Web Design @ StudentStrike: Building the LFS Website
I'm currently working on the design and layout of the new LFS website. In a few days, I already got hooked and almost went crazy figuring out codes and shit. I learned new things and slick tricks in the process, that's why I've decided to start blogging it, in order to have a reference the next time I try to make another site, and also to share things I've learned.So forgive me if I'm going to get all geeky and technical the next few days.
This is the second time I'm building a whole site, the first one during the election campaign season, doing the Kabataan Partylist website which is down at the moment because of, uhm, let's just say "lapses in judgement" of the web administrators (they accidentally deleted the template index). :) Here's a web archive of the site.
Thanks to Ederic for hosting and helping us put up Kabataan and the new LFS website. He hosted the website I'm doing now for free and installed wordpress to our server, the platform I am using to build the site.
I first learned about html codes when we got lfs.kilusan.net in 2005. I got to discover some really basic html codes needed for posting. When we put up YoungRadicals, like many, I started learning some more complicated (well, it's not really that complicated) coding changing the header and blog layout. I never really took it seriously until I studied CSS upon making the Kabataan website in 2006.
Making the site and understanding codes made me feel the excitement I felt when I was learning Geometry in high school. Maybe this is the geek side of me speaking but tweaking css and html is kinda addictive. I stay up all night just learning the codes and making the site. It feels good figuring out codes and formulas and getting the effect you want on your website template. Sabi nga ng wordpress codex: code is poetry.
A couple of things we want do before we jump in and mess with codes:
1. Get a domain name/address (www.yoursite.com). There are a couple of sites offering free domain names. Domain.com, according to their home page, is offering names for less than $9 (aroung P450) per year. That's pretty decent considering that it's the equivalent amount to xerox around only a thousand bond paper size posters.
2. Get a friend like Ederic that will offer hosting for free. Otherwise you pay for that too.
3. Install Wordpress on your server. wordpress.org is different from wordpress.com. Wordpress.com is where you get free wordpress blogs. Wordpress.org is where you download the wordpress platform. Most hosting providers give you the option to install wordpress. It's really easy.
That's it. You should now see a default Wordpress blog home page when you point your browser to your address.
The next posts will deal mainly on how to customize a site's theme and layout based on how I did stuff on our site. While stuff will be explained in the context of having your own domain name and operating on Wordpress platform, a lot of things will also be applicable to everyone else.
October 5, 2007 at 9:01 AM
true, ang geek mo na nga. hehe. :D
October 5, 2007 at 9:31 AM
hehe. mas lider na geek? oy yung tapes.
October 5, 2007 at 6:28 PM
pramis kung nasa up ka mamaya, bibigay ko na talaga, nagkakasalisihan kasi pagdala ko at pagpunta mo e hehe. capture na din natin.
true, ikaw ay isang maslider na geek na masungit =P
October 5, 2007 at 11:19 PM
di naman ako masungit. mukha lang. :)
October 22, 2007 at 3:31 AM
Nakakaadik talaga ang coding. (Para namang marunong ako, eh, no? Hehe) Or at least, kahit yung pagti-tweak lang ng themes at plugins. Minsan nga, walang tulugan. Hehe.