Website help

[Mark.hall]

Hey guys!
I am looking for some help as I am new to this. I've been thinking about setting up my own website for some time now. I am an artist specializing in sketching, and I thought that my own website would be a good way to promote my work and get some attention (I don't want to brag but I think I am pretty good at what I do and it would be great if I could earn some money for it). I am sure there are some people out there who have set up their own websites and hopefully could give me some advice. I need to start with the basics and actually decide how I can set it all up. I have heard that http://www.1and1.com/windows-hosting is quite good but as I don't have much experience in this, I wanted to ask you. How did you go about setting up your websites? And where?

Please share any experience or if you can give some advice, that would be great! Thank you!

 

[GagHalfrunt]

If you've heard that 1and1 is quite good you need to stop listening to the people who are saying that. 1and1 is among the worst web hosts in the business.

Try http://www.webhostingtalk.com/ for advice about getting your domain, setting up your first site and most importantly, how to avoid getting ripped off by companies like 1and1

 

[OCGuy]

I usually set up my websites using my iPod. It was free, which makes it even better.

 

[RossMAN]

http://www.webhostingtalk.com/

1and1 sucks, DO NOT DO IT!!!!!!

 

[Crono]

Squarespace is pretty decent for an all-in-one solution, and they have a free trial.

If you are willing to learn, you can always go the only slightly more difficult route of getting a domain using a registrar like Namecheap. Then get any hosting that has Cpanel and Fantastico, which will allow you to do a 1 click install of a CMS (Content Management System) like Drupal or Wordpress. Then you can add templates and customize them to create your own unique website.

Or if you really want to do everything from scratch, get a book on HTML and CSS and code your own website from the ground up.

Webhostingtalk (which 2 users posted above) is a good resource for investigating web hosts/registrars to use.

 

[Mark.hall]

Thanks for the advice guys! As I am new to this, I think I'll go for the most simple sites. I'll check out your suggestions, thanks


Oh, and I don't own an iPod

 

[JMasters]

You are going to want to look into using a content management system like WordPress, Drupal, or Joomla. There are also a bunch of other options out there that may suit your needs (Concrete5 being one). This article gets into some of the alternate choices. Hope it helps. http://www.wiredtree.com/blog/5-content-management-systems-you-should-know-about/