Okay, you've spent time browsing the Web, and it's the moment of truth
- you want your own webpage out there. So what do you need to do it?
The most important thing to bear in mind is that having a webpage is cheap and easy to do.
Okay, you've spent time browsing the Web, and it's the moment of truth
- you want your own webpage out there. So what do you need to do it?
The most important thing to bear in mind is that having a webpage is cheap and easy to do.
Firstly...... you need some Webspace. If you already have an internet account with a provider (eg demon, u-net, interlog, easynet etc) then you will have a certain amount of webspace, between 10Mb and 20Mb is about average, which is plenty. If you access the internet some other way, from college or work, or via someone else's account, you might want to try one of the many free webspace providers. Most of these are free because they sell advertising space, and your pages will have banner ads on them. It's still a good deal for you though. Easyspace, Fortunecity and Geocities all provide free webspace of 20Mb or more. Or type "free webpages" into any search engine.
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Secondly...... you need a HTML editor. Again, there are plenty of these about, freeware, shareware, and full retail programs. Some are full of wizards and guides to help you, some are more basic text editors where you hand code your HTML, and a third type use a drag and drop interface to build your pages for you. The best way to learn HTML is to do it yourself, line by line, so you can see what you are doing, in a program with a good online help system. I currently use 1-4-All, which is shareware; in the past I've used another shareware editor, Hippie. If you don't want to try either of those, your best bet is to go to Tucows and look through the HTML editors on offer there. If you download one and don't like it, go try another. Often the shareware ones are better value than the top of the range programs, so be sure you like your program before you part with cash for it!
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Thirdly...... you need some way of getting your files onto your website. Many sites, especially the free ones, have a special "file manager" section, which uses your browser (Netscape 3 and above) to upload files. A better solution is a dedicated ftp program, which acts a lot like Windows Explorer - you simply transfer files from your hard drive to the server. I use WS_FTP LE which is freeware, CuteFTP is also a popular choice. Again, look on Tucows for a wide choice of programs.
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Hang on, now what do I do?Well those are the hardest parts, finding the tools you need. The next bit is a doddle, its pretty much English in a formal layout with lots of "<" and ">"s. Keep it simple to begin with (click here to see my first ever webpage, way back when!) and don't try complex designs, and you'll be just fine!Try one of the tutorials below to get you started, and spend time looking for free graphics (like mine!) to make your new pages look just right.
Good luck!
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Tutorials
So You Want to Make a Web Page...
The Tutorials
Professional Web Design
Resources
Website Garage - Tune Up
Free URL Submission Script
Desktop Publishing.com
Infinite Fish Productions
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