Yes, it’s that time again! An opportunity to refresh the look and feel of my personal website – StevePalmer.com. With ‘you-know-what‘ giving many of us plenty of time on our hands at the moment, it’s been the perfect opportunity to pick up some new knowledge and skills! 😁😁
In truth, I could have left it as it is, but the original authoring program – Serif’s WebsiteX8 that I’ve been using for almost 10 years has ceased development and is no longer supported. So, a double challenge in that not only did I have to rebuild my site, I had to learn another software design package too!
Still, it gave my ‘little grey cells’ a thorough workout – so that’s no bad thing! More than I knew! In 2021, the choice of packages that allow you to design from scratch is not that great, as the trend is to offer pre-defined layouts where the user just adds the content. That’s too inflexible for me! In fact, it probably took me longer to find the ideal replacement software than it did to learn to use it!
I first tried using Xara’s Web Designer Premium, but although it is a very (very!) capable package, I didn’t find it particularly intuitive to use. After much head-scratching, I settled for Incomedia’s Website X5. All-in-all, I’d say it’s only taken me a couple of months (on and off) to learn how to use it and during the few occasions I needed some help, the Incomedia Support Team (based in Italy) have always been responsive, knowledgeable and friendly.
This will be the fifth re-design since my site was first launched back in 1991 (June 2010, May 2012, January 2014 and April 2015 were the other re-design milestones). I began work on it back in October, and I was surprised how much needed changing. These days, the priority is how a site will look and feel on portable devices (‘mobile friendly’, to use the techy term) and that’s taken a fair bit of time and experimentation.
Thankfully, this latest software makes the whole process much easier than it used to be! 😁
So, today, I put the finishing touches to my site and uploaded the files. Click on the link below to see it all in its shining glory! Have a look around and enjoy the content – your feedback is always welcome! 😉😉
I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!
I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!
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