This article is in response to people asking my dad how he created his site. He used to send their email to me and I would let them know what I did in setting up his site, and what it would take to start one of their own.

The first thing to get started is a place to put your pages. Often times your Internet Service Provider (ISP) will include space to host your web page. If you go that route, then you will have their name at the start of your Internet address or URL. (This is the part you see where you type in another web address to go to.) The next level allows you to select a sub-domain. My dad's site is setup with one of these in the form of adventure.1tree.net The "adventure" part refers to the sub-domain. This will also then be reachable through the alternative of www.1tree.net/adventure. While the two links look different, they point to the same place on the Internet.

You can also choose to register a domain. This is what I decided to do back in 1998 when I registered 1tree.net. This allows you to always maintain the same address even if you change who provides the web hosting. I have moved the domain several times due to changing companies and offerings. As a note, you also then get to choose the first part of your email address this way as well.

Once you have gotten this far and decided on where to put your pages, you can begin the real work. I won't go into what you decide to put on your pages. But to create the pages, you will have a number of options. The most rudimentary, is to use a simple text editor (such as notepad) to create your web pages. If you are reading this far though, I would guess that is beyond what you will be doing starting out. You can also use a number of editors you install on your computer. An easy entry point is Microsoft Front Page. This is an integrated solution and will likely integrate directly into the system your web hosting provider has in place. Thus, you can easily create (or edit) your pages and put them in place on the web from the single place. It will also help you organize.

Many providers now also have web site builders built right into them. They help you create your pages right on the web server. You will use your web browser to access them. I don't have any experience with them. The next step up to consider is to use a "Content Management System." This is what we are using. It includes an editor that allows you create your pages. And has many tools to organize (and re-organize) your site. There are a number of free systems out there and if you choose to get your own address (as we have) then many hosting services will even have an automated installation setup for you.

If this hasn't scared you off, then feel free to write me and I can answer more specific questions to get you going.