Post by Capriole Admin Account on Jul 7, 2014 17:13:15 GMT -5
All About Websites
Websites are a big part of Capriole. Many members choose to have an external website to keep all their information about their facilities, staff, horses, etc., instead of keeping them in the Stable Directory forum. External websites are a great way for members to show what their stables are all about, and keep their records in one place!
Web Hosts
Before you create your website, you have to find a place to put it! There are many different free hosts out there. Some examples are Blogspot, Weebly, Jimdo, Moonfruit, Wix, and LiveJournal. It doesn't matter what site you pick, choose one that has the aesthetics and ease of use that you want. For those of you who are unfamiliar with web design, it might be easier for you to choose a webhost that has more automatic customization and doesn't require direct editing of HTML and CSS.
You can also use a paid web host to get your own domain name, although this is not required.
Designing Your Website
Your website account is created and you're ready to go! Now how should you design your site?
While everyone has a different personal aesthetic, it's best to play around with the web layout until you find something that works for you. Make sure that your site is easy to read and navigate. Sites with tons of clutter will be harder to read, and may deter viewers from venturing further into the site!
Try to keep to a simple color scheme. Lots of people like to use their barn colors. Using too many bright and contrasting colors can make it hard to design a good looking site, and make it hard to read!
Ideas for Content
There's no hard and fast rule for what your website should contain, but there are a few pages that will be helpful for those who want to know more about your stable.
An "About" page is a great way to let people know more about your stable! It lets people know the focus of your stable, its history, where it's located and more!
A "Staff" section is important for role-playing purposes, and to just let people know who makes the magic happen behind the scenes! And it's a fun way to show off your support staff like grooms and trainers who may not make many appearances in competitions.
A "Facilities" page will allow you to show off that gorgeous stable of yours! Include pictures and maybe little anecdotes to show your unique stable, and showcase your hard work!
"Sales" pages are very helpful to have, because it keeps all your stuff in one place, instead of having members trying to find your sales threads in the forum. It is, however, recommended that you post the sales on the forum as well, so as many people as possible can see them!
Do you offer services like custom content, poses, training and more? Make a "Services" page! This way you can showcase all the things that you do in one convenient place.
And of course, you need your horse profiles! Generally, members will separate their horses into different categories, either by breed, sex, discipline, etc.. However you want to organize it is up to you! Provide as much information about your horses as you'd like. And of course, the more pictures of them, the better!
Of course, this is not a rulebook. More of a starting point! You can put whatever you want on your website, or not have one at all. The most important thing here is to have fun!
Websites are a big part of Capriole. Many members choose to have an external website to keep all their information about their facilities, staff, horses, etc., instead of keeping them in the Stable Directory forum. External websites are a great way for members to show what their stables are all about, and keep their records in one place!
Web Hosts
Before you create your website, you have to find a place to put it! There are many different free hosts out there. Some examples are Blogspot, Weebly, Jimdo, Moonfruit, Wix, and LiveJournal. It doesn't matter what site you pick, choose one that has the aesthetics and ease of use that you want. For those of you who are unfamiliar with web design, it might be easier for you to choose a webhost that has more automatic customization and doesn't require direct editing of HTML and CSS.
You can also use a paid web host to get your own domain name, although this is not required.
Designing Your Website
Your website account is created and you're ready to go! Now how should you design your site?
While everyone has a different personal aesthetic, it's best to play around with the web layout until you find something that works for you. Make sure that your site is easy to read and navigate. Sites with tons of clutter will be harder to read, and may deter viewers from venturing further into the site!
Try to keep to a simple color scheme. Lots of people like to use their barn colors. Using too many bright and contrasting colors can make it hard to design a good looking site, and make it hard to read!
Ideas for Content
There's no hard and fast rule for what your website should contain, but there are a few pages that will be helpful for those who want to know more about your stable.
An "About" page is a great way to let people know more about your stable! It lets people know the focus of your stable, its history, where it's located and more!
A "Staff" section is important for role-playing purposes, and to just let people know who makes the magic happen behind the scenes! And it's a fun way to show off your support staff like grooms and trainers who may not make many appearances in competitions.
A "Facilities" page will allow you to show off that gorgeous stable of yours! Include pictures and maybe little anecdotes to show your unique stable, and showcase your hard work!
"Sales" pages are very helpful to have, because it keeps all your stuff in one place, instead of having members trying to find your sales threads in the forum. It is, however, recommended that you post the sales on the forum as well, so as many people as possible can see them!
Do you offer services like custom content, poses, training and more? Make a "Services" page! This way you can showcase all the things that you do in one convenient place.
And of course, you need your horse profiles! Generally, members will separate their horses into different categories, either by breed, sex, discipline, etc.. However you want to organize it is up to you! Provide as much information about your horses as you'd like. And of course, the more pictures of them, the better!
Of course, this is not a rulebook. More of a starting point! You can put whatever you want on your website, or not have one at all. The most important thing here is to have fun!