What do I think about Site Spinner? ITS GREAT! I would even give it 8.9 COWS! Since no software is ever perfect, first let me start with the only THREE things I don't like about it:
1. No anchors
2. If you move where you store your inserted files, like pictures, because they are not integrated into the file until publishing, the program refers back to their original location and then they won't show up when you republish. So make sure you have your inserted items where they will stay
permanently or you will have to reinsert them. This also causes a problem for transferring the file to another computer. Although I haven't even tried it because I just know it won't work.
3. No site map.
What I like the MOST about it:
They have a very lengthy free trial period that is based on how much you use it not how long you have it.
The tutorial is fantastic and very well written so that all but the most newbie of newbies can understand and follow it. I would say if you follow that tutorial, you will learn it very quickly. The help section is also very good and easy to navigate and understand.
They have very good tech support in their forum although I can honestly say I have only had to ask maybe three questions since I’ve had it for several months now due to the tutorials and the help files. I learned this entire program in about a day and had it mastered in about a week so the learning curve is low.
It is what I call a freeform program that allows you to create things anywhere on the page that you want. You are not limited to positioning tables and trying to make things appear where you want them to with table settings and such. You just create your text space, drawing, picture or other file, size it and position it with drag and drop. It is very much similar to working with publisher. You can also rotate things. I felt so freed up with my designing once I got the hang of it although it took me a while to get used to the fact that everything didn’t have to be in straight lines and all squared up. I eventually felt like an artist who was just given a box full of paints, a hundred canvases and a full range of brushes after only having a box of 64 crayons and a coloring book! My design ideas became so many that I actually had to rethink my entire site.
You can include your elements on your choice of all pages or any that you select and they will appear just where you have them on the initial page where you create them. You can move them on the new page if you want.
You can create shadow boxes and images and apply transparencies to them, skew, stretch and move them around.
You can set your design resolution and choose for the guidelines to show up if you want them to so you know how it will appear during the design process.
You can build drop down buttons right on the software.
There is a very simple box for page edits like Meta Tags, Link colors, Special effects of various elements of the page, ( fade in, wipe etc ) music, background fills – with special effects, Headers, Titles and Descriptions.
You can insert html code and then move that element to any part of the page that you want and even hide it off of the page so that it doesn’t show up on your design area of the screen such as an html code to prevent right click for example.
You can make forms on the site although they are not sent to a form processor nor very well protected from the form spammers.
You can use align commands if you do want to line something up in an orderly fashion top bottom side etc.
There are loading commands and special effects like mouse over.
You can create custom tables and then move that table anywhere you want on the page with drag and drop.
Once you have created an object you can name it and use it over and over on your site saving space.
You can static lock areas so that while you are playing with elements you won’t accidentally move them around.
There is an object, geometry and shading editor that gives you continual limitless control over the properties of the objects that you create.
The preview options allow you to view the entire project or one page.
If you have a color you want to match there is a dropper that you can use to touch the color you want off of anything and insert it into your creation.
There is much more to like about this software including the price and I highly suggest if you are looking for a WYSIWYG program to at least download and try the free trial of it. It is the complete package and you will have plenty of time to explore.
Integrating with Cute Site Builder 5
Because my time is currently limited to work on the web site, it is important to me to slowly integrate the two types of files on my site. As well as I am eliminating some features, creating new ones and reorganizing the site in general. This is a MAJOR rebuild I am doing of over 150 pages. This is just to explain the reason why I am not rushing out to rebuild the whole site on Site Spinner right now is that I simply can’t.
I have not yet figured out exactly how to give my title bar, navigation area and buttons for example a similar enough appearance yet for the two files to look the same when navigating from a Cute to a Site Spinner page. It would be great for the look to stay seamless but I would rather not be limited to what Cute will do versus what this program will do to keep it that way. What I have decided is to keep my more simple pages on Cute for the time being and do a color related header and navigation bar. I have some pages that are more or less simple text that are best presented in a straightforward fashion. Many of them are all in a related subject that can eventually be downloaded into a sub folder and I see no reason not to just leave it all on Cute for now. My approach is currently if it is a simple straight looking page anyway to leave it on Cute. The pages that can be enhanced with freer flowing and artistic design elements and most new pages are being rebuilt or newly built in Site Spinner.
Adding a third software program to build my site?
It seems odd but I did try several other programs when I was looking for something to change to. Although I don’t generally like the totally pre-built site soft wares that are heavily templated where the webmaster mostly fills things in on pop up screens, it may be helpful to me in accelerating my completion of the rebuild to use a software that functions like this for my web shop area as I will have many new products in many new categories when I am done. I think the quick change ability and the way things can be grouped in those types of software may look far better and be far quicker for me to build this way than in a free form style. Working on the rebuild has been delayed so many times now that TIME is becoming a really serious factor. This type of software is heavily promoted to New Web Masters because while there is not a lot of choice and control over how things look it is very easy and quick to get a site set up. Integrating the appearance of my site once again will be the challenge.
How about a fourth, fifth or sixth??
Well, I am already integrating the software from Simple Machine Forum, a separate chat and Guest book area and what else before I am done?? I am not sure!
I still think that what is important is not what everyone else says is the best software but finding what is the best software for the particular needs of a webmaster and factoring in the talent, skills and what is easier for each person depending on what they are trying to create. My site may even become two or three sites, if not separated into two or three sub domains at the end of this process and each of them I see as having different needs in design. My case is a perfect example of all the things that need to be considered: I already have 150 pages on Cute Site Builder software that I am very familiar with, I really like the way Site Spinner works and want to use it for my more artistic pages if not eventually for the bulk of my site, and due to time constraints I also need a quick easy way to set up an entirely new shopping area. I doubt there is any software out there that I could find that can do it all - or at least not the exact way I envision it in the time I have to do it in!
BUT now if I could only just find a
TRULY GREAT webmaster that I could afford so I wouldn't have to do this all by myself maybe …………. Sigh .. (Maybe some day!)
Hmmmmmmmmmm ...... I wonder where I would find one of those around here???
