Software You Will Need:

• Web Authoring

• Graphics Editing

• File Transfer Protocol

• Other Useful Program

Web Authoring

You do not need to spend a fortune on software for your web page. There are several free or moderately priced software. Check with your Treasurer and see if your Chapter can afford to purchase the software for you.

You are not getting paid to create this web page (if you are, let me know how you managed that!) If your chapter is not able to purchase software for you, you may have to provide your own. There are several free programs out there that will do a good job for a basic web page. You may already have one of these programs on your computer already.

Free

• Note Pad (HTML editing) is included on every PC and is a basic text editor. The draw back with Note Pad is that you need to know HTML coding to create any type presentable web page. HTML is truly a foreign language and has a steep learning curve. Your Chapter may want the web page sometime this century.
• SeaMonkey by Mozilla replaces Netscape Composer. It includes internet browser, email, HTML editor, chat and web development tools.
• Google Docs - By our friends at Google, you can create a basic document like a Word document and then export it as an HTML page. You can also share the page with others so that they can add and edit the page with you.

Moderate Price

• Microsoft Expressions Web 2.0 ($230) replaces Microsoft Front Page. Includes a code editor, professional design surface, visual diagnostics, and publishing flexibility.

Expensive

• Dreamweaver is the industry standard for web page authoring program. Dreamweaver also contains an FTP program as well as many other features. It will run about $400 (often less at other online stores) so it may not be as affordable to many.
• Adobe PageMaker is another professional program that will run about $500. Like Dreamweaver, it has a steep leaning curve, but some fantastic features.

The prices quoted (as of early July 2009) are prices from the manufacturers web pages. You can often find the software cheaper at other online stores so shop around. Also if you know someone in education, students, teachers, university staff and faculty can get an educational discount which will save you up to 2/3rds off. Shop around.

Graphics Editing

You will need a Graphics Editing program to edit, crop, and adjust pictures and graphics that you use on your web page. You want to make sure that the photos you use on the web page have a resolution of 72-100 dpi (dots per inch). Any resolution greater, will take up valuable storage space and cause the images to take a long time to load.

Free

• Most PCs have the program Paint. It is a very basic program that will allow you to crop and rotate images. Any other work would require a more advanced graphics program.
• Infranview (crop, resize, compress) - downloadable software
• Photoshop Express - lite version of Photoshop, entirely web based.
• Splash-up - web based, works with photo sharing sites.
• Picasa - Photo sharing site with built in photo editing software.

Inexpensive

• Photoshop Elements is a very good "lite" version of the Photoshop for much less costs, about $99. Elements does most of the common functions that Photoshop does with less work.
• Photo Impact is another high quality, low cost ($50) graphics editing program.

Expensive

• Adobe Photoshop, although expensive ($650) is the industry standard for graphics designers. It is a complicated program and not easy to learn.

As with the Web Authoring software, the prices above are from the manufacturers web pages and can be purchased cheaper at other websites.

If you purchase a scanner, Graphics Editing software is often included. The software may be a "lite" version, but still is sufficient to do basic graphics editing.

File Transfer Protocol

File Transfer Protocol software allows you to transfer your files to the server computers at your Internet Service Provider (the company that hosts your webpage).

• WS_FTP Home runs from $40 to over $400 depending on the version. FTP programs are not often needed because many Web Authoring Programs like Front Page or Dreamweaver contain the ability to FTP.

Other Useful Programs

• Adobe Acrobat ($300) allow you to transform almost any file (Word, PowerPoint, etc,) into a PDF file that can be read by the free Acrobat Reader.
• www.PBWiki.com is a free Wiki website that allow you to collaborate on files with others. Wikis can be used for articles, definitions, member's projects, etc.
• www.blogger.com is a free Blogging website that allow you to create a web log (blog). It can be used to list articles or meeting minutes. Members can subscribe to the blog and every time a new post is listed, they receive an email notifying about the new post.
• Yahoo!Groups is a free asynchronous discussion board that allows members to post messages, questions, and comments and then registered members will receive an email with the posting. Members can then respond back and forth and discuss. Join the EAA Web Editors board at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EAA_Web/