Online Articles

Free Website Design: How to Add Widgets to a Weebly Sidebar

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A reader of my Blog of Writing: Weebly Tips asked, “…how to add a blogroll or links tab to the Weebly sidebar”?

I deal with that specific question in that blog, but here I want to address some broader questions about web hosting options.

By the way, I use the word “premium” as “must be paid for” and “opposite of free“, but not necessarily as “expensive”. Some “premium” options are quite inexpensive; they are just not free.

Using Weebly’s Free Website Design Software

"Open the Sidebar Menu" image by Mike DeHaan
“Open the Sidebar Menu” image by Mike DeHaan

My full answer will take two or three entries in my Blog of Writing, but “Weebly Tip #3: How to Add Elements to the Weebly Sidebar” explains the first steps.

I expect to answer the rest of this question over the next week or two in that section of my Blog of Writing.

That blog is hosted by Weebly, where anyone can create a free website for blogging. It uses Weebly’s proprietary free website design software. Each free blog is included inside the Weebly domain.

I started writing “tips” as well as “discoveries” and “mysteries” about Weebly because, to me, that platform led to a lengthy process of discovery. However, I was able to use Weebly for free and eventually became accustomed to what I could do with it.

The phrase “cheap and cheerful” comes to mind. Are there other options to build a website free? Why do I also use others? Should you pay for your own Internet domain, or pay website builders for web design?

Two Other Free Blogging Sites

Do I use free blogging sites? “Tootin’ right, I do”! So do uncounted hordes of fellow bloggers and web authors. Here are two of my free blogs.

My DeHaan Directory is a free blog hosted by WordPress, which uses their web design software. There is a thriving market for premium WordPress themes, as well as many free themes and plug-in components.

My DeHaan Fitness and Weight Control is another free blog, hosted by Blogger which may now be a subsidiary of Google.

Each free web hosting site has the following features:

  • The site charges nothing for the service: good!
  • Anyone can start a blog from any country: good!
  • Each blog and article, post or Lens is inside the main site’s web domain, making it less attractive to search engines: poor!
  • Each site has its proprietary software tools and methods. Some are easier to use than others. This depends on what you already know; how you think; how well they document their own methods; and what you want to accomplish. “It depends”!
  • Most sites offer premium upgrades at some cost. If you need it, that’s a good option!
  • If you decide to migrate from one site to another, you may have to rewrite all your content: bad if you need to do it.

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One of the big differences among sites is whether you can “monetize” your blog. The free WordPress hosting system forbids monetization, with a possible exception if you are incredibly popular.

Programs such as Google AdSense might not affiliate with a blogger who only uses free websites. In my case, I started with DeHaan Services, and could add DeHaan Fitness afterwards.

It’s quite unlikely that you could create an e-commerce website, or an “online retail store”, in a free blogging site.

Why Pay for a Premium Website?

This site, DeHaan Services, uses WordPress templates and software but pays for the domain name and hosting. Why do I pay for hosting this blog?

Search engines may give a paid-for domain name higher credibility compared to free-hosting blog sites. Visitors may also find it more “professional” to see the owner’s domain name, rather than “owner.freehostingservice.com”.

This for-pay web site affords me much more control. For example, I can choose whether or not to permit advertising and through which organizations. I chose to add sidebar buttons for Google+ and ZoomIt, for example.

I had used Kontera but now use SkimLinks to monetize DeHaan Services using the following:

Premium Hosts and the Choice of a CMS

Usually when you pay for a premium hosting service, you can select from several CMS (Content Management System) options. WordPress and Joomla are two of the most popular. In truth, Blogger, Weebly, and others might each have a proprietary CMS or might have adapted a standard one. The CMS handles data:

  • Add a new blog page (like “About Me”) or article.
  • Track categories and tags, building links for to the articles based on those tags and categories.
  • Permit comments and attach them to articles.
  • Lock private pages behind passwords.
  • Control editing and logins.

The CMS also handles themes, which include the number of columns, whether there are pictures, background colours, fonts, and what goes into the sidebar(s) on every page.

The free website hosts may allow a range of themes but not a choice of CMS.

If you have a WordPress site, for example, you should be able to copy the data from one host and migrate it to another’s WordPress installation with relatively few problems.

Options for Website Hosting

You can certainly use any of the free hosting services I’ve mentioned. As far as I know, anyone anywhere could use any of the free sites.

If you want to pay for premium hosting, or if you need a domain name for your business or for personal use, you probably want to start checking web hosting companies in your own country.

Although I don’t use any of these myself, you could start your research by checking one of the following companies based on your country. I believe each provides domain name registration as well as site hosting and either free website design software or premium CMS paackges.

  • One Canadian web hosting service is “My Hosting“.
  • In the United Kingdom, “Base Kit” offers a free trial option as well as a full range of low-cost premium services.
  • Americans could consider “1&1” for web domains and hosting.

Professional Writing by DeHaan Services

DeHaan Services writes web site or advertising copy for clients. Our skills are demonstrated in online articles in Decoded Science and other online sites. That’s why we highlight these online articles on this blog page.

To only see our Toronto events or fitness articles, please click on the appropriate category in the “Categories” section at the bottom of the right-hand margin.

Thank you for reading about free versus premium web hosting options, all begun by a question about the Weebly sidebar.

Online Articles

Use the Common Denominator to Add Fractions

My latest Decoded Science article, “Adding Fractions: Using a Common Denominator“, is the topic I had in mind last week when “What Are Fractions? Math Vocabulary for Parts of a Whole” explained the basic words needed to explain how to add fractions.

Adding Fractions: Refresher Lesson or Aids for Learning Math

"Add Fractions with a Common Denominator" : image by Mike DeHaan
“Add Fractions with a Common Denominator” : image by Mike DeHaan

Based on the popularity of related search terms, it seems many people need the reminder on how add fractions. Online companies like CourseSmart sell mathematics course materials as e-books.

One of the best math teaching aids for children to help in learning fractions is a set of Cuisenaire rods. Order them through Amazon (USA) or Amazon Canada. Look at the main image for this article, which shows how “thirds” and “fifths” share the least common denominator of “fifteenths”. Cuisenaire rods physically represent different fractions, so your child can manipulate and combine them to get a real “feel” for adding fractions.

On the other hand, you must practice your math skills to perfect them. It’s not enough to know “about” math; you need to be proficient enough to actually “do the math“. If you’re in the market for fractions worksheets so you can practice adding fractions, you can find them advertised online too.
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Publicity for my Articles Introducing Fractions

In my Blog of Writing, last week’s “Preview of Adding Fractions” covers both Decoded Science articles and adds an improper writing tip.

Professional Writing by DeHaan Services

DeHaan Services writes web site content or advertising copy for clients. Our skills are demonstrated in online articles in Decoded Science and other online sites. That’s why we highlight these online articles on this blog page.

To only see our Toronto events or fitness articles, please click on the appropriate category in the “Categories” section at the bottom of the left-hand margin.

Thank you for reading my article about adding fractions.

Toronto Events

Prepare to Savour 2014 Winterlicious in Toronto (not 2013)

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(Added Dec. 25, 2013) Prepare for 2014 Winterlicious in Toronto

(Added Dec. 25, 2013). Merry Christmas 2013, and welcome to a brief update for Toronto Winterlicious 2014. I’m working from a borrowed Internet connection to get around the power outages from the ice storm.

The prix fixe promotional dinners return for Toronto Winterlicious 2014, from Jan. 31 through Feb. 13. Why not make it an early Valentine’s Day date? Book directly with participating restaurants; they will begin accepting Winterlicious reservations on Jan. 16, 2014.

You could have begun buying tickets for the culinary events starting Dec. 12, 2013.

This is the first time I’ve noticed the #LiciousTO hashtag for your restaurant reviews.

The main Toronto Winterlicious 2014 web page differs from last year. Be sure to click their FAQ link. Remember that when you find their list of participating restaurants, you can select and sort using options like “vegetarian”, “wheelchair access”, neighbourhood, and cuisine. (For some of these sort options, click “Sort List” first, rather than the underlined options such as “neighbourhood“. You could type your own keyword like “risotto”, or simply scroll down to check some boxes).

(Added Jan. 18, 2014) Time to Make Your 2014 Toronto Winterlicious Reservations

(Added Jan. 18, 2014). While your New Year resolutions may have been achieved, or forgotten, it’s now time to make your reservations for Toronto Winterlicious 2014. The restaurants began taking reservations Jan. 16, while the actual promotional event runs from Jan. 31 through Feb. 13, 2014.

The rest of the page is the original 2013 Winterlicious article, but many of the pointers still apply.

(Back to 2013 Winterlicious…)

It’s always tricky to know when to mention Winterlicious in Toronto, but hopefully this is the perfect time for your 2013 winter dining season.

Prix Fixe Dining for Toronto Winterlicious 2013

"Winterlicious Lunch at the Chef's House" image by ijokhio
“Winterlicious Lunch at the Chef’s House” image by ijokhio

As always, the key feature of Toronto’s Winterlicious is prix fixé dining to introduce some of the best restaurants in Toronto to new patrons.

The fixed price excludes drinks, gratuity and tax.

Each year, Toronto restaurants join (or leave) the Winterlicious (or Summerlicious) program, so be sure to check the official City Hall Winterlicious web page for the officially best Toronto restaurant deals.

That page links to maps and listings. Do you want the best restaurants in downtown Toronto, or do you want to dine closer to where you live? For example, Olio is in the north-west, and Joey Bravo’s in the north-east.

(I recognized these names from last summer’s
“Summerlicious 2012 Hosted by Top Toronto Restaurants“. These participants are still the most geographically distant from Toronto’s downtown core).

Search to Satisfy Your Winterlicious Taste by Cuisine, Location or Price

If you care more about the cuisine and less about the location, find the “Sort List” link/button to select by different keywords.

In fact, you can fine-tune your search by several criteria. One group is the price, ranging from $15 to $45. Then there’s a 38-item cuisine list including “Asian”,  “Japanese”, “Seafood” or “Smokehouse”. You can also search in 13 Toronto neighbourhoods; some prefer restaurants in downtown Toronto, for example.

As well, you can limit the choices to vegetarian, vegan or local foods. Finally, you can ensure that the restaurant is fully accessible…and that can be the most important point for a new Toronto dining experience.

Special Culinary Events for Toronto Winterlicious 2013

Winterlicious in 2013 also hosts several intriguing culinary events. It’s easy to imagine what “Parisian Pleasures” or the “Highland Way” involve, for example.

Personally, I’m most intrigued by the “Josef Sudek Exhibition” brunch at the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) on January 26, 2013. The meal is inspired by the collection of Czech photographer Josef Sudek’s work, and follows a guided tour.

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The Important Questions about the 2013 Toronto Winterlicious Events

When will the 2013 Toronto Winterlicious restaurants serve us?

Winterlicious 2013 runs from January 25 through February 7. (Tickets have been on sale since Dec. 15, 2012; and guidebooks since Jan. 7. Act now or wait until June or July for Summerlicious).

Why should I bother with Winterlicious? Why do the best Toronto restaurants participate?

Yes, there are always choices for dining in top Toronto restaurants. However, Toronto Winterlicious presents high quality at introductory prices. Diners seeking post-Christmas bargains can try new cuisine or establishments. Meanwhile, restaurants effectively collaborate on advertising and marketing. They also compete to attract and retain new clients.

Does every Toronto restaurant participate in Winterlicious?

No; follow the links from the official Winterlicious site to find the best restaurants Toronto offers that participate in Winterlicious.

Can I just waltz into a participating restaurant?

Winterlicious really and strongly recommends making a reservation. (Here’s my terrible joke: “I always approach a new restaurant with reservations”). Most of them are quite busy and on a tight schedule to fit in all their Winterlicious patrons.

Does every meal cost the same fixed price?

No; follow the links from the official Winterlicious site to find the prices, which vary by lunch versus dinner, as well as by restaurant.

What about the special culinary events?

The 2013 Winterlicious special culinary events really need reservations; do not happen every day; and cost more than the usual prix fixé meals.

Are Winterlicious and Winter City related?

My very first DeHaan Services blog post, “WinterCity versus Winterlicious in Toronto“, covered that question.

What was that official site for Winterlicious in Toronto, again?

Start clicking links from the official Winterlicious page.

Looking for More Annual Toronto Events?

Check the “annual events” or “Toronto events” categories toward the end of the left-hand menu for other fascinating, free or frugal annual events in Toronto.

Disclaimer: DeHaan Services has no relationship to the organizer(s); I am not reimbursed for writing this article. However, DeHaan Services does write web site or advertising copy for clients. Our skills are demonstrated in online articles in Decoded Science and other online sites. That’s why DeHaan Services highlight these online articles on this blog page.

Thanks for reading about the Winterlicious 2013, the annual Toronto winter event for the best of Toronto restaurants.

Writing for Clients; Annual Events in Toronto and the GTA