Website Advice
Here is where I hope I can give you enough advice so that you can steer clear of making some of the same mistakes that I did. I will cover the two possible directions you can go in:
- What you should do and know before hiring someone to build your website.
- What you will need to know to build a website yourself.
You may want to attempt some combination of the two, which is sort of what I do. I can do the HTML and CSS myself. I am also learning PHP/MySQL . If I want more advanced interactive features in my website, I hire someone else. Also, I pay for most of my graphics, especially logos.
Registering Your Domain Name.
First of all you will need a domain name and hosting for your website. This is a definite must do for yourself. DO NOT pass the buck on this one. Webdesigners will charge you double the cost of a domain name for this service on a yearly basis. As well, they will own your domain name. Leaving your domain names in the hands of a designer could leave you open to having your website shut down or your business identity stolen. In the WEBHOSTING section of our website, there are several registrars listed, all of which I use myself. You can get both domains and hosting at these sites for a reasonable yearly fee. Domain Names and Hosting can be purchased seperately, or you can get a package deal for both. If you are paying more then $12USD for a generic domain name (.com, .net, .org), you are paying too much! This domain name was purchased through Netfirms.com. I've found them to be as reliable as anyone else I have used.
Choosing a Domain Name
The purpose of your website and/or the country you live in (or are doing business in) should determine the extension of your domain name. Unless you come up with a really unique domain name, chances are good the .com will be taken. If it isn't, regardless of what the purpose of your website is, BUY THE .COM. The reason being, is that it is the most popular extension. In the event that your website does become popular, someone else will ultimately buy it, and have claim to your business's or organization's web identity. That being said, you may not want to use a .com for your actual website. For non-profit organizations, you should buy the .ORG, and for network providers, you should buy the .NET. Personally, once I have found a business name I like, I try to buy all three and use two of them as redirects. The cost maybe an extra $20 a year, but to have my web identity protected, it's worth it.
Taking a Webdesign Class and/or Using Textbooks
Taking a HTML class to introduce yourself to a basic understanding of webdesign is a totally great idea. The first class I finished was 21 hours long and I managed to complete this assigment in doing so: Quaker.US. If you have a reputable school in your area, that's great! Even good textbooks can be very technical and hard to follow. I have managed to find one very good book with a lot of really great tricks. It will even give you a few javascripts and PHP scripts to play around with. It is a little poorly organized though, and I have found it of much greater use as a reference tool and companion to my in-class studies. If you are one of the motivated sorts who can persevere to figure these things out, that's great. There is nothing in the classes that I've taken(with regards to HTML and CSS) that isn't found in this book. You can use just a textbook and get by reasonably. And there are tonnes of online tutorials out there to help you out. And if you do get stuck, feel free to contact me. Can't say I will have the answers, but it never hurts to ask. One advantage to attending class though is obtaining a student ID. In Canada, we get student discounts on almost all software. It usually amounts to about a third of the cost of buying the software elsewhere. Something to consider.
