Website Reflection Essay: GitHub and Wordpress
Coding a website was a journey. I dedicated myself to the subject, knowing that something as small as a website could be crucial once I start job searching. GitHub and Wordpress were used to develops these websites, and this essay will compare and contrast my experiences with each program.
As a beginner in the world of html code, several challenges came with each program. My biggest challenges with Github were acquainting myself with markdown and Git Bash. For Wordpress, my biggest challenges were learning to navigate the program and searching through pages before solving my problem. Modifying the layout was not difficult over Github. I had to make sure my files were in the correct place, correctly named, and correctly structured. My biggest issue with Wordpress was that I had to find the theme for my website and alter several pages before publishing my changes. Compared to Github, these issues were more frustrating, and I attribute that to a lack of experience with Wordpress.
I believe that time is a necessity for developing a page on Github and Wordpress. When developing a Github repo, it requires knowledge of the interface, markdown code, and practice with Git Bash before mastering the program in full. Once I educated myself, I hit the ground running, easily relaying code from file to file in order to design my page the way I pictured it. Over Wordpress, I felt as if I needed more time to discuss the program and familiarize myself with its format, but when I started developing my Wordpress page, I was simultaneously designing it and updating my Github repo, leaving little time for me to acquaint myself with the format. After spending two weeks on Github and learning the format, I found myself preferring it over Wordpress very quickly.
I plan to continue using Github and repurposing my page for the assignment into a digital art portfolio. Learning the program was challenging, but I see myself adding more to it, such as embedding code into my website to disable right-clicks and experimenting with different layouts. In addition, I plan to organize the archive section of my website so my thumbnails are the same size and the image descriptions are more eloquent. I don’t plan to continue using Wordpress, but I want to learn to navigate the program and find shortcuts through the many menus and pages across the program.
Github was difficult and took time to master, but the results felt more satisfying compared to Wordpress. I recommend Github to anyone who is unfamiliar with coding and would like to learn, while I recommend Wordpress to anyone who is studying design and is focused more on the aesthetic than the coding aspect of web development.
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