Webmasters, what would you recommend?

[Phunkphantom]

Although I would consider myself reasonaby competant on a computer, I dont know the first thing about building a website :oops: , can anyone recommend any good resources?

Thanks

Matt

[Don Sorcinelli]

I guess the thing you need to ask yourself before anything else is "What do I really want to accomplish with my website?"

If your goal is to simply communicate (in a one-way fashion) to the world, you can keep things very simple. Whether it is using simple authoring tools (like Front Page - HEY! Just an example :wink: ) or web-based "blogging" tools (where you are doing the input in a browser), you should be OK.

If you are considering a "community", complete with Discussion Forums and higher levels of human interaction, it gets a lot more complicated. You've got to consider the tools that are available out there (like Content Management Systems ("CMS") and forum software). The good news - there is a lot of great free open source software out today that can do a lot for you with a minimum of effort. CMS systems like PHP-Nuke and PostNuke are available, as are forums like phpBB. Of course, all of this information is "nice to know" if you want to go the "simpler route" :wink: .

So - wihch way do you really want to go with a website?

[Rirath]

Skippin the whole "who is my target audience" routine (which is about as useful as a flowchart to a programmer)...

First off... it's really, really, not that hard. HTML is an incredibly simple language and they don't get much harder from there. I'd suggest starting with simple HTML, perhaps even plain old notepad, just for a short time.

Skipping that though, as you'd probably want to, try downloading the demos of programs like Homesite and even better, Dreamweaver. Personally I know HTML, PHP, and various other forms of web coding inside and out, but Dreamweaver still makes the actual design process infinitely easier than hand coding. If you're going to use a WYSIWYG, just please at least pick up the basic coding of html.

As for graphics, preferably create them by hand in a program such a Gimp, Photoshop, or Paint Shop Pro. Just please make sure it actually looks nice and never, never steal them. Oh and never use MS Paint for web graphics. (...or anything else for that matter.)

Web hosts... careful with AOL, geocities, etc... face it, they really truly suck. There's just no getting around it. They're free, but no one would ever pay for them. You can't run PHP, ASP, CGI, or anything such as that from a free server 9 times of 10. If you're serious about this, find yourself a nice monthly or even yearly professional dedicated hosting service. Get a domain name for about $9 and you're looking all the more professional. If you don't want to fork over the monthly bill ($10 /mo will get you gigs of space and dozens of gigs of bandwidth if you look hard enough) then split the bill with a friend or join with someone who's looking to lease some space.

PHP is most certainly worth looking into when you get some more experience. Personally I recommend either programming or finding scripts that blend in seamlessly with your design rather than becoming your website itself. If you've got a programming background, you might try asp.net.

Finally... We all have to start somewhere. If you're just starting out in the web, don't over do it. You're first website will most likely be sorta dull. They all are, mine certainly was as well. Accept it, but don't use it as an excuse. Just because you're new is not an excuse to splatter lame animated gifs around and horribly large sized text.

Instead of trying to go overboard, try to stay simple working cautiously and carefully. Try to make the content really mater. No one cares about your vacation slides. However, show them enough of your prized professional photos for example, and people may be more interested in you, and your recent vacation slides. You have to give them a reason to care about your life. :)

Well, that's the basics. Short of that just search a bit, it's a real easy place to get started in quickly. Personally I've been making websites for 8 years now, and I'm studying web technology down at the local college. The web is a wonderful mix of not only design, but programming as well. I can't think of too many other IT fields where you can do graphics, writing, and program all at the same time.

[thepalmdefender]

if you have broadabnd and a spare pc you can setup your own server, thats what i did.

http://kempokaraterulz.ip2dns.org

it doesnt cost me a dime to run, its ad free and totally customiziable

its specs are:
120mhz PI
64MB RAM
CABLE Connection (shared with rest of house)
my server.org free domain name
8gb harddrive
win2k advanced server 500 client liecence (yes i got it from msdn)

its fast enought to have 2 or 3 ppl online at once, more then that and id have to get a copy of MYSQL or MSSQL. check out the site, IMHO its fast enough for most of the stuff i use it for (there are hidden features i use for school hehe)

[Rirath]

Yeah, forgot about that. A home server really is a good idea. Though, keep in mind if you want good features like PHP, ASP, mySQL, and etc you'll have to set them up yourself. I've often thought about running my site from my own server, but in the end it always boils down to bandwidth and reliability of the dedicated Linux / Apache servers out there. Maybe later for me.

Still though, no bills, as many features as you feel like installing, and as much bandwidth as your connection can pump to the upstream. Be warned with many cable modems this is about 10KB/s though... so you're effectively making all users surf your site on little more than a 56k modem.

[Phunkphantom]

Thank you all for your words of wisdom, You have made me all the more excited and determined to continue in my exploration

Thanks
Matt

[thepalmdefender]

yea, good point, the cable modem speed certainly isnt blazing but i can download stuff from it at school at around 290-340kb/s steady. It may depend on your cable provider though.