Web site Creator Review: Comparison of Web Creator, Google Sites, Weebly and Wix

Explain the purpose of a website.

Websites can have many purposes. They can be used to relay information, as an online store, express opinions, show off artwork, and many more. Its main purpose is to provide any type of information to those that will look at your website. When your website is on the internet it can be available to anyone. It creates a contact or connection between those behind the website and the person visiting the website. Websites have added convenience to many people around the world. Without websites there would be no way to order products online, find out how your favorite sports teams are doing, or find information for your research paper. I believe the main purpose of websites are to give convenience to its visitors. Before we had computers, we got our information from endless searching through encyclopedias and other books. Now all that needs to be done is to simply type want you want to find and it’s on your screen in a matter of seconds.

How can you use website in the classroom?

Websites have a wide variety of use in the classroom. Like I said before, they can provide endless amounts of information. This is an excellent way to give out study guides. This is convenient to the students because they are available anywhere where internet is available. They also preserve the use of paper which is also good for the environment. Teachers can use websites as a way to relay assignments, projects, study guides, and other important information students may need to pass the class. When teachers use website as a part of their classroom setting, I believe students will feel more compelled to do their work. The idea of using a website to do work seems a lot more interesting than simply having a portfolio full of papers that they have a good chance of losing. It also helps the environment in a huge way! There are already many websites that I use that help me tremendously in class. Relaying class assignment through websites may reduce our carbon footprint in a massive way. Using less paper means cutting down less trees. Less trees being cut down means less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. And lastly, less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere means a decline in global warming. So the use of websites in a classroom actually have more extrinsic value than one may expect.

Create a table to compare the features and usability of Google Site, Weebly, Wix.

Feature	Google sites	Weebly	Wix
Photo Editing	No	Yes	Yes
Drag and Drop Feature	No	Yes	No
Make your own Domain Name	Yes (Not Free)	Yes (Not Free)	Yes (Not Free)
Save Before Publishing	Saving automatically publishes the website	Saving also publishes the website	yes
Many free themes	Yes	Yes	yes
Embed Youtube Videos	Yes	Yes	yes
Use of different fonts	Yes	Yes	Yes
Can insert multimedia	Yes	Yes	Yes
Free Account	Yes	Yees	Yes
Set type of site to regular, blog, or store	No	Yes	Yes
Ability to change font color	Yes	Yes	Yes
Preview website before publishing	Yes	Yes	Yes
Add Google Apps (Hangouts, Google+, Google Drive)	Yes	Only Google Maps	Only Google Maps
Easy switch between mobile and desktop editing	No	Yes	Yes
Option to rearrange navigation buttons	Yes	Yes	Yes
Redo/Undo option (CTRL+z)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Provides community of users/ communication between users	No	No	yes

Draft a paragraph that discusses the differences among Google Sites, Weebly, and Wix.

       These three web making sites have many differences. The most evident difference most people will notice is the user interface. All three of these sites have completely different user interfaces. The tools used to create your website are all placed in different places in each site. 

The way of using all these tools is also very different across the three site. For example, to place items on your website on Weebly one would simply drag and drop the item to the place they want it. Another notable difference is the ability to switch between desktop editing and mobile site editing. This feature is available on Weebly and Wix, but not on Google Sites. This is a good feature because there are many people that use their phones to check websites. It adds convenience to the site’s visitors. I have also noticed that Wix does not load as fast as Weebly and Google Sites. This is a significant difference between the three. Through my perspective, I believe that Weebly loads the fastest and Google Sites works okay but not as fast. The use of Google Apps is also different among the three sites. Google Sites allows the use for more Google Apps. This is because these two things belong to the same company. It only makes sense for Google to allow the integration of all their apps on their website making site. Weebly and Wix are different because they only allow the use of Google Maps. A major factor that some people may put aside is the ability to edit pictures on their sites. This ability is only available to for Wix and Weebly. Google Sites does not make this feature available to its users. In addition Wix contains a feature that allows you to save your site but not publish it. This is a special feature that was only available to Wix. Weebly and Google Sites only allow you to Publish your site.

Among those web site creators which do you recommend more and for what use? Explain.

   

 I personally recommend Weebly over Google Sites and Wix for regular use of the website. To create a site just for relaying information Weebly is the site to use! It’s drag and drop feature make it very simply for someone to use.  If the person has no previous experience of creating a website then Weebly will not give you a hard time. It also loads things much faster for me. This site is overall more convenient and has the tools available to use right in front of you. The layout of Weeby is also more inviting than the others. I personally believe it is more aesthetically pleasing than the other two sites. The website I created using Weebly was a website about food all around the world. I created a similar website using Google Sites, and I can say that Weebly is definitely easier to use. This became evident to me when I found myself not asking Mrs. Buenaflor, my computer teacher, for help as often as I did when we were trying out Google Sites. In fact, I do not recall asking for any assistance when it came to using this site. That is just how easy it is to use Weebly. If you are planning on
 making a website about a certain topic, person, or group of people, I suggest that you use Weebly if you had to choose between Google Sites, Weebly, and Wix. Although many people may choose to use Google Sites simply because it has the Google brand on it, I highly recommend to try out Weebly. It may not be as well-known as Google Sites but it should be. To make this choice even more obvious, it took me a less amount of time to create my Weebly website than the one I created on Google Sites.

Wix

1. What is Wix?

• Wix is another website that allows you to create your own website. It offers a lot more freedom to design your website how you want. 

2. Discuss the types of websites that you can create with Wix.

• The types of websites you can create is similar to Weebly. You can make a regular website, a blog, and an online store. Wix gives you the tools needed to turn your site into the type you want it to be. 

3. Name 3 distinct features of Wix which are not in Google Sites.

• Wix allows photo editing.
• Wix puts a banner on the bottom of your page saying that the site was made using wix
• Wix has a community and allows you to connect with the community. 

4. You have tried using HTML, Google Sites and Wix - which of the 3 do you think you will recommend for other people to use?

• Out of the three I would prefer to use Wix. It is easier to use from all the three. Although it may be a little slower to load, it has a better user interface and has more customization. 

5. Add a screenshot of your homepage.

WEEBLY

1. What is Weebly?

• Weebly is a website that allows you to make free webpages and publish them online with no charge. You do however need to use their domain for it to remain free. 

2. Discuss the types of websites that you can create with Weebly?

• you can create:
• regular site: this is the regular website that you visit. They allow you to publish a variety of information
• blog: Allows you to set up a blog similar to this one.
• shop/store: allows you to create your own online store

3. Name 3 distinct features of Weebly which are not in Google Sites.

• drag and drop feature
• always reminded that you can purchase your own domain
• you can easily switch between editing your website in desktop or mobile view

4. You have tried using HTML, Google Sites and Weebly - which of the 3 do you think you will recommend for other people to use?

• I recommend weebly because it is easier out of the three and you do not need a lot of computer experience to know how to use it. It also has a nicer user interface which makes it less intimidating. 

5. Add a screenshot of your homepage.

Google Sites

1. What is Google sites?
• Google sites is a free service used to make web pages. The site can be used to give out different kinds of information and allows you to customise how you want the site to be. It allows you to add attachments, video, pictures, maps, and many other things. It can help you get things out to those visiting your site.   
2. Point out 3 Google Sites' purpose and usefulness in the classroom.
• The teacher can use google sites to post lessons that the students can use to study for exams. 
• The teacher can also post worksheets and other kinds of work just in case a student was absent for the day. 
• Students can use Google Sites as a place to post their opinion and publish their work on the class. It helps to share ideas that may inspire other students.
3. Name the advantages and disadvantages of GoogleSites.

• Some advantages are the Google Sites allows you to customize and is free. It does not have many restrictions.
• Some disadvantages are the the site is not very user friendly. For a first time user the site may be very difficult. The site should be easy to use and not too complicated for the average computer user. 

1. Compare and contrast GoogleSites from HTML
• Both allow you to make web pages and are able to be seen by a web browers. 
• Google sites is used online while HTML does not need internet connection to be used. Also Google Sites has everything coded for you while HTML requires you to start everything from scratch. 
2. Which do you prefer HTML or GoogleSites? Explain your answer. 
• I prefer HTML so far because Google Sites is too complicated for me. Although it may be an overall easier process for Google Sites, I think HTML offers you more freedome to create your page. I like the liberty

Blog (Text Area, Upload)

Upload

• The syntax for this input is:

<form method="post/get" action="URL/file">
.
<input type="file" attributes>
.
</form>

• File upload allows your visitors to send files to your web server using standard forms.
• Its attributes are:
• method
• action
• enctype

Text Area

• The syntax for this is:

<form method="post/get" action="URL/file">

.

<textarea attributes> ... </textarea>

.

</form>

• This allows you to create a multi-line text input form control. The user is able to input text and send to your webserver. 
• The attributes are: 
• name
• rows
• columns
• wrap
• disabled 

1. Text Area and Upload are similar because both allow the user to submit or turn in information to your web server. Text Area however, only allows you to type information and submit it. Upload allows you to upload files and send them to the server. So the difference between these two are the content you are able to send. 
2. To make a form always play it smart. Many of these tags are not so different from each other. Therefore, make use of copy and past. It saves a lot of time and yields your work exactly the same as compared to manually typing every tag. 

FORM (Radio Button, Checkbox, Drop Down List, Submit)

Radio Button
<form method="post/get" action="URL/file">
.
<input type="radio" attributes>
.
</form>

• A radio button is any set of options from which only one may be selected at a given time. 

Check Box

<form method="post/get" action="URL/file">

.

<input type="checkbox" attributes>

.

</form>

• The check box is similar to radio button but you have the option of selecting more than one option at a given time. 

Drop Down List

<form method="post/get" action="URL/file">

<select name="input/control name">

<option>...</option>

</select>

</form>

• A drop down list allows you to have a menu of options that appear below the item when the computer user clicks on it. 

Submit

<form method="post/get" action="URL/file">

.

<input type="submit" value="name">

.

</form>

• This tag creates a button that allows you to send the information to your location of choice. For example you can set it to send to a certain email or database. 

And here is an example of each input entry:

The one thing Radio Button, Checkboxes, and Drop Down lists all share in common is that they show you a list of options and allow you to choose an option. 

Checkboxes and Drop Down lists can allow you to choose more than one option while Radio Button only allows you to select one. You can actually choose whether or not you want the Drop Down list to allow the user to select one option or more. 

What sets the Drop Down list apart from Radio Button and Check box is that the Drop Down list puts all of the options in a drop down menu while the other two display all the options as shown in the picture above. I would say that the drop down list is more organized and cleaner than the other two options. 

Some tips I have for creating forms are that you should always be clever about them. Many of the tags are similar and all you would have to do is change a word or two to change one tag into a whole other thing. For me, I am always copying and pasting tags and slightly changing them to work more efficiently. It saves time and effort and finishes the job. When you are good with that, I also suggest to always double check your work. There are many opportunities for mistakes when it comes to making these things, so I suggest to be very vigilant and don't always think you have it right the first time. Bro you're better safe than sorry! ;) 

Blog 2 - Form

What is form?
Form is a printer document, especially one with spaces in which to insert facts or answers. They are also known as an application.

What are the importance of form in websites?
Form can be used to get information from subscribers of the website or for people applying for any position an employer may be publishing online.

Name & give the syntax of the different input elements that you can add in your form.
Type- <form>
<input type="controls">
          </form>

Name- <form>
<input type="controls" name="name of the control">
          </form>

Why do you need to learn about form in HTML?
If you need to get information from the people using your website, it will be more convenient for those using your website and for you. Forms are also more organized. Life is always easier when you are organized.

Links

What did you learn from week 1? 
In week one I learned about many different tags that you can use for making your own website. I learned about target, mill to me, and HTML forms. The target attribute tells you if you can open the page in a new window, new tab or on the same page. The mailto link is an email tag. HTML forms are used to create forms on your web page. For example, they are used in job applications, or when you sign-up to join social media sites like Facebook or Twitter. We haven't completely learned everything about forms so I hope in the upcoming weeks I will get to know more about them so I will be able to use them in my project.