I think you can get by without PHP--dynamic websites are a whole different bag of tricks. But CSS is key, and I second the rec for W3Schools.

Is PhP "necessary"? If you end up doing web application development using Microsoft products (asp.net and whatnot) you wouldn't need PhP.

OTOH, maybe it'd be good to learn because knowing one web server programming language would be good, even if you don't end up using that particular language? If that's the case, then yeah.

Um, or something....

eta:

x-posty....

dynamic websites are a whole different bag of tricks.

Yeah, would it be a good idea for a relative novice at web development to get into the dynamic stuff?

*cough*PHP*cough*

(but capitalization aside, thirding the other comments)

Thanks Amych, I think I capitalize it differently every time I write it.

I use PHP a lot, but i don't use any of the Microsoft products, which has hampered me somewhat, and I do build a lot of WordPress websites.

A novice, maybe not with the dynamic content, but if they can teach advanced Dreamweaver, and the course ends in a certification of some sort, they could at least teach enough to be dangerous--even if it's just which one to learn or where to go next. There are a lot of options out there.

I have a related question, actually. I've offered to design a website for the critics group DH belongs to, and they have offered to pay me. It's not going to be a terribly complicated site, but I'm also not a professional web designer.

I was thinking $250 to create the site, plus $50/year for registration/hosting/maintenance. (Right now they don't even have a domain name, so I'm going to just add it to my Dreamhost account.) Am I totally off-base with that amount, or does that sound reasonable?

Jessica, that's a terrible question.

How much do you value your time? I'd start from there, and then start estimating how long it will take you.

How much do you value your time?

Oh like that's got a quick and easy answer.

Ugh. This is why I was a terrible freelancer.

I would probably charge more than that, especially for the ongoing bits. I would also probably have them buy their own domain & hosting; down the road you may wish legal separation for their site and yours.

I would also put in writing what sort of ongoing maintenance they'll expect from you. Will they be putting up regular updates? How often? Will there be software that needs maintained, like blogging or calendaring?

I won't give any specific feedback on amounts -- that depends not only on how you value your time, but what the site specs are -- but my one hard-earned bit of friends-and-family freelance pricing wisdom is not to do the ongoing maintenance thing. They don't need to pay you to renew their domain every year -- set it up so they have the keys and it auto-renews. Make an agreement for a specific package (a certain number of pages, or setting up a customized look-and-feel with xyz required features in wordpress, or whatever), and then promise them good terms if they want to make a separate deal to redesign in the future.

Make an agreement for a specific package (a certain number of pages, or setting up a customized look-and-feel with xyz required features in wordpress, or whatever), and then promise them good terms if they want to make a separate deal to redesign in the future.

This is good advice.

Thanks guys!