The Trauma of Building a WebsiteI am not good with these things called computers. I brag of this fact as if it is a measure of my own humanity. But it is true. Put a computer into my hands and I will make a mess of everything that is on it.So I find it to [...]
Published on November 14, 2007
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The Trauma of Building a Website
I am not good with these things called computers. I brag of this fact as if it is a measure of my own humanity. But it is true. Put a computer into my hands and I will make a mess of everything that is on it.
So I find it to be very unlikely that I am trying to make a living off of writing on a website. But this is, perhaps, a last ditch effort to forever avoid the harshness of living the life of an employee. I seek to live on my own terms; a website is one way, if the stars shine upon me, that I could do this. But it takes more work than I have ever put into any employment venture, and seems to be vastly more frustrating.
I have just burned through two website building programs: Page Wizard and Nvu. I give up. I use these programs because I think that they will be easier than learning HTML and building a site from scratch.
But now I am having doubts about this.
I have tried to make a nice website for Vagabond Journey.com. A site organized columns and pretty colors. I ended up with nothing but a mess. What I See Is What I Get. What I got was a page full of odds and ends all stuck together and perilously overlapping itself into a deadlock oblivion. In point, I tied my site (and myself) into a knot.
I need to get out.
So I broke down last night. Said a big, “Fuck it,” and began making the simplest site that I could imagine.
“I am just going to make this damn thing as I would write a word document!”
If you make a mistake long enough it becomes a style . . .
The trauma of building a website.
Wade from Vagabond Journey.com
November 14, 2007
Vila Nova de Milfontes, Portugal
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About the Author: VBJ
I am the founder and editor of Vagabond Journey. I’ve been traveling the world since 1999, through 93 countries. I am the author of the book, Ghost Cities of China and have written for The Guardian, Forbes, Bloomberg, The Diplomat, the South China Morning Post, and other publications. VBJ has written 3729 posts on Vagabond Journey. Contact the author.
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2 comments… add one
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June 30, 2011, 9:20 am
LinkYupper Wade,
When I started learning computer we were still using punch cards and I had to wait in line for 2 hours to see if what I did was correct or had to be redone.
A lot has changed, and I never kept up.
A whole world out there that is beyond my comprehension – I just try and keep it simple, and follow what I have been told to do. Niece and nephew are helping me, but I do the grunt work of building a website.
The key, I believe, is to continue to do, and to ask for help.
As a buddy of mine tells me now and then – step away from the computer, keep your hands off the keyboard.
I just need to relax, plug away and follow directions. ( Now, if I can figure out what those directions are telling me to do………)
Keep at it Wade, it will pan out for you.
Cheers,
John D. Wilson
aka – The Big Mozey-
July 3, 2011, 7:01 am
LinkThanks John,
Wow, that was an old entry! From 2007. Can’t say I really make sites like this anymore — I know what I’m doing now! I am also actually getting pretty slick — much of what is on here now is hand coded. But it was a long road to get here.
Ironically, this entry was actually erroneously retweeted by a plugin called retweet old posts. It should not have gone up, but I am glad that it did as it gave impetus to this conversation. Thanks!
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