October 9, 2008
WebSketch is a Web service that helped average people to build a better Web site. From the live examples that can be found through the WebSketch’s Featureds Web page, you’ll surprise of some sites that how average people could build a Web site with a minimum Web design skills, but the outcome would possibly be edged out some sites that built by the skilled Web designers and engineers.
All the Web sites built by using WebSketch’s editor seem to be followed tightly the principles of WebSketch, i.e. Users are attempted to complete the user goals that were specific to the purpose of each type of site with the best Web design practices, with the features rendered by WebSketch. Since WebSketch users can add photos, videos, slides, and movies to their own Web sites, most sites that presented to the world are visual-enabled sites. It is due to the convenient of the drag-n-drop feature and user-friendly integration with Flickr, YouTube, RockYou, slide and hulu. And thus, users can complete the Web sites occupied by beautiful photos, movies, slides, etc in minutes, without having to understand deeply about any stitch of code.
Some said Web sites are big and getting bigger everyday. It is true since most of the sites are offering a lot of functions nowadays, some even programmed a lot of code in the back-end. It is becoming a norm that in order to develop a Web site, one will need to have more than a set of editor. Not only that, third-party plugin might be a necessary tool in some circumstances. However, with WebSketch, users will only need a computer, as well as a Web browser, and they can start to build on it. The content of the site can be started to formulate with the help of WebSketch editor, and hence no third-party software, or any plugin be needed in this case. Moreover, WebSketch did not offered any template to be served as a site’s background, as a result it would not sacrifice users’ creativity.
WebSketch’s editor is a very good WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) set of editor that based on JavaScript. At first glance, it seems very complicated for their target-market users, i.e. non-technical people to use it since the background layout is in grid format. Also, there are many objects and widgets in the asset bin you’ll need to learn in order to use it properly, albeit that the learning curve is short. After you understanding the objects such as text, image, page header can be moved around the editor, you probably would started to enjoy it. In addition, any object or widget can be adjusted accordingly in the “Properties” dialog box itself. To start import the pictures, videos, movies, or slides from Flickr, YouTube, RockYou, slide and hulu, you simply need to type in your username of the Web services concerned, WebSketch will start searching all of your data, and from the search results appeared, you’ll have the option to select which one you prefer and drag-n-drop the picture, video, movie, or slide to the editor.
Although users might reveled in the rich features offered by WebSketch. Users need to understand the sites they created are carried with the long Web address as any Web address of a Web site is solely to be determined by WebSketch. In this case, you are not allowed to develop any sub-domain. However, since this WebSketch service is offered without any charge, it might be a Web site creator that most suitably for the hobbyists.
All the Web sites created using this WebSketch can be shared across the Web. Meanwhile, WebSketch also offered the site privacy setting to the registered users. A user can set the choices of her site as follows: Only I can view, Only friends can view, or Anyone can view in her own privacy settings.
In overall, WebSketch tend to serve as a social network among a group of friends that love to create personal Web sites. You can invite, search, add or remove friends in this WebSketch. As a result, any friend within your friends list create a new site, you will know it in the first place and more likely be the first one to enjoy the site experience.
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