How to Begin Your Web Site

KompoZer is an excellent tool for novice web authors. KompoZer enables even the inexperienced to put their ideas on the web. Like any author, web authors often have one question: How do I begin? This post shows you paths to the web and how to begin the process.

Several Paths to the Web

The fact is there are several ways to get your ideas on the web and many are free. This blog, for example, is free and easy to use. Blogs have become popular destinations on the web. Some bloggers (not this one) have achieved fame and fortune with their creativity.

Search engines also provide free space and authoring tools. Years ago I did a site on GeoCities and it looks like something an amateur did years ago. My new site doesn’t look much better. The bad thing about GeoCities is the ads that appear on your page. I don’t necessarily want my visitors to see ads for competing products while on my site so I haven’t put any effort into that one.

The good thing about GeoCities is that anything Yahoo has Google will have a better one. Googlepages provides space for your web site with no ads. Of course you can have ads, even profit from them if you like. I put a site there to just “reserve” the space.

The alternative to search engine hosts is a free host like the one I use for the real Wysi web site. I don’t remember if free hosts offer a “page maker” because I decided to use KompoZer before I started the site. Several paid hosts offer their own web-authoring tools as part of their service.

The third avenue to the web is a Wiki. I have one of those too. Each of these sources, the blog, web site, and wiki can serve a purpose. The Wysi Wiki is intended to have quick tips so that if you want to know what FTP is you can find out.

Each avenue to the web typically comes with email and other services. By “occupying” those spaces with your web name you deny that name to competitors or or others who may otherwise mean you or your visitors harm.

But How Do I Begin My Web Site?

Regardless of the host you use for your web site you are still faced with a blank page and a flashing cursor begging for your first entry. If a blog or a wiki isn’t the best way to present your ideas then download KompoZer.

I find KompoZer easier to use than the page making things provided by others. Both GeoCities and Googlepages allow you to upload pages you create with other web authoring packages. By using KompoZer I have one application to learn rather than a different one for each host. I can create a page with KompoZer and then upload it to the host.

The best way to start presenting your ideas is to sketch out what you want with a pencil. What will the web page look like? What are the main pages you will need? By doing an outline you have an idea of how you want to present your ideas. The other key point is how the pages link together.

The complete checklist for how to begin your web site is provided on the Wysi web site. I think you will find it and the links helpful.

Idea From the Past

The idea for How do I Begin My Web Site came from a 2004 post to the Nvu Forum by “Idefix.” That post and the Nvu FAQs helped me to start my first page. I just tried to return the favor.

When I first presented my checklist on the KompoZer support forum there were a number of helpful suggestions and a few criticisms of the links I suggested. There may be "better" links but the ones I use worked for me. I really hate to recommend anything to you that I haven’t personally found helpful.

One major difference between my original post and the "how to" on the Wysi web site is point number 10, “Start Over.”

I came to realize that this is a learning process. Like anything else the more you know the more you understand how little you know. Google if you like but I have already done it and record the results of my research. The Wysi Free Authoring blog, web site and Wiki are intended to be helpful to you in using KompoZer to create your web site.

Wysi

; .