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CHOOSING A HOST AND UPLOADINGBefore you publish your site, youll need to get a domain name (www.yourname.com) and a hosting service to hold your site. Registering Your Domain NameRegistering your domain name is easy. First youll have to make sure its available, then just plop down your credit card (or your clients). The doling out of domain names is controlled by InterNic, a branch of the U.S. Department of Commerce. InterNic doesnt actually sell domain names; it licenses other companies to do so. When youre registering a name, your main concerns are price and ownership. You have to make sure that you own the name. Sometimes shifty companies make it look like youre buying the name, but what actually happens is they buy the name, and lease it to you. Then they try to sell it to you, or someone else, later at a much inflated price. You dont run across this kind of scam much anymore, but check to make sure The cheapest respectable place Ive found to register names is: http://www.15dollardomains.com Choosing a HostThere are thousands of companies that you can use to host your sites for you. These are some of the requirements you should look for:
The web design course has a special deal set up for you.Call Boyd Marshlain toll free at A+ Net (877) A-PLUS-NET and tell him that youre from the Academy of Web Design. Youll probably want the Solo II package. It includes everything listed above, for only $9.95 a month! Theres a $40.00 set up fee, but A+ will pay your domain registration fee when you sign up! Free HostingThere are a number of free hosting sites that will give you free space to host a site, but you kind of get what you pay for Intrusive banners and advertisements pop-up, they dont offer extras like CGI ability, and their pages usually load really slowly, but theyre great to practice on. Check out: It is important to note that you cannot post your portfolio on any of the above free sites. Its very unprofessional. Youll need your own domain name, a top-level address (www.yoursite.com), and a fast loading page. There is one really good service that I know about that will host your site for free. You must have your own domain name, and theyll charge you $35 bucks to transfer the name to their service, but after that, youll get fast, banner free hosting site for free. If you want CGI, thats extra, and youre probably better off using A+ Net. Check out: UPLOADING YOUR SITEOnce youve built a site and acquired a host, youll need to upload your site to the Internet. This is pretty easy. FTP PROGRAMYoull need a program to help you send your site to the Internet. The program youll use is called an FTP program. "FTP" stands for File Transfer Protocol. Again, "protocol" means rules, so FTP simply refers to the system of rules your browser and server will follow to transfer files. Macromedias Dreamweaver comes with a built in FTP program. There are also many freeware FTP programs available at: or you can get the most popular FTP program at: All FTP programs require that you input the same sort of information and are pretty easy to use. Setting up the FTP ProgramWhenever you upload a site for the first time youll have to give the FTP program information about your site and server. Each program is a little different, but therell usually be some kind of "New Site" or "Manage Sites" menu item under the FILE menu. You will need: 1. Your
FTP Host Address 2. Your
User/Log-in Name 3. Your Password 4. **Sometimes you will need a "Host Directory" This refers to a folder other that the main root folder that your site must be kept in, sometimes the "www" folder, or the "public_html". Ask your hosting people. If they dont mention it, you probably dont need it. The FTP address will get you to the hosting site. Your user name and password will get you to your unique folder. Uploading Your SiteAfter you fill in your site information, hit the FTP programs "connect" button to connect to your site. The program should announce that youve connected and show you a screen split into haves. One side is your computer. One side is the server. To upload, simple click the items on your side that you want to upload and click the FTP Programs "upload" button. You can upload everything in the root folder, but dont upload the root folder itself. You must upload all files that the site requires to work, including HTML files, images, ect. Thats it! the FTP program should do the rest for you.
Your Root FolderDONT upload your root folder. You only want to upload everything in your root folder. The server will function as your new root folder. Remember that your home page "index.htm" must be on the top level of the site. The Home page cant be stored inside a folder. Problems with UploadingIf you have any problems with uploading or viewing your site after youve uploaded it, pick the phone and immediately call the tech support people at your host. Sometimes servers require special uploading tricks that they dont always tell you about. Dont spend hours of suffering when tech support will probably be able to easily fix your problem. Let the tech person know that youre a relative beginner, and to go easy on you. If theyre rude, ask for the manager! Using Cute FTP to UploadThe most popular FTP program for the PC is Cute FTP. Its easy and quick. You can download a free trial version at: http://www.cuteftp.com The following steps illustrate basic uploading using Cute FTP: Setting Up A New Site For UploadingThe first time you want to upload a site, youll need to tell Cute FTP the sites FTP Host Address, your user log-in, and your password.
Uploading With Cute FTPAfter you connect to your site, youll need to upload files. The Cute FTP window is split into two sides. The left side is your computer. The right side is the server. To upload, simple click the items on your side that you want to upload and click the FTP Programs "upload" button. You can upload everything in the root folder, but dont upload the root folder itself. You must upload all files that the site requires to work, including HTML files, images, ect.
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