Making a website? Here's where to start...

[kram 2.0]

I personally have found CSS to be rather easy and straightforward...as you seem to have it, it just takes a bit of memorization. JavaScript, on the other hand, takes studying or knowledge of some C-based language like Java or C++ to pick it up on the spot. The good news is most programming/coding/scripting languages you will learn are based on similar structure. Once you learn JavaScript, learning PHP, for example, won't be as daunting as it may have been without JavaScript knowledge.

"With great power comes great responsibility" - Uncle Ben
Again, I reemphasize the importance of learning standard and clear/clean coding - please stick to how the language was made to be learned - it makes things a nightmere, especially when Firefox can't read it but MSIE can (just came across an MS Frontpage website...their templates are for MSIE only!) . Make the web a better place.

Much thanks for telling us how things went punkjunky - I always like to hear stories on how people got started on contributing to the larger world of the WWW. Coding/Programming is an asset that I'm sure will come as a very viable piece of knowledge in immediate life...happy programming to all

kram

[catacon]

I have been designing website for about 1 1/2 years now and I have learned almost everything I know from books. I have used Peachpit Press' Visual Quickstart Guides to learn HTML, XHTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP/MySQL. These books offer a great visual approach and really help you to learn quickly and also understand what you are learning. The best book to start with is "HTML for the WWW. with XHTML and CSS" by Elizabeth Castro. I know almost everything in this book, now, after recieving it in 2003 from an HTML class I took over the summer, but I still come back to it for certain things like forms and tables. "DHTML and CSS for the WWW" by Jason Teague Cranford is a GREAT book for learning CSS. I use this book almost every time I work on my website. These books have worked really well for me and I highly recommend that you check them out.

As far as webhosting goes I have had some good and bad experiences. I used Angelfire.com for my beginning work, but learned to hate it after a while. It has a tendency to suck and they can get on your nerves about running Perl programs and such. Currently I am using uzipp.com and they are great. While they are not free, they offer wonderful service and hosting. They have starter packages from 5 USD and go all they way up to being able to buy a server for around 140 USD. They also offer domain registration and other great features such as PHP, Perl, MySQL, and lots of space and bandwidth. If your looking for a good free host, I can't really help, but sometimes paying is the way to go.

If you want get really good at web design, you should check out other websites by viewing the source code (right click, view source or page source) of the site. Look at how they place their code and what techniques they use for CSS and whatnot. I do this all the time to get new ideas and learn better ways of doing things.

The WWW is a great place, so keep looking around and you will find something good, whether it be for hosting, coding, or ideas...it will be there.

[mokpo]

Well all of the posts on this page are old. I'm getting ready to do a few web pages, anyone out there that may be able to tell me whay are the latest and easiest programs to use for creating and publishing a web site??

[David M]

I just went through this in needing a website for my wife's new business.

The easiest web design software produces primitive, amateurish looking results. The better design software has a steep learning curve and costs good money. The professional grade software is best left to professionals who do this all the time, have spent hundreds if not thousands of hours learning the software and who also have the artistic talent necessary to design a really good looking website.

Ultimately, I hired a professional to design my wife's website since I neither have the time to learn the software nor the artistic talent to design my own.

I'm not saying don't try, that just seems to be the reality.

You kind of get what you are willing to pay for and how much time you are willing to put into it.

[sincitykid]

Use wordpress to create sites. Very user friendly, customizable and SEO friendly. Ford Motor Company uses this platform.

[logostomake]

Wow..This is magnificent..I was spending a lot of time on search engines to look for forums that talks about Web resources and luckily I bunch in on this site. Thank you so much for the resources. It really made a fulfillment in my expectations

[vödka]

Wow this thread is grossly out of date and has little relevant info for someone looking to build or have a site built for them.

I am a designer and have built websites since 1998 and have been present for the evolution of the web and web standards.

I would be willing to write an updated guide and post it here if anyone wants or thinks it would be helpful to the forum.

[henryfayols]

If anybody can assist or help me about how I can make a website.I have heard that it is a simple process to make a website.If it is that then please help me.

[Nuclear Krusader]

I'd suggest opening a new thread and then telling us more about the kind of site you want to make, the resources you have and the expectations you've for it. Then we can help you better.

[marktechnology]

a really well taken initiative!! really informative thnx!