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In the time that this Web site has been up, I've gotten numerous letters from people who want to put up a personal homepage, but either don't know how to go about it, or don't have the necessary financial resources.
The purpose of this section will be to address the process of getting a personal page up and running on the World Wide Web.
This is not meant to be an exhaustive or comprehensive listing, just a little something to get you started. I've divided the information on this page up into the following sections:
*I want to do a page but I don't have the money
*I think my ISP hosts pages as part of my account, now what?
*I need to learn the nuts and bolts: HTML, graphics, and all that
Free Page Hosting:
Are a lack of resources preventing you from having a page of your own? There are places where you may be able to put up a page for free. Start your search for info at GeoCities, Angelfire, or Yahoo.Different hosts have different qualifications/restrictions on who they give free space to. GeoCities and Angelfire as far as I know, give space to anyone who requests it. They may not give you a ton of space (I think it's 1 megabyte of storage per person-- but hey, you can do a lot with that. And it's a start!)
Dealing with your ISP:
How to shop for an Internet Service Provider? Do it the same way you'd shop for salad dressing- compare them! There are hundreds of small, medium and large companies out there offering a bewildering array of services and features, and they charge all different amounts, so it pays to do some research. First make up a list of your needs- do you just want a basic, no frills page? Or are you interested in jazzy features like cgi capabilities (for image maps, counters, forms, etc.)? Here's place where you can comparison shop to your heart's content:the LIST searchable by area code, among other things.
If you already have an existing account with an ISP, but you aren't sure how to go about uploading your Web documents to their server, or how much storage space you're allotted, etc. Write to them! Don't be shy about writing often and asking every question you have 1,000 times until you really are satisfied that you understand their policies and procedures. Part of what you are paying for with the money you spend on an Internet account is their service and expertise! Different services have different procedures, so go ahead and ask!
The Nuts and Bolts of Web Page Creation:
General Information
Yahoo: Computers and Internet/ World Wide Web Tons and tons of links to every conceivable aspect of the Web, creation, publicity, tips, tricks...etc. Does take some surfing about, but it will be educational surfing!
WWW F.A.Q. This is a huge document which will answer just about every question about the World Wide Web.
A Beginner's Guide to HTML Pretty much the HTML beginner's bible.
Matt's Script Archives (FREE CGI scripts for counters, calendars, etc.)
HTML Editors
If learning HTML seems like too much of a hassle for you, or if you work best in a word-processing type atmosphere, an HTML editor might be for you.Windows:Hot Dog Pro By the time the 30-day trial of this WYSIWYG HTML editor is up, you'll either have fallen in love with it enough to spring the money to buy it, or you'll have learned enough that you don't need to buy it!
Mac:PageSpinner I haven't used this for myself. By the time I became a Mac convert, I already knew all the HTML tags by heart and didn't need an editor (see the Hot Dog Pro note above!) But I read a review of this product that said it was pretty good, and it's under the same kind of 30-day trial as Hot Dog.
EVERYONE: The *real* best way to learn HTML is to:
1) go to pages on the Web that you like
2) use the "view source" button in Netscape to see the HTML code
3) print out the source code of the document and study the code next to the finished page to see, in action, what the various tags really do.Note: This is not an invitation to directly rip off someone else's source code! People who have worked hard to create unique documents will not take kindly to that! But it is a great way to learn and try out new tricks.
Of course if you *really* don't want to learn HTML, you can always get Adobe PageMill for around a hundred bucks.
Clip Art and Backgrounds
Need a spiffy button, bar, or icon? Wonder where everybody and her sister seems to get that wallpaper from? It'll take some surfing to find images and backgrounds that you haven't seen a zillion times, but there's new stuff being put up for general consumption every day. Just be careful that the Clip Art and Backgrounds you download and use are public domain. If you have your eye on copyrighted or trademarked materials, write for permission to the image source, and give credit where credit is due. It's not just courtesy, it's the law.Try these:
Yahoo's Graphics listing.
Psyched Up Graphics
TextureLand!
GIFs directory
Style Guides
David Siegel's Web Wonk Yes, he's kind of a snob, but Mr. Siegel provides a thorough analysis and rationale for his viewpoint.
Sun Microsystem's Web Style
HTML Style Guide and Test SuiteOkay, that should be enough to get you on your way! I'll be adding more resources to this page when I have time! Any more questions? Feel free to write to me. Also, huge thanks to NrrdGrrl! extrodinaire Alexis Cameron of Electra Consulting for helping out with this list of resources! If you come across any nifty info sources you think would be a good addition to this page, please drop a line to: DIY@nrrdgrrl.com