You need a few things:
1) Find out if your ISP allows you free "personal web space". Ask HOW MUCH they provide you with. (Typical is 5-10Mb)
2) Find out the BASE URL that would be used to access your "personal web page".
3) Make sure you ask for the NAME of the "main page" file that will be automatically accessed. (It's USUALLY "index.htm")
4) Learn a little HTML code. Get one of those "for dummies" books on HTML. I learned it in about 48 hours, having NEVER touched HTML in my life.
5) You'll need FTP software. I recommend FTP VOYAGER from ZDNET.COM. Shareware. Try for 30 days, pay if you like it. (WELL WORTH the price!)
6) when you have (5) above, start it up, then call your ISP's tech support again and have them walk you through configuring your site logon. (Takes about 5 minutes)
7) You need to create a web page file(s). This is usually done in a word processor program. An HTML file is EXACTLY the same as a DOC file, but you end it with a suffix of ".htm"
Inside the HTML file you place codes that tell the browsers what to do. For example, text color and size, how and where it's placed on the page, etc. If you want to see how this looks, open ANY web page, then RIGHT CLICK your mouse on a NON-ACTIVE section of the page, and LEFT CLICK on "VIEW SOURCE" when the little dialog box comes up.
The text will look like gibberish to you, but NOT after you spent a coupla days with the HTML book. It REALLY IS EASY.
I went from nothing to my first experimental web site in 3 days. And I was/am a COMPLETE web neophyte.
To buy a URL, you gotta go to a company like Network Solutions and select one. (They check to see if someone else already has it). If you're okay, you cough up $35 a year, and you own the URL. Simple as that. BE SURE to add "web site forwarding" WHEN YOU BUY the URL. You CAN'T add it afterwards.
It normally takes about 24 hours for your URL to "activate". (Like our "www.timebomb2000.org") At that point you have an official web site.
If you want further info, email me.
Dennis
EDIT: Oops, I forgot to talk about FTP. That's the program that allows you to transfer files to and from your web server and you PC. You MUST edit your files on your PC, then transfer them up to your server when they're ready.
BTW, when you make changes to a web page, you MUST do a "forced refresh" to see them. In Explorer, that's (CTRL)F5. (Not just the "refresh" button.)
[ 06-02-2001: Message edited by: Dennis Olson ]