The first time I built a website, back in 1999, I used Microsoft Front Page and tweaked individual pages using HTML code. Later, I created a few pages using Dreamweaver. I have always used Adobe Photoshop to edit photos and design graphics. I even learned how to design a web page using Photoshop’s “Save as HTML” function.
I became familiar with WordPress using Blogger and WordPress.com, and began creating my first website from scratch in December 2017. The cookie cutter aspect of the software can be frustrating, but the compatibility you get cross-platform and using multiple devices pretty much makes it the best way to go if you are more interested in delivering content versus getting too technical.
Organizing a personal website is for me a bit like putting my life into easy to identify compartments.
I started by linking most of my social media profiles using icons and sidebar plugins aka widgets. From there, I started adding menus and submenus to internal and external places. Prioritizing the process based on which personal project was foremost on my mind.
The Magic Times menu currently takes you to this site based journal or to my memoir about growing up in Oakland and Davis which is still situated at WordPress.com.
The Film and Video Views menu provides links to articles about movies and television, as viewed on the big screen, home video, or on one of the many streaming services that have gone from recycling content to producing their own content.
In the last few years, I have had the opportunity to do presentations on films and photography at local libraries and camera clubs. The Presentation menu will take you to the Power Points that I designed for my last two talks. These live on the Slideshare website which is currently affiliated with LinkedIn.
The most recent addition to my menu is Theatre in the Foothills with links to YouTube, Facebook and Twitter profiles designed to support future programs about performers, theater groups, and venues in Nevada County, California. The first Theatre in the Foothills program, currently in post production, will be about Chris LeGate, who has portrayed Mark Twain for years.
Most likely, the next menu item will be information on Improv workshops and performances, plus a revised section of web based Improv resources. Stay tuned as my website evolves from day to day, month to month, year to year, and project to project.