So, don't be intimidated. Most sites you go to on the web that deal with web design or graphics will have tutorials on HTML. You can't swing a dead cat without finding someone willing to give you detailed instruction in it. Any of these will give you the basics to get started. The one that I recommend and still use as a reference is A Beginner's Guide to HTML. They have a printable guide that I always keep within arms reach. Another good reference site for all aspects of web design is Web Developer.com.

If you go to some of these sites they will tell you that you need what is called an HTML Editor application. From what I gather it allows you to see what you're writing in HTML as on-screen display while you're doing it. At this level, just starting out and making small home web pages, you really don't need to waste the money or memory on that sort of thing. If you have Windows you have an application called Notepad. You'll find it under the Start button in Accessories. If you type your page here, save it as an .html file, then open it with your web browser, you can do the same thing. For example:

Type your page in Notepad. Click on "File" in the menu bar at the top and then click on "Save As..." . When the window comes up, go to the bottom where it says "Save as type:" and click on the arrow at the right side of the line and when the list opens click on "All Files(*.*)". Then type in under "File name:" "your_document.html" (of course using the name you want to call your page instead of "your_document". Most people recommend naming your main page "index.html") and save. Don't close Notepad.

Then open your web browser. In Netscape, click on "File" at the top and then click on "Open page...". When the window appears, click on the "Choose file..." button at the right and find the file you just saved in the window that appears. In Internet Explorer, click on "File" and then "Open" then click on the "Browse" button and do the same thing. Double click on the name or click on the name and then click the "Open" button.

You should now have your web browser and Notepad open at the same time. You will need to bring Notepad to the "top of the pile" of windows. To do this just go to the bar at the bottom of the screen and look for the button that has a notebook icon and the name of your page on it. If Notepad opens at full size (which it almost never does) reduce the size of your window by clicking on the middle button of the three in the upper right hand corner and keep the browser window maximized. You should now be looking at a small window where you can enter text and a large window in the background containing your visual representation of the page. Now whenever you add to the page or make changes, just save what you've done (always remember to save; if you don't the changes won't show up on the browser screen) and then click in the browser screen. This will bring it to the front. Hit the "Refresh" or "Reload" button at the top and it will implement the changes on the screen. To go back into Notepad, repeat the process above. Just keep doing this until you have the page just the way you want it. Easy, no money spent and no extra memory used.

**I will say here that I have recently discovered an HTML editor that I like and find very helpful. I still think that for simple home pages Notepad and a browser work fine but for volumes of work (which I am doing now) and for the more complicated things this programs works wonders. See the New Stuff page for details.**

Now on to design and content. This is what will, if done properly, set your site apart. Now my site is nothing fancy. It's pretty ordinary and that is what I was going for. It's mostly to alleviate my feelings of guilt for not staying in touch with friends and family well enough. And to show pictures of my kids. But web sites can be wonderful, dynamic things. For instance, my site has very little Java script in it. Java script is the language you use to make things happen such as text changing colors, buttons rotating when the cursor is over them, that sort of thing. The good news about this is if you want this sort of thing on your site, you don't necessarily need to learn the language. There are several sites that have phrases you can cut and paste into your site and the action will then happen there. (They will have instructions for cutting and pasting if you don't know how to do it.) If you enter the phrase "Java script" into your search engine it will find more sites than you'll ever be able to look at. I haven't gotten into that phase of designing yet so I really can't offer much input yet.

There are two places I recommend you go to before you design your web page. These places will give you the tips and tricks to make your web page more than just a place to put pictures of your favorite movie or rock star. Especially if you're just starting out. They are Web Developer.com and Boogie Jack's Web Depot. I learned a lot from Boogie Jack's and he has a huge selection of graphics to get you started with.

The other thing I highly recommend you do is look at other sites as you are surfing and note the features you like. While you are on the page click on "View" on your browser and select "View Source" (in Netscape) or "Source" (in Internet Explorer). This will open a separate window that contains the HTML the person used to write the page. You can then cut and paste the language that contains the feature you like or duplicate it and cusomize it to your page. It is also very helpful to print this text out so you can disect it and see how other people write their HTML; what works and what doesn't. DON'T completely steal someone's page and make it your own. It's really bad karma.

Ok, so you've designed and written your page. You're now ready to "upload" it to the place it will be hosted. Where this will be done depends on how you get the internet. The company you use to get on the internet is called your ISP or Internet Service Provider. For instance AOL and Compuserve are ISPs. However, I don't believe they host web pages for free. I'm not sure if they host them at all. If you use these services you will probably have to go to one of the places on line that host pages for free; such as Geocities or Tripod. When I first started making web pages, I really didn't use free sites because I had 10 megs of space and at the time I figured that would be more than I would ever need. (LOLOL Ahhh silly me.) One reason I didn't like them is that they require you to run some kind of advertisement on your page in order to host it free of charge. Now the 10 megs of space I get through my cable provider is just the host for the basic pages of my family homesite. I had been hosting some of my other pages on Tripod and Bravenet but just this summer I purchased some space with 0catch.com and I am quite happy with it. I got 1 gig of space plus all the extras for $150 per year. Compared to $1 per meg I would need to pay to increase my cable space it was the most economical choice. But for just starting out, if you have a local ISP and they offer space with your connection, use it. If you have AOL, use one of the free hosting sites I have listed rather that using an AOL Hometown site or whatever they call it. Those pages are just aweful and the banner topper they attach to all your pages are obnoxious and much worse than the banner ads you would get at Tripod or Bravenet. After you decide where you will be hosting your page you will need to get an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) application. This will allow you to send the files that make up your page to the ISP/host server. The one I have is called "WsFTP" which is for use with Windows. (If you have a Mac you will want "Fetch".) It was free and I got it from Tucows. From there, your web host will have instructions on how to get your information to them.