Help me create a website

[chesss]

I am total n00b when it comes to building/handling a website. so help me out plz.


Say my website is chesss.someserver.com -
I want to setup things like this:

1. chesss.someserver.com - home
2. have a blog with commenting system on chesss.someserver.com/blog
3. chesss.someserver.com/forum - The thing I want to stress is that the forum should be on the same 'domain' , and customizable enough to let me link back to chesss.someserver.com
4. There will be different sections like chesss.someserver.com/download


Type of site:

1. simple html/css , based on free website templates, maybe a few very simple php scripts (if i can learn that) .
2. If the site does well I would go for a paid domain name (www.chesss.com), so I should have that flexibility.
3. hosting/bandwidth : I am totally ignorant about this, so suggest me something based on my requirements plz.
4. paid/free: Initially I want to start things up for free, but if required I more than willing to pay.

Note: I am very serious about this, i.e its not just a 'my diary' thing, so I will really really appreciate any help.

[tuxfan]

First thing first. Don't say that I will go for the domain name if the site does well!! Just take the domain and build the site on it! If later on you change the site domain name, you will have the headache of informing people and there is a chance you will lose visitors. Take the domain and start building the goodwill.

Scondly, someone else would have grabbed that domain name by the time you decide and then you lose it permanently. So just grab it. To save costs, you can get hold of some free hosting!

Third, with the type of things that you want to setup, it will be troublesome to shift things later to a new hosting account. Its surely possible, but somewhat troublesome.

You will need hosting with PHP and MySQL support to run your blog as well as forum. Look for some cPanel shared hosting.

Hosting means putting your site files on a server that is connected to the net 24x7 with high speed connection.

Bandwidth means total data tansferred from the server due to visitors. Every image that loads, every file that is loaded, every request to the server for files, every mail will cause some data transfer. Bandwidth is usually calculated monthly and is reset on the first of the month. Bandwidth requirements depend on the number of visitors to your site.

You can opt for free hosting to save costs, but pay for the domain name and choose something from whats available. Domain name costs are not much these days. However, I will suggest go for paid hosting and keep your adsense ads on it. With reasonable traffic, you will surely recover costs.

[ahref]

As suggested by tux go for paid hosting, you can easily recover hosting cost by monetizing it, there are thousands of methods to monetize site.

First going for free domain and then paid domain you will not only lose visitors, but also search engine positions.

You can easily start your paid site for less than Rs. 500/- pa

[chesss]

However, I will suggest go for paid hosting and keep your adsense ads on it.

Got that! , but I have decided not to even thik abt monetizing, I am mainly doing this one serious project as learning experience

You can easily start your paid site for less than Rs. 500/- pa

pa == per annum ? If thats the case then I am definitely going for paid

You will need hosting with PHP and MySQL support to run your blog as well as forum. Look for some cPanel shared hosting.[/quote] will php support be enough to run a blog on my website?

Thanks tuxfan your help is pricesless

[tuxfan]

Yes, PA = per annum (per year) and a domain is not even 500 I have been giving domains for Rs. 399/-.

I have already offerred free hosting to memebers with a condition of 250 posts at this forum. If a member doesn't have 250 posts, he can take a domain from me for this offer.

Have a look at this thread.
http://www.thinkdigit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30182

[chesss]

You will need hosting with PHP and MySQL support to run your blog

Can someone tell me exactly how to go about this? Googling showed it was possible but, I can't find how to go about this.

[mehulved]

Most of the good hosting sites will give you cPanel hosting, it will have all essential support including PHP and MySQL, as LAMP is the most common combination today, even on windows, PHP, Apache and MySQL are used a lot.

[tuxfan]

Originally Posted by chesss

Can someone tell me exactly how to go about this? Googling showed it was possible but, I can't find how to go about this.

Here's some very broad steps!!

1. Register a domain name
2. After 48 hours, host it if you want to start using the domain name for emails. If you don't want to use it for mails, no need to host it immediately.
3. However, if you want a blog, host it immediately and install the most popular and free blogging tool - WordPress. Select some skins, install them too and start blogging. All this should not take more than 2-3 hours.
4. If you want to start a forum, use the free forum software - phpBB
5. Build the site offline. If you want to make dynamic sites using PHP & MySQL, you can install something like XAMPP (Windows :: Linux) or EasyPHP in your machine so that you can test your site offline before uploading pages. You don't need these for making a static site using HTML/XHTML/CSS/Javascript.
6. If you have not already taken a hosting account, take it as soon as you are 75%-80% thru with making your site on your hard disk.
7. Upload the pages, test them online, finish your site and launch it

For hosting you should prefer something with cPanel and Fantastico. That will make the installation of WordPress and phpBB very easy. Just a few clicks and they will be installed However, even otherwise installation is not too difficult but just a little daunting if you are doing it for first time

BTW, for all such long descriptive posts I have now started taking payments by paypal

[thecyclone2k]

Unless you try on, it would seem hard from outside. Once, you start working on your website it was become really easy eventually. C'Mon it won't hard to shell out around 1k to learn something good and useful! Or, you can try with free hosts too to have the feel.

[Pathik]

yup start with free hosts..... and its easier than u think....

[chesss]

However, if you want a blog, host it immediately and install the most popular and free blogging tool - WordPress. Select some skins, install them too and start blogging. All this should not take more than 2-3 hours.

Thanks tuxfan that was exactly what I needed!
So now I am building my site offline, to test for php stuff I will be using a temp account at ripway (Using linux rocks!!) , then if its worth the internet I would register a domain , and then host it .

Thanks a lot guys, hopefully all will go well

[tuxfan]

Oh yes, everything will go well! All the best.

Installation of WP, etc have been made so simple that you can't go wrong if you are careful. I got it right in the first attempt Its not my achievement, but the achievement of those who coded WP, phpBB, etc.