[web] So I want to create a website...
Author
I want to build my own website, but Im not sure where to start.
I know that I need to register my own domain and get a web host, but where should I go to do this?
This is what I want to have on my site...
1. Full creative control of the content. I dont want "predesigned templates". If I want my header to be a dragon sucking an egg thats spawned from cd cases, then thats what I want to be able to have. I dont want a picture of a chair in an IT dept setting because it was the "computer layout"
2. Lots of space. Im going to posting a gallery of various artwork, family photos, screenshots, hatemail, whatever.
3. I want to be able to archive any posts that I make, then be able to search that archive. Best example would be webcomics. They have those buttons that let you go through all of the comics, or an archive feature that you can look through. Those are cool, I want to be able to do that.
4. This will (hopefully) eventually be the beginning of my game development site. Post pieces of the games that I am making for people to play around with. Well if anyone even wants to. But even if they dont, at leasts its there just in case they do!
5. Theres probably more, but I cant think of anything at that moment.
6. Oh yeah, forums...eventually.
to be honest, Im lost as to where to begin. I do know that I have a lot of studying to do as for as the technical side of it. (What the hell is SSH!) But I want to be the one making it. That way if something messes up, its my own fault, not some guy 300 miles away who couldnt care less.
Well after that stream of consciencesness (spelling = bad), what I need right now is recommendations for a good, no great webhost. I can go up to 35/mo at the present time. Maybe more if I will be able to figure out AdSense!
So yeah, thanks in advance for the help.
edit---
I have looked at the forum FAQ, but the sites they have listed have gotten some bad reviews in some of the forums Ive been searching in...
[Edited by - Clover_Maximus on May 22, 2006 10:27:08 PM]
Domain name: GoDaddy
Hosting: iPowerWeb
Then, get Wordpress and create your own template for it with all the dragons you want. Sounds like that covers all your needs. Either that, or start learning PHP and MySQL and do it all yourself.
Hosting: iPowerWeb
Then, get Wordpress and create your own template for it with all the dragons you want. Sounds like that covers all your needs. Either that, or start learning PHP and MySQL and do it all yourself.
Author
Thanks for the info. I had considered godaddy, but assumed that "mainstream" wouldnt be the wisest choice. But as they say, "Assumption is the mother of all... well you know.
It mentioned in the forum faq "While it is possible to host your website from your own computer using your own internet connection...", where would be a good resource to also look into that? By no means am I dismissing the info you given so far, (its actually the most concrete answer I've gotten all week) but I would like to at least explore the possibility of doing it all myself.
Once again, thanks for your time and info.
It mentioned in the forum faq "While it is possible to host your website from your own computer using your own internet connection...", where would be a good resource to also look into that? By no means am I dismissing the info you given so far, (its actually the most concrete answer I've gotten all week) but I would like to at least explore the possibility of doing it all myself.
Once again, thanks for your time and info.
With regards to hosting on your own machine, there are a few things to consider.
First off, you need to be on broadband, if your a dialup user, forget it, it aint gonna work. Next, you need to check with your ISP.
It may well be against your T&C to run a webserver, in which case might find that incoming connections on port 80 are blocked. If this is the case, then there is nothing you can do.
Next, having a static IP helps, but there are ways around it. If your IP is static, you simply set up your domain to point to your machine. If its dynamic, you need to use a service such as DynDNS or similar. They will give you a piece of software that runs on your machine, and checks your IP address and updates your domain to point at the new IP when it changes.
Also, bear in mind that although you have say an 8mb broadband connection, that is your downstream speed. In the UK, adsl connections are typically just 256k upstream. Your website is going to be rather slow, even if traffic is light... As soon as your site gets busy you can expect the loading speeds to drop rapidly.
You are also going to have to ensure your machine is online 24/7, if your machine reboots, your website is unavailable.
Now to actually host your server isnt too complicated, if you have XP Professional/Windows 2000 then you have IIS already installed, you could use this. Alternatively you could install Apache on XP or Linux. If you plan on using PHP you will need to install and configure this, as well as mySQL if you need a database.
Hosting on your own server is good for testing a site, but for running a site its not really the best solution. Web hosting is pretty cheap these days, you can find a decent host for about $1 a month depending on your needs.
First off, you need to be on broadband, if your a dialup user, forget it, it aint gonna work. Next, you need to check with your ISP.
It may well be against your T&C to run a webserver, in which case might find that incoming connections on port 80 are blocked. If this is the case, then there is nothing you can do.
Next, having a static IP helps, but there are ways around it. If your IP is static, you simply set up your domain to point to your machine. If its dynamic, you need to use a service such as DynDNS or similar. They will give you a piece of software that runs on your machine, and checks your IP address and updates your domain to point at the new IP when it changes.
Also, bear in mind that although you have say an 8mb broadband connection, that is your downstream speed. In the UK, adsl connections are typically just 256k upstream. Your website is going to be rather slow, even if traffic is light... As soon as your site gets busy you can expect the loading speeds to drop rapidly.
You are also going to have to ensure your machine is online 24/7, if your machine reboots, your website is unavailable.
Now to actually host your server isnt too complicated, if you have XP Professional/Windows 2000 then you have IIS already installed, you could use this. Alternatively you could install Apache on XP or Linux. If you plan on using PHP you will need to install and configure this, as well as mySQL if you need a database.
Hosting on your own server is good for testing a site, but for running a site its not really the best solution. Web hosting is pretty cheap these days, you can find a decent host for about $1 a month depending on your needs.
Unless you really need the extra power - and pain - of your own server, there's no reason not to use an online one. I use 1Portfolio - $2.99 for 1500MB space and 50GB transfer (what I use), but Sander's link gives you a little more space, transfer, and cost.
GoDaddy is fine for the domain. I use 1and1.com. They're not too different.
And it sounds like using some sort of design package (like WordPress - see Sander's post) would be your best option. Far too much work goes into a site that has that much control - learn HTML, CSS, PHP... probably not worth it right now, but you can always work into it later. You can always throw in the easy and free PhP BB forums if you want.
Also - for $35 per month, you could have an amazing webhost. I'm just not sure it would be worth it.
GoDaddy is fine for the domain. I use 1and1.com. They're not too different.
And it sounds like using some sort of design package (like WordPress - see Sander's post) would be your best option. Far too much work goes into a site that has that much control - learn HTML, CSS, PHP... probably not worth it right now, but you can always work into it later. You can always throw in the easy and free PhP BB forums if you want.
Also - for $35 per month, you could have an amazing webhost. I'm just not sure it would be worth it.
Two more tips:
(1) If you go for a regular hosting package then do that separately from your domain name. Register your domain name first and register your hosting afterwards, ticking the "I already own this domain" checkbox in the hoster's signup page. The reason is simple: A lot less headaches if you ever need to move hosters. If you register your domain name through your hoster then they are resposible for the settings, and they are a lot less inclined to be of service when you decide to move on. Keeping the domain name separate puts *you* in control.
(2) If you think you have some special need that hosters cannot accomodate and are thinking about self-hosting from home, then I recommend that you *still* get plain old webhosting on the side. Put your main website on that hosting account and run your special needs from your home server. It's very effective. I do it myself as well. jejik.com is my regular webhosting, but the bugzilla.jejik.com, svn.jejik.com and lists.jejik.com subdomains all point to various home machines hosting software that I can't easily put on a simple webhosting account. Since 95% of the traffic never gets past the main site I save a ton of bandwidth on my home line. And even if your main site has special needs, you can use the regular hosting for all your screenshots, video's, downloads, etcetera. Anything that uses a lot of bandwidth.
(1) If you go for a regular hosting package then do that separately from your domain name. Register your domain name first and register your hosting afterwards, ticking the "I already own this domain" checkbox in the hoster's signup page. The reason is simple: A lot less headaches if you ever need to move hosters. If you register your domain name through your hoster then they are resposible for the settings, and they are a lot less inclined to be of service when you decide to move on. Keeping the domain name separate puts *you* in control.
(2) If you think you have some special need that hosters cannot accomodate and are thinking about self-hosting from home, then I recommend that you *still* get plain old webhosting on the side. Put your main website on that hosting account and run your special needs from your home server. It's very effective. I do it myself as well. jejik.com is my regular webhosting, but the bugzilla.jejik.com, svn.jejik.com and lists.jejik.com subdomains all point to various home machines hosting software that I can't easily put on a simple webhosting account. Since 95% of the traffic never gets past the main site I save a ton of bandwidth on my home line. And even if your main site has special needs, you can use the regular hosting for all your screenshots, video's, downloads, etcetera. Anything that uses a lot of bandwidth.
Quote:Original post by Sander
~Home Line Stuff~
What kind of connection do you have at home? I've tried running a SVN server off of my home line but my cable internet connection gimps the upload bandwidth. I'd be lucky to get 20KB upload.
I have 3000 down and 256 up at xs4all. It's one of the best ISP's in holland and they allow you to run pretty much anything off your home line as long as you're not causing harm (e.g. open relays). I don't know what speed you're getting there. Could you try it and let me know? I do seem to be able to browse it fine from work.
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