Web design advice needed.

NateM · 06-08-2005, 04:15 AM

Hey everyone,

I'm a newbie with a question, (surprise!). I run two small websites related to living in China, and a recent catastrophe has caused me to consider doing major site redesigns on both, so I was wondering if you'd be able to give me some pointers on good tools to help me with the redesign.

The site I'm most concerned about is one called http://www.ChinaSchoolReview.com. It was a site I put up for ESL teachers in China. Teaching English here can be a pretty hair-raising experience, as there are more than enough scam schools, corrupt officials, and incompetent headmasters to go around. So I created my site for teachers to review their schools and give people an idea of what to look out for.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/web-design-discussion/96756-web-design-advice-needed.html

It was a pretty bare-bones operation, and that has a lot to do with the fact that I don't really have any money. I just basically used free webspace my university gave me, bought a domain, and used ezboards to categorize and order the reviews. It worked pretty well, although it wasn't as well put together as I would have liked. Still, it got a decent following over the past year, and worked fairly well as a resource for teachers. Recently, however, ezboards got hacked and basically all of my data got erased, pretty much destroying my site. Thus, I'm in a bit of a rebuilding mode, and want to create something that will be a lot more versatile and last longer than my first site. However, my web designing knowledge is pretty basic, and so I need some help from some of the seasoned pros that I know visit and/or run this place. Basically, I would like to have a site that has the possibility to:
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=96756

1. Have web users enter in their own reviews of schools, (after they register, of course).
2. Have the ability for people to go back and edit their reviews, and for people to leave comments after them.
3. Have a system to organize them, by chronology/alphabet/province/city/rating, etc, and also have a search system in place.
4. In the reviews, I would like to require them to rate their school based on a certain set of criteria, so that when they enter their review in, they would have to acknowledge certain aspects.
5. I would also like for people to be able to rate the review, so that when some pissed off idiot writes a stupid review, or a school comes in trying to impersonate a teacher, people can call them on it and that can be reflected when people are searching for reviews.

Basically, I would like to create something like the Internet Movie Database, only for schools in China instead of films.

My other site is www.TianjinExpats.com, created basically the same way as china school review, but using proboards instead, so my data didn't get wiped. There are two main features I would like to see for this are:

A calendar where people can enter in events happening in and around the city, and which would include information like cost, location, general info, etc. I would like it to look more like a listing of events, and not like a calendar itself.

Maybe a photo-gallery or something, where people could upload photos from events and put them on the website. If I had that, I would also like to be able to limit the size of the photos uploaded.

If anyone has any suggestions for scripts, software, or hosting solutions, I'd really like to hear your advice. Right now, I'm looking at maybe going through http://www.nathosting.com/, but I'm open to other suggestions if you have them, or if you think they won't be able to do everything I want to do for this.

I realize I'm making a pretty huge leap in terms of complexity from my earlier site to this, but I think it's something I'd like to try. Any help people here could throw my way would be greatly appreciated.

StudioWorks · 06-08-2005, 05:56 AM

Hey Nate,

Please post your web sites for review in the Web Site Review area.

NateM · 06-08-2005, 06:10 AM

Well, the purpose of the post wasn't to have what I already have reviewed, but to solicit design ideas on the sites so they could be completely redesigned. Nearly all the data on one was wiped out as a result of the hack mentioned earlier anyways, and I'm hoping to completely replace the other one soon anyways, so there really isn't much worth seeing.

realtechtalk · 06-08-2005, 08:35 AM

Originally Posted by NateM

Well, the purpose of the post wasn't to have what I already have reviewed, but to solicit design ideas on the sites so they could be completely redesigned. Nearly all the data on one was wiped out as a result of the hack mentioned earlier anyways, and I'm hoping to completely replace the other one soon anyways, so there really isn't much worth seeing.

Hi Nate,
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=96756

I'm not sure what kind of hosting you have but if you have the ability to use a MySQL database and PHP then maybe your host could help you out by installing a content management system such as "Mambo" or my preference "XOOPS" at http://xoops.org

Those programs would probably be your best bet and require the least knowledge of web design from what I can see.

Let me know how it works out and good luck because I know when you're first starting it can seem overwhelming but once you get going you'll be glad you did. If this is above you though, I would recommend getting a good web developer/designer

NateM · 06-08-2005, 09:28 PM

Ok, thanks for the advice. I have one question, though. How easy are Xoom, Mamba, phpNuke, et all, to UNinstall? I would just like to know because I don't want to go through the trouble of setting up the entire site just to find out it can't do what I want it to and then be stuck with it. Is it as simple as deleting the files from the directory?

dweeb · 06-09-2005, 08:45 AM

If your hosts offers Fantastico, installing Mambo or phpNuke would be a breeze.

barefoottech · 06-10-2005, 09:23 PM

In answer to your Question Regarding UNinstall , MAMBO is very easy to remove
Just Delete Files and Associated Directories. Then remove the mySQL DB
if installed using Fantistico , just use the remove choice and all done for you.
I have 60+Sites installed with Mambo and find it easy to install,use or remove

NateM · 06-11-2005, 02:20 AM

Thanks for the info on Mambo, I'm strongly considering using it. However, when looking for review modules, it seems as though I'm pretty likely to have to it pretty much by myself. There's a big list of planned review modules, but it seems as though none of them have actually released anything yet. There's a tutorial using facile forms, but I'm not sure if I'm up to putting one together myself, even with the tutorial.

nikaian · 06-11-2005, 06:24 AM

NateM,
I know less than you regarding web design/developement, but as I am sure you are finding, the people here are great when it comes to helping! If you need some good tutorials and such *step by step instructions too

* Check out this forum I was told about: http://realtechtalk.com/index.php
I know from personal experience it is a great resource tool for design especially if you are a newbie! They have some great flash tutorials that will show you step by step instructions on how to do certain things, a great thing if you are like me and know very little about web design. It has really helped me out alot! I know also, as I am sure you've been told: Google is your best friend. You can Google anything you have ?'s about, want to know more about xoops,html coding, etc....just type the term in google and voila' you'll get plenty of links that will provide you with the info youre looking for. One day I won't be a newbie any longer and I can give a lot more technical advice, but for now, from a newbie's point of view, I can let you know what has helped me! Forums & Google searches!! Hope I have been of some help.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=96756
Good Luck!
Nikki

06-08-2005, 04:15 AM	THREAD STARTER #1 (permalink)
NateM New Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 4	Web design advice needed. Hey everyone, I'm a newbie with a question, (surprise!). I run two small websites related to living in China, and a recent catastrophe has caused me to consider doing major site redesigns on both, so I was wondering if you'd be able to give me some pointers on good tools to help me with the redesign. The site I'm most concerned about is one called http://www.ChinaSchoolReview.com. It was a site I put up for ESL teachers in China. Teaching English here can be a pretty hair-raising experience, as there are more than enough scam schools, corrupt officials, and incompetent headmasters to go around. So I created my site for teachers to review their schools and give people an idea of what to look out for. ????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/web-design-discussion/96756-web-design-advice-needed.html It was a pretty bare-bones operation, and that has a lot to do with the fact that I don't really have any money. I just basically used free webspace my university gave me, bought a domain, and used ezboards to categorize and order the reviews. It worked pretty well, although it wasn't as well put together as I would have liked. Still, it got a decent following over the past year, and worked fairly well as a resource for teachers. Recently, however, ezboards got hacked and basically all of my data got erased, pretty much destroying my site. Thus, I'm in a bit of a rebuilding mode, and want to create something that will be a lot more versatile and last longer than my first site. However, my web designing knowledge is pretty basic, and so I need some help from some of the seasoned pros that I know visit and/or run this place. Basically, I would like to have a site that has the possibility to: ????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=96756 1. Have web users enter in their own reviews of schools, (after they register, of course). 2. Have the ability for people to go back and edit their reviews, and for people to leave comments after them. 3. Have a system to organize them, by chronology/alphabet/province/city/rating, etc, and also have a search system in place. 4. In the reviews, I would like to require them to rate their school based on a certain set of criteria, so that when they enter their review in, they would have to acknowledge certain aspects. 5. I would also like for people to be able to rate the review, so that when some pissed off idiot writes a stupid review, or a school comes in trying to impersonate a teacher, people can call them on it and that can be reflected when people are searching for reviews. Basically, I would like to create something like the Internet Movie Database, only for schools in China instead of films. My other site is www.TianjinExpats.com, created basically the same way as china school review, but using proboards instead, so my data didn't get wiped. There are two main features I would like to see for this are: A calendar where people can enter in events happening in and around the city, and which would include information like cost, location, general info, etc. I would like it to look more like a listing of events, and not like a calendar itself. Maybe a photo-gallery or something, where people could upload photos from events and put them on the website. If I had that, I would also like to be able to limit the size of the photos uploaded. If anyone has any suggestions for scripts, software, or hosting solutions, I'd really like to hear your advice. Right now, I'm looking at maybe going through http://www.nathosting.com/, but I'm open to other suggestions if you have them, or if you think they won't be able to do everything I want to do for this. I realize I'm making a pretty huge leap in terms of complexity from my earlier site to this, but I think it's something I'd like to try. Any help people here could throw my way would be greatly appreciated.

06-08-2005, 05:56 AM	#2 (permalink)
StudioWorks no one lives forever Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: NamePros Posts: 8,075	Hey Nate, Please post your web sites for review in the Web Site Review area. __________________ epagini.com mexicorealty.net softwarepit.com yadasoftware.com

06-10-2005, 09:23 PM	#7 (permalink)
barefoottech The MINISITE King Join Date: May 2005 Location: QTHR Posts: 4,594	In answer to your Question Regarding UNinstall , MAMBO is very easy to remove Just Delete Files and Associated Directories. Then remove the mySQL DB if installed using Fantistico , just use the remove choice and all done for you. I have 60+Sites installed with Mambo and find it easy to install,use or remove __________________ Studio51 Sites! Often Copied Always Amazing Never Bettered.

06-11-2005, 06:24 AM	#9 (permalink)
nikaian NamePros Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Mississippi Gulf Coast Posts: 98	NateM, I know less than you regarding web design/developement, but as I am sure you are finding, the people here are great when it comes to helping! If you need some good tutorials and such step by step instructions too Check out this forum I was told about: http://realtechtalk.com/index.php I know from personal experience it is a great resource tool for design especially if you are a newbie! They have some great flash tutorials that will show you step by step instructions on how to do certain things, a great thing if you are like me and know very little about web design. It has really helped me out alot! I know also, as I am sure you've been told: Google is your best friend. You can Google anything you have ?'s about, want to know more about xoops,html coding, etc....just type the term in google and voila' you'll get plenty of links that will provide you with the info youre looking for. One day I won't be a newbie any longer and I can give a lot more technical advice, but for now, from a newbie's point of view, I can let you know what has helped me! Forums & Google searches!! Hope I have been of some help. ????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=96756 Good Luck! Nikki __________________ !!!Happy 2006 to ALL!!! May this be the year of many wonderful Blessings!!! "Blessed are the flexible, for they shall Not Break!" Keep MS in your prayers, R&R going Strong, MS is getting back in BIZ (2 casinos+few hotels+restaurants now up & going! WooHoo!!! NIKKI RacerXMoto

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06-08-2005, 06:10 AM	THREAD STARTER #3 (permalink)
NateM New Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 4	Well, the purpose of the post wasn't to have what I already have reviewed, but to solicit design ideas on the sites so they could be completely redesigned. Nearly all the data on one was wiped out as a result of the hack mentioned earlier anyways, and I'm hoping to completely replace the other one soon anyways, so there really isn't much worth seeing.

06-08-2005, 09:28 PM	THREAD STARTER #5 (permalink)
NateM New Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 4	Ok, thanks for the advice. I have one question, though. How easy are Xoom, Mamba, phpNuke, et all, to UNinstall? I would just like to know because I don't want to go through the trouble of setting up the entire site just to find out it can't do what I want it to and then be stuck with it. Is it as simple as deleting the files from the directory?

06-09-2005, 08:45 AM	#6 (permalink)
dweeb NamePros Regular Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 405	If your hosts offers Fantastico, installing Mambo or phpNuke would be a breeze.

06-11-2005, 02:20 AM	THREAD STARTER #8 (permalink)
NateM New Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 4	Thanks for the info on Mambo, I'm strongly considering using it. However, when looking for review modules, it seems as though I'm pretty likely to have to it pretty much by myself. There's a big list of planned review modules, but it seems as though none of them have actually released anything yet. There's a tutorial using facile forms, but I'm not sure if I'm up to putting one together myself, even with the tutorial.

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