoying ads. However, you can at least close the ads.

Isaviel's

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Tip: This site breaks a LOT of rules about internet usability. Not all usability guides tell you, but this sort of site isn't governed by them. For instance, making an image the link to the main site, and not saying so anywhere, is really really bad practice - if you're making a corporate web site designed to encourage sales.

So, my advice to you is, start with whatever you can cope with, as you gain skill in HTML make it snazzier, and generally, go for your life in terms of making it 'pretty'. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

On the other hand, it's still worth checking how it looks in browsers other than your own. :)

A great website for learning html or other web based things like Javascript is w3schools

I have to agree with everyone else that html's the best way to go. You can use programs like Dreamweaver or Front Page, though that'll cost you money.

it is -bad- practice to not close off paired tags.

P /P constitute a paired tag.

Just because something -works- does not mean you should do it.

you always open and close HTML, HEAD, BODY

it isn't REQUIRED, but you do it anyway. the closing tag is like punctuation. "This is the end of this segment."

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Originally posted by Nemene
A great website for learning html or other web based things like Javascript is w3schools

I have to agree with everyone else that html's the best way to go. You can use programs like Dreamweaver or Front Page, though that'll cost you money.

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Dreamweaver and Front Page create HTML. Maybe you mean learning HTML instead of relying on WYSIWYG editors?

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Originally posted by karahd
it is -bad- practice to not close off paired tags.

P /P constitute a paired tag.

Just because something -works- does not mean you should do it.

you always open and close HTML, HEAD, BODY

it isn't REQUIRED, but you do it anyway. the closing tag is like punctuation. "This is the end of this segment."

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Yes, and it's also bad practice not to put all your META tags in, and that sort of thing. I didn't say this was a perfect thing that all you need to add is content, I said it was bare bones :)

[StirPeopleUp]Actually, though, analogizing P and /P to HTML and /HTML is not the only way to look at it. You can, if you absolutely hate putting /P everywhere, compare it to BR which has no closing tag... [/StirPeopleUp]

-> Rosuav waits for the inevitable flames to fill his inbox

true, but people who don't know html might not know that the paragraph tag has a closing tag by your "barebones" example. you mentioned the exclusion of META tags (of which, for all intents and purposes, only the DTD is useful on a general basis, but entirely optional since the default DTD serves just as well), so that's fine.

yes, BR doesn't have an end tag, but to get a P /P pair with BR, you still have have to use two of them! :p

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Originally posted by Rosuav
Tip: This site breaks a LOT of rules about internet usability. Not all usability guides tell you, but this sort of site isn't governed by them. For instance, making an image the link to the main site, and not saying so anywhere, is really really bad practice - if you're making a corporate web site designed to encourage sales.

So, my advice to you is, start with whatever you can cope with, as you gain skill in HTML make it snazzier, and generally, go for your life in terms of making it 'pretty'. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

On the other hand, it's still worth checking how it looks in browsers other than your own. :)

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I didn't ask for tips and I don't really care if I'm breaking rules! I'm not making a corporate website I'm making a personal game related website. If you don't like it that's fine. To me it's pretty. I don't have all the time in the world to be sitting there trying to figure out HTML. It's decent! It's up! It's working!

[/RANT]

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Originally posted by Isaviel
I didn't ask for tips and I don't really care if I'm breaking rules! I'm not making a corporate website I'm making a personal game related website. If you don't like it that's fine. To me it's pretty. I don't have all the time in the world to be sitting there trying to figure out HTML. It's decent! It's up! It's working!

[/RANT]

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I kind of have to agree with Isaviel here. While i -AM- learning the HTML method, all of the arguments that seem to be going on about closing tags and how different programs are "teh sux" or whatever is pointless. It doesn't aid in any way those who don't already know how to make web pages.

Please, post sites that teach HTML, where one can download a WYSIWYG editor, different places one can sign up for various services, content folks would like to see and such without all the "Well your method sucks because [INSERT ANNOYING TECHNICAL LINGO HERE]!"

Thank you.

I would reccomend the HTML for dummies book, which nowadays one can find at a Borders or Barnes and Noble for 9$. (I saw one six months ago for 8.99 at a B&B) I picked up html from looking at other pages source codes, and looking at the quick explanatory sites like those listed here. Some of the sites give great details and are wonderful for the casual user, but if anyone here is interested in really getting into swap threads, map tagging, fixed point locators and stuff... some of the really fun stuff: check out that book. It's chock full of goodies and extras you normally won't find on the how to sites, or have to look forever to get explained right.

Advice: Check out the above mentioned sites and try to make your page. Get familiar with html basics. If you find it tedious, leave it at that. If you are curious about going deeper and seeing what you can do, dig deep and scrounge the ten bucks, and go get this book!

Sorry. Bumping this up for people working on character pages.

I would love to move mine off of geocities but I have SO much content that I'm totally discouraged from learning html to do it. My character's page grows continuously. I couldn't even imagine having to move everything. Though I am kinda sick of the ads on Geocities it's just really easy for me to update.

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Originally posted by Isaviel
I would love to move mine off of geocities but I have SO much content that I'm totally discouraged from learning html to do it. My character's page grows continuously. I couldn't even imagine having to move everything. Though I am kinda sick of the ads on Geocities it's just really easy for me to update.

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Probably the best time to move is whenever you feel the urge to redesign your page, or if you feel like learning some html.

Then you can just sorta start from scratch somewhere else, using only content, art, etc.

Ok Freewebs is threatening to delete my site due to "adult" content", which I find very humorous. I am not sure exactly what yet, though I imagine the slightly sexy images of Issy and/or the link to the sexy Bast page in Thresh.

So I am pissed at them and wanting to make a new page. I am NOT going to learn Hmtl or whatever it is. I have no clue what that is or what it does.

Soooo back to the orginal question in this thread. What places are user friendly to make webpages? I know geocities and actually had a site there once. I might end up back there unfortunately. Is Angelfire one?

Help!!

Signed,

Your friendly Thresh pervert with all of her sicko adult content!

Honestly, HTML isn't that hard to learn! But if you don't want to learn it, you are going to be restricted to whatever's around. Probably the easiest way to make your pages without learning HTML would be to use a WYSIWYG editor - can someone who uses such things make a recommendation? Mozilla includes one; there's numerous standalone editors; and I daresay each has its pros and cons.

By building your files first, and uploading second, you eliminate the requirement to have your web host give you a page builder - which in turn gives you access to a wide range of hosts.

WYSIWYG editor - frontpage. Its what I moved onto after learning the basics using notepad. Pretty simple, you can do what you want, and if you then want to learn the html, you can always look at the 'html' tag.

I think I have a copy somewhere on my computer that I can zip up, and upload if needed.

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Originally posted by kiania
WYSIWYG editor - frontpage. Its what I moved onto after learning the basics using notepad. Pretty simple, you can do what you want, and if you then want to learn the html, you can always look at the 'html' tag.

I think I have a copy somewhere on my computer that I can zip up, and upload if needed.

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Ewww..... Frontpage isn't very good for learning HTML. It makes bloated pages - heaps of extraneous guff in them. Which makes it not too good for authoring either, but definitely it'd be confusing to try to learn HTML from it.

Also - I don't recommend you try zipping it up and sending it to someone. Quite apart from licencing questions, most programs like that install themselves into the registry, shared folders, and such, so just zipping up the program folder won't give you a working system. You'd need to get hold of an installer.

Rosauv I need you to come to my house and save me from myself and my computer!!! I am about to toss it out the window!

I am just frustrated with the whole mess! My browser is doing funky things, and graphics aren't showing up on some of the sites I am trying to build and/or edit. I downloaded this free thing called Webstudio and made a nice webpage and now I can't load the damn thing on geocities because it won't take something called ftp unless I pay for the damn service. HELPPP

:chat :crash

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Originally posted by Rosuav
Ewww..... Frontpage isn't very good for learning HTML. It makes bloated pages - heaps of extraneous guff in them. Which makes it not too good for authoring either, but definitely it'd be confusing to try to learn HTML from it.

Also - I don't recommend you try zipping it up and sending it to someone. Quite apart from licencing questions, most programs like that install themselves into the registry, shared folders, and such, so just zipping up the program folder won't give you a working system. You'd need to get hold of an installer.

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I have the entire caboodle on disc, but unfortunately, its at home...so no good anyway.
As to learning HTML, I learnt a little using it, but I do agree, you'd probably need to know things first, if only so to know what is needed, and what you can trash!

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Originally posted by Ismenia
Rosauv I need you to come to my house and save me from myself and my computer!!! I am about to toss it out the window!

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Impromptu defenestration may be satisfying, but is seldom productive. :)

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I downloaded this free thing called Webstudio and made a nice webpage and now I can't load the damn thing on geocities because it won't take something called ftp unless I pay for the damn service. HELPPP

:chat :crash

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Webstudio helps you build the HTML files, but you then have to upload it to somewhere. FTP ("File Transfer Protocol") is the standard way to put a file onto your web host - but apparently Geocities considers that too good a feature to give away for free. (Pests!) So - the best option is to get some other free web hosting. Or some pay-for hosting, which spares you the nuisance of advertising.

I've never done anything much with free webspace; the only such site I've used is the Batcave (www.batcave.net) - it seems to be pretty good in a lot of ways. Limit of 150MB storage, but there's only Google ads (the least intrusive of all online ads I have *ever* seen), unlimited transfers (so your site won't go off-air suddenly when you post a link to it on Thresh Forums), and they allow FTP uploads.

Can anyone else offer hosting recommendations?

Thank you thank you Rosauv. I will have to check them out. I knew you would come to the rescue. Aleassa has been listening to my whining too and is going to try to help me out. Between the two of you, I might be able to get a new page up and running.

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Originally posted by Rosuav

Can anyone else offer hosting recommendations?

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I have a webserver where I can host small character webpages, but I don't allow people to connect to it to upload anything. I would offer space as long there was understanding that I don't maintain a high level of availability because it's just a personal server for myself and family. There's nothing commercial about it, so I'm not as stringent on checking to ensure it's up on a daily basis. But, it's perfect for character websites.

If anyone has pages they want hosted, just PM if it's not against game policy. I keep a domain called myrpgcharacters.com but the main page isn't finished and has broken links (long term project...it's my learning playground and it sucks) :D

However, it's free and I have the space. How it would work is that you have a main page on your site with a character picture and have the picture set to redirect to www.myrpgcharacters.com/your_character_name when clicked.

That way whoever links to your main page will always have your main page and if you ever decide to change where your pages are hosted, all you have to do is change your redirect on your main page. And if you are in between hosts, you can setup a page that displays a message about your intermittent transition status, etc.

Most ISPs anymore offer tons of space for personal webpages and storage facilities (without ads), so if you are paying for your internet services, make sure you don't already have the tools available through your ISP.

If you are paying an ISP for internet services and they don't provide personal web page services and web building tools, it's my opinion that you need to get another ISP. Comcast has been my favorite of all time.

Yiipeee! Thanks to everyone here for helping me with making my new webite! I actually got it to work, despite some frustrations. Thanks again to Rosauv for the suggestions and Aleassa for helping AND listening to my whining.

Here is my new site!

Ismenia


Thanks again

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Originally posted by Ismenia

Here is my new site!

Ismenia

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Love your writings. Very powerful poetry and thoughts. :)

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Originally posted by Pyrosama
Love your writings. Very powerful poetry and thoughts. :)

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Aww thank you very much. I actually never realized that I had a knack for poetry and writing until Thresh.

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Originally posted by Ismenia
Ismenia

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LOL! The adverts on the Batcave come from Google, so they're targeted based on content in the page. Sometimes it... doesn't quite work perfectly. It's offering me shares in ISSI, a computer part manufacturer, and also an unrelated Issi furniture!

Site looks good. Very dark overall, but that'd be how you want it to look. Everything's readable (save perhaps the captions under the Friends piccies), so it's not a frustrating experience to browse.

On the front page are two images that look photo-quality. Are they drawn/raytraced, or did you hunt down/make actual photos?

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Originally posted by Rosuav
LOL! The adverts on the Batcave come from Google, so they're targeted based on content in the page. Sometimes it... doesn't quite work perfectly. It's offering me shares in ISSI, a computer part manufacturer, and also an unrelated Issi furniture!

Site looks good. Very dark overall, but that'd be how you want it to look. Everything's readable (save perhaps the captions under the Friends piccies), so it's not a frustrating experience to browse.

On the front page are two images that look photo-quality. Are they drawn/raytraced, or did you hunt down/make actual photos?

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Those are real photos of Bridgette Bardot, who was a 60s film actress for all you yong people.

Nice work!

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Originally posted by Aristotle
Nice work!

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Thank you! I actually had fun putting it together. I didn't throw the computer out the window and my sanity is still intact.. somewhat.

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Originally posted by Ismenia
... my sanity is still intact.. somewhat.

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What there is of it.

:)

Just a small gripe Ismenia, it is generally not good website design 'form' to have a music clip playing on page load.

Obviously the standard of internet connections have made this pointer a little less relevant to most.

It isn't? Why? I like my pretty music! :(

I think the option of stopping the music is really nice. I know when I went to your old site I would always turn it off and now I don't have that option.

People usually like to control the sound coming out of their computers, especially computer geeks. MySpace has totally forgotten this and created a generation of really bad webpages.

For example, I keep my sound at a specific level. I never go to MySpace when the baby is asleep because people have their music blasting all over the place. It's woken the baby up more than once.

Thus, if you do have music on your page, it's really nice to give people a way to turn it off quickly. :)

Hmm.. I don't think there is a way to turn it off as the viewer. That means bye bye to my pretty music. That sucks. Oh well.

Yeah I have to say, music on a web page is absolute torture. I hate it every single time. In fact, sound effects in general suck on a web page unless it is some kind of flash game that you deliberately trigger.

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Originally posted by Aristotle
Yeah I have to say, music on a web page is absolute torture. I hate it every single time. In fact, sound effects in general suck on a web page unless it is some kind of flash game that you deliberately trigger.

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Not to disparage people who've put a lot of work into making sounds, but I agree with Ari. Sound can be great - but I'd like to explicitly invoke it. (I'm geeky too though - I want to play the sound on the computer that has my headphones attached, not the one that has my eyes glued. Playing on the computer that I'm browsing on is useless, its speakers are turned off.)

Ok ok I get the hint. My music is now gone.

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Originally posted by Ismenia
Ok ok I get the hint. My music is now gone.

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Awww, don't be too hard on yourself. Bring it back, but as a link... I haven't heard it and can't judge, but it could be a neat enhancement to the page.

Music is rarely a "neat enhancement".

By rarely I mean never.

I am not sure how to do that anyway with this program that I use and it isn't worth the angst it creates! It was pretty classical music, but still... I like the site without it!

Hmm, now I'm suddenly all for putting Gir's Doom song on infinite loop on Kraxe's website. Maybe I should create a special torture room for it...

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Originally posted by Kraxe
Hmm, now I'm suddenly all for putting Gir's Doom song on infinite loop on Kraxe's website. Maybe I should create a special torture room for it...

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A total perspective vortex?

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Originally posted by Elvion
Music is rarely a "neat enhancement".

By rarely I mean never.

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Hehehe. Exactly.

Ask Katidyd to make your webpage.