My webpage week

This is the umpteenth version of this webpage and I like the look but, what torture putting it together.

I spent Monday starting the page, all the search words, title, etc, the background and the banner up and centered. Then, moved onto the line of links that will be next.

I wanted to draw them myself and not use anything borrowed from a free site on the web. Geez, I painted portraits for a living for fifteen years, I should be able to do a colorful enough drawing to pass. Ya think????

I started a new sketchbook for this book and have pages of sketches I have started and discarded. That is nothing new. I have a reasonable set of sketches for the links, used Jasc Paint Shop to eliminate the background and put them up and guess what, the background showed. Did it again two more times and finally gave up and just blacked out the background.

I tried a little CSS again, went back to HTML. I tried using a template from HTML Editor, Flash & Web Design Software CoffeeCup Software, which I own, and have gone to using a table with two rows. I know there has to be a better way. I have always put the link list down the left hand side. My last version of Coffee Cup had a whole bunch of templates too, but I had to reformat and lost it all and, while I have upgraded, I have yet to find the long list of templates.

So, now I have a background, a banner, and a row of hand drawn icons to dress up the link buttons. As in all things with this webpage, it is all trial and error. Right now the buttons do not link. So, that is next.

In the meantime, I have entered the first 1,000 words of my novel in Miss Snark's First Victim critique. I could not find the complete rules, so here is hoping I did it right.

Down to webpage basics

While, I have designed webpages for years (mostly for my artwork), I wanted to make the new webpage do several things: be entertaining to children, be a place agents and editors can go to for information, throw in some of my art and comply with accessibility guidelines.

Hopefully, I am doing the accessibility guidelines properly. That was the easiest part to do. I did it first and now will redo some pages as I have totally revamped my idea. I am back to basics.

I am not a programmer. I know a smattering of html and can use HTML Editor, Flash & Web Design Software CoffeeCup Software. I am not going to try to learn CSS, but utilize CoffeeCup to the best of my ability. I have given up dreams of curling pages, swinging beads and items that move when you click them. That is programming a specialist can do when the book is a success (power of positive thinking!!!!).

Right now, I want a presence on the web that showcases my books in a simple direct manner. I have found a sample design I like, with nothing jumping, swinging or moving. It is all about information. And, isn't that what people come to the internet for?

I am still doing my own graphics, for the most part, but the only way to actually get this done is to simplify. So, I have diagrammed the pages I want, I have a layout for the pages and I am off to put it together, on this rainy Sunday. Wish me luck!

Web Site Creation - pg 8 - Site Maps and Search Engines

By talking about site map, we are skipping ahead a bit, but it is important to have some other things in mind before you get down to coding, or WYSIWYG’ing, your web page. After promising to talk about "site map" I have done research and found out that you site map your site AFTER you create it. So, for now, we will discuss getting your site found by Search Engines. This is something to consider during every step of your page creation.

Note: I have substituted the word carrot for the <> for each page, don’t say “page 1,” “page 2,” etc. Do use very descriptive sentences, like: “Painting information from SaVanVleck” or “Native American characters in the Moon Tree books.”


2. And, don’t forget that detailed ALT text for all images, we have discussed.


3. Use your (carrot) meta name="”keywords”"> to good use with detailed information. If you will look at your WYSIWYG editor's HTML, you will find the "keywords" and "content" at the top of the page. These are two very important keys to being found by search engines.


4. Use CONTENT => also The CONTENT can also be used by search engines as your site’s description when displaying search results. These are where the lines that you see when you google come from.

Below is the AOL Google search for “www.vanvleck studio.” I do not find the AOL Google to be as thorough as a straigh search with:http://www.google.com/, but it was handy.

a href="http://www.vanvleckstudio.com/" target="_blank">pottery, painting, drawings, fairy, doll sculptures, by Sher...carrot /a>
Welcome to VanVleck Studio on-line ... Link to pottery and sculpture by Sheryl VanVleck ... Link to 2-dimensional work by Sheryl VanVleck ...www.vanvleckstudio.com/ - 11k - Similar pages

AND

http://www.vanvleckstudio.com/
Welcome to VanVleck Studio on-line
VanVleck Studio and Gallery is located in a quiet rural area in Brown County, Indiana, USA. ... On the left will be VanVleck Studio, 7873 N. Oak Ridge Road. ...
www.vanvleckstudio.com/4studio.html - 8k - Similar pages
[ More results from www.vanvleckstudio.com ]
http://www.vanvleckstudio.com/4studio.html

My INDEX page is the top search for vanvleckstudio. So, it is saying welcome (probably unnecessary and certainly non-descriptive) Link to pottery and sculpture by Sheryl VanVleck is okay. “Link to 2-dimensional work by Sheryl VanVleck” really does not tell anything about my portrait paintings in three medias. That should be more descriptive for full affect.

a. A caveat here is that search engines will ignore keywords if you repeat a given keyword too often. That means any word used more than seven (7) times, in some search engines, will be ignored.

5. I read some advice in my CoffeeCup HTML, to check out your site on Lynx, and you will see the text only version. This is good to see what the visually handicapped will see, but also good to see what words will pop-out on search engines. My vanvleckstudio.com came up thus (it is too long to copy all in here, so here is the link) seebot.org text view of http://www.vanvleckstudio.com. Suffice it to say that it is a lot of words, but perhaps not what I would intend to point out as the most important information on my site.

6. It is also said that some “well-known free hosting services” are ignored by the search engine. So, if you are serious about marketing from your web site, you should consider having it hosted. It costs me $100 a year for a basic service package from Gold Rush Hosting Solutions. There are cheaper options for hosts, but I got tired of not having someone to email when I got into trouble.

Hey, what can I say? "I got people, now."

Textural quality in web design

My apologies, if you follow both this blog and Savanvleck’s Weblog on WordPress. This is the third post I have published on both sites. I did it for WordPress first and decided it was a fit for my marketing blogs here. I need to create my brand first, on my web page, I feel, in order to fit the rest of the net-world to it for my book. I am talking the blogs, MySpace and whatever else is out there waiting to challenge me.

I have designed my own web page for years and, believe it or not, I HAVE redesigned it several times. When I was creating eight inch fairies, and selling them on eBay, I realized it was time to again redesign my page. However, that web page, the one that was up there then and is still up now, has not been redesigned yet. I created it mainly for my painting, pottery and sculpture. pottery, painting, drawings, fairy, doll sculptures, by Sheryl Adair VanVleck

I use Coffee Cup Web Design and I could show you at least two dozen starts at a new web page for my site. And, now, like the paperwork in the Rubbermaids, it is time to again redesign my redesign I never did. My new focus is on my YA Fantasy Novel, and I am here to tell you exactly why this has become such a problem for me.

In fact, I will do better than that. If you click on this link, you will see just exactly why nothing I do lives up to this designer, in California: Welcome to Avalon Arts Studio!. If the textural quality of these web pages don't blow you away, nothing is going to impress you.

Just click on the Web Design tab about avalon arts web design and then click on their Porfolio. portfolio Some of my favorites are Enchants - faery sculptures by Christine Ruggle and The Faery Crossing-All Faeries, Sidhes, and Elfins Welcome! These sites present the true art of the miniature fairy artist and designing a web page, at its best. And, if I was still designing my web page for miniature fairys, I would be working on a design even half as rich as that forever, I am afraid.

So, it's a good thing I'm going for a site for my YA Fantasy Novel. I have finally confirmed the design in my head and am gathering my own graphics to do it. I'll keep you informed.

Waiting for Snow to fall

Okay, I have tackled, and not quite conquered ‘MySpace.’ www.myspace.com/savanvleck

Coffeee Cup for my web page is a breeze, WordPress was easy. Blogger was not bad. Then, there is MySpace.

I go to the Help button, after about six hours of searching, and find a message that says, “We do not help you with that, or that, or that.” In other words, ‘The heck with all of you.” Or “that’s what our subscribers are for” as they tell me that there are sites/people out there that you can get help from.

My sister has a niece who does it all for her. She just tells her what she wants and the niece does it. Perhaps it is just that our ‘older’ brains do not think in the same circle as younger brains. I am sure I will get used to it, eventually. I would be working on redoing my website, as I finally have the design I want pretty much figured out, but I need photos. I’m waiting for snow to fall in Indiana. Never thought I would say that!

So, when Gaffer gets here and it snows, we will make a trek out to Yellowwood State Forest and work on the trailer, for my YA Fantasy, as well as photos for my web page. I have the trailer written out but not drawn, scene by scene.

Then, I’m on my own again. Out of three boys, none of them is really involved in anything computer or internet related. I tried. I really did. Every semester it’s, “Aren’t you going to take web design or programming?” "Nope, not interested." They tell me.

However, I have not seen EMT’s full face, looking at me, since he bought a pay per use phone that has free unlimited text messaging.

Anyway, the status of my YA Fantasy Fiction is:

1. Chapter six edit off to Master’s Daughter, after Thanksgiving.
We decided to work on one chapter at a time, that way, if we find something that will affect the plot line, etc, we are not going over what we have already edited. I send her a chapter, she sends me back comments (I love WORD), I edit her comments and send her back the corrections, she emails me back notes. During that time, I am line editing the next chapter and beyond.
2. I need to work on the last two chapters more. They are very sketchy, but I think it will wait until we are at least in the middle of the book.
3. I want to brand my WebPage, my writing blog and MySpace when it snows and I have the photos I need.
4. I now need to learn, well actually, I still need to learn MySpace but it’s a start, but I need to check out Face Book or UTube, Twitter and everything else out there, I guess.
5. And, as far as Thanksgiving: We are putting the tree up today, for Mom to enjoy and Gaffer, when he gets home. I actually, also have my butter filling ready for Aunt Sally’s butter knot bread and my eggs boiled for deviled eggs. This year is a request Thanksgiving. Mom gets her ham and gravy. Boys get mashed potatoes and corn (don’t even ask), We all get Guacamole and chips and deviled eggs, and us adults get less work and less food to throw out. No one was eating dressing and sweet potatoes, but me and I don’t need them.

So, I wish you all a Great Thanksgiving. Travel safe and enjoy the company of relatives and friends. Mom emailed me this morning: “Life is too short, so why do people argue with their relatives?” I pointed out that we do not get to choose our relatives, but even if we did, we would probably still occasionally argue with them, just about different things.