Site Builders

Today's topic is about tools that can help anyone not familiar with HTML or CSS to create a great site. I only stumbled across it recently because I am preparing an e-portfolio for my Master's Degree. An e-portfolio is like an electronic resume, but can contain much more. It is now becoming almost a necessity when applying for any kind of job that requires a demonstration of competency in a number of areas. You can, and should, display any digital artifacts that you have created, which can include photos, audio files, videos, documents, powerpoint presentations and spreadsheets.

I made an attempt to create this document using the software provided by the university I attend. They actually had two different ones. I found both of them very limiting in terms of what kind of style you could use to display your work. I decided, because I was determined to produce something original to simply create a website under my own domain that would do the same thing.

It wasn't until I actually started doing research about e-portfolios that I came across this amazing service offered by, you guessed it, Google. It's called Google sites, and any other data you have stored with Google, such as in Google Docs, Picasa Web, YouTube, etc., can easily be integrated into the e-portfolio. What I liked best about it is that while they do have a number of templates for style you can choose from, the appearance is totally customizable, and they even suggest starting with one of their templates and introducing changes to their style. Any change made is immediately updated in a preview area, so you can see the effects right away.

They offer many "gadgets" that can be incorporated into the site. I was even able to incorporate this blog in it's entirety into the site, and embedded my resume and my written assignments, which are all at Google Docs into the pages as well. You can do all of this without any real HTML or CSS knowledge, and all editing is done remotely, so you can add to it and edit it from anywhere there is an internet connection. It makes creating new pages a snap, and even creates a sitemap automatically every time you do.

There is no apparent limit on the number of pages a site can have, or to the number of sites that can be created, but since it's a part of your Google account, the total amount of space for all the Google products you use probably can't exceed 7.5 GB. Even with all my uploaded documents, saved emails, and hundreds of photos stored at Picasa Web, I'm still only at 1% of the total.

There is also a way to place any site within your own domain name, but the URL you are supplied is very user friendly. I was able to create a CNAME record for my domain name at the place I host my website, and then specify the new address at Google sites. Even though it's still under construction, you can check out the progress I've made on my e-portfolio site so far at http://eportfolio.barbhall.com

Of course, google sites can be used to create any type of website, and also provides templates depending on the type of site. The e-portfolio is just one of many available.

My rating: 4.5 stars out of 5!