My first website
 

Hi, I would like to eventually have my own Internet business. However, I know very little about starting business. The first step I would like to master is how to create my own website and I have a few questions on that topic. First, should I start by learning a programming language to create my site, or programming skills are not really required since there are those "drag and drop" website programs ? Also, what is the best cheap site to buy a domain/host it ? Finally, what are the best books available to learn how to build a website ? Thanks for helping a noob...

Re: My first website
 

Go check out Joomla and Drupal and pick the one you like the best.

Re: My first website
 

I would say steal a copy of dreamweaver (I got mine free through school...but since that is illegal then I would have you buy a copy of that and play with it for a while watching in split mode how the code changes when you adjust the site. I taught myself html (basic) using this software.
After that I would sign up for 1and1.com hosting and domain name registering. (even though some on here cuss it) I use smartFTP and other than that its just creating the code and uploading to your host.

Re: My first website
 

I'm actually in the same situation as you and Dreamweaver is definitely the way to go. Play around with it for a while and try creating basic web pages. Depending on how much money you are willing to put into designing your site, learning anything more than basic HTML might prove unnecessary. There are many web services that will help you design basic sites for very reasonable prices. Just check out Guru.com . I would suggest Godaddy.com for domain registration and web hosting because they offer competitive rates and are very have very helpful customer service. I recently used them to make a template of a database driven web site. I put it online just to see what it looks like at LyricsBrain.com . What kind of web site are you trying to make? That could make a big difference when deciding where to start.

Re: My first website
 

An easy way to look at it when you're just starting out and trying to figure out what you need is to ask yourself "Is it a dynamic site or a static site?"

Generally, a "dynamic" site is one where visitors can interact, and therefore will require advanced programming. Things like user profiles, forums, comments, registration, log ins, stuff like that is dynamic and requires either a CMS (content management system) or a whole bunch of programming.

"Static" sites are just content and links, and therefore all you need is some pretty basic html/css. Most basic affiliate landing pages are static.

Wordpress works for many different types of websites, and I usually recommend that as a great way to get started.

Re: My first website
 

Thanks for the replies, very helpful. Just to get some practice, I was thinking of a poker content website, where I would write some articles/review of poker sites and put some banners as an affiliate. I guess that is more of a "static" website. Is there a way to get Dreamweaver for free or do I need to get the expensive license ?

Re: My first website
 

Photoshop/design skills are far more important for creating a professional looking website than dreamweaver.

Anybody can piece really nice images together in free WSIWYG software to create a professional looking website. Most people can't make the really nice images.

That said, I've only dealt with the expensive version of photoshop and don't know what any of the cheaper versions are like but would assume thy are good enough for somebody just starting out.

Re: My first website
 

There really isn't many ways to get a free copy legally. Use any filesharing program to steal it.

Re: My first website
 

[ QUOTE ]
There really isn't many ways to get a free copy legally. Use any filesharing program to steal it.

[/ QUOTE ]

IRYH... uh no...

There are plenty of free HTML editors that you can start with.

Re: My first website
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
There really isn't many ways to get a free copy legally. Use any filesharing program to steal it.

[/ QUOTE ]

IRYH... uh no...

There are plenty of free HTML editors that you can start with.

[/ QUOTE ]
I was simply telling him that unless he steals it then he will have to pay for it.