By Mark Wilson on Monday, 19 May 2008
With web publishing now easier and cheaper than ever, virtually every company in existence has its own web site. Creating a mere website isn’t always sufficient in these days of multi-platform web browsers and any online presence worth its salt really needs a mobile website, too.
Creating a website that’s suitable for a handheld web browser from scratch is no mean feat, but Wirenode makes it possible to create a mobile-friendly web site in a matter of minutes – and it’s completely free,
This can be a site for a range of purposes, including being a scaled down version of a main site. However, it is also possible to include RSS feeds, so a mobile site can be created that collates information from the sites you would normally visit. Here's how to get started with Wirenode.
Step 1
Go to the Wirenode web site and sign up for a free account by clicking the Start creating mobile pages link. Click the Create my account button when you’re ready to start.
Step 2
The easiest option is to create a mobile version of a site that contains an RSS feed. In the Mobilize your blog section, enter the address of your site and click the Mobilize blog button. You'll then be prompted to choose an address for the mobile site, which will take the form mysite.wirenode.mobi.
Step 3
To make changes to the automatically generated page, click the Start editing my mobile blog button. Basic editing can be achieved by using the toolbar at the top of the preview window to adjust font styles, colours and to create links to other sites. With one of the component boxes selected on the page, their order can be changed by clicking the arrows which appear to the left, or deleted by clicking the cross.
Step 4
You can also use pre-designed themes to change the appearance of a site. Click the Change it link to the right of the page and select a theme. You can check just how the site will look on a mobile device by clicking the Preview at the fake phone link.
Step 5
Add a title to the first page of the web site by clicking the title link to the left of the preview. Additional pages can be created using by clicking the Create a new page link. There are sample pages which can be added and customised, but blank pages can also be added.
Step 6
To add content to a newly created page, click the Add component link above the preview window and select the page element that is required. These can then be customised and edited as required.
Step 7
Once all of the required pages have been created, click the Save button and move to the Settings section. You should have already chosen an address for your site, but you can also assign it to a category to make it easier to find. Click the Save settings button followed by the Mobile portal link to the right.
Step 8
The site that you have created will be displayed in the Wirenode portal, but ensure that this option is selected before entering a description and verifying the category which has been chosen. Click Save settings.
Step 9
The statistics section of the Wirenode site is useful for determining how much traffic your mobile site gets. For now though, click the Promotion link where there are a number of pre-designed graphics available. This can be added to your main web site to promote the mobile version.
Step 10
Once you're happy with all of the settings that have been chosen, return to the Editor section of the site and click the Publish button. The site will now be available for others to view online. The summary screen provides access to statistical information, as well as the editor for future changes.
Step 11
Wirenode can also be used to build a mobile web site from scratch. Click the Create new website link to the right of the page and use the information in the steps above to create all of the necessary pages.
Step 12
Wirenode can be used to create a personalised mobile site that aggregates information from other sites via their RSS feeds. To do this, click the Add component link, select Widget and then click RSS Blog widget. Now simply enter the address of the required feed and customise the rest of the page, before publishing the site.
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