Learning How to Build a Website

HoneyBunch and I decided to take an online class on “how to build your own website.” HB is semiretired so he let his business website expire.  It listed items he no longer sold and the prices of the remaining items needed to be readjusted to the times.  This blog is the only thing linked to my website, so we need help.

He graduated at the top of his class from college and I consider myself quasi-intelligent, so we figured we could teach ourselves the ropes of website building.  How difficult could it be?

The first lesson explained some basic terms and asked us to create and save a folder on our desktops.  We needed to clear/ignore Rich Text Commands in HTML files.  No biggie.  Easy peasy. We both made 100 on our first quiz and we waited for Lesson Two. We were introduced to some basic tags and asked to use those tags while creating a simple page of text.

This is where we ran into trouble.

Let me just say your websites are safe.  Instead of envisioning us as the Bonnie and Clyde of HTML hacking, we are more like Thelma and Louise, driving pell mell, helter skelter into the World Wide Web abyss.

Our folders wouldn’t open, and when by accident they did, they wouldn’t save.

Neither HB on his economy-sized computer nor I on my high-tech gamer could open our “simple, little” folders we created and saved in Lesson One.

After hours of going over the same steps and getting nowhere, I took a break, an Aleve, and a nap.  When I woke up, I took two deep breaths, rolled up my sleeves, and went back into my office.  I erased everything and started over with Lesson One, but I kept getting the same response.  The stupid folder could not open.  How was I ever going to “Build a Website” if I couldn’t even open the folder!

I did not give up.  I adjusted a few of the steps from the online instructions and got my homework done, at least so far. I understand the online instructor cannot provide individual attention and each computer has its little quirks, so I did my own trouble shooting.

I shared my discovery with Thelma (aka HoneyBunch), and he tried it on his own computer.  His looks a little different from mine but he also finished his homework.

I doubt we will ever be proficient enough to meet what we need for our websites, but at least we will understand the jargon the technician feeds us when he explains his bill.