Newbie Virgin! Help me post my first website???

[boomph]

I have built the website in Dreamweaver, just about ready to be posted. But I've never actually posted a site to the web before, so this will be the first time for me. This seems like it should be easy, but I'm not sure where to start this process. I have registered the site name with register.com; now what? I wanna do this right to avoid problems because it is imperative that I get this site up and running ASAP for employment purposes. And that is why I'm asking for a little hand holding from you DW gurus.

I'd prefer a reliable site host without banner ads under $30/yr. Can you guys recommend any that are working well for you?

So can you guide me thru this process so I don't screw up? Is there any special preparation? What do I do next?


Eager and nervous to enter the world of websites,
Boomph

 

[zavsays]

Hello Boomph
Have you visited

http://www.bravenet.com

yet? Great resource of information for starting out and beyond.
I use a company called

http://www.bitshack.com

The site costs $35 a year with no banners but the site has crashed twice already since I signed on. It's a shabby recommendation but at least you can e-mail them your questions and they're always quick to answer. (I stuck with them cause their cheap and very apologetic). In the meantime you can continue to shop around assuming you have the time.
Also...
• Back up all your files - all the time.
• Name your lead page index.html (this MAY not be necessary but it used to be).
• Use all lower-case names for all additional pages
(just in case) No spaces.
• You may need a (free) program like "Fetch" to upload your files to the hosting company when you're ready to go. Go to

http://www.versiontracker.com

among others to download it
Good Luck!.

 

[coldfused]

when you find where your gona host from let me know i can walk you through the uploads..i was a newbie my self only a few months ago so i will return the favor that someone gave to me..u can either use a ftp or if you can also use internet explorer if you cant find a ftp..let me know..

carlsatterwhite@endangeredgraphics.com

 

[LeonTang]

Hi boomph,

What I think you can do is to download ws-ftp from

http://www.cnet.com

Most web hosting sites(whether free or not) have a tutorial on how to upload your html pages onto their server and most include a tutorial on ws-ftp.

If there isn't any tutorial on this web hosting site, then they would at least provide you with the hostname or address. In this case, would be something like ftp.abc.com
Just enter your user id and password(the id and password you subscribe with) and connect to the host. It should work.

Another important thing when uploading html pages for the first time is the path of your html pages, images etc. If you have all your files within 1 directory, just make sure that your file names are "dynamic". E.g. abc.html If not, just include the directory your file is in. E.g. ../abc/abc.html

Do make sure that non of the links have the entire path or else you will not be able to view images or html pages when you have finish uploading them onto the server. E.g. c:\windows\desktop\abc\abc.html

Regards,
Leon If you need additional help, you can email to me at zaoliang@hotmail.com I don't guaranty that I will be able to solve your problems but I will try my best

 

[FSEdge]

Here’s my two cents worth.
One of the better free hosting sites that I have found is

http://free.prohosting.com

. I have two accounts established with them. Another DNS I use is

http://www.hostgo.com.

Hostgo has always been very good to me. I have never had to wait more that an hour for help. I have also used several FTP utilities but the one I have found to work the best is Cute FTP. You can down load this a

http://www.cuteftp.com

.

Both web hosting sites offer CGI-BIN and SSI. You will get more options with HostGo since this would be a pay for site.
I hope this helps

Good luck
FSEdge

 

[chiph]

I don't have my copy of DW in front of me, but isn't there a couple of properties on the project that allows you to set your host, and DW does the FTP upload for you?

Maybe it's a DW4 feature only...

Chip H.

 

[boomph]

Here's the problem; if you've never done it before, how do you know what info to put where? I tried and I keep getting error info without specifics. Darn manuals are written as if one already understands how to do the function in question. If I knew how to do it, I wouldn't need the manual! Tech folks need to understand that many of us do not have programming knowledge, and we must be told in simple directions what to do. How am I supposed to know how to use an FTP address if I've never seen one before?

Luckily, all this is a moot point, as a very kind forum guru (Thanks again Carl!) took me by the hand and lead me thru the process. And it was so easy!!! We bypassed DW altogether and did it thru Explorer. Once we opened ftp address, I just copied all my files over, and it was done!! That's what ticks me off is that is was a very simple operation, but 3 manuals couldn't bring it down to the nuts and bolts. As a person who used to work in the aerospace industry and is used to working with technical documentation, knowing what I know now, I have to say that there are some phenomenally bad tech writers for these manuals. They may know their program of expertise, but they can't explain how to use it worth a hill of beans!! (but I digress... Sorry, this happens to be a pet peeve of mine. I'll get off my soapbox now...)

But my site is up and running, and that's what counts. If you look up in later postings, you will see that I am a newbie virgin no more! So everything is hunky-dory, getting great reviews from my site, but also the occasional ding-dongs who can't figure out how to press buttons (honestly!) So take a look and tell me what you think?

http://www.thepixelvixen.com

Enjoy!
Boomph