Creating your
own web site
1. It is best if you already have sketched out how you want your site and pages to look.
2. Your web site will only be good if you update it frequently with good content.
3. Create a folder on your C drive to contain all the files and pictures for your web site so you know where to save and find them.
1. When the Yahoo Geocities page appears, select Create & Update tab (second one).
2. Under Basic Site Building Tools, select Yahoo! PageBuilder.
3. Under Yahoo! PageBuilder, click Launch PageBuilder. It usually requires two clicks for some reason. If you would prefer, you could take the Launch PageBuilder Tour first, but those steps will be presented here.
4. When the first blank page appears, press the Save button. When the Save Page screen appears, delete the front-slash and select index. Say yes to override file. This is what your home page will be named.
1. Click on File, New Page to create a new page.
2. Save your page immediately by pressing the Save icon.
3. Delete the ‘/’ and name your page but do not use spaces. You can use an underscore, such as Photo_Page.
1. Under Format, select Backgrounds.
2. Double click under Picture List to view backgrounds in each folder.
a. There are hundreds of backgrounds so take your time to select your home page background.
b. If you want to use the same background for all of your pages, write down what the file name is and in what folder it is.
3. Once you have selected a background, a yellow square will appear in the bottom left-hand corner of your page. Double-click on it to quickly change your background.
4. Press Preview to see how your page looks. Remember, your free web site will contain ads on the right side of the page. You can always upgrade your site later at for a monthly fee to eliminate the ads.
1. Click on the Text icon. A small rectangle will appear.
2. Your first text box should contain the title of your page so type your text.
a. Move your cursor over the text box until it shows four arrows. Then click and drag it to the top of the page in the left corner.
b. Move your cursor over the right side tiny square until it becomes a double arrow. Click and drag it all the way over to the right side of the page.
3. Highlight your text so you can format it using the toolbar below the menu and icons.
a. If you want to change the font, select one from the drop down menu that shows Browser default
b. Select a larger font size for the title using the next drop down menu.
c. To center, select the Center Text icon.
d. Select Bold. Note: All of your text will appear neater and more legible in bold.
e. Use italics and underlines in you need but usually refrain from using these.
f. To change your font color, select the icon with the T and palette and select your desired color.
g. The next icon is background colors. Unfortunately, this website does not allow you to put borders around your text boxes so if you add a background color, it usually doesn’t look very good. Just experiment.
h. Preview to see how it looks and make changes accordingly.
4. Save! Your page name (index) will appear under Page Name. Just press Save. When asked whether you want to preview your page, you can say OK or press Cancel. Save your pages often!
i. File names cannot contain spaces so you may need to rename your computer files before uploading them.
ii. Some picture file extensions may not work. They will download but you will not see them in the User Files. Usually .bmp files need to be resaved as a .jpg file.
iii. Sometimes you may need to open a picture in Paint first to change its size or to crop it.
You can link a word, phrase or picture to another page, a file, a web site or an email address. To hyperlink:
A Web Site: Highlight the word(s), press the Link icon, select Web URL and either type or paste the desired web site. Press OK. When you preview your page, you will see the link. Always check your link!
My Page: To link to another page of your web site, highlight the word(s), such as Home, Page 2, Back, etc., press the Link icon, select My Page, press Choose and find the page you want. Press OK, OK. Again, preview and check your link.
E-Mail: To link to a person’s e-mail account (so they can send you an e-mail), highlight the word(s), such as Click here to send me an e-mail, press the Link icon, select E-Mail, type in your e-mail address, and press OK. Check the link in Preview.
Another File: After you have uploaded a file that you created outside of your web site, such as a Word or Excel file, highlight the word(s), such as Birthday Calendar, press the Link icon, select My File, press Choose and find the file you want. Press OK, OK. Again, preview and check your link. NOTE: Whenever possible, save your Word or Excel file as a web page instead of .doc or .xls.
We’ve already covered inserting Text, Pictures, and Backgrounds.
You can insert horizontal & vertical lines to separate columns and paragraphs on your pages. To insert these lines:
1. Insert, Basics, and choose Horizontal (or Vertical) Lines.
2. Select either Generic or Templates.
3. When you find a line you want, say OK.
4. To use this horizontal or vertical line more than once, highlight the one you already have selected on the page and press the Duplicate icon. Then drag it wherever you want.
You can also create your own horizontal lines by typing ~~~~~ or ***** or ===== from your keyboard.
You can also create your own buttons or bullets by typing * or > or # from your keyboard.
You can customize any page by inserting many items already in the program. You can immediately insert all items under Insert, Instant Info with no other steps except these two:
Date & Time
1. Insert, Instant Info, and choose Date & Time Stamp.
2. Select the style and format you want and press OK.
3. Click and drag this insert where you want it.
Counter
1. Insert, Instant Info, and choose Counter. (This will show everyone how many times your page has been viewed.
2. A window will appear. Choose your Style, Font color, and Background color.
3. Click and drag this insert where you want it.
4. To change the style and colors, double click it.
There are two items here but I only use the Guestbook.
1. Insert, Interactive, and select Guestbook.
2. A window with open for the Guestbook setup. Press Begin to start.
3. You can enter a title and a description but it is not necessary.
4. You can choose the font and background colors.
5. On step 3 (choose your questions), I deleted the URL.
6. On step 4 (customize your guestbook), you can change the text for your submit button, choose how many entries you want displayed on each page, and the style of separator between entries.
7. On step 5, choose Send Notification email (you have already given them your email address). That way, you won’t have to constantly check your guestbook to see if anyone has signed it.
8. You can also check the next item which allows you to review entries before they are posted.
9. Click done.
To delete a guestbook entry:
1. Go to the Yahoo GeoCities – Windows Internet Explorer page (this will be minimized at the bottom of your toolbar.
2. Go to the Create & Update tab of your GeoCities Control Panel and click the "Add-Ons" link.
3. Under "Visitor Feedback Tools," choose "Guestbook."
4. In the "Guestbook Manager" section, select "Current Posts."
5. You'll see all the posts in your guestbook. Check the box next to each post you want to delete.
6. When you're satisfied with your changes, click "Finished."
I have a page on my website called Headlines. I created a new page (called Headlines, of course) and inserted six to eight items, including News, Entertainment, and Sports. After you insert the ones you want, preview your page to see how they look.
On your homepage, type the word Headlines, highlight the word, select Link, My Page, choose your Headline page, and press OK.
You can insert one or more of these items but many of them just go to Yahoo Kids!
Under Format, Page Properties, there are two items you will probably use:
1. Page Width and Height: You can keep increasing the height as you add items. You can increase page width if and when you upgrade to GeoCities Pro which contains no advertising on the right side of the page.
2. Layered HTML: Use this feature to superimpose pictures or text boxes. You will not be able to save or preview a page in you have an overlap.
Use File, File Manager to delete pages, graphics, and files no longer needed. Put a checkmark but those files and press the Delete icon.