March 10th, 2010 
ifydcat Site will have main layout of various counties in the state. When you click on the county link the next page will have a list of people. I need to have a search function so that a user can input a name in the search bar and results are returned. User will pay a certain amount per year so I need credit card functionality and ssl. What type of software should I use to build the site and what sort of database can I use. Looking for easiest and most efficient software. Advanced user in computers and website hosting but not much with merchants and databases. Need opinions. Should I use godaddy? Also which type of database software and website building software should I use? Thanks for the help.
I have Dreamweaver CS3, MySQL, (also have Mac/Leopard that has PHP 5 and Apache server built in), notepad++, & xampp on a PC. I know I need to start doing some homework, but where should I start? Can Dreamweaver do what I need or should I use MySQL??
I just need some guidance as I do not have a lot of experience in webpages – just basic HTML… I do have a good grasp on computers (A+ & net+ certified with bachelor’s in IT management), just need to know which steps to take and where to start..
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Start by getting familiar with PHP & MySQL. It would be useful to use an actual online server rather than a Mac which has it built in as this is a big project to embark on if you have no PHP experience.
This is complex stuff …yes, Dreamweaver would help. MySQL database would be fine. So before you get excited about setting up your database and SSL you need to get sorted with PHP and MySQL. You will want to hand-code this if you expect people to pay for it.
http://www.w3schools.com/PHP/DEfaULT.asP
http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.0/en/tutorial.html
As you may know a domain name is just a name, not a real website. If you are going to create your website: 1- Buy a domain name. A domain name is a name you want to call your website (ex: http://www.yahoo.com). To get a domain name, you have to pay an annual fee to a registrar for the right to use that name. 2- Buy a web hosting service to provide your online space and enable you to get your website online at your purchased domain name.
If you want to start your website I recommend purchase your domain and hosting together. In this way it is possible to get your domain for free. Some hosting services offer this gift today.
As an experienced webmaster I recommend BH web hosting which I’m sure it would work for you and fulfill all your requirements. They have a really great offer for hosting & I have used them for over 3 yrs now, and have never had a single problem with them.
You can reach reviews about this web hosting provider and its latest DISCOUNT COUPONS at:
http://www.threehosts.com/reviews/1st
They also offer “Free Site Builder” that helps you build your web pages without difficulty if you are not skilled in using any website creating program. (WYSIWYG: What You See Is What You Get) You can use this service optionally. You can also create the pages offline with your favorite program (DreamWeaver, FrontPage, Microsoft Publisher, etc.), and then upload them to your web host. This is another easy way to get your website online.
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* If you sign up for this service you will have $75 credits to advertise your website with the google & yahoo search engines for free!
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Another useful link:
http://www.threehosts.com/create
There you can find a step-by-step guide to start your website with more details.
Hope This Helps.