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Life is like the lottery, you can't win if you don't play.

FAQ & Recommendations

Getting Started

How do you get all of those wonderful pages out on the web for everyone to see? Here are a few steps:

Domain names. Pick out a meaningful domain name that hasn't already been taken. Be Careful: some lesser known registrar sites might be sniffed meaning that someone is watching what domains people are searching for and how often. If the domain name is search for many times other parties might be interested in purchasing the domain before you can.
Register domain name. Register your domain with a reputable company which offers full DNS control (see Provider & Software Recommendations below for recommendations). Domain names use DNS records to tell them what server to go to for various services such as email accounts and web sites. Having full DNS control means that you can switch service providers without having to call someone at the registrar to make the appropriate changes. To make life a little easier find a registrar which offers all of the services you will need, such as email accounts and web hosting, so that you don't have to worry about making any custom DNS changes. Domain names start from around $9 a year.
Design/Develop your website. After you have secured your domain name you are ready to start designing and developing your content. Whether you already have a design in mind or need help from start to finish Ashley Kathleen can give you the help you need. Visit the Services page for more information.
Sign up for web hosting. Once you are finished designing and developing your site it is time to find a hosting provider who will store all of your web files on a publicly accessible server. Find a well known hosting company which gives you statistics about their server up-time and thorough support pages on their web site (see Provider & Software Recommendations below for recommendations). Web Hosting is a reoccurring monthly cost that can range anywhere from $5 for the basics on up depending on the services you add and the length of time you pay for in advance. See Finding a Web Hosting Provider below for detailed information.
Point domain name to your hosting company. If you did not choose to go with the same company for a registrar and hosting provider you will need to update your DNS records to point to your hosting companies web server. The hosting "Name Servers" can usually be found in the support pages or knowledge base articles of their website. DNS modifications can take up to 3 days to propagate so your website might not be readily available to everyone.
Launch your web files. Your hosting company will provide you with FTP information in order to launch your web files to their server. Once you have uploaded all of your files they are immediately accessible to the public through your domain name.

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Finding a Web Hosting Provider

When looking for a hosting provider you need to think in long term solutions. Moving your website from one host to another can become a pain since you will also have to change your DNS records with your domain registrar. See Provider & Software Recommendations below for recommendations. Here are a few tips:

Operating systems. With every server comes an operating system such as Windows or Linux. Each of these operating systems offer different types of support. If your website is built using HTM or HTML file extensions then you could go with any of these solutions. However if your pages are programmed in other languages you need to make sure to choose a compatible OS.

Operating System Supported File Types Supported Databases

Windows ASP, PHP, ASP.NET v1.1 or v2.0 MySQL, MS Access, SQL Server

Linux PHP, Perl, Java, Python MySQL

Note: Ashley Kathleen codes website templates using ASP file extensions and server side includes.
Installed applications. A lot of hosting providers install commonly used applications and services on their servers for all to use. Some of these applications might allow you to upload images or send email through web forms. Hosting providers do not allow you to install third party software on their servers so it is important to make sure they have all of the functionality that you may need for your website.
Databases. You may not need a database now but in the future you may want to collect some user data through a web form or even add one of Ashley Kathleen's Web Tools to your site. All of these dynamic capabilities rely on a database back-end. I usually recommend a simple Microsoft Access database to start with since the databases are easy to work with on any personal computer without having to buy a lot of software (if any). If you plan to have a robust application which will have a lot of traffic you might need to consider a MS SQL database instead.
Server Control Panel. Hosting providers sometimes offer a "Control Panel" which gives you full access to your website controls such as folder permissions, custom error page setup, and web statistics settings. The more control your hosting company provides the easier it is for you to manage your website without their help.

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Maintaining Your Website

For each page in your website you will have content which will require different levels of maintenance. Contact information, for example, will rarely need to be modified whereas upcoming events may change daily. High levels of maintenance warrant dynamic content and special tools, such as the Content Management Tool, to update them.

Web-based Tools

Tools designed and developed specifically for your web site. These tools are usually stored on your web server with your web files. See the Web Tools section for more information.

Pros

Modify only necessary content without worrying about the design surrounding it
Customized features to fit your specific needs such as calendaring, list of press releases, or teasers for the content within the site.
Since the tools are web-based you can modify your content from any computer at any time without installing software or updating software settings.

Cons

Images, charts, graphs, or external files of any kind must first be uploaded using FTP in order to reference from within the content.

Macromedia Homesite

FTP and text editor in one. Use pre-configured settings to connect to your web server, then open, modify, and save your files seamlessly. See Provider & Software Recommendations for pricing.

Pros

HTML is clean and organized
You have complete control over code
Make changes to remote web files as if they were on your computer.

Cons

Requires basic knowledge of HTML
Requires installation of software

Text Editor with FTP

Download the most current web files from your web server using an FTP program such as WS-FTP or CuteFTP, manipulate content within the files using a text editor such as notepad, and upload the changed files back to your web server. See Provider & Software Recommendations for pricing.

Pros

HTML is clean and organized
You have complete control over code

Cons

Requires basic knowledge of HTML
It is a hassle to upload files before seeing the changes

WYSIWYG (wîz-E-wîg: What You See Is What You Get) Editors

Software such as Microsoft FrontPage or Macromedia Dreamweaver allow you to modify your web content without knowledge of HTML. You can modify your site as you would a word document including images, formatting styles, and pre-designed templates. See Provider & Software Recommendations for pricing.

Pros

No HTML knowledge required
Image integration is relatively simple
What you see is what you get (sometimes)

Cons

Software knowledge required
Software installation required
Previously designed code or ASP "include files" may be unknowingly changed by the software thus negating your warranty or support contract

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Provider & Software Recommendations

Provider/Software	Cost	Pros/Cons
Registrars
Go Daddy	$8.99/year (price breaks if you buy additional services)	Pros Easy to use interface Domains can be transferred to another administrator for free Web hosting and email accounts offered Cons Full DNS control is only given to domains with web hosting accounts
Register.com	$35/year (price breaks if you buy additional services)	Pros Easy to use interface Full DNS control - everything you would ever need to change and more Web hosting and email accounts offered Cons Very expensive Cannot view cost of services until you create an account
Network Solutions	$35/year (price breaks if you buy additional services)	Pros Easy to use interface Full DNS control - everything you would ever need to change and more Cons Very expensive
Hosting Providers
Go Daddy	From $4/mo	Pros Easy to use domain management interface Control Panel Access Available software includes ASPUpload, ASPJpeg, ASPCrypt, CDONTS and CDOSys Cons Control Panel is still a little limited if you are an advanced user Web documentation is limited and although speedy, I really don't think customer support is much help
Verio	Windows from $13/mo, UNIX from $12/mo	Pros Easy to use domain management interface Control Panel Access Available software includes ASPUpload, ASPMail, htDig internal web search, CDOSys Great web documentation and user guides Cons A little more expense for a lot more control panel.
Web Editing Software
Macromedia Homesite	$99 ($29 upgrade)	Pros Simple tool for coding enthusiasts. Keeps your code clean and organized. Color coding for tags Internal FTP software Cons Must be comfortable editing HTML code Cannot see what the pages look like until you save them to your server
Microsoft Frontpage 2003 or greater	$199 ($109 upgrade)	Pros WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) Editor allows you to edit your webpages like a word document Saves a copy of your website on your computer so that you can view your pages before you launch them Keeps track of "changed files" so you can upload all at once "Code View" allows you to write HTML code instead of using the WYSIWYG editor Images are easy to place and resize Cons Does not allow you to view templates or style sheets that are embedded using "include" files Dynamic areas of a webpage do not appear using the WYSIWYG editor. It is very easy to write over any dynamic code which will cause the code to fail.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) Software
SmartFTP	FREE
IP-Switch's WS-FTP	$34.95
GlobalScape's CuteFTP	$39.99
Internal Search Engines
Site Level	FREE version available	Pros Customizable template and search functionality Cons Free version is limited to 1000 pages Free version includes sponsored links from other sites Since template resides on their server any changes you make to website "look & feel" will also have to be made on their site.
Atomz Search	FREE version available	Pros Easy to use interface Customizable template and search functionality Cons Free version is limited to 700 pages Free version includes sponsored links from other sites and Atomz logos Since template resides on their server any changes you make to website "look & feel" will also have to be made on their site.

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