BleepingComputer.com: Website Help, Please For Novice

OOps Website Help (not nebsite)
I hope you can help me out with a some questions. I have VERY little knowledge on setting up a website.

-I would like to learn how to make my own web site. Template usage will be o.k. Want maybe about 10 pages or so for now.
MAYBE in the future, would like ecommerce ( it is for a small family furniture & accesories type store)
I read Ecomerce/shopping cart can be pricey to have. SO, as business blooms, I may condsider getting it-

Would like to learn how this website stuff works. According to Yahoo, I can get a domain with them
for $2.99 which is good for 1 year. But, what else do I need. Server, host? what do they do?
anything else? do they mean the same thing? If this price is true and I dont have to have them host my site just because I registered the domain with them, then Should I get the name first> then look for the host>then transfer to that particular host?

-I dont mind doing the work (pictures, text,etc) so long as it is simple for a beginner as myself. I just dont know how to get started and which host to use.
-
I want a www.????? .com kind of site. NOT a geocites type site, nor a www.????-??? .com type of site either. (BTW, why do some sites have a hyphen in their domain name?)
I downloaded Yahoo's website builder program (can be used offline) and have practiced using that one a little. pretty simple
So, if I create web pages using Yahoos site builder program, do they(Yahoo) need to host any pages I created from that program, or will those pages work on another host sites other than Yahoo?

If at all possible, I would like a free webhosting one that requires no contracts (in the event that I am not happy with them)- If I need to pay (lets say) $5 a month to have someone host it, that would be fine. I just perfer to go FREE, or to go cheap if I have to, for now until I get the hang of this website stuff. Then I can get a feel of what I like and need if I want to pay later on to get more. Plus I will KNOW more too. Also, dont want a spyware kinda free host.

NOW, bandwidth & data transfer. What amount is a safe one. For exam: you guys here, & other big companys that have lots of 'hits' each month, need alot. I would like enough not to worry about getting charged or shut down, etc. should I look for Gigabytes?

ANy links, personal experiences or opinions (on costs too) would be greatly appreciated.-Also, as you can see, I will need to have a GREAT tech support host. 24/7 kind. Am I asking for an impossible?
Thank you
I appologize for long post. I am spending hours reading on this & trying to understand concepts.
Sorry if I posted in the wrong group.
WIndos XPSp2 Home edition.

This post has been edited by azyardies: 30 October 2005 - 11:06 AM

Have you contacted your own ISP to see what they charge. As far as a free hosting you get what you pay for. If you want your own domain that could cost you as much as $34/yr to as little as $250/10yrs. Be sure whoever you go with registers the domain in your name.
Designing a web page is fairly straight forward. We use OpenOffice at home. The wife prefers Office'97. Still other prefer design software like Dreamweaver, Frontpage.
What programs do you have MS Publisher, Office, OpenOffice,..?

At the store, we use DSL by Qwest. But I have peoplepc dial up at home. Did not even think that I could try them as far as hosting.

-How will I know when reading info on different host places, if they will register my domain to ME only. How can I be sure? So, are you saying that all those ads that say one can register a domain for 2.99, 4.99, 9.99 etc are not for 'real' ? You said that they range from $34 p/yr.

-I dont have any web designer type program other than Yahoo site builder as I stated.

Let me state something. Not long ago, someone came to my store to offer me website stuff. It consists of this. The software. They, sell us the software and we can do all the work ourselves, or they can for us. It appears to be a pretty full program but seems like more than what we need.
Here are the prices. $2500 for the software (we get to keep it) & $50 per month to have them host it.
WOW!!! Cant do that right now.
Do you suggest me registering the domain in order to ensure that it doesnt get taken? Do it before I even start looking for hosting and creating pages?

ANy free simple programs you know of to start creating web pages and have them ready for when I do get a host? I can't use Yahoo Site builder?

thanks for your quick response!!

Let me start by saying you can do this. It takes alittle work but you can get it done.
Yes I would register before I setup an account. Try Internic for a list of accredited registers.

Download(at work if you can) OpenOffice and try it. You will need to have Java JRE 1.4.2 installed first. If you already have it great. If not download it. Open Office is similar to MS Office 2003. And it's free.
My last two domains I registered were at http://www.no-ip.com

azyardies, on Oct 30 2005, 04:37 PM, said:

Wow!! I'm glad you didn't take thier offer. I'm in the process of starting up my own web hosting business ,should be ready end of november. For what you would need, i will charge $10 per month to host it, which would include an online shopping cart, data bases, back-up support, 500MB of webspace, 20GB of monthly bandwidth and free setup. To register a domain is about $10 per year or $20 if you make it private (no one can see your name and address).
I will also have a full web design service (prices not available at the moment) so you don't even have to touch the coding side of things. this would require a one time fee for the initial design then a small monthly fee to update and maintian your site.

I'm not going to post a link to my new hosting site, because it's not fair to spam this forum and the site is not ready yet.

If the management here agree, i would post back when all is ready.

Chief.

chiefmasterjedi, on Nov 5 2005, 08:42 AM, said:

Thank you for showing that bit of respect.

Personally I prefer to work with HTML-kit, also a free program just like open office. It does require a bit of study but isn't that difficult to get started.
For more info on all the questions you're asking, try finding it out with Google. All I do and know right now I found by searching, asking and reading.
Have fun with it.. *S*

Hello!
I am pretty much a starter too but I got to know the basics and it got easier then on! If you dont have any programs to make a site Yahoo Site Builder would the best as long as you can pay THEM to host it for you! They have this special code where only they can host it! Other wise WebDwarf would be pretty much all you need! Both softwares are free just Yahoo needs paid hosting.... not sure about WebDwarf though....It would help if you read the topic I started on Yahoo Site Builder here on this forum!

Try www.pageresource.com They have excellent tutorials for HTML, Javascript, DHTML/Style Sheets and CGI/Perl.