How to start a web page??

[HotelMinion]

So I'm thinking about starting a web page as a hobby and it's going to be my very own, not part of something like my space or stuff like that. I don't want anything fancy Schmancy, just posting pics and maybe if it gets popular and advert or two. Only thing is I don't have a clue! Not a single one!!!! So, can someone post in list form everything that I'll need and I'll take it from there??? Pretty please???

[EricKei]

For the very basics -- assuming you have a web host such as GoDaddy (to actually hold the files online), many of them have rudimentary WYSIWYG web editors. They're nothing fancy, but they'll do for a basic site. Also, you can use the free version of WordPress (et al) to make a basic site -- still need the Hosting, though.

[Aragarthiel]

Ah, this is something I can do. *cracks knuckles*

You have three options here- build it all yourself, use a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor to somewhat build it yourself, or you can use one of those websites that pretty much takes you step-by-step through picking a theme, a format, etc. I'm assuming you want the second.

Now, you will need a domain name. I do not AT ALL recommend GoDaddy, they may be cheap but they are known in the web dev world for their sketchy practices- namely, if you search to see if a domain name is taken, they'll buy it up before you get the chance and try to sell it to you for thousands of dollars per year. Namecheap is generally what's recommended, but there are plenty of hosting companies that will throw in a domain name with their monthly/yearly hosting fees.

Next is to pick a web host. I can't really recommend one in particular, there are so many out there to fit so many different kinds of needs, but you shouldn't need an expensive one.

A bit of knowledge of CSS and HTML won't hurt, but you can use a WYSIWYG editor to do it all the way. There are free ones out there (BlueGriffon is the one I'm most familiar with, but it has a complete lack of support and you have to pay to get the manual), or you can use something like Dreamweaver, which requires a paid subscription.

I'm sure there are other options out there too, but I'm not that familiar with the simple stuff. A bit ironic, I know.

[wolfie]

If it's going to start out as a hobby (i.e. low traffic) site, a lot of ISPs provide their clients with a few megabytes of space for a web page. The URL for your site would be www.yourisp.com/yourlogin or something like that, but good domain registries (easydns is the one I use) offer domain redirection, so you'd point www.yourdomain.com to the long address your ISP provides, and visitors won't know the difference.

[houdini]

I'd recommend Wordpress.org as a really good, basic starting point. It's a free account, you can pick your name (with the addition of "wordpress.org" but that's pretty much the only downside) and you can use a wide variety of themes that are pre-made for different looks, so it'll look how you want it. The back end (adding posts etc) is fairly simple, and you can then get into the HTML from that point if you want to. There are also a lot of guides on how to use it, and plenty of plugins if you want additional features.