What software would you teach someone who wants to learn to make websites?
 

Im meeting with someone in a few days to start teaching him how to make websites.
I use a 10 year old copy of Dreamweaver 3, so I dont want to teach him to use Dreamweaver b/c a new copy is $400.

what would you use to help someone get started?

I think using notepad would make it too difficult.

Do he/she wants to get sites up and running or just design them? Personally I would just tell them to install Wordpress and use some random theme and customize it.

Wordpress is a great idea, I didnt even think of that. thats easy to explain and edit and gives them a lot more options
thanks!

wordpress for the winners and for the noobs too.

WordPress for both newbies and pros.

Nothing.

If they claim to want to learn to make websites, yet have not tried any software or writing HTML themselves, then you are only wasting your time.

Wordpress. No questions.

Be serious, most people who say for the first time "I want to make a website" have no clue what HTML is.

:1orglaugh

M$ Paint :thumbsup

I still use an old version of Dreamweaver. You don't need to have the most updated version of everything to get stuff done.

They way I tech someone is with the basic's with notepad then once they can get the basic's done and understood I go with something like Dreamweaver cc It doesn't cost that much to get a membership with adobe C Lab's it's just what I have done and started to do now and it seems to really work... You can NOT HOLD anyone's hand if they really want to learn teach them the basic's only and send them out on their own to watch TUT,Vid, read read read and do do do etc.. :)~

AMEN and I just only updated with in the last 2 months to cc software and I am so happy I have done this now, Flash cc, Premiere CC, Dreamweaver CC, PS Cc, are my 4 main tools I use daily!

First they should learn the basics: what is html, css, ftp.
Then they should learn what javascript, php and mysql are.
Once they have a grasp of that show then move onto Wordpress.

Sure, you can throw Wordpress at them from the start, but it's better if they at least have an idea of how/what makes it work.

And that's my point. They aren't serious enough to research it themselves. They think it's something cute and fun and can easily be taught in a few hours.

Teaching someone that is not doing their own research is a waste of time. If they are paying you, great, but don't be doing it for free.

Wordpress

There are plenty of tutorials and videos showing how to learn wordpress. They can always go to wordpress.com first to create a test account to learn first.

Frontpage here, and I don't care who's laughing - it does what I need of it.

I thought you were joking, but after checking your website..

<meta name="GENERATOR" content="Microsoft FrontPage 5.0"> :thumbsup

i still use it, i like its ability to create tables , just enter number of rows and columns and bam you have table , and ready made code...

notepad....

Kind of true. When I wanted to learn back in 1997 I took two classes at night school at around $800 each class. I know from experience that if you give people something for free they wont follow your instruction because they don't value it

It would be good if they learned the basics of HTML first, and use notepad and any free FTP program. Once they get the "spark" they will be able to learn on their own.

notepad.

My wife uses Dreamweaver these days for our sites, but hell...I originally designed them with the Composer module of Netscape Navigator. :1orglaugh

It did what I needed back in the day...

I will share a secret editor I have used for about 14 years. Editplus3 is the latest version. You will learn what you are doing and why you are doing it.

>>>WINNERS WIN because they NEVER GIVE UP<<<

I use Dreamweaver 8 for editing code, but all my sites I build using Drupal. Which it a powerful CMS but I don't think I would recommend it for a total noob.