The web is the cheapest, fastest way to get your information to the masses all over the world. Unfortunately it takes some technical skill to do it. A website should accurately reflect you or your company in content and style. It is relatively easy to learn how to make websites, but it is hard to make websites properly. Websites must follow the standards set by the W3C. Web Developers also have to deal with browsers' (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera, etc) implementation of those standards. Basically, a webpage may look different depending on which browser is used. We want our websites to look the same when viewed by any browser. Following the W3C Standards get you 90% there. So I present a few solutions in this article for the Do It Yourselfers out there.
I prefer the term Web Development because Web Design has an emphasis on the Artistic side of websites. Constructing a website requires both art and logic, design and programming. Hence I find the generic term is more suitable.
You could use programs like Frontpage or Dreamweaver, or online services to make websites for you so you don't have to know HTMl. You can also use these programs to help you learn how to write HTML. I found Dreamweaver so convenient that I never had to learn HTML...until I had to fix something. Sometimes those programs just won't do what you want them to do. It sounds like a good idea but magic never works like it's supposed to.
If you're already a programmer look at the standards directly at W3C. If you're not a programmer go to W3 Schools and do their HTML/XHTML/CSS courses. It takes a lot of time and cerebral investment but you will be able to manipulate webpages like a pro. They teach you web standards that will help your websites look good in every web browser. You'll need a good text editor like Notepad++. If you somehow survive those rigorous courses you will become a Static Website Developer.
To make Dynamic Websites / Web Applications you'll have to learn a scripting language like Python, Ruby, Perl, or Php. Examples of web applications are Gmail, Hotmail, and Youtube. Use a Framework like Django or Rails to speed up your development. Dynamic sites usually require databases like SQLite or MySQL. Dynamic sites can be tricky to launch/deploy. It gets really complicated really fast.
You need to buy a domain name from Godaddy for around $8. Examples of domain names are 'google.com', 'yahoo.com', and 'ebay.com'. It's basically the address of your website. It's like a street address; people will know how to find you if they have your address. Pick something short and simple.
Then you have to host your website. Your website has to be served from a computer exposed to the internet. Godaddy offers free hosting when you buy a domain from them. You can pay a different hosting company around $50/yr to do it. Try to find a hosting company with good, quick customer service, fast servers, and 99.99% uptime. Next configure your domain name to point to where your website is hosted. This is called changing your DNS records. The last step is to transfer your site to your server with a file transfer program like Filezilla. Keep your site up to date and the word will get out.
Google has a service called Google Apps For Your Domain that helps you make and host a simple website. They can also help you acquire a domain name. You can also use social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook to get your stuff on the web and for marketing. If you want to post articles try out blogger.com. If you want to post pictures look into sites like Flickr or Photobucket. You can post videos online with sites like Youtube and Metacafe. Using online services to host your content is the easiest way to go.
Programmers are notorious for having ugly websites. Why? It's because websites are visual publications with colors, images, and text. They don't usually have technical skill in the visual arts. Learn a thing or two about design from About.com and Wikipedia.
2008 © Chris