The Project Takes Shape (X 4?)

     Well, the past two weeks have been all about getting the nuts and bolts of the project together in actual online form. In fact, I was so focused on getting the website up and running that I ....um...forgot to blog last Sunday. Oops! So, this Sunday will be notable as it will be a DOUBLE BLOG DAY.  Number one here will be talking about website shenanigans.

     Once I knew what my project was, I was very focused on making the project an online digital book. I was hoping to make it a kind of hybrid encyclopedia/photo/document book that integrated history with my actual historical family pieces. While I still like that idea very much, it didn't end up taking off.

     I looked at different kinds of digital book software, but it was either necessary to pay or the free versions had ads and/or company logos. I did find a few that were free and full service that used uploaded .pdf files. While this would have been what I used if found earlier, time constraints became a problem. The .pdf files being uploaded had to be the finished pages. That meant that if I wanted to include pictures and any kind of creative page design I would need to use something like Adobe InDesign. Microsoft Word would only really work on a very simplistic level, and I wanted the book to look more polished than that. I did learn how to use InDesign in high school, but the software has changed so much and it has been such a long time since learning it that I was essentially starting from scratch. Given how much time I have left to complete the project (due April 9th), I decided (regretfully) that I just didn't have enough time to crash course my way through the software AND have a finished project I was satisfied with.

     So, the focused shifted towards finding a website builder I liked the best. I started with Adobe Dreamweaver (html coding and design software) that could be used in tandem with my allotted University of Guelph student web space. It was...frightening, to say the least. It took me hours just to figure out how to sync up the software to the school server, and I then spent a few days bumbling my way around the actual design portion of the program. I became extremely frustrated and irritated because I knew I was getting nowhere. I decided to consider Omeka, because I knew the Scottish Chapbooks team had been having some success with it. On the plus side, it was definitely much easier to use and user friendly, On the negative side, I ended up finding a bit too simplistic in that it was fairly basic and not very flexible.

     Then came success. After doing a lot of web searches for "best website builders" and reading a lot of design articles and reviews, I tried Wix. It is a website host with design software built right in. With Wix I found the right hybrid of ease of use and design variety/flexibility I had been looking for. With Wix you can either start with a blank template or choose from a set of pre-made layouts. The layouts themselves can then be completely changed and personalized however you like, they just provide you with a nice starting point to work from. Wix requires no coding, rather the builder has an easy to use menu separated by what you want to work on (Font, layout, colour, etc.) The menu also has multiple options for adding various design features and widgets. It was from this collection of widgets that I was able to make a document reader and gallery for all of my family items. In that way, I feel like I was able to keep the spirit of the original digital book idea.

     While I am of course still working away on the website, I am really happy with the look and feel of the project so far. Feedback I have gotten from a few people I have shown it to has been positive, and I really think the finished product will be something I can be proud of.