"Welcome To My World"

Constructing Your Home Page

This Home Page was built at Zero Cost. No books, or programs were purchased. In fact no studying of HTML code was done by me...I looked at "OPs" - Other Peoples' code, and adapted mine from theirs at first...many start this way. I received no tutoring.

First you should know a little about HTML - the "code" used in constructing web pages...go to http://www.google.com/ and search on "simple html".
Or...
do this if you don't want to "study" right now:

Remember that the simplest thing in building home pages, or web sites is HTML - the code you can learn from OP, or studying it. The most difficult thing is getting a free, unlimited, reliable, good, Hosting Server.

Make a new File Folder on your Hard Drive, and name it HomePage.

Copy the text below, and Paste it into Notepad, and save it as page_1.htm in your file named HomePage.

<HTML>

<HEAD>

<TITLE>My Place</TITLE>

</HEAD>

<BODY>

<CENTER>

 

<DIV>THIS IS MY PLACE</DIV>

 

</BODY>

</HTML>

On your Desk Top are icons for WordPad, and Notepad, and if not there, Drag, and Drop them from Program Files to your Desk Top. These two word processors are simple, and easy to use. For writing html files they are the best...forget anything else.

You paid for them...they come with Windows, and they are all you will ever need as a Web Master. Notepad has limited space, but WordPad has no limit, but is a bit more convoluted with selected types of files...but just Save As Text Document; Text Document - MS DOS Format; or Unicode Text Document, using the extension - .htm, and you're alright.

All Web Hosting Servers Insist that all text, and image files be labeled in Lower Case. If not, they will not be accepted, or appear.

Now open your Browser - Internet Explorer, and open your first .htm file - page_1.htm, which you saved in your new File Folder - HomePage.

What you see is This Is My Place in big black letters on a white background!
Now , on the Menu bar at the top of the screen, Click on View, and then Source.
You now see the Source Code of your HTML file...the same as shown in the gray field above.

Now, Click on File, then Save As, and save to your HomePage folder as index.html.
You now have duplicate files, but named differently. This index file is the only index.html ( note the "l" added ) in your home page...it is the "mother" file...so to speak. No other file will have this name, or extension ( html ). Every time you update page_1.htm you have to do the Save As thingy, saving it as index.html.
You don't do this with any other files in your home pages...they are just uploaded as they are...need no index file.

Uploading

You have to get your files to the Hosting Server before you can see them on the Internet, and the way you do that is by using a File Transferring program called an FTP ( File Transfer Protocol ).
However, most Host Servers offer their own File Management feature, but FTP programs are more professional, and faster.
This program is available free here: http://members.aol.com/brandyware/freeftp.htm
It's not big...easy to download...just page down on their screen where it says: Download ( see the arrow ), and follow the instructions. Save it to disk, or just plain let it install itself.
After it's installed on your Desk Top, you can view their tutorial.

Now For The Biggy

You Gotta Have This...The Host Server

Before you go Clicking on the URL below, remember, you want Personal Web Space, so Click on their appropriate place: Freepages Accounts. You will have to read all their instructions, agreements, etc.
They may ask what category to put your files in...mine are in Misc ( Miscellaneous ).
You will be asked for a "User" Name...what you want to call your home pages. In this case keep it simple, but unique. Associate it to what your home pages will be about, or use a term in your business, or vocation, or hobby that's appropriate. For instance, if you were a dispatcher use "Dispatch" ( that's a good one - exactly eight letters )...a taylor - "Wefityou", etc., you get the idea.
This Web Hosting Service may assign you a password...in that case, they won't ask you for one. However, it's always handy to have a password, but just use one for everything, and keep that simple...like the name of your pet in lower case...always lower case...that way you won't forget it.

When you have answered all their questions, and uploaded the application, they will contact you by email. This goes fast, sometimes you hear from them within minutes, but never longer than a day.
Be patient...you waited this long for this...wait for their reply. Without it, you will not have the proper info to get started. Keep the email as an email file, and also copy, and paste it into Notepad, and save it as such, keeping both in your folder for Private matters...remember, it will have your password.
The email will indicate your web site's ( home page's ) URL ( address )...you can look at it, but it will be empty...of course. Save it as a "Favorite" right then.
Be advised that this web hosting service is not a Fly-By-Night outfit...they've been around for some time, and this is the one you want, so abide by their rules.

Go Get It:

Click Here For Free Unlimited Space With RootsWeb.com

For FTP, using an FTP program instead of their File Manager feature, they do not address their FTP URL beginning with "ftp", as most hosts do, but use users.freepages.rootsweb.com
The password they will issue you will be automatically generated...it is best you "Copy", and "Paste" it directly into the password box...untouched by human hands...so to say. That way you know you got it right.
Now, open FreeFTP by Double Clicking on its Icon on your Desk Top. At the lower right pane where it says Your Folders, go get your HomePages folder, and Double Click on it. You will see your two files - index.html, and page_1.htm appear listed in the lower left hand pane called - Your Files.
Click on index.html - it will become high-lighted, and while holding down the Ctrl Key on your keyboard, Click on page_1.htm...both will be high-lighted, allowing both to be uploaded together.

At the Upper Right corner of the program field, see Enter The FTP's URL Here:
Type in in lower case - users.freepages.rootsweb.com
For User ID, type in the User name you devised
For Password, paste in your password copied from the email
Don't mess with Access Type, and Proxy fields ( boxes ).
You will only have to enter this info once...it will be remembered for future uses.

Now, Click on Connect, and keep your eye on the Status box bottom left...you will see what processes are being done to connect. It usually happens fast...you'll see "Receiving Response"; "Connecting"; "Waiting"....
In the upper left pane - FTP Site Files you will see a list of Files ( Directories ) appear, Double Click on the File ( Directory ), or category your files are kept in. Since you haven't uploaded anything of yours yet, you may see some temporary files appear there, replacing those previously listed. Don't worry about them...just go ahead and Click on the Black Arrow that Points up, and says "Send" next to it.
Watch the Status box...you will see, quite rapidly, the two files you highlighted being sent...you may miss it...it happens fast. Then you will see in the Status box something to the effect of "Refreshing Files", and then "Waiting'...your two files appear in the pane - FTP Site Files...your Upload was successful.
Now Click on Disconnect. Watching once again the Status box, you will see the process of being disconnected. When "Waiting" appears, you can now Click on Exit ( extreme lower right )...your files have been sucessfully Uploaded.

Go See

Open your browser, Click on Favorites, Click on your site, and see...there in large black text:

THIS IS MY PLACE

Your place...actually.

Look...you figure yourself interesting enough to be on the Internet...now you are. This info has been posted on August 28^th 2004. In three months I'll be seventy-two years old...I'm a retired Seaman...not a Computer Scientist. I started this home page over five-years ago, inquistive, as you, in a personal home page. It's been a brain-strain, but good...strain, and stress is good for the psyche. Now go and view Other Peoples' stuph ( source code ), or mine, and adapt their format to your pages, or modify it...that's fun. Everyone has a story to tell, a life that's interesting to some degree...we all contribute to history...everyone should have a home page. In fact, upon being born, everyone should be issued web space automatically for their personal use, and it should be free. However, "free" is getting hard to get, but someday it will be, and without conditions. Go document your history...the world awaits!

GALLERIES