I'll have to admit right from the start, that I have been guilty in the past of just jumping on the computer, diving in and creating web pages ad hoc, linking various pages together with no real structure, and eventually dumping the lot, because it was getting too much like hard work. However most of this was done when I was learning to create web pages, these were not real sites, they were only stored on my hard drive and nobody else had access to them.

Later on, when I started teaching students how to create web pages (as opposed to web sites), I worked in a similar manner. I would just put a few pages together to illustrate a point, upload the pages to a free webhost and let the students know where to find them. These pages would then be deleted after the course was completed, and I would repeat the process for the next group of students. This worked OK, but a couple of things happened to make me rethink the whole process.

Firstly, some of my past students started asking where the pages had gone. It seems that even though they had completed my class, some of them had decided to create web pages for assessment pieces in other subjects, instead of written reports. Some of them had decided that they were going to make their career in web site creation, and some were just trying to find the links to other sites, that I had included on my pages.

Also about this time, I was starting to realise the potential of using the web as a teaching aid for other subjects that I deliver. I was becoming concerned about the forests of trees that I was consuming in handout material for my students. Years ago, we were all being told about this paperless office situation that was going to take place. Well that never happened, but I am pleased to say that I have almost reached the state of a paperless classroom. Everything that used to be given out on paper is now on my web site. In the first class, I give the students my web address, and show them where to find the study guides for the module they are enrolled in, instead of giving paper handouts, I point out where the information is on the website.

This has had a some major benefits, for a start, I don't have to keep recreating the web pages over and over, it avoids that sinking feeling that you get when you've just had two hundred handouts delivered from the copy shop and you give out the first batch to the students, who gleefully point out a mistake. It also avoids the old excuse of "Please sir, I lost the handout so I couldn't do the assignment", though that sometimes gets changed to "Please sir, my ISP was down so I couldn't do the assignment"

The biggest advantage to me is that now, instead of struggling to the classroom loaded up with handouts, overhead transparencies and all the other bits of paper and books, I now walk to class carrying the class role (I'm working on the powers that be to have the rolls stored on the network and filled out online)

Any disadvantages?, well if you want to see a teacher have a full blown panic attack, just tell him that the Internet connection/Network is down, just before a class is due to start.

Hey, I'm a teacher, so it's do as I say, not do as I do. No, I didn't have rough draughts and plans on paper. I sat down at the computer, fired up Dreamweaver and started to make the web site.

However, a couple of points need to be made to justify my actions.

1. I had been planning the thing in my head for about 6 weeks before I started.
2. I was working alone, so I didn't have to make my work fit in with other people's work.
3. I was the client, so I didn't have to get client approval and sign off's at various stages of the process.
4. I had created a lot of web pages beforehand, so I did have some experience.
5. I had a six week break to work on the site.
6. If it didn't work for some reason, I wouldn't have to use it.

It will all depend upon what the site is about, who will be working on it, and who it is for. If any of the following are true, then really you do need to have some designs on paper before you start.

1. More than one person will be working on building and maintaining the site.
2. You are building a site for a client.
3. You are hoping for other sites to link to yours.
4. You are going to submit your site to the search engines.
5. You have very little experience at building web sites.

There could be others that I haven't thought of but remember -

If in doubt, plan it out

These pages are aimed at the newcomer to web design, if you need more advanced information then check out these web sites.