Google Page Creator is a free online service. You can use it to create own web sites without being a webmaster with knowledge of HTML. There are several layouts and designs you can choose for your site and a WYSIWYG editor for the pages. Additionaly, Google gives you 100 MB for your web site.
First you need a Google Mail account. Using this account, you can create your own Google Pages account at http://pages.google.com . At the moment the service is stopped because of too much interest and because it’s beta yet. We sent a mail to Google Labs to get a review account.
After your account is created, you can start writing immediately. There are buttons for choosing a layout and a design. There are some layouts with headlines and with sidebars. The designs are different in their colours. You can choose between 41 designs.
With the main window you can write text. There are some formatting controls such as bold, italic and underlining, lists, fonts and colors. Using the image button you can upload images or choose an image from the web.
Linking to other pages is easy: Tap on the link button ans then you can choose one of your other pages, so you don’t need to know file names, etc. Links to other pages are of course possible, too.
With the HTML editor you can edit the source code of the site and use things which the WYSIWYG editor doesn’t support. But the HTML editor doesn’t support editing the whole site, so you can’t create own layouts or designs.
The page manager shows all your pages, all images and all other uploads. The uploader supported every file type I tried. Useful: if you want to upload more than on file, you just have to choose all files. It uplods one file after another while the other files wait in queue.
After editing your site is immediately availible on the web. You have 100 MB space. That’s enough for a small, private homepage.
What is the difference to other web hosters? Google Pages lets you create your site online, but it has neither MySQL, PHP, … nor FTP support. You see it’s NO replacement for a common web hosting service, but it is almost PERFECT for users who want to publish their last holiday photos or theirselves. They need no knowledge about web hosting and HTML developing.
Of course FTP is important for professional webmasters, but private users don’t need FTP or MySQL. They need an good but easy web hosting solution.
And Google Pages is their best choice!
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This didn’t deserve to be on Slashdot.
It seems that Google is leaving its search engine niche once again! Given the advertising possibilities, this could make them a ton of dough…and its doesn’t take a Ph.D. to figure that out!
Happy pagemaking!
Marc Asturias
“Mister Marc”
agreed. nothing new, no analysis or anything…
this shouldn’t even be considered as a review!… =>lame
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
HOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Omg, a link on slashdot!
My website will know rule the world!
Nahh, it won’t. Slashdot is out of fashion. Try a proper news service like digg.com = )
Meantime, Slashdot gathers some more dust and spiders…
I am a reviewer. I write short obvious sentences. Google Pages is great. Well, it’s kind of great. Maybe not so great. You can do cool stuff with it. This is the end of my review.
Who wrote this, and what grade are they in?* I can’t believe slashdot linked to this.
*Given the spelling errors that run rampant through this “review”, it’s also possible that the author is a programmer.
Sorry but this was just. A let down. If I could moderate this like I do comments I think I’d have to give you a Flamebait just for stating the obvious.
“Of course FTP is important for professional webmasters, but private users don’t need FTP or MySQL.”
FTP is important for webmasers? Only the stupid ones!
@11:
I can’t even remember the last time I used FTP to upload a project
I used to use slashdigg, but the majority of digg posts were so utterly banal (even moreso than most of slashdot’s) that I went back to slashdot.
But back to this article. I found it informative and useful. It may not be up to arstechnica standards, but I still found it useful.
Wasn’t this just a rebrand of the Writely app that Google bought? No one cared when it was Writely, but now that Google has it, it’s suddenly news. Yawn!!! This is about as shocking as another Microsoft product delay.
“With the main window you can write text.”
great. What on earth is this simplistic blog review doing on Slashdot?
Google is dead.
There is better site out there to learn how to use Google Pages. If you read, the site will tell you how to overcome the problems with Google Page Creator. Google Pages Creator as a utility is crap, but as a hosting service it is great.
Daniel Moore
“Nahh, it won’t. Slashdot is out of fashion. Try a proper news service like digg.com = )”
I think the appropriate reply to this is “Digg it” or “Dugg it” or “Dugg”…which is about as much intelligent discourse as I’ve ever seen on digg.com
Instead of bashing this “review”, I’ll ask if anyone knows the quality of the code Google Pages produces. Does it validate?
Quit your snarking, folks. Some of you are forever trying to prove who’s the geekiest. It’s juvenile and tiresome.
I nabbed several google pages while they were available. I don’t want to screw with a full blown website. But I have things that I want to make available to others (not just pictures). Google pages are the essence of simplicity. You could get a webpage up in about 30 seconds — if you’re having a slow day. It’s a fine product and it’s free.
So, if you want something fancier, go get it. But give your mouths a rest when it comes to products that others may like. You aren’t the only “customers” out there.
…and for god’s sake, learn to spell. Please.
Well, as one of the Computer Illiterati, I would like to put up a web page and complete my entry to the 20th Century. If Page Creator can facilitate that, then it’s fine by me! And I really don’t care at all if it meets arcane standards of folks I never have, and never shall, meet.
After all, it’s cold here in December, 1899….
Don’t worry, Ken. I think we’re going to love the 20th century! LOL
Alright but needs FTP.
Guys…but why on Earth do you waste your time bitching if you don’t like the article? Just skip it. The author made an effort and it is a nice piece. Stop. Good job!
STFU…… article is lame ok , but if u dont lie it just skip it; btw FTP and MySQL support is important; Only some dildo that it isnt
SLASHDOT
is less then
DIGG