Before you get started on your new website or editing your current site, you should consider what hardware and software tools you may need to support your efforts.
When it comes to the hardware required, it can be very simple or reasonably complex depending on your particular needs. Of course, if you’re planning to create a new website (or even view your new website later), you need a computer. Pretty simple, right? Not necessarily. We prefer to work with Apple Macintosh (OSX Leopard on MacBook Pro) as we do a lot of graphics intensive work and have previously invested in Adobe Creative Suite software (Photoshop, InDesign, Flash, Dreamweaver, etc.). It’s just as easy to create your new website using your Windows PC, but we suggest you avoid using Windows Vista (any version) and migrate to Windows 7 or stick with Windows XP. These operating systems are much more stable and reliable.
Another consideration for hardware should be some type of backup hard drive or USB flash drive(s). It is important that you back up all of your website data to a removable drive in case your computer crashes, crashes, or is stolen. When you create website files, most of your data will be stored on the website’s hosting servers, but in many cases you will have many other “build files” that usually never make it to the hosting servers. If you lose this data, you will be forced to start from scratch in many cases. Another piece of hardware that many forget about is an HD camcorder. If you plan on including videos on your site, you should invest in something half decent; You can usually buy a good video camera that also captures “still photos” for less than $500.00.
When it comes to the necessary software, this can be a bit more complicated, again depending on what your website design goals are. At a minimum, you’ll need some form of text editing software, FTP (file transfer software), graphics creation software, and then a variety of other tools as you go.
These are some of the most common topics to consider when planning your website product design.
COMPUTER
Do you currently have a computer that can process large files (ie video files) quickly and efficiently?
WEBSITE SERVER
Are you planning to host your own website portal? If so, do you know what kind of server hardware and software you’ll need?
BACKUP OF HARD DISK or USB MEMORY
Do you currently have any kind of backup hard drive plan or equipment?
VIDEO CAMERA
Are you going to create custom videos for your website, and if so, do you have an HD video camera out of the box?
MOBILE WEB DEVICES
Thinking of making your website mobile friendly? If so, do you have an iPhone and an iPad? Android phone? BlackBerry device? These will be needed for testing purposes!
WEBSITE CREATION SOFTWARE
Do you have any website building software (ie Adobe Dreamweaver or Microsoft Front Page) installed, licensed and ready to use?
GRAPHICS EDITING SOFTWARE
Are you planning to create your own website graphics or edit images? Do you have the necessary software (ie Adobe Photoshop or Photo Studio)?
DATABASES
Are you planning to create a database for your website, and if so, do you know what software to use for this purpose?
