Creating Websites and Overall Thoughts

Creating websites is something that is very important when developing your professional portfolio. In this blog, I will teach you how to create a website and all the tips and tricks in perfecting it. In addition, you will read about how much I've improved my professional skillsets over the past few months by attending Stockton University. 

Specific Website Builders

Before you start building a website, you might want to decide on what website to actually do it on. Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, and Shopify are well-developed sites that are very easy to use for a beginner. In addition, a fast website builder on the market is SITE123 in which you have to pay for, monthly. Ultimately, each site has its own pros and cons and will cater to your own personal needs.

Squarespace, a site that offers personal ($12 a month) and business websites which allow for small customization options along with the opportunity for beginners. 

Wix, one of the most popular website builders allows users to create a site for free or to upgrade to paid versions for additional features which aren't really necessary. I think that Wix is really nice in that it uses the drag-and-drop function. This makes the site so much easier to use and could make your website from bland to something that looks professional in the matter of a few clicks. 

Personally, I've used Weebly before in the past when creating a website on a book I've read. I feel as though Weebly is super user-friendly and is accessible which allows for easy customization opportunities. However, I think that it was a little difficult when using the drag-and-drop option because you had to have specific things for certain options. Other than that, the website is very useful for personal websites because though free, the upgraded version makes it so much better due to the membership registration. 

Lastly, Shopify is a site that combines business and non-business sites that are usually used for eCommerce websites. This is because of the elements of the function and design on the site which make it more specific for the different types of site. This would be great when growing a business because of the online store layouts and secure payment options. 

Where to Begin When Creating a Website 

Websites are pretty easy to make because of how many different website builders there are on the internet. Sites like Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly are a couple popular sites to develop a site. Nowadays, you don't even have to know coding to build a website. This is because of how far technology has advanced which made it easier for a common individual to create a website without any pain. 

Having a domain is one of the first steps to creating a website. This is because, with a domain, you are able to personalize your domain name along with having the specific websites' name at the end of it. After creating a domain, you should think about what you want to add there. Think about what type of content to put on each page and whether to separate different information onto various tabs. Once you finish both of these steps, you now fill in the pages with your information and whatever the topic may be. In addition, you are able to use different gadgets on the websites to create different things in terms of shapes, colors, or links. With that being said, after you finish writing all the information down onto the different pages, you should check whether the link for the site works or not. This is because, after publishing, you might not be able to change anything, thus double-checking everything is a great way to save the hassle of going back again. 

In addition to all of these steps, creating a mobile-friendly website design will be beneficial for those that do not own a laptop or desktop. I remember in class when my professor explained that when you slowly minimize a tab on a desktop, you will eventually get to see what mobile users see. I thought this was really cool because you can easily edit your site to make it look good for mobile users as well as desktop users. With so many internet users, 56% of online shoppers prefer mobile devices as opposed to desktops and laptops because of the Middle Eastern and North African regions on the increase of populations. I think that this percentage will definitely increase in the next decade because more people are getting mobile devices and I feel as though underdeveloped countries are growing to the point where more than half the country will have smartphones or some form of technology. Additionally, with websites having mobile versions, this would help small businesses to provide their customers with the best experience which allows for their business to grow exponentially. 

Overview of the Semester

By having Professor Calderwood as a mentor and as someone that guided me as a person both professionally and as an individual. Through the fourteen-week semester, I think that I've learned so much that I wouldn't have learned outside the class. From the very beginning of the semester, I was taught how to talk to an audience by presenting a relevant app through my major. Through this, I learned how to interact and gain the confidence to talk in front of others. In addition, projects such as the LinkedIn profile creation really helped me because it enabled me to put myself out there and show myself to the work industry. 

Other than that, I was able to tidy up my resume through LinkedIn along with putting a professional picture so that employers would see how I am as a person. For the majority of the semester, though, I learned how important my digital footprint was. I learned that whatever you post online will stay there forever and that whatever is free will make you the product as opposed to making them as the product. I think that it is very important to educate others about digital awareness and their digital footprint because it may affect their job outcome. 

Likewise, we also talked about how to present yourself at an interview when applying for a job and what to do. This really helped because though I am a sophomore, the interview process showed me what not to do when applying for a job. Examples include and are not limited to: posting unprofessional pictures that wouldn't fit with the jobs' expectations, lying, acting unprofessional, not coming prepared, and giving nonsense answers. 

Posting on Twitter about science-related articles helped me too because I got to learn a lot about my major. I was able to look at different subject matters and would make comments about them to show on social media. 

Overall, the class was helpful in ways that I could not imagine. I think that I wouldn't have been as interesting in my field without this class. This is because I've looked at so many scientific articles and read articles regarding my specific intended career which made me care so much more about it.