Hi
I'm Ruth, I'm English, living in France.

I am extremely new to all this website malarky - I find I have to read everything two or three times to figure out what on earth it's about! I am attempting, for starters, to create an Ebay store for my husband's shop (car accessories and imports). It has taken me a couple of weeks to get to the stage where I need to upload my creation-I designed the template in Photoshop, and then did stuff to it with Dreamweaver; and it will probably take another couple of weeks to reach the stage where I feel brave enough to upload and make it active (or whatever you call it!)! lol!

I intend to follow as many tutorials as possible, and if anybody has any tips, please tell me - I have no idea what I'm doing! If this works Ok, I will then be starting another website for the business, from scratch.
Wish me luck!

(Anybody wants to just say 'hi', feel free - I promise to say 'hi' back!)

ttfn x http://www.zymic.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif

I can give you the biggest tip for free - FOCUS -the lack of this has been the downfall of many an internet virgin or indeed an old timer. If something works focus on it, if you're working on a shop for example focus on it don't let anything take your focus away. Do not get side tracked but some other crazy idea that comes into your head Focus on the project at hand and it will all be good.

Thanks and hello

I am being as focused as possible! lol! I work on it till it drives me nuts, then have a break and do something away from the computer for a bit, then go back and try to redo whatever it was that was driving me mad - 9 times out of 10 that seems to work! I hope to have it online within another 2 or 3 weeks...sooner if I can! I have stopped being a perfectionist with it, just trying to make things work atm! Once I have that figured, I will do some fine-tuning!

My method so far has been 1 Try it, 2 tutorial, 3 Try it again 4 re-watch Tutorial and try at the same time, 5 Have a break and calm down! (lol), 6 Re-try it (sometimes get bits done by step 3, often have to go as far as step 6!)

Fingers crossed ( tho that makes typing difficult!)

Hi Ruth (Mecasonic),

Welcome to Zymic WEBMASTER RESOURCES. Skimming, reading and perusing is the best way to gain knowledge in this arena of webmastering (oh - so many things to learn). To gain the understanding that is usually associated with acquiring knowledge it sounds as though you are on the right track (do it till it drives you nuts , take some time away from the project and then return to it with the skimming, reading and perusals of information you trust will get you to your desired end-result).

While there is no doubt as to the productivity of Photoshop coupled with Dreamweaver it may behoove you to begin to learn at least some of the basic neccessities of a Valid Code Practice(s) that comprises even the most simplest web pages. The ability to "read" and "write" a web page (understand the Source Code of a particular web page) is greatly beyond any comparision to being able to create from What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) program(s). Graphic programs are for graphic (image) endeavors and web pages are derived from text (programming language) that present (Code In) image(s), audio/visual(s) and textual conveyance(s).
Programming languages for a basic non-commercial site these days usually consists of HTML (or a variant such as: XHTML) and some CSS. A commercial site may be comprised of [X]HTML, CSS, PHP and Database(s). This is not to say that a web page (especially for the novice) cannot consist solely of pure HTML with no other language in this day and age but some of the flash and bang of what you want may be hard to align (properly present/display to your liking) in a pure HTML web page.

You are in a good position (not yet totally corrupted by lazy influences) to learn Valid Code as you learn (endeavor) to create your Husbands' e-Bay Store web. I might suggest that as you work through this creation that the spending of about one (1) hour a day working through an HTML Tutorial (like at W3Schools) would be a benefit for your Husband and you down the road from this project (as you mentioned "...starting another website for the business, from scratch."). It all takes time and devotion and above all else - your participation.
Don't be afraid to create a Zymic Free Ad Free Hosted Website (just read the terms of service(s) and the like so as not to step on any toes) and upload your progressing work to view its' concept and design in the online environment. The "online environment" should (will) help you to recognize the quality (performance aspect, not appearance) of the web page. It is a benefit to check your work regularly (especially since you are using a WYSIWYG program that adds a lot more Source Code than is really needed to get the page to display the way you want).

You seem to have a great goal ahead of you and you should be aware that the commercialism aspect of your endeavor will eventually hit home and there are no WYSIWYG programs out there that will provide the secure commercialism aspect of an interactive business site for you. You'll definitely be eventually led into the realm of PHP and Databases (and you'll need to know how to Validly Code that secure comercialism aspect (or pay dearly - maybe even your first-born - for it)).
I hope that you take your time and learn the fundamentals of Valid Code while you work through this and your next couple of projects... we all want to see you succeed in your project to obtain your goal.

Hope this isn't too overwhelming for a Hello, Ruth.