" Things needed:"
# html builder - free or cheap > Try Trellian - It's free and is as good as Dreamweaver. Once you get familiar with the web coding world, which won't take too long, look at sites such as: dynamicdrive.com thefreesite.com www.quackit.com and there is a multitude of other useful sites.
# domain- .com etc - dot com my pref, over .co.uk > a .com domain costs around £70 + vat for 10 years.
# web space for site -someone who is going to be around tomorrow > Checkout http://www.bargainhost.co.uk/hosting.htm for hosting from as little as £1.50 + vat per month.
# ftp prog - to upload content to web space server > Filezilla is free and very easy to use
# prog to manipulate digital images for content > There are loads and loads of freebies for this. > If it's just a case of cropping and image enhancing then try FastStone Image Viewer (free). It also provides slideshow production and loads of other nice features.
The biggest issue when creating a website is actually in the design, and not the construction. It is well worth spending time on getting the cosmetics / functionality correct, right from the outset. It can be a real pain the rectum to change things later. However, functionality / ease of use is far more important (personal opinion) than making the site pretty. Though, a good combination of both makes for a popular site. Stay away from fancy intros. They are Ok the first couple of times you visit a site, but then get really annoying, which normally makes people less inclined to visit the site. Avoid clutter and keep the content up to date. If the site doesn't change, then after a couple of visits people stop accessing the site, because it seems to be the "Same old boring stuff". Finally, ensure that the most important / interesting information is at the top of the web pages. Scrolling down to see what's new is yet again another put off. A good example it this site, where the latest news and comment is at the top of the page.
Here endeth the lesson according to The Slob.
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