Net Novice No More

A relative novice when it came to the Internet, not too long ago I didn’t have a clue where to start when trying to create a website or why I had the need for one. Luckily though, with time and practice, it became apparent.

Having a website has advantages, providing solutions to a wide range of everyday problems. Websites can be used as a personal identity to promote you or what you offer, to the world, be it global, local or personal.

Web hosting, where one puts a web presence and stores it along with pictures, pages and 'tricks'. As a novice I felt the need to have things explained to me in the simplest of terms and I know I’m not alone.

For all those out there who quietly sink into their seats when friends or colleagues start discussing the "Net", I am going to explain to you, what web hosting is. Simply.

The web page. This is a document file, created by a web Editor software such as FrontPage or DreamWeaver. It is your first step, this is the page you will view. It will hold your pictures, your logos, your text, your links to other places and your Internet 'tricks and fancies'.

You then need to create your content, as above, pictures, logos, text etc. Once compiled, as you have with other computer design programs, you need to take the images and web pages and find a web host. This a service provider that offers space for your 'Net presence'.

Now ...once you have negotiated a 'rent' for your presence on the providers land (his servers), you will need to "move in". You will be given the key, a secret password and ID that only you will know, which will unlock your "plot" of web presence.

Once you are here, then it is only time you will need for unpacking your gear, and nestling into your web presence. You will be faced with a space to put up your web pages; drag and drop your created web pages; and you will be advised to create a folder called "Images", where you will double click to open, and you will place your pictures, logos, and other images in.

A good tip: take note of the web address, path, http://www.yourdomain.com/images/pic1.gif as you will need this to direct your picture (pic1.gif) from the images folder to your web page. Also note, that you can direct the image off to another page by applying a hyperlink address to it in your web page-creating software.

This is basically it, once you have gotten this far, you are more advanced than the majority of the world. You have a web presence, you have a folder which looks and acts like any other folder on your computer's desktop; in which you have web pages and a folder called "Images"; and finally the images are in the "images" folder. Web hosting is really the selling of virtual space for you to store your websites. There’s really nothing too complicated about it.

Now the decorating is up to you, you can adorn it with pictures and text or in time add automated and smart features; and to provide invitations to your 'presence' warming, (promotion of your site) you can find help with by searching the Net for "Online Promotion".