| What kind of items are you wanting to sell? And how? Are you wanting to set up a sort of online store, or do you just want a simple page with a list of items on it? The reality is, there are many free content management systems (CMSs) out there that don't require a lick of HTML knowledge (or only very basic HTML). These CMSs would make it so that you could add content to your site (images, store items, news, etc) without knowing HTML -- it would be a simple matter of filling out online forms. What a site like this DOES require is a database, and a certain type of knowledge on how to set up that kind of site. It's great for people who need a site right now, who don't want to learn HTML, and who are willing to pay money for someone else to set up the CMS. In addition, the content is all dynamic -- meaning, changes to the site are instantaneous. Sites that are run by HTML alone require you to upload the changes to your server every time you make a change; this can be cumbersome and time-consuming. If time is no issue to you, and you want to learn HTML, then go for it. It may not necessarily be the right solution for what you want to do, though, if you're wanting a complicated shopping cart program or anything like that (that can't be done with HTML alone, and will require much more complicated programming knowledge). If you need a shopping cart program, or something right away, or simply don't want to learn HTML, then you would do better to hire someone to set up a CMS for you. Feel free to pop me an email if you want to learn more about CMSs. I work with them pretty extensively both for fun, and as part of my job. |
