March 4th, 2010 
ifydcat I have an amazing idea for a non profit website that i think might help save some lives dealing with depression, etc.
My only problem is i am not quite sure how to get there):
I want it to look fairly polished with an intro page and different sections where i can input articles and a comment feature for readers. sort of like a blog if you will, but not quite; i want my site to look better than just your average blog.
I have basic knowledge in Java (computer science), Management Information Systems (college business class dealing with databases ala access and excel), HTML, Pay per click, google Adwords, and i looked into ASP.Net today (which I think is a server side language but not quite sure if i should use this?)
Is there a site i can use for server space? what programs should i use to errect the site? do i write it in HTML? do i need server language? in essence what steps should i take to create this site?
Any reply will be GREATLY appreciated (:
I think i have all the “know how” for how to make the site. I’m just not sure how to put it all together.
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Well…best advice I can give you for starting out, is to get the tools, and the knowledge to use them. Dreamweaver is the standard for building websites. Thing is, you will also need something for graphics. Fireworks will work, but you should really have that AND Photoshop…and even more ideally, Illustrator (I know…I just listed a fifteen hundred dollar software suite…).
Then, some books…dreamweaver is the “must have” for a professional website. Lynda Hand On Training by Chow is a great book for learning if you know the basics.
Also, learn CSS asap if you don’t know it already. That book above will show you a lot of neat tricks, but you need to know syntax and basics first.
A server side language is useful for either dynamic content or interactive content (think: forums). If you are going to have content that will be changing daily, or want your users to be able to interact with your site and other users, you will need to use a SSL. You might also consider PHP. With a server side language, you will also need working knowledge of SQL.
I recommend Bluehost and Hostgator for single site servers that are just starting out and not expecting to have a built in visitor base. They both offer the most bang for your buck. Don’t take my word for it. Spend at least a week researching hosting services. Don’t just buy something…talk to people first. A lot of people get ripped off buying fake/shoddy hosts.
If you DO go all out with Adobe CS3 Web (all the programs you could ever need), also get Photoshop Studio Techniques by Willmore. It is the definative book when it comes to learning Photoshop. Fireworks is pretty intuitive, and you should be able to learn that through free tutorials on the net.
You might also consider taking a couple classes at the local community college or online college, if you’re serious about.
And if all else fails..
Hire a pro!
You work with what you’ve got, so say you want to host a PHP and SQL site, you’ll have to either pay or find a site offering these things.
All youll ever need to do is upload the pages, the hosting will be done by the company you buy from, you’ll not have to configure a server or install asp or java or anything like unless you want to host the site from your bedroom (not recommended at all)
Firstly you need to decide what type of site you want to host, if its plain HTML plently of sites offer this for free, if you want something with a better domain name you may have to pay. If you want ASP and java you’ll have to look for these requirements on the server.
Then youill have a page which allows you to upload pages and configure FTP access and a bunch of other features. If your good at configuring dreamweaver you can avoid using this control panel page and dreamweaver will upload new pages as you make them, otherwise you upload them yourself.
The pages will be viewable once you upload them and thats pretty much it. In regards to programming, I’d recommend PHP and sql and I’ve found a site offering free subdomains called 100webspace, it offers a standard front page, PHP and mysql for databases (this will be ideal for a blog). I’ve provided a link to 100webspaces, what a subdomain is, is your address before the domain address, e.g http://www.slowpoke115.100webspaces.com, you’d need to pay for anything else.
Here are some common technologies you will want to look into.
PHP/MySQL : PHP is a server side language and MySQL is a database and also the language that you use for building the database and submitting queries to it.
You could also go the Ruby route and use Ruby on Rails… but that might be a little more work to learn… however once you learn it. Everything is fast and easy. Ruby is also Object Oriented so if you are familiar with Java you should have a pretty easy time learning Ruby.
Once you have decided what you plan on using to build your website, you will probably want to find a server host. This will cost anywhere between $5 dollars a month to $7000099983 a month(this is really only for big businesses)… You will probably be able to find what you need for between $5-$10 a month. Check out Dreamhost, and StartLogic… look around for what is the best host for your needs.
Get to work building!
It might be easier to first build your website locally on your own computer. If you have a Mac you can set up Apache and host your own server right off of your computer! If not, or if you do not want to figure out how to run Apache you can download WAMP (windows) or MAMP (Mac) and it will be a local server for you and let you build your application before you start hosting(This is for if you are using PHP/SQL if you are using Ruby On Rails check out Locomotion for something similar.) It is a good idea to build things locally so that you can quickly test them out and quickly load your page when you want to look at it.
a great place to look for everything web building related is: http://www.w3schools.com/
Probably the best place to get started and learn about setting everything up.
You can find out step by step guide on how to create a website at http://www.aplis.net/
You can even earn from adsense using your website.