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By: Mahnoor Malik

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Table of Contents

Introduction ....................................................................................................... 3

Creating a website: The Basics .................................................................. 4

Selecting a Design ........................................................................................... 7

Adding Pages ..................................................................................................... 9

Renaming/Deleting Pages ......................................................................... 12

Uploading Images ......................................................................................... 15

Uploading Documents ................................................................................. 18

Publishing the Website ............................................................................... 20

Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 21

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Introduction

The audience for this manual primarily consists of college/university students, ranging in age from 17-40, who are interested in creating an online portfolio to showcase their academic goals, achievements, and technical writing abilities. They serve as a beneficial resource in applications for employment opportunities, college admissions, and scholarships. My secondary audience however, encompasses the elderly, ranging in age from 45-60, interested in launching a company or business of their own, and foresee to provide interested parties with an easy website access to their company’s details. They may substitute the intended pages with the appropriate information. The manual’s purpose is to teach users how to produce a professional website. They will first learn the basics of creating a website, followed by the designing process, which includes adding specific pages and incorporating elements such as images and documents. It will then conclude with the final steps of publishing the site and suggestions for college students creating an online portfolio.

About Weebly: www.weebly.com is a free web-hosting server that allows users to create a professional website quickly and effectively.

Prior Information: No prior knowledge is needed previous to engaging in the process, except, users must have basic computer knowledge and access to a Word and imaging processer, for incorporating documents and pictures.

Necessary Materials:

A laptop or computer

Internet Access

Access to a Word Processor

Access to files containing images

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Creating a Website: The Basics Many hosting services are available worldwide to produce a professional website. We are using Weebly, as it is fast, and inherits a very easy process for users to create online portfolios. Step 1: Log on to www.weebly.com. See Figure 1.

Figure 1

Step 2: Create an Account. In order to get started, users must create an account. This is done in three easy steps; enter “Full Name,” “Email Address,” and “Password.” Click Sign up. It’s free! See Figure 2.

Figure 2

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Step 3: Choosing the title, and the Type of Site. Once signed up, a dialog box will appear asking for a title and the Type of Site on user’s preference. Enter your name under “Enter a title for your website,” and select Personal for the “Type of Site” (suggested for students creating a professional website.) Click Continue. See Figure 3.

Figure 3

Step 4: Choosing the Domain. It is necessary to create a website domain (website address), to be publicly available on the web. Enter the website domain by clicking “Use a Subdomain of Weebly.com” as it requires no fee. It will automatically display if the web address you entered is available or taken. Click Continue. See Figure 4.

Figure 4

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Step 5: Concluding the Basics Make sure that the title is accurate, and has no errors. If any changes need to occur, place the cursor by the title, erase it, and make the necessary adjustments. See Figure 5.

Figure 5

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Selecting a Design Weebly offers several design templates to choose from when producing a website. Since this will be a professional website, be sure to use a simple template, one that will not distract the visitors from the text. Step 1: Click on the Design tab located in the top left corner. See Figure 1.

Figure 1

Step 2: Select the All Themes tab. Refer to Figure 2. The All Themes tab includes several design templates that can be previewed and applied.

Figure 2

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Step 3: Click on a design, and preview it. Refer to Figure 3.

Figure 3

Step 4: When selected, click Use Theme, or click Cancel to pick another one. See Figure 4.

Figure 4

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Adding Pages To present a website in a professional and accessible manner, it is important to categorize information by adding “pages” or sections. The following set of instructions will give directions to do so. Step 1: Click on the Pages tab located in the top left corner. Refer to Figure 1. This section (shown in Figure 1) will allow you to add as many pages required for the website.

Figure 1

Step 2: Click the Add Page button. See Figure 2. This will add a page to the home page, which is present by default.

Figure 2

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Step 3: Enter the “Page Name” and click Save Settings. See Figure 3.

Figure 3

Step 4: Perform the above steps to add two more pages; Samples of Professional Writing, and an About Me section. When finished, the website should have four pages; a Home Page, a Resume Page, a page for Samples of Professional Writing, and an About Me Section. Refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 page 11.

Figure 4

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Figure 5

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Renaming/Deleting Unnecessary Pages

When creating a website, there might be a need to rename or delete a page. To do so click on the Pages tab located in the top bar to rename or delete pages. Renaming Pages Step 1: Click on the page that needs to be renamed. For example, if “Samples of Professional Writing” needs renaming, click on it. See Figure 1.

Figure 1

Step 2: Erase the “Page Name,” and rename it. See Figure 2.

Figure 2

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Step 3: Click Save Settings. Refer to Figure 3.

Figure 3

The page(s) will then be renamed. Deleting Pages Step 1: To delete a page, first click on it. Refer to Figure 1.

Figure 1

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Step 2: Navigate to the top right corner of the screen, and hit Delete Page. A dialog box will appear asking for confirmation, click “Yes, delete page.” Refer to Figure 2.

Figure 2

The page(s) will then be deleted.

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Uploading Images Weebly employs an easy drag and drop technique, where users can drag “elements” such as a title, a paragraph with title, or a picture onto the intended page. Step 1: Drag the “Picture” icon located in the top bar, onto the page. See Figure 1.

Figure 1

Step 2: Click Upload a photo from your computer to access images from files. See Figure 2.

Figure 2

The image will then be uploaded.

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Editing Images Step 1: Once the image has been uploaded, click on it to edit it. Select the Edit button in the top right corner of the picture. See Figure 1.

Figure 1

Step 2: Choose any of these options, or all to edit image. Then click Save. See Figure 2.

Figure 2

Deleting Images

There are several ways of deleting an image.

Step 1: Click on the recycle bin icon located in the top right corner of the image (See Figure 1), or click Replace Photo to replace the image with another one. See Figure 2 page 17.

Figure 1

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Figure 2

Note: If the whole element (containing an image or text) needs to be deleted, click on the “x” button located in the top right corner of the image. See Figure 3.

Figure 3

A dialog box will appear asking for confirmation, click “Yes, delete it.” See Figure 4.

Figure 4

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Uploading Documents

When showcasing academic abilities and achievements, it is important to incorporate documents such as résumés and presentations. Therefore, the following set of instructions will instruct how to upload Word documents onto the website. Step 1: Suppose a résumé needs to be uploaded. Navigate to the Resume page, and as recommended, write a portion of your résumé on the website before uploading the whole document. Refer to Figure 1.

Figure 1

Step 2: After writing the portion of your résumé, conclude the text by addressing a phrase similar to “A complete downloadable copy of my résumé is available here.” See Figure 2.

Figure 2

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Step 3: Highlight “here” and click the Create Link button on the top. See Figure 3. Note: This allows for viewers to access the intended document by clicking on “here.”

Figure 3

Step 4: Select “File on Your Website” and click upload a file to incorporate a document from the computer. Click Save. Refer to Figure 4.

Figure 4

Step 5: Place the cursor by “here,” and easily access the document, change it, or remove the file. See Figure 5.

Figure 5

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Publishing the Site

Once the website has been completely created, and has been proofread for any errors, it is the

time to publish it.

Step 1: Simply click on the Publish button located on the top right corner. See Figure 1.

Figure 1

A confirmation box will then appear showing the web address, and informing that the website

has been published. Follow the link to see how it appears on the internet!

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Conclusion Suggestions Creating an online portfolio using any web-hosting server is a non-complicated and rewarding process. Students avail this resource to showcase their academic abilities, achievements, and personal interests in chance of getting any scholarships, jobs, or college admissions. However, in order to produce a successful website, it is important to be mindful of some suggestions. They are as follows:

When incorporating self-images, be sure to embed appropriate and decent pictures.

Make sure that the font size is readable; it’s not too large, or tiny.

Be sure to proofread before publishing the site. Any errors, spelling or grammatical, can affect the intensity of the message.

Make sure to embed images, for example, a logo of the college/university currently studying in, any clubs or organizations you are part of, or your future profession. It makes the website more appealing.

Troubleshooting If any queries develop along the way, navigate to the Help button located in the top right corner. A list of “Frequently Asked Questions” will then appear, and if the question is similar to one of those, click on it to get assistance in performing that task. A question can also be typed in the search bar, or pick a category (the list is presented on the left) for more specific results. For additional help, visit the Beginner’s Guide to Weebly: http://help.weebly.com/beginners-guide.html