Q: Where do I put my site?
A: You sign up for a free web hosting
service, which will store your site. The advantage to do this is that it
is free. But, you do not get a web site address of http://www.you.com/.
Instead it is usually
http://www.service-you-choose.com/you
or something similar. Note that this address is with Tripod where you get
https://members.tripod.com/~you.
Q: How do I make my web site?
A: There are three ways of doing this.
First, you can learn HTML and write the web page using an editor like Notepad,
Archnophila, Web-O-Rama or any other text/HTML editor which does not save
font sizes. You can use Microsoft Word or WordPerfect as they save information
about fonts and other stuff which will make your pages look bad. To find
an editor, consult your systems manual. Again, make sure it does not save
font size and other information.
The second way is to
use a program like Netscape Communicator, Claris Homepage, Microsoft Front
Page and numerous others. These programs are called WYSIWYG or What
You See Is What You Get. These
programs function like a word processor allowing you to select images and
other stuff. These programs can do about 80-90% of what a basic person
might want done. I cannot stress this enough, it is good to learn HTML
so you can have a successful web site.
The third way is, some
services like Tripod and Geocities already have programs built in there
site to do this. On some, you don't even have to know HTML. No software
required.
A list of programs you can use is found
at: https://members.tripod.com/~akolson/freeware/htmleditor.html
Q: Where can I learn HTML?
A: There are many books on this topic.
There are also some online tutorials and classes on this.
A list of HTML books can be found at https://members.tripod.com/~akolson/web/books.html
A list of online HTML tutorials can be
found at https://members.tripod.com/~akolson/web/onlinehtml.html
Q: I see that you use Netscape Composer
to build part of your page, where can I get that?
A: Netscape Composer, a full featured
WYSIWYG editor with tools like spell checking is part of the Netscape Communicator
suite. It is free, and download able for all platforms (Windows, Mac, UNIX,
Linux, etc...). You can find it at http://www.netscape.com.
I know HTML so I use various text/HTML editors to enhance it further.
Q: I have made my pages, how do I upload
them?
A: Very good question. I use an FTP program
called FTP Explorer. FTP is a way of
transferring files on the Internet. Note the acronym File Transfer
Protocol. Browsers like Netscape Navigator 2.0 and Microsoft Internet
Explorer allow you to upload files directly from your services site sometimes.
This is easier for the beginner.
A very good tutorial for posting and uploading
can be found at http://www.devry-phx.edu/webresrc/webmstry/lrnpost.htm/
Q: My site looks ugly, how do I make it
nice?
A: First off, if you have not learned
HTML, learn it now. Second, experiment until you find something nice. You
have to do this on your own. I went through many layouts until I was happy
but I like to change things for variety.
Q: How did you make your web site?
A: Simple. I used Tripod's online editor
when I was computer less. After I got a computer, I used Netscape Communicator
to do basic writing and links. Then, I used various text/HTML editors like
Notepad, Archnophila and HTMLtool. I learned HTML from Creating Cool
Web Pages with HTML 3.2 by Dave Taylor. I learned web design myself
and furthered knowledge at http://www.builder.com.
To this day, I still use Tripod's Advanced Editor. to make tiny changes
even though I have a high end computer.
Q: What are some ways of getting promoted?
A: It would be a real shame if you page
goes unnoticed. First, submit your site to search engines. Many places
will send your site to multiple search engines for free. A second way is
banner exchanges. You put a banner on your site which will show a random
advertisement. In exchange, your banner will be displayed on other sites
randomly. Another great way is to make buttons and banners people can use
to put a link to your site.
A list of sites to help in promotion can
be found at https://members.tripod.com/~akolson/promote.html