I have come to the realization that if I want to get my business started before my kids are grown (they aren’t even born yet!), I will have to initially create my website using a template. I can’t pay somebody to design it for me at this point, and I haven’t been able to attend any of Hamid’s classes. (I’ve started working on them on my own, however!)

I don’t want to use a template forever though. As I learn HTML, I want to design my own website.

My question is: how difficult is it to transfer content from a template to my own page? Will I be starting over from scratch?

I don’t know much about this, obviously, so I hope I worded this correctly!

Hi Kathryn
That's great that you're working from the archived HTML classes - I hope you're finding them easy to use and understand.

Let's see if I understand your question, and if not, please don't hesitate to let me know...

You're wondering how hard it is to move content from an existing/templated website to whatever new fabulous digs you create?

The content you'll be adding to either one would be text and images, which is pretty much a matter of copy/paste and placing the images, etc. as you like them. So, not that hard at all.

The thing about a template is that it gives you a design or a frame with which to work, so you're just adding in the 'filler' elements (the important stuff like text and your logo) and so you can avoid dealing with the more complicated design elements for now. Assuming you design your own webite at some point the only thing I can imagine you'd want to take with you to the new site would be your own content and any images you've used that you really like.

Let me know if I've missed what it is you're asking here...

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What?!?! There are archived HTML classes?!?!?

**dashes out the door**

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Stephanie
New VA in the research phase :daisy:

Yes, that's *exactly* what I was asking! Thank you so much Tess.

Sounds like it won't be too difficult to get myself all sorted once I know what I'm doing!

The archived classes are wonderful! I can't thank you and Hamid enough for offering them to us.

Originally Posted by StephanieP

What?!?! There are archived HTML classes?!?!? **dashes out the door**

LOL Stephanie! Yep, look up at the top right of the page - the blue box that says, "HTML and CSS The Basics".

You've only missed three of them, so hopefully you can get caught up before the fourth one!

Good
And you know if you get stuck you can always post to the Coding section for some help!

Stephanie - the info on the classes is here (they're actually still going on so you can catch up and join in live if you like - the next one is on the 10th of next month and will start into CSS)

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I just finished the first two archive classes...thank you, thank you, thank you

The instruction is wonderful and, although I had some very basic HTML knowledge, I realized that I need to break some habits like <strong> instead of <b> and <em> instead of <i>

Tip: I think of the nesting features of HTML like I do the formula features in Excel (i.e. The last opened is the first to be closed)

Thanks again. I'll go through the third session tomorrow night and then practice up for the live session on the 10th.

By the way, I'm also one that right clicks on websites (or MySpace stuff) to see if I can figure out how things are coded (I've always been the kind of person that takes things apart to figure out how it's put together). Of course, I feel a bit like a peeping tom...lol

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Stephanie
New VA in the research phase :daisy:

Stephanie, since you mentioned looking at the code - I just wanted to suggest that if you haven't already, download Mozilla Firefox and get the developer tools addon. It will give you not only the HTML code but will tell you what is potentially wrong with it (actually I don't think you even have to have the developer addon for that).

But part of the developer tools is a live edit CSS stylesheet option which will open a left sidebar and show you all of the CSS in the current page on your screen. You can study it or you can even play around with it to see what happens when you change different elements. Fun and educational!

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Jeanne
NowAssistingYou.com
Virtual Assistant :: Web/Blog Design & Hosting :: Writer