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Here is a quick introduction on how to make a small web site. (If you are not a beginner, you'll probably be better off reading more advanced tutorials.) Basically, you have to:
- Understand a bit what the Internet is
- Rent some space on a server
- Get a name for the web site
- Build the web site
- Connect to the Internet
- Put the web site on the server
You know what a parking lot for cars is. You've also seen a fisherman's net. So think of the Internet as a world-wide net, with each knot in the net being a big computer (a "web server"). Each web server can contain many "file parking lots" (often called "server disk space") where you can "park" your files.
Since all these computers have names on the network, and since they all speak the same language (called "TCP/IP"), you can look at any file located anywhere in the Internet. You just need to ask for it, by giving its full name (called the "URL"). For example, the full name of the file you are currently viewing is:
http://www.inquisition.ca/en/info/artic/site_web.htm
Making your own web site means putting your files one one of those "file parking lots", and then telling all your friends where your web site is.
In theory, if you are very rich, you can buy a big web server computer and pay a telecommunications company to connect it to the Internet with big and expensive cables. Few people can actually do that, so they just rent space on someone else's web server.
There are all kinds of companies that can rent you a bit of space on their big web server (often called "web site hosting services"). Prices vary depending on how much space you get for files, how many of your files people can view every day (called "bandwidth"), how often their computer breaks down (and hence how often your web site is unavailable), how many additional services they offer like technical support, e-mail, etc. Some companies even offer free web hosting (but impose all kinds of advertisement on your web site).
To give you an idea of some prices as of June 2008, I pay roughly 20$ CAN a month to host one of my web sites (www.mediom.qc.ca), and about 15$ for the other (www.addr.com). Typing "web hosting services" on Google will drown you with offers. I don't know which one is the best, sorry.
Getting space on a web server is not enough. You also need a name so people can have access to your web site (called a "domain name"). You have pay to rent this name, normally once a year. If you forget to pay your rent, you can lose your domain name.
The "store" that rents these names is called the IANA, but nobody shops there. This big store delegates the authority to other smaller stores, which then usually deal with the people who rent "file parking lots". So normally you'll rent your web site name with the same people who will rent you some space on their web server. So expect them to ask you for money not only to host your site, but also to get your domain name, and then more money so they can do the "DNS registration" (i.e. make the connection between your "parking lot" and the name of your "parking lot").
To give you an idea of some prices as of June 2008, I paid about 40$ CAN to rent "www.inquisition.ca" for one year.
You can speak any language you want, but if you want to order something in a restaurant, it's probably better not to speak in Klingon or Inuktituk. Same thing on the Internet: you can put any files you want on your "file parking lot", but if they are not written in a language called "HTML", computers might not know what to do with them. For a quick tutorial on HTML, see HTML For Grannies.
(I also have some articles on how to built a web site for a political party. There are tips in those articles which apply to the design of any web site. See: How To Make A Web Site For A Political Party: Part one, and the second part.)
Ordinary people like you and me are not permanently connected to the Internet. We rent a temporary connection, often categorized by speed. The higher the speed, the more you pay per month, and normally the more specialized the cable and "black box" between the cable and your computer.
I use a low-speed connection that uses the telephone line (a "dial-up connection"). I find it vastly sufficient for my needs, especially since I've configured my web browser to block graphic files and other junk. The same company that deals with web servers and domain names will usually also offer you a connection. You need to get from them a "username" and a "password". (This username and password might be the same as the username and password for your "file parking lot", if you are getting all your services from the same company.)
To give you an idea of some prices as of June 2008, I pay about 15$ CAN for 100 hours a month of dial-up connection to the Internet.
The last step to get a web site is to park your HTML files in your file parking lot (i.e. you need to "upload" them). Beginners often get confused here, since your web site usually ends up being in two places: on your hard drive (i.e. the "local copy") where you write them and modify them, and on the web server.
To upload your files to your web server, you'll need software (called an "FTP program"). There are dozens; I currently use "Filezilla". You'll need to configure your FTP program with at least three pieces of information: (1) web space URL; (2) Username; (3) Password.
Once your FTP program is configured, you connect to the Internet with it. Since there are two copies of your web site, the FTP program will normally present you with two "window panes", i.e. the local copy on your computer, and your real web site "file parking lot" on the web server:
Normally you just "drag-and-drop" your files from one pane to the next, and that uploads them.
There are many other ways of making a web site. Many companies will try to make you use software that supposedly makes it "easy and intuitive" to make your web site. But eventually, everything described above will have to be done, whether by you or not.
If you just want to play with the Internet, go ahead and play. But if you want to build a serious web site and make sure it is well-maintained, I recommend you avoid fancy "web-building software" and do things by yourself as described here, at least in the beginning.
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