The website game - what am I missing?

Hi Leahyrlw, Im not real savvy on this stuff I have just dabbled in it a time or two...But this site has all kinds of totally free gadgets for creating web pages none of their downloads come with other junk packed in them..you know like Gator, and other adware..these are totally free programs..there are some shareware items as well if you want to buy them. Heres the link:

http://www.snapfiles.com/freeware/
Hope this helps ya! William

quote:

Originally posted by leahyrlw:
OK, I'm computer illiterate and learning thanks to you guys. There something I don't understand. I pay for a domain name(not much). I have all these little free blogs/pages, none of which are linked to my domain name. I would like to create one web page to point to these pages. I can create it with DeamWeaver,Front Page,($400.00) etc. and then get an FTP Client(another $400.00) to point it to my domain name.
Surely I'm missing something here. It just can't be this expense. What am I missing?

Thanks
Rosemary

Rosemary,

I use Cort FTP lite which is a free download. It works real well. And I've yet to have it fail.

If you want to forward your domain name to your URL it's real easy. Depending on who your domain name holder is...well, if it's GoDaddy you just go to the tab that states Forward this URL. If it's another holder (my names were bought through namecheap.com) and it has real simple step by step instructions on the site. Some domain holders require that they forward your URL for you.

Who holds your domain name? You have my email address if you'd rather send the info there.

Do NOT buy high dollar software..there's too much free software out there that does a fine job. Now, professionsals that do design for their livlihood? Yep..they need the expensive stuff.

We have quite a few good designers on this site, WAHM is one, Starry Night is another and so is KWK Designs. You'd be better off asking one of them.

My Best,
Donna

Rosemary, You can go to google and type in free website. You can find some that do not have popups and adds all over them. Build your homepage, and hopefully you have access to your metatags on it. Once the website is built, you can buy a domain name at www.godaddy.com and have a the domain name point to the free site. So you would try to get the domain name in all the search engines and then when someone clicks it, it goes right to your website.

Here is an example of 2 of my pointing names. www.bonsai-studio.com and www.bonsai-nursery.com These point to my original bonsai-mart.com website. I bought the names at go daddy and set them up to point to the mart store. Everything I do on the net I set up to point to my cheapest moneymaker bonsai mart. I do not have anything point in the direction of ebay and its high costs of doing business.

I got my domain from GoDaddy and my hosting from Kathy at www.KWKDesigns.com

I know nothing about having a website but she has been a great help. The site comes with what they call C-panal and everything you need is right there.

I have learned how to upload files and images and even edit them. I have also installed a ZenCart and I'm now working on modifying that to get the website just the way I want it

If you are looking for a FREE ftp client then there is none better than smartftp.

SmartFTP

If youre truly wanting dreamweaver, can get it cheaper if you can qualify for academic discount (still gonna be nearly $200, but...)

Different sites will have different ways to prove qualifications. Some just require that you state that you qualify, others want a copy of transcript, others want copy of student id.

Microsoft's policy is that the reseller is supposed to ask for student id. but again, that will vary, simply because some resellers will ignore MS policy. And some resellers only randomly ask for proof.

Another type of discount out there for software is OEM versions. Theyre intended for sale with computer system, but some companies say "with computer hardware". So, some resellers will include some cheap piece of hardware (ie: a mouse, a cpu fan, etc). Again, mileage will vary.

Of course, when searching for such retailers, be aware that there are many scam sites and fake sites out there that searches will pull up, and many selling counterfeit copies that searches will pull up. If it says that you'll be able to download the software, RUN THE OTHER WAY! As always, look for key things, such as professional site, how long they've been around, etc.

Newegg.com is one site that sells lots of academic and oem software, and theyre reputable. right now they dont have much in the way of academic, didnt check their oem stock.

If youre willing to go with something else besides Dreamweaver, then there are some free options out there, such as AceHTML http://www.download.com/AceHTML-Freeware/3000-2048_4-10524593.html?tag=lst-0-8

Yep, lots of free stuff out there. My ftp software is WS_FTP Pro but there are lots of them out there.

For page design I've used EditPlus a lot. I have an older version but the new one is here: http://www.editplus.com/. It's not quite as point-n-click as Dreamweaver, I guess, but it's still easy to use. I'm sure there are lots more free or cheap editors around too.

Wow! Thanks so much for the responses. I can't believe all this fantastic information. Sounds like I've got a lot of work to do. Thanks to all and have a good 4th.

Thanks again,
Rosemary