- 21,286
- GR-MI-USA
- YSSMAN
- YSSMAN
As someone who went through school completing web pages on a limited basis with fairly limited tools, Google’s Web Page Creator/Editor is quite easy to use. The tool can be accessed by visiting the GooglePages website, and the service is 110% free (arguably the best part of the service). Of course, you do have to be a member of the Google Service family, so if you have a G-Mail account, you are all set.
Of all the things about the page creator/editor, the ease of use is phenomenal as compared to “standards” such as the Microsoft FrontPage setup. That isn’t to say that FrontPage isn’t easy to use, but overall, I’d have to rate the Google Editor far higher for most folks who aren’t used to creating web pages, using HTML, etc. From the get-go, it is pretty easy to create a page. The main window holds everything together, and allows you to create new pages or edit current ones right off the bat.
There is a wide range of styles to select from, from your basic color setups, to a bit more technical and rather fancy “looks like paper” backgrounds, as well as one that reminds me of Pee Wee’s Playhouse. These backgrounds also have plenty of pre-set page designs, so that you don’t have to go about tinkering with every little detail yourself.
Text editing is like any other writing program, with your basic paragraph styles pre-set by the creator, along with the various alignment, text size, and text style settings. Things are about as basic as they get there, so don’t expect every variation offered by the full-cost Microsoft systems, but this should be more than enough to keep people happy. Adding hyperlinks are quite easy with just the click of a button, and they allow you to enter your own links, or link up with pages already created by yourself on your account.
Photographs are quite easy to get in as well. There are the photos you can upload yourself onto the website, as well as URL-linked photos that can be done, however Google makes it well known that they do not recommend it under most circumstances. Photo editing is a breeze, especially if you have any experience with basic photo editing on a PC or Mac. I haven’t had an opportunity to play with every aspect of the photo editing, however, there should be enough to make some photos look a bit better with some of the tools available.
As noted, the best part about the program is that it is free and is accessible from anywhere on the internet. The program is easily adaptable to one’s needs, as you can upload your own photos, files, etc. I would be interested to see how Google plans to integrate their Writely program into the service, as I think that is probably one of the coolest things they have going on right now, however everything is still in a pretty early form. I think for most people the Google Web Page Creator/Editor is going to be more than enough to get a personal website up and running, most importantly for free.
I plan on experimenting more with the service in the weeks and months ahead, and as I figure more things out, I’ll be happy to post some of them as I come across them.
---
So overall, against the latest versions of FrontPage, I'd have to rate the Google Editor at an 8.5/10.
Pro: Free, Free, Free; Easy to Use
Con: Limited functions, still wondering how it will integrate with Writely
Of all the things about the page creator/editor, the ease of use is phenomenal as compared to “standards” such as the Microsoft FrontPage setup. That isn’t to say that FrontPage isn’t easy to use, but overall, I’d have to rate the Google Editor far higher for most folks who aren’t used to creating web pages, using HTML, etc. From the get-go, it is pretty easy to create a page. The main window holds everything together, and allows you to create new pages or edit current ones right off the bat.
There is a wide range of styles to select from, from your basic color setups, to a bit more technical and rather fancy “looks like paper” backgrounds, as well as one that reminds me of Pee Wee’s Playhouse. These backgrounds also have plenty of pre-set page designs, so that you don’t have to go about tinkering with every little detail yourself.
Text editing is like any other writing program, with your basic paragraph styles pre-set by the creator, along with the various alignment, text size, and text style settings. Things are about as basic as they get there, so don’t expect every variation offered by the full-cost Microsoft systems, but this should be more than enough to keep people happy. Adding hyperlinks are quite easy with just the click of a button, and they allow you to enter your own links, or link up with pages already created by yourself on your account.
Photographs are quite easy to get in as well. There are the photos you can upload yourself onto the website, as well as URL-linked photos that can be done, however Google makes it well known that they do not recommend it under most circumstances. Photo editing is a breeze, especially if you have any experience with basic photo editing on a PC or Mac. I haven’t had an opportunity to play with every aspect of the photo editing, however, there should be enough to make some photos look a bit better with some of the tools available.
As noted, the best part about the program is that it is free and is accessible from anywhere on the internet. The program is easily adaptable to one’s needs, as you can upload your own photos, files, etc. I would be interested to see how Google plans to integrate their Writely program into the service, as I think that is probably one of the coolest things they have going on right now, however everything is still in a pretty early form. I think for most people the Google Web Page Creator/Editor is going to be more than enough to get a personal website up and running, most importantly for free.
I plan on experimenting more with the service in the weeks and months ahead, and as I figure more things out, I’ll be happy to post some of them as I come across them.
---
So overall, against the latest versions of FrontPage, I'd have to rate the Google Editor at an 8.5/10.
Pro: Free, Free, Free; Easy to Use
Con: Limited functions, still wondering how it will integrate with Writely
