I'm new to the forum, but I've been to countless other forums and I know how off-putting newbies can be. So, I'll try yo avoid that.
My background is in data warehousing/business intelligence, so I'm pretty comfortable with SQL. However, I don't know web programming. I'm trying to put together a site that is very organic (social networking, web 2.0, etc). Conceptually, I know exactly what I want the site to do and the functionality I'd like to incorporate. And, it's a website with a lot of socially redeeming value, so I'm extremely passionate about it.
For the last few months, I've been trying to decide which technologies to learn/use. I've evaluated WYSIWYG apps like Dreamweaver and Expression Web, HTML editors, and the like. But, like any other application, it's only as good as the underlying code. I've been comparing server-side scripting like PHP/MySQL, Ruby on Rails, ASP, AJAX. I'm partial to the PHP/MySQL combo since it's open-source and free. The problem is that I've never worked with any of these languages. I'm all for taking the initiative and learning it yourself. However, I know there's a pretty steep learning curve trying to pick up any of the aforementioned langauges. I was hoping to get some advice from experienced web programmers before I go wandering off aimlessly and create sloppy or inefficient code. Part of me is considering hiring someone locally to help out as well, but I'd like to decide on the technology I'd like to use first.
Hope that was clear. And, thanks in advance for any constructive advice you can offer.
Cheers,
JR[/syntax][/quote]
