New Look for SiteBuilder Lite
Check out the new, updated version of our online website editor SiteBuilder lite! Don’t worry, we haven’t made any changes to what software people call the “rich feature set”; you might call it simply “the stuff it does.” It still does all the same, good “stuff” you’re used to, but we’ve updated the way it looks, and we think we’ve made it even easier to use.
Now when you make changes to your site in SiteBuilder lite, all the pages on your site are listed on the left hand side, instead of tabs at the top. Some people were confused about the tabs, so we got rid of them and listed your pages on the left instead. Now it’s easier to rename them, reorder them, and just navigate between them. Removing the tabs also made it possible to activate the links at the top of your pages, so you can navigate through your pages just like a visitor would.
Maybe best of all, these changes make room for a lot of NEW functions and great stuff we’re working on right now that will help you manage your online home better. Stay tuned to this blog, we’ll let you know when we’re about to add something new.
We hope you like the way the new SiteBuilder lite works. Let us know what you think; it’s user input that lets us know how we’re doing. In fact, it was our users who asked for the changes we’ve just made! At Homestead, we believe we’re all part of the same community, so feel free to share your ideas with us. Your opinion matters!
June 19, 2007 at 7:11 pm
I love the new look. I will be looking forward to using the changes when they take affect
I love Homestead and no one has been able to drag me away from it. A few have tried. I took a small hiatus back prior to 2001 when we were preparing to move to Virginia Beach, but then I signed back up and have been with you ever since.
You all do a wonderful job with Sitebuilder and tech support is fantastic as well as phone support! In all the years I have been with you, down time has been almost non-existent! Thanks to the team for all you do and giving us our monies worth in all areas ! ! I have never seen better WYSIWYG program.
June 19, 2007 at 8:08 pm
1) When first login in on site builder, compared to original, it takes much longer for site builder to appear.
2) Page/file manager botton should be visible on each page as before, so as not to have to search for it.
3) Warning that you ar leaving the site builder should appear, as before, in case one clicks on the close button by mistake.
4) In my opinion the site builder configuration has made it much more dificult to operate than the original. I has slowed me down considerably, since I have to search for what was once very easy to remember in working with the old site builder. I am sorry I ever had to upgrade from the old system.
June 19, 2007 at 8:10 pm
I don’t like the new system.
June 19, 2007 at 8:18 pm
It looks like the new interface in sitebuilder lite takes up a heck of a lot of screen space. How about improvements for regular sitebuilder? Like more built in access to animations and graphics and cool flash stuff. I don’t know code, that’s why I use sitebuilder. There must be a way to get cool flash stuff into the site without code? Also more stock pictures would be cool. Otherwise, I have been using this tool for yrs and yrs and I love it! Makes life so easy! Oh, one more request, make it possible to veiw graphics by thumbnail in the imported graphics tab so we can delete stuff we don’t use easier.
June 19, 2007 at 9:40 pm
Where’s the beef? While the color change is nice, i’m more interested in new features and functions that provide more bang for the buck - looking forward to what’s in store - hope we don’t have to wait too long !
Thanks.
June 19, 2007 at 10:02 pm
One of the things I would like to see actioned on Homestead, is a function to put text on different angles.
Earlier sitebuilders told you when your page wasn’t published, and I think that is a good thing.
It would be good, too, if the files used for each page were listed for that page, so that unused files could be easily deleted to free up space without a search for them.
June 19, 2007 at 10:41 pm
I would agree with previous comments, there’s more ‘blank’ screen, that’s not being used. And where are you going to put the ‘Page Properties?’ So far, half the update seems like a mistake. And saying that “Removing the tabs also made it possible to activate the links at the top of your pages, so you can navigate through your pages just like a visitor would” is rather meaningless. You can’t dumb it down too much when you have that are complicated. And, I don’t want to navigate the site builder like a visitor. Some of this seems misguided. And I haven’t heard about other features that many have requested. Definitely have a ‘wait and see’ attitude. I hope I won’t be disappointed.
June 19, 2007 at 11:26 pm
When will Homestead work with a MAC?
June 19, 2007 at 11:38 pm
I love homestead. It’s so easy to use. However, I’d like to see a forum capability so I don’t have to use a third party service. Also, it would be stellar if there was a way to make tables. Oh, and how awesome would it be to be able to delete files within the site builder itself? Thanks for the updates!
June 19, 2007 at 11:49 pm
“…make it possible to veiw graphics by thumbnail in the
imported graphics tab so we can delete stuff we don’t
use easier.”
Good idea.
June 20, 2007 at 2:03 am
How about some fancy frames for pictures. The single colored borders are so dull. How about a choice of about 50 frames, fun, silly sophisticated, classic and colorful, some even for perhaps babies, sports, etc. I know all you clients would love to have them. It’s difficult to find these onthe net and I have to go to kodakgallery.com to get some.
June 20, 2007 at 2:53 am
One feature I would really like so see added are a variety of mouse over menus and submenus, with the option of a horizontal or vertical orientation (left-to-right) or (top-to-bottom). Perhaps that is already in the works but it is a feature I have suggested a while back and been waiting for.
June 20, 2007 at 6:25 am
The one really URGENT thing you need to do is GET THE GOOGLE API (application) FOR SITE SPECIFIC SEARCH TO WORK ON HOMESTEAD FOR OUR WEBSITES.
What does that mean to homestead site builders?
1. You get Google to search just your site not the whole web.
2. Every time someone uses it - it is like submitting your website to Google to get listed in Google. FREE! This helps you get new pages listed and more coverage for your website! URGENT URGENT URGENT
Rod Cook
June 20, 2007 at 6:54 am
A few requests from my end to make Homestead my prefered sitebuilder.
1) make it work on a MAC
2) make it database enabled
For now I had to move for more advanced functionality to other sources.
Consider it, it might help you growing the business!
June 20, 2007 at 9:17 am
I would agree with the previous comment . Many sites now have flash menus & sub-menu’s . It would be great to be able to create these in Homestead instead of having to use 3rd party software to do it as is the case at present .
June 20, 2007 at 10:28 am
I love Homestead for my website, it is easy to work with but like a few others comments that I have read, there is some things that would benefit me more than “new paint”.. like being able to use my “old” sitebuilder and still be able to use the “new” pages, graphics etc as in the “new” sitebuilder lite without losing everything that I have already done.. I put a lot of time and work into my website and surely would not like to lose a page for one graphic.
June 20, 2007 at 3:48 pm
Well, I have tried to contact your company, I was put on hold for at least 20 minutes. This is every time that I call. Then I get a person with this cold, aloof, and “don’t care” attitude. I have tried to call the company’s Customer Service Manager, no luck. Tried to contact the “founder,” no luck. Your emial system sucks. I think you need to fix the functionality of your products before changing the colors. WHO CARES about the colors!!!!!
June 20, 2007 at 10:57 pm
When will Site Builder Work on Linux? Hint, when you start using open source, instead of proprietary code that works only on Windows. Are you a subsidiary of Microsoft?
June 22, 2007 at 2:44 pm
I use your calendar for showing availability of my rentals. Whenever I take a rental I have to construct a box and physically black out the period. How about an interactive feature as with http://www.rentors.org which allows you to automatically block out time periods by clicking on the appropriate days.
I have been with you since the free days and appreciate how easy Homestead is to use for us un-geeks. Please keep improving - and competing!
June 27, 2007 at 5:19 pm
How about making the logged-in site more Mac friendly and allowing Safari users to login? Most mac users hate Firefox.
June 28, 2007 at 1:12 pm
Firstly I want to thank you for giving us such a big chance of working with you.I’ve got a problem with my website.At the begining I couldn’t use my website because of various problems-that I told you before- although I had paid for it.But after that I began to use it which name is “www.dansakademi.com” with the help of Erdem Tunaşar.Then again I couldn’t use it and couldn’t find the reason.At the same time your massages receive to Erdem Tunasar’s mail address not mine, so I can’t see the problems and the solutions and can’t do anything about this.And I want you to help me.If it is possible apart from Erdem Tunasar I want to use my website (www.dansakademi.com) on behalf of my name.If it is necessary I can make new website paying its cost,and closing the other one.At the same time I want to learn the reason of closing the website.Please send me the reasons to my e-mail.(leventyilmayan@hotmail.com)Then can you show me the ways to get a website apart from Erdem Tunasar?
Thanks for your interest!
Levent YILMAYAN
June 28, 2007 at 6:33 pm
I can not get the site builder to down load onto my computer. I have try everthing..I am the end of my trying. If you could get with me and get the Homestead Site Builder program onto my computer. I can get on with my life and do some changes to up date my site.
Thank you for your time and HELP. John
June 29, 2007 at 8:40 am
I like Homestead, but the support I get is not very useful, nor quick. I am absolutely new at building a website and need simple questions answered quickly. Also, I have to unload my old sitebuilder software and reload it everytime an update comes out. That is too much trouble!!!!! I have a satellite hookup and have been told the problem is with Hughes.net, not Homestead. I am also having problems getting the site to be found by search engines. I have done everything that has been told to me and is listed in the help guide, but still have had no luck.
July 8, 2007 at 5:53 am
I’ve been around for over 4 years so I had the old site builder program before the new one.. I liked the old, but I also like the new.. The thing I really don’t understand or find a need for is Site Builder Lite… I don’t think it was ever really explained to us very well from the beginning.. I just recently visited it and wasn’t really sure of what it’s purpose was. It doesn’t allow me to make the changes I normally bring up my Site Builder program to make, like remove paypal buttons for products that have sold (I offer one of a kind products).. I guess I’m really at a loss as to what function it does.. Maybe it’s good for just fast text changes???
Someone else on this forum said they are new to homestead and they wish there was a forum explaining each option better. I agree with him… your help menu isn’t usually very helpful, your customer service is rude most of the time and if we do get lucky enough to get a reply to “tickets” (what’s with the tickets? why can’t we just email in our problem), the answers we get are usually very generic, text book answers that don’t address our particular issue… Your “create a ticket” program doesn’t always work, either… When trying to send it, quite a few times it just drops you off in never never land…
But back to the site builder lite program… Maybe others use it often, but for me, it’s really useless.
My Site Builder program takes forever to upload, so I’d like to see that improved. I’d also like to choose to work offline right from the start, but my program won’t allow me to do that.. I have to log on, I have to go through all the updates, which seem to always be the same update concerning thumbnails over and over again and take forever… With the old site builder program, I could bring up my website and work on it without being online.. Is there anyway to fix the new Site Builder program to allow us to do that?
One other new issue I’ve recently discovered.. We just got a new computer with Window’s Vista.. I’m using our old computer just for my website, which has Window’s XP… When I visit my website on the new computer (using Window’s Vista), my website is TINY!! And it also only reaches across half of the monitor screen… Can homestead, or anyone else out there, tell me if there’s something I can do about this, or is this just the way websites created using Window’s XP are always going to appear on Window’s Vista?
July 16, 2007 at 10:00 am
Long time user who just discovered I can use the Homestead Lite to make a few changes to my Homestead sites on my Mac. How I wish I could do it all on my Mac.
As it is now, all my classroom computers are Macs except for one ancient Win 98 that is having a terrible time with Homestead. So until you give us full Mac capability I will not be using Homestead in the classroom.
July 16, 2007 at 3:50 pm
I like the improvements to Sitebuilder Lite.
It is great that I can do this away from my home computer. . . and I can edit all pages; not just the index page.
You just need one more… I can make corrections on most minor things except the borders. If I add more text or change the size of a graphic, I cannot resize the border.
July 28, 2007 at 3:15 am
I am surprised to see that I helped a friend to open its website and email account with homestead.
at my big surprise I become award that you have chenge the style of of email. This is looking good than that I have.
Could you proceed to ameliorate my emails styles to be like that I saw on http://www.cinemamasques.com
Thsi is very important for me.
Isidore Kashiba