Difference between revisions of "Learn/Getting-a-Website-for-the-First-Time"

Revision as of 17:29, 12 July 2010

Learn

Steps Towards Your Online Presence

By MarkDilley
email or post a comment for me

Let's start this off clearly. You can't buy a website - you lease it. This is a different message from the people in the business to 'sell' you websites. You can lose your website if you don't pay your yearly fee of ~$10 bucks. See Virtual Property for more information.

Ok, now that we have that off the table, here is what you will need to consider.

You rent your website name (commonly called a domain name) from a Registrar.
Then you need to Host an actual website somewhere.

Think of your website name as a pointer to your content which is the website. Two steps. Some companies will do both for you.

Websites name generally cost ~$10 a year - sometimes more, sometimes less. The cost for hosting a website is pretty much the wildcard expense here. It really depends on what you want the website to do.

Do you want a website as an online business card?
Do you want to try and host a community on your website?
Are you selling goods or services?

I personally have many websites where I only lease the website name and point it to a free page, like on AboutUs.org or a free weblog, like Blogger.com or posterous.com.

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-Let's start this off clearly.  You can't buy a website - you lease it.  This is a different message from the Internet authorities - but you can lose your website if you don't pay your yearly fee of ~$10 bucks. See [http://blog.aboutus.org/2008/07/29/virtual-properties/ Virtual Property]
+Let's start this off clearly.  You can't buy a website - you lease it.  This is a different message from the people in the business to 'sell' you websites. You can lose your website if you don't pay your yearly fee of ~$10 bucks. See [http://blog.aboutus.org/2008/07/29/virtual-properties/ Virtual Property] for more information.
-Ok, now that we have that off the table, here is what you will need to consider.  You rent your website name (commonly called a domain name) from a '''[[Registrar]]''' and then you will need to '''Host''' and actual website somewhere.  Think of your website name as a pointer to your content which is the website.  Two steps.  Some companies will do both for you.
+Ok, now that we have that off the table, here is what you will need to consider.
+# You rent your website name (commonly called a domain name) from a '''[[Registrar]]'''.
+# Then you need to '''Host''' an actual website somewhere.
-Websites name generally cost ~$10 a year - sometimes more, sometimes less.  The cost for hosting a website is pretty much the wildcard expense here.  It really depends on what you want the website to do.  I personally have many websites where I only lease the website name and point it to a free page, like on [[AboutUs.org]] or a free weblog, like [[Blogger.com]] or [[posterous.com]].
+Think of your website name as a pointer to your content which is the website.  Two steps.  Some companies will do both for you.
-Do you want a website as an online business card?  Do you want to try and host a community on your website?  Are you selling goods or services?
+Websites name generally cost ~$10 a year - sometimes more, sometimes less.  The cost for hosting a website is pretty much the wildcard expense here.  It really depends on what you want the website to do.
+* Do you want a website as an online business card?
+* Do you want to try and host a community on your website?
+* Are you selling goods or services?
+I personally have many websites where I only lease the website name and point it to a free page, like on [[AboutUs.org]] or a free weblog, like [[Blogger.com]] or [[posterous.com]].