Production stages of website

Using www.webeden.co.uk website builder...

Signing up and choosing website layout...

I signed up to a free website builder that lets you customise your own website easy. This website builder was called Webeden.

You created your account information including the websites domain name and you can select a template to create your website from.

Choosing domain name and launching site...

I wanted my domain name to be something simple and easy to remember so I settled for Dark-Appliance-Music as the bands name is clearly stated and it states it is a music band so it does not get confused with other companies of the same name. I could then launch my site and begin editing...

Importing images...

To start with I had to import all images I were planning to use in the website from my internal drive. I only had a maximum of 20mb memory so all my images had to be compressed in size whilst not reducing their quality noticeably so they will fit. I did this by opening the image in photoshop and resaving the file with my desired quality level.

Adding timers, search bars and other ‘widgets’...

I could also add many interactive and entertaining features called ‘widgets’ from the library readily available. The enabled me to put search bars and timers onto my website amongst other things...

I searched through the library and selected the widgets I wanted to use and positioned them on the webpage. Adding interactive features will make the website more engaging and entertaining for the user so it is important to put lots of features in.

I also added a live twitter feed widget that posts tweets from the bands twitter profile. This adds a social aspect to the website and allows users to follow the band during their everyday lives

To bring more social interaction with the fans I added a live chat forum that allows all people signed into the website to talk to each other and share interests.

Adding photo galleries and sound...

I needed to add plenty of media for users to access. This includes images of the band members and their music tracks. I added pop up galleries and slideshows to my gallery page as well as a one track playlist to play the song I am using in my music video to meet these specifications.

I added the images and sound through the editor panel where the settings are.

Adding and editing blog on website...

Also on the website was a blog feature that allowed me to insert diary logs from members of the band. This informed users of what the band was up to and added another feature that would require the user to visit the website regularly

Creating contact form...

Users may want to give feedback or send fanmail so for these purposes they have a number of options. They could fill in the contact form given on the page and send it that way. Or they could send a message or tweet to their facebook or twitter pages, both of which have been given links on here. There is also their full mailing address for those who wish to post.

My final design looks very similar to that of my plan with minimal modifications. I have stuck with the layout and structure of the pages as well as keeping the colour schemes the same. I am happy with the overall look of my website as it consists with the digipack and overall brand identity of Dark Appliance.