How to create an interactive web site

[Dan Mitchell]

As part of a research project, I would like to create a fairly basic interactive web site. In essence, I want to send an e-mail to each study subject with a link to the web site, where the subject will answer a number of multiple choice, short answer/fill in the blank questions. After each subject has done this, I would like the page to send me an e-mail with all the responses which that subject has made. An alternative to this last step might be for the page to somehow record the individual response sets. I have constructed very basic web pages using Netscape Composer and its equivalent on IE (in Word) but I think what I need to do here is beyond these programs. What software might be good for this (especially share/freeware) and are there any good web sites or books to which I might refer?

Thanks!

Dan

[iisbob]

I'll be honest and tell you that my HTML coding skills are veryyy modest! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/tongue.gif I use frontpage 2000 most of the time. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif To lazy to sit through all that coding when i can just type it up like a regular word document!

Hang-on and you should get plenty of good answers from some of the folks here who host their own websites, and if you don't mind i'm gonna keep an eye on this post so i can learn a few things.
http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif

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iisbob
"Soap and education are not as sudden as a massacre, but they are more deadly in the long run."

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world." --Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

[sea69]

there are more FREE web site- builder/templates avail that I feel inclined to list. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/eek.gif

also if you have win98se, it usually comes with Front Page Express, which can be used in place of word as an html editor.

or the very most simple way I have found that works and is FREE, is Homestead (http://www.homestead.com).

all of this depends on the amount of effort and expense that you are willing to put into it.

http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif

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sea1_69@hotmail.com

homepage (http://www.seanweb1.homestead.com/3.html)



[This message has been edited by sea69 (edited 08-01-2001).]

[Dan Mitchell]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by sea69:
>there are more FREE web site- builder/templates avail that I feel inclined >to list.


Thanks for the reply. I don't doubt what you say is true, I was hoping someone with some experience could help me zero in on one that is especially suited to my needs & save me days (weeks...months...) of investigation.


>also if you have win98se, it usually comes with Front Page Express, which >can be used in place of word as an html editor.

Sadly (ohhh, so VERY, VERY sadly...) I have ME... http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

>or the very most simple way I have found that works and is FREE, is >Homestead (http://www.homestead.com).

Thanks for the suggestion. I went to their site, from what I can tell they offer software, but only in the context of subscription web site hosting. I was thinking there'd be something I could use to construct an appropriate site on my present dial up service server (as I have done to post pictures, etc). This whole project is likely to drag out for an indeterminant period, probably for awhile before I even begin to select subjects. I was hoping to get an idea of how the site would work/look/etc first.

Dan

[mjc]

I use FirstPage by EverSoft (http://www.evrsoft.com/) it is free, has 4 different user modes from doing practically everything for you to letting you write raw HTML code....includes doezens of ready to use scripts and doesn't clutter things up with unnecessary code......

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mjc
Links list:Computer Links (http://www.dreamwater.org/tech/mjc/index.htm)

Celts are the men that heaven made mad, For all their battles are merry and their songs are all sad.

Gun Control...hitting what you aim at!

[This message has been edited by mjc (edited 08-01-2001).]

[Dan Mitchell]

Originally posted by mjc:
I use FirstPage by EverSoft (http://www.evrsoft.com/) it is free, has 4 different user modes from doing practically everything for you to letting you write raw HTML code....includes doezens of ready to use scripts and doesn't clutter things up with unnecessary code......


Funny you's should mention it! I just got done downloading 1st Page 2000 from cnet. Hopefully it'll do the trick, if anyone else has any ideas I'm all ears (ok, with a modicum of mouth as well http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif )

Dan

[sea69]

I threw this page/project online {{free}} in less than ten (10) minutes for a friend.


http://www.learntolive.homestead.com/index.html

not finished obviously.

http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/eek.gif


http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif

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sea1_69@hotmail.com

homepage (http://www.seanweb1.homestead.com/3.html)




[This message has been edited by sea69 (edited 08-01-2001).]

[iisbob]

nice site sea but i'll have to say it started making me woozy. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/tongue.gif

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iisbob
"Soap and education are not as sudden as a massacre, but they are more deadly in the long run."

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world." --Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

[sea69]

lol bob, (I was hoping for a calming effect)


just wait.. I know it isn't anything yet, they just needed an immediate page. (online) with their name on it..

hehe

http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif

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sea1_69@hotmail.com

homepage (http://www.seanweb1.homestead.com/3.html)



[This message has been edited by sea69 (edited 08-01-2001).]

[Dan Mitchell]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by sea69:
lol bob, (I was hoping for a calming effect)

Sea-I'm sure glad I got through *MY* heroin detox before getting a load of THOSE graphics http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif Sorta reminds me of those old aspirin commercials, the ones with the little guy wielding the jackhammer inside a skull, or the one where the mainspring winds up inside someone's eye socket for a "tension headache". Very effective imagery. Ahhh, TV's "Golden Age"...

I see they do offer a limited personal membership, up to 3 pages total & 8 meg of space. I'm not sure if these limitations would be sufficient for my purposes, especially the number of pages, but it's certainly worth checking out. Depends on how elaborate the questionnaire turns out to be, final number of subjects etc.

Thanks again for the tip.

Dan

[sea69]

you have until tomorrow to get in on the "deal"

pay $19.95 for a full year of unlimited sites/pages, with no advertising from homestead on them, and allot more (25MBs) space.

I like how it's instantly online as soon as you click.

they used to be all> totally> free.

but I guess that got a bit expensive.

hehe

http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif


edit: click the link (http://www.learntolive.homestead.com/index.html), tell me if it looks better.. (no, I didn't change the background [yet])

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sea1_69@hotmail.com

homepage (http://www.seanweb1.homestead.com/3.html)



[This message has been edited by sea69 (edited 08-02-2001).]

[iisbob]

At least IMHO muchhhh more professional looking! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif


Website design is a portion of PC skills i have sorely neglected, and i suppose i should really take some more time to bone up on it; but just seems like there are always mor important things to get done.
http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/frown.gif




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iisbob
"Soap and education are not as sudden as a massacre, but they are more deadly in the long run."

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world." --Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

[sea69]

hehe bob, I hope you "refreshed" when you went there.. put on several different backgrounds since you guys were kidding me about it.. I put on a background of a REAL atomic exposion {gif} showing a huge house being blown to atoms over and over..

LOL

just was showing the original poster how easy homestead is too.........

hehe

http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif

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sea1_69@hotmail.com

homepage (http://www.seanweb1.homestead.com/3.html)


[This message has been edited by sea69 (edited 08-02-2001).]

[Dan Mitchell]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by sea69:
you have until tomorrow to get in on the "deal"

pay $19.95 for a full year of unlimited sites/pages, with no advertising from homestead on them, and allot more (25MBs) space.

Sea-At the risk of seeming like a complete moron (TOOOOOOO late http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif ) can you direct me to where they offer the $19.95? I'm looking at this at 11:47 PM ET, best I can find under the personal type is $49.99/year, or $29.99/mo for the professional version. Maybe I'm too late?

The page looks much better now!

Dan

[sea69]

very sorry to say but you were apparently a day late. ;(~
(or more accurately, I was a day late in getting your attention.) http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/eek.gif


I looked in my email and tried to get to the link with the offer I mentioned, and it is no longer there for the GP.

mjc is happy with eversoft, so it must be ok.

http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif

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sea1_69@hotmail.com

homepage (http://www.seanweb1.homestead.com/3.html)




[This message has been edited by sea69 (edited 08-03-2001).]

[Vic 970]

I use publisher 98. a lot prefer others but I've been using it for a while & nothing has yet come up which has encouraged me to change.

you just use it as dtp then click 'convert to web page' on the file menu, & load it up with the web wizard, easy. you construct it all off line as well.

I use freebie sites to post on (freeserve, buyandsell etc.) there fine & stay active so long as you load something onto them occasionally. if not they go down after 6 - 12 months. in which case you go back to the host site & re activate, then load up again, only takes about ten minutes.



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for every question there's an answer. Then a load more questions.

Regards..,
Vic.

[Diz]

Hi Dan,
To create an interactive website with the features you are looking for I woud suggest using a html editor like Frontpage or Dreamweaver. These programs have trial versions you can download and use for thirty days. If you have Windows 98 SE, Frontpage Express is a free html editor you can use. If your html knowledge isn't really strong, these programs make it easy to create a publish a website quickly. The key features to these programs give you a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get)feature which you can see exactly how your page will be. Before you begin to create a web site, make sure you have Internet Explorer & Netscape installed on your pc so you can view your pages in both browsers to make sure they look and function like there suppose to. Perl/CGI scripts if you have access to a cgi-bin are good for doing multiple choice questions. Another alternative is to create a form with your questions and have the form data sent to a e-mail you specify. There are a number of ways to do this, feel free to e-mail if you need some help. derrick07@aol.com

PS: A graphic program is a must too if you really want to give your site some punch. Paint Shop Pro has a free trial also and is much easier to learn than Photoshop.


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MAYWORKS (http://www.mayworks.com)

[This message has been edited by Diz (edited 08-06-2001).]