Anyone have suggestions of a good, free WYSIWYG editor and tutorials for a complete beginner to use.

I have a friend that wants to learn to build webpages. She's a nurse, not a computer person, so going the WYSIWYG route is best to start.

I beg to differ. IMHO, learning HTML is the best route to take. Using a WYSIWYG editor only teaches a person how to drag & drop content. Learning HTML empowers a person to find and fix those little annoyances that WYSIWYG editors can sometimes introduce.
Send your friend to HTMLGoodies. She'll be coding pages in notepad, inside a week.

Please let us know if you found someone's advice to be helpful.

I agree with sci-guy... you use those WYSIWYG editors and then you end up getting really crappy non-editable code that search engines dont like because they're not valid, not to mention web browsers will differ with your incorrectly coded site. shes a nurse, they're not poor. have her hire a web designer/programmer/developer to make up a site for her so that it will be 100% compatable.

I dont have a site up yet displaying my information but I do websites... design, program, and developement. have her send me an email if interested.

In case you really need one, use NVU

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How to answer to someone who wants to build a website:

#1
Tell him/her to use pages.google.com (you can use your own domain, google.com/app, choose your registrar/host wisely - or you might not be able to change DNS settings required for this (current googlepages require you to add a CNAME entry to make it work with your own domain))

#2
Tell him/her to study open source CMS' (lots of professional-looking sites made with these.)

#3
Tell him/her to: Step one, learn HTML & CSS... (hardest but the best way IF he/she wants to do some serious web development stuff)

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Fubar

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So, if you wanted to learn some emergency first aid, would you go to medical school first?

Some people don't want to learn all about HTML, CSS etc. They just want to slap up a few pages of info.

Using a WYSIWYG editor works fine for them. If they find that they have the interest to learn more, THEN they can learn HTML etc.

I HATE WYSIWYG editors. I agree that they are not the way for serious web developers to go, but not everyone is a serious web developer.

If your mom wanted to put a few pages of families pictures, would you still insist that she learn HTML?

I agree with you in a different perspective; if everyone understands HTML & CSS, I'll lose my job, lulz :D

> WYSIWYG

In my previous post, doing option #1 & #2 will produce a more professional looking site than sites created with a wysiwyg editor by a person who knows little about html (or little experience with websites). They'll tend to create bloated, low accessibility pages. Your choice though, and if you ask for a nice free editor, I'll say NVU.

Option #1 is even easier than working with wysiwyg editor.

Option #2 is still easier, as you can browse for custom templates made by good people out there, but it requires a bit more understanding on working with servers (eg: uploading, CHMODing, PHP settings, etc).

If you prefer option #2, I think WordPress fits your nurse friend needs.

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JakartaSpot.com

Laler - thanks

Forgot option #4 :D

If he/she wants to have very customized website which cannot be made by option #1 & #2, and he/she has no time (or willing) to learn HTML, CSS, DHTML, and server-side scriptings, then I'll say, "hire a developer" :D

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JakartaSpot.com

this question really goes down to your second paragraph that states, "learn to build webpages" using a WYSIWYG html program you actually dont learn a bit about html, you just learn that if you click on the button with an "F" you can change the font.

anyway, it really depends on the purpose. if she is just trying to show some family photos, then sure use a WYSIWYG editor, hoever, if she really wants to get into building websites, she should not start below the bottom (WYSIWYG), she should start AT the bottom, basic html.

sure, i guess those are maybe just my ideas on it but i doubt im the only one that thinks this

I should have stated the problem differently. What she wants to do is display some information on a webpage. She has no interest in learning how to 'build' webpages.

The easier it is for her to display this information on a page, the better.

Maybe someday she'll get to the point where she has to make a choice, do I want to live with the limitations of this CMS or do I want to learn to do things for myself.