Free sample

by Steve Sande

Ebook: $10.00

• More Info
• Contents & Intro
• FAQ
• Blog

Read this ebook to learn the answers to questions such as:

• How do I create special graphical effects like those in the above clickable images?
• How do I create an RSS feed for my blog?
• What if I don't want to publish to .Mac?
• How do I make an image map? (There is a way!)
• Can I create an entire online store with iWeb?

Book Info 123 pages Version 1.0 Published 05-Jun-06 2.2 MB download ISBN: 1933671092 Free sample with Table of Contents, Intro, Quick Start, and section starts.

About the Author Steve Sande is a Mac consultant with Raven Solutions, LLC and has worked with Macs since 1984. He's also a professional instructor, teaching business analysis and Web-related classes at a number of venues across the country. Steve's writing can be found almost daily on The Unofficial Apple Weblog.

Book Reviews AAUG Seattle Times Contact us for review copies Author Interviews MacVoices (Jun-06) Contact us for interview requests

Table of Contents Read Me First Introduction Quick Start to Making a Site in iWeb A Brief History of Web Sites Install iWeb Create Your First Site Publish Your Site Work with Text Shapes, Layers & Masks Publish a Blog Publish a Podcast Work with Photos Create an Online Movie Theater Make Money with Your Web Site Manage Multiple iWeb Sites Learn More & Do More Appendix A: Web Hosting Appendix B: Editing One Site on Two Macs About This Ebook

Read Me First This ebook puts you in control of creating and publishing professional-looking Web sites using iWeb, Web design software from Apple Computer. This ebook was written by Steve Sande, edited by Tonya Engst, and published by TidBITS Electronic Publishing.

Introduction

If I had grandchildren instead of cats, I would proudly tell them that I was there when Apple made Web site design and publishing easy. Any speech by Apple CEO Steve Jobs is full of new product and upgrade announcements, so as Jobs gave the keynote address at Macworld Expo on January 10, 2006 I wasn't surprised or excited at first when he demoed iLife '06. But when Jobs unexpectedly announced a new Web site design and publishing tool, called iWeb, as part of iLife '06, I took notice.

I know all too well how difficult it is to make a great-looking Web site and create a blog. I've struggled with the complexities of RSS feeds and searched to find a way to easily publish photo galleries and podcasts. Watching Jobs simply click and drag his way through the creation of a professional-looking Web site in a few minutes of a keynote address was certainly an eye-opener, so I quickly purchased iLife '06 and began playing with iWeb.

I used the term "playing" to describe interacting with iWeb, because iWeb is truly a joy to use! In this ebook, I take you on a journey of discovery. I briefly explore the past so you can see for yourself what a powerful tool iWeb is, and then you can follow me as I build a Web site step by step. You can visit my iWeb site, and then read about how I used iWeb to create what you're viewing.

If you've never made a Web site before, you'll be thrilled with how easily you can organize your thoughts and have iWeb turn them into a beautiful work of art. Experienced Web designers will be happy with how iWeb works with iLife '06 to create vibrant Web sites full of text, sound, video, and photography. Let's get started!

NOTE: Shortly before this ebook was published, Apple updated iWeb to version 1.1. This significant update resolves many shortcomings in iWeb 1.0, and I took a special revision pass to make the ebook cover version 1.1.

Quick Start to iWeb '06

Although you can read this ebook sequentially, you may wish to use this page to set a custom path through the topics that I cover.

Start your site:

• For historical context, read A Brief History of Web Sites. Then, if you haven't already, Install iWeb.
• Start a new site! Learn how to Choose a Template, Name Your Site, and more in Create Your First Site.
• Ready to take your site live? Decide Where to Publish Your Site, and then Publish to .Mac, Publish to a .Mac Group, or Publish to Other Servers.

Add links & media:

• Learn about making links in Create Web Hyperlinks and Create Other Link Types. If image-based links are more your fancy, find more info in Create Picture Hyperlinks, which includes a sidebar, Making an Image Map.
• Turn your thoughts into bits with Publish a Blog, and learn about how to Turn Blog Photos into a Photocast.
• Take your radio show online with Publish a Podcast.
• Learn how to insert a photo with Change the Picture, apply cool effects with The Fine Points of Formatting Photos, and make your images load faster with Accelerate Picture Downloads.
• Create an Online Gallery of your photography.

Go beyond the limits:

• Learn how to Make Text Sparkle; discover the fabulous effects you can create with Shapes, Layers & Masks; and Add Special Elements to count visitors and provide information.
• Looking for extra income? Join an Affiliate Program, get ideas for how to Run an Online Store, and Increase Traffic to Your Site.
• Manage Multiple iWeb Sites by doing some clever, but simple, work in the Finder.
• Get the scoop on Editing One Site on Two Macs in Appendix B.

Q: Do you have an ebook that covers the version of iWeb that came with iLife '08? What about iLife '09

A: Yes, we do. See Take Control of iWeb: iLife '08 Edition and Take Control of iWeb '09.

Does this ebook cover MobileMe and iWeb?

Sorry, the ebook does not cover MobileMe. The .Mac service switched its name to MobileMe in July of 2008, and along with the switch made a few small changes to the way it interacts with iWeb. Although we are keeping this ebook for sale in order to help people who might still be using iWeb '06, we have not updated it for MobileMe. We think that readers will find it easy to work with the ebook, so long as they are aware of the .Mac-to-MobileMe change. The iWeb '08 and the iWeb '09 editions of the ebook do cover MobileMe.

Can I read this ebook on an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch?

There are lots of great ways to read PDFs on these devices. For more details, please read our latest Device Advice.

Ask a Question

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Send Us Your Comments!

How could we not publish such kind words? If you'd like to send us your comments (good or bad, though we hope they're all good), just click the Feedback link on the cover of your copy of the ebook. Be sure to let us know if we can publish your comment. Thanks!

iWeb ‘09 Edition Is Available

May 1, 2009 -- 

We've just released Take Control of iWeb '09, by Steve Sande. The 152-page new edition covers all the new features in iWeb '09 (plus those that remain from previous iWeb versions, of course).

Generally speaking, Take Control of iWeb '09 walks you through the steps for building an iWeb site and uploading it to MobileMe or another Web host. You can look over Steve's shoulder as he enhances iWeb's templates with a designer's eye, using tools like masks, reflections, and Instant Alpha. You'll also learn the ins and outs of uploading, with special coverage of using a custom domain name and uploading to third-party hosts.

New iWeb '09 features discussed include still-more widgets that can add special content to your site (for instance, a Twitter feed) and the new FTP capabilities that vastly simplify uploading to a third-party Web host. As with the recently released Take Control ebooks about GarageBand '09, this title is unusual in that it offers book-length coverage of a single iLife application.

—Tonya Engst 

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iWeb ‘08 Ebook Adds MobileMe and Twitter Info

March 16, 2009 -- 

We've just released version 1.1 of Take Control of iWeb: iLife '08 Edition. Author Steve Sande has updated the text to make sense for MobileMe, not .Mac, and he has added an appendix that explains how to display your Twitter feed on an iWeb page.

Why release a new version of an ebook about iWeb '08, when iWeb '09 is available? First, lots of people are still using iLife '08 and don't yet wish to put the time and money into an upgrade, and second, we were able to create the update reasonably easily as a interim step while drafting a new edition to cover iWeb '09.

Readers who own the iWeb '06 ebook can upgrade to this new version with a 25% discount, and those who own the iWeb '08 ebook can download it for free. If either of these situations applies to you, open your existing PDF to page 1 and click Check for Updates. (If you're already on the Check for Updates page for the 1.0 version of the iWeb '09 ebook, look above, on the Downloads tab!)

—Tonya Engst 

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iWeb in iLife ‘09: Small Changes, Big Impact

January 12, 2009 -- 

At first glance, iLife '09 doesn't appear to offer much in the way of improvements to the iWeb user. But after delving deeper into Apple's announcement, it's apparent to me that the new version of iWeb has significant changes that should help in the design and publishing of iWeb sites:

• It appears that there are some new themes. In particular, Fine Line has the appearance of a WordPress blog, while BeBop has a happy, retro 50's look.
• The Media Browser has a new added button—Widgets. This button makes it simple to add a number of widgets, including a new countdown timer, RSS feeds, and YouTube videos. There are even widgets that can embed iSight photos or videos into an iWeb site.
• The biggest change appears to be in the area of publishing. Publishing your iWeb site to any server other than MobileMe used to involve publishing the site to a folder, then uploading the entire folder to the server via FTP. Now you just enter your FTP server information into iWeb, and you can publish your site and any changes directly to the FTP server.
• Apple has also linked the new iWeb with Facebook. Any time you change your iWeb site, your Facebook friends are notified so they can see what's new.

—Steve Sande 

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Several Sites? Several Servers? Multisite for iWeb to the Rescue!

August 28, 2008 -- 

iWeb is great for publishing one site to one server; preferably a MobileMe server. But what if you're trying to use iWeb to create a number of Web sites that are hosted on multiple servers? It's not easy—you have to save each site to a separate folder, then upload or synchronize those sites to the server with an FTP client one at a time. [iWeb '09 is vastly better at publishing multiple sites to multiple servers, and at FTP-based publishing. June 25, 2009 —Tonya]

Clarkwood Software, LLC has an answer: Multisite for iWeb 2.3. This Mac OS X application works with iWeb '08 and older versions as well. Use iWeb to build multiple sites, and then fire up Multisite for iWeb. It takes care of putting the sites into individual files, which means that you needn't publish every site every time you want to publish one.

In my ebook about iWeb '08, I talk about how to create separate Domain files for individual sites. Multisite takes care of that work for you. You can use Multisite to duplicate, delete, and create sites, import or export sites, and even create separate Domain files to send to other people.

You can try Multisite for iWeb before you buy. A fully functional 30-day demo is available from the Clarkwood Software Web site. A license for Multisite for iWeb is only $19.95.

—Steve Sande 

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