Week 2

Websites and Podcasts 


Website builders

This week in class we learned how to create a website using easy-to-use online website builders. The cool thing about the internet is that is has numberless resources to help you create one!  In class we had the time to create a website using Wix.com and Weebly.com. The great thing about these website builders is that they are very informational, straightforward and free! During class we had an hour to use both websites and create a fan page of an artist. In just an hour, I was able to navigate both websites, showing just how simple they really are.



Wix

First I explored Wix which I personally liked better. There are over 510 different professional templates to use. You can browse each template and it displays how each website would look, which makes it easy for you to choose what is most fitting for your site.  Just this week Website Builder Expert posted a Wix review with what others thought. One review states:

"We found that they offer you a lot of different functions and design flexibility, which could take some time to learn.  But it’s not bad at all as you don’t have to know how to code at all, and it only took me about 20 minutes to get comfortable with Wix, as their “Help” function works really well.  Wix can effectively help any non-coders create professional websites." 

As stated above, Wix provides a "Help" function, which is very handy if you're needing any assistance.  They also provide a "How to Begin" list if you have no idea where to start.

Here's a Youtube video that can help get you started!

 

Weebly

Just like Wix, Weebly is very much user friendly and straightforward. A big difference with this site though, is when wanting to add different elements to your page (title, pictures, text, etc) you just drag and drop where you want it. This aspect makes it very easy and user friendly!  During my time using weebly in class, the site was down which made it difficult for me to create my page so I didn't get to explore it as much as I would have liked. On Website Builder Expert they also have a review on what others have said about the site. One review states:

"By far, Weebly is the easiest website builder to use.  It’s very user-friendly and intuitive to use – you don’t have to know any codes at all and you can still build a good website."

If wanting to start your own website using Weebly, here's a great Youtube tutorial to help get you started!

 

Website Builder Expert also provides 8 different aspects of Wix and Weebly that you could look at to compare:

Click here to open

Podcasts
This week in class we also learned how to create a podcast by using the program Audacity.  A podcast is a,  "Form of a digital media that consists of an episodic series of audio or digital radio.." -Wikipedia Audacity is a digital audio editor. You can use it to record vocals, instruments and other sounds, then mix them.

When first using audacity, it may look a bit overwhelming at first. There isn't much navigation help, but with an introduction of how to use the buttons, you'll be on your way to becoming a pro!
Here's a great video explaining how to use some of it's basic features:

When making a podcast, you'll want to use cool sound effects to make your podcast interesting.  Here's a great site that has free sound effects that you're able to use. Sound effects are great to use for simulating reality, creating illusion and to set a mood for the listeners. In class during this exercise we learned how to fade in and fade out sounds which is useful for the intro and outro of a podcast.

To learn how to make cool sound effects, here's a great YouTube tutorial:

Overall, I think audacity is a great and simple program to edit audio and it's free!