My webmaster is retiring, and since I had played around with having a website using Wordpress and Blogger a few years ago, I have decided to save my business money and take over my website.
My webmaster will set me up on Go Daddy so everything works / acts the same and give me a back up CD.
Currently, my webmaster uses Dreamweaver. However, I do not want to pay that price, and from what I am reading is is going to be complicated to learn.
I like the looks of CoffeeCup. I would love something that is WYSIWYG but allows me to tweek HTML when I want to.
My question is: Can I use CoffeeCup on a site that was developed using Dreamweaver?

Thanks in advance for your help :-)

Hiya Melissa,

Yes and No.
Yes you can use CoffeeCup's products to work on your site, and the HTML Editor will be compatible without a doubt. But..

No there wouldn't be any WYSIWYG system to work with that you could use with an already existing site. The HTML Editor doesn't have a visual drag and drop setup, it's entirely a code based product with good visual "aids" to help you view what you're doing without any manipulation interaction.

CoffeeCup does have a great Visual Editor, but it will not allow any importing of already created sites, you can only do sites from scratch in it or from already created templates, which you would then still need to input all your content into.

So yes, HTML Editor is fully compatible, but no there's no visual editor with CC's products that can import your current site.

Hope that answers your questions

Mel, As Jo Ann stated CC has an awesome visual editor that you'll be able to knock out a resonable site in just a few hours. Take it for a test drive.
http://www.coffeecup.com/designer/

And if you start from scratch using VSD, you get free hosting, save paying "Go Daddy" if its reasonably strait forward anyway.

My wedding car site in signature was built with VSD and is hosted free @ CC

Thanks everyone for prompt, informative responses. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to use the visual developer....
I did not know I could get free hosting with CC - that is a perk! Is it difficult to switch hosting companies? If I switch to CC I am just transferring our web name.
Since you say it is easy to use, I will test drive it in a couple of days - my next question..... if you have a moment to peek at my website, what will I have problems easily doing / making on my own?
Thanks so much everyone!!!

~Melissa
www.hhcamp.com

Hiya Melissa,

Do you actually "need" to move it somewhere else? (host wise I mean) Is the person that is currently doing the site hosting it too and no longer will host it? I ask this in case you don't really "need" to move it then why go through all the hassle. If you "do" need to move it, then I would suggest using the current pages and getting all the files and folders and pages and just moving them to a different host fully intact as they are. That would be the very fastest way to get your site back up and running without any hassle.

Then go from there and if you want to redo it and learn how things work you will not be so pressured to learn things fast at all and can relax and enjoy the learning experience of VSD or HTML Editor or both.

Everything on your site is redoable either in VSD or by hand. If you choose to go with VSD, I am sure that Eric and Viv will be handy to help you along also as they are both very good with the program and there's a few others too that are pretty handy for helping people with it. I think your site will be easily redone in VSD, you'll need to use the scripts from the current site, and the nice thing is that you have all the content and the design in place so you just need to copy it over to the new site. It will take a little time mind you, there's a ton of links on the site so a lot of copy/pasting going to happen there, but it's definitely doable.

Should you opt to have someone else do it for you, give me a hollar and I'll be happy to give you a quote for the site as well as making sure you have full control of it. Using the pages you have would be the easiest way to do it as you should be able to just take every page and download all the pages and files and upload them directly to a new host if you need one. That would be the fastest way to get you back up and running if you for sure need to move it. You can still host it on S-Drive as I don't see anything in your site that would require any special scripts that aren't allowed on S-Drive yet. You can contact me through my link in sig for LB Websites below. I don't think it would take a lot of expense to just get you moved and/or do a bit of updating.

Pictures page might need a bit of Erics magic, the rest looks simple enough

Play with the trial, if you need some help, just shout

That's a nice site Mel. As far as hosting goes free hosts can give database support if you need more that the S_Drive can offer. We are all waiting for scripting and database support there. Free hosts handle any kind of scripts. If you want to go it yourself and the advantages are many. The satisfaction, ability to make changes and additions and having control of your site.

I believe that if you first off trial the Visual Site Designer, all the graphics, text and links are there to copy and paste in position. VSD you will find as Eric pointed out is a breeze to use with themes available to allow you to hit the ground running.

The editor is wonderful intuitive means of creating any kind of site but requires a little html coding experience. However it is possible to move from VSD to the editor although you cannot import the resulting changes.

It may be an advantage to get assistance with a ongoing business so in that case Jo Ann would be a good choice. I am sure she would guide you into the simple forms of html coding. Or perhaps if you find VSD more to your liking then Viv our favorite Jeweler may fit the bill.

Which ever path you take Coffee cup software is certainly the way to go. I program utilities for a hobby and use these tools to advertise them, so I spend more time finding out ways to push the envelope with these tools.

My method is a one way deal. I create a site with VSD and then use the editor to add scripting or embellishments that require additional coding, all part of the hobby. But I may not be the best one to advise, I am trying to give a bigger picture.

Have a look at Viv's sites he is a VSD user only and I think you will find a professional looking site that is very successfully received.

I wish you success whatever path you take

Again, thank you for everyone's help. :-)
JoAnn- yes, I do need to move to a new host - my current webmaster hosts my website, and will no longer be able to offer that service to me. I'll let you know if I need help!
Viv & Prism - thank you for your insight - much appreciated.
I am going to take some time this weekend and download the free trial and play around with it.
Will keep you posted!