Website Set-up/Management Inquiry

[toasty]

Here's the deal -- wife and I are looking to set up a website. By way of background, we eat out a lot and have recently taken on a role writing monthly restaurant reviews for our neighborhood association newsletter. Long story short, we've decided to expand our scope and post those reviews (and others) online, and if it goes well, try to sell some advertising.

I have a pretty good handle on web design and whatnot, but the stuff under the hood is a lot more intimidating. In a perfect world, I would want a site that would be able to do the following:

• Host articles
• Serve as a database of restaurants
• Make that database searchable, preferably over a number of different criteria
• Allow users to add their own content
• Dynamically cycle through ads, and monitor which ones are being clicked.

I gather that these sorts of things can be done through the use of MySQL databases, PHP, etc. Although I'm pretty computer savvy and consider myself a reasonably sharp dude, I know dick when it comes to actually writing code. My question, to those of you that manage websites and have familiarity with such things, is how difficult would it be for someone like me to pick this stuff up on the fly, and/or are there programs that can bridge the gap between a noob like myself and the code that runs the show? Any resources you can point me to?

Thanks for any input

[beanzncheez]

Re: Website Set-up/Management Inquiry

It's been a long time since I've messed with this stuff but once someone points you in the right direction... You can do what all of the pros are doing within seven weeks time. Yes, it's that easy.

[palmer]

Re: Website Set-up/Management Inquiry

https://www.wordpress.com

Super easy, highly customizable cms (content management system). Shouldn't take more than a few weeks to learn the ropes and would facilitate all of your needs.

[feather]

Re: Website Set-up/Management Inquiry

Was gonna suggest something like Wordpress too. If you want something more powerful, there's php-nuke and mambo too.

[Kamal]

Re: Website Set-up/Management Inquiry

stole my words Palmer - Wordpress all the way, very easy to install, easy to skin, easy to write in. You should be up and running in no time.

[toasty]

Re: Website Set-up/Management Inquiry

and wordpress can be used to create any type of site, not just sites that look like your standard-issue blog?

Thanks for the tip -- will check it out...

[Kamal]

Re: Website Set-up/Management Inquiry

yes sir, Mcast is running on wordpress

If you want, I can set you up a test blog so you can fool around with it and see if you like it

[toasty]

Re: Website Set-up/Management Inquiry

yes sir, Mcast is running on wordpress

'nuff said...

If you want, I can set you up a test blog so you can fool around with it and see if you like it

Appreciate the offer, but I've already set up a test blog and will probably start dipping around with it some this evening. Looks like I could basically set up the framework right there and then move it over to my own domain once it's showtime, so that's ideal. I've got it set up as a private blog right now, so I can do my work in private and then move it out into the open when it's good to go.

[Kamal]

Re: Website Set-up/Management Inquiry

good deal, good luck

[beanzncheez]

Re: Website Set-up/Management Inquiry

Good stuff, people. Nice to see some computer related talk around here.