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"Yep" With that one-word email response from Apple's Founder and CEO, thousands of users of Apple's website creation software iWeb began to panic. Steve Jobs sent the reply to an iWeb user who sent an email asking if the rumors that iWeb was no longer going to be supported were true. It looks like MobileMe's hosting of iWeb websites will also cease at some point. Now iWeb users are trying to figure out what their next steps should be. We're here to help. What Does the iWeb News Really Mean? First, lets cut through the clutter and panic. iWeb will not immediately disappear with MobileMe. The iWeb website building software will continue to function, it just loses the easy web hosting. So, you have time to figure out your options and next steps, for which we will detail alternatives. iWeb won't be updated in future Mac OS software. However, iWeb isn't going to end like Columbus falling off the edge of the earth. Just like most older programs, iWeb will still run and work, but just won't be updated or supported. But, you will need a different hosting option. Look, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Lets be honest here. iWeb wasn't that great of a product, certainly not up to Apple standards. So, this news may end up being a longer term blessing in disguise. What To Do If You Have an iWeb Site You Like If you have an existing iWeb website you really like, good for you. Lets get your iWeb site a new home. Specifically a web host that is both iWeb friendly and affordable. Then we can move your iWeb files to your new web hosting account, and change the DNS entry of your domain to point to your new host after it is set-up as an "add-on" domain. And, boom, you're back in action (is it just me, or does Steve Jobs say "boom" all the time?). It sounds more complicated than it is. It is easy to configure iWeb to point to a host. Once this is set-up, publishing is still just as easy as hitting the iWeb publish button. First the cheap, but quality web hosting. We think Bluehost is a good choice here. Bluehost's plan is only $5.95 per month. Plus, they've actually pubished videos in their video help section relating to iWeb and how to host an iWeb website at Bluehost. Done. Go get Bluehost web hosting plan now, and then watch the videos for help FTP'ing your site to the Bluehost servers. Bye, bye MobileMe. Note: Bluehost allows unlimited domain hosting, so if you have more than one iWeb site, you only have to buy one hosting account. And, in the future if you want to publish additional sites, you don't have to buy another plan. That's what I like - value. What To Do If You Don't Already Have an iWeb Website, Or One That You Don't Like If you really aren't happy with your current iWeb site, then maybe it's time to just start over. Why hassle with trying to save something that isn't great in the first place? Keep the current website copy of course, because you can re-use that. Also, if you don't already have a website, obviously don't build it with iWeb. I've seen one "tech" blog recommend that iWeb users in this camp buy Dreamweaver, Rapidweaver, Sandvox, Freeway Express, or GoDaddy's Website Tonight product. No! Bad advice in my opinion. This is analogous to telling the owner of an old RCA picture tube TV to go buy a Sony picture tube TV to replace the RCA after it dies. It's time to progress, and to continue the analogy, use the HD flat screen version of website building tools. Get to know, and then use Wordpress. All the cool kids are. ;). In fact, there's now over 20 million websites built with Wordpress. Oh, and you have to pay for the likes of Dreamweaver, but Wordpress is open source and free. You want to spend your time on content and marketing your website. Time spent consistently updating Dreamweaver when you want to add new pages, etc doesn't pay off in the end. Plus your SEO won't be as strong with the likes of Dreamweaver. WP is really easy to use and set-up. There's all kinds of help forums and articles. My favorite thing about Wordpress is the amazing breadth of free "plug-ins" that can be added to your site to help make it do basically whatever you want. Installing Wordpress is also a 5-minute commitment. Well, if you use a web host like Hostgator that has a 1-click Wordpress install via their web hosting panel. To save time, and make your Wordpress site look even better, you can also buy a premium theme if you'd like. Thesis is currently the most favored out there. Come back and leave a comment some time in the future after you've tried Wordpress. The comment will include this type of language, "why didn't I change to Wordpress a long time ago?"
Yes, it appears iWeb and MobileMe are done. Stick a fork in 'em. Then progress, it's the way of life, even with the former Apple iLife.
Apple iWeb and MobileMe Next Website Steps| Bluehost and Wordpress
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