getting started

introduction
So, you want to make a web site. First, evaluate what exactly you want to cover in your site. Will it be a 'personal page', telling the world about yourself? Or will it be an educational site, such as Webworks, that teaches a certain subject?
Whatever it is, start by creating a rough site map of the hierarchy of your site, and the different levels involved. For a small personal site, it could be as simple as this:

On the other hand, for a complex site such as Webworks, multiple levels of information are needed. A small snippet of our site map looks like this: You get the idea. It's important to define what specific sections will be displayed, and how the viewer should be able to navigate between them. For Webworks, before we even began a line of code or designed a graphic, we decided on how our site should be presented. We decided on content areas, navigation systems, page layout, background tone, and the site's color and font scheme.

creating a template
The next step is to create a directory structure that coincides with the areas of the site. You'll want to create a main directory, and then create subdirectories inside it which correspond to the hierarchy of your site. You'll also want a separate subdirectory directory for graphics and images.
Next, go through the important tutorials on our site to learn how to create your web page. While the techniques involved are fresh on your mind, get to work on the main page. When you start a web site, you should always name the home page index.html. Browsers automatically search for a page with that name when you load a site. If you're not completely comfortable with HTML yet, you may want to start creating with an editor such as Microsoft FrontPage or Adobe PageMill, then work off of that and fine-tune the HTML to your satisfaction. After you have the page generally roughed out and the navigation links suited to your taste, make copies of the page to represent the different areas of your site. At this point, content is not important; what's important is the presence of a working navigation system and a standardized, consistent design. Other aspects, such as content and graphics, can be changed later.

creating the content
The next important step is to create the content for your site. This is the most difficult part, and will probably take the longest. For Webworks, creating the content entailed:

the finishing touches
Congratulations! You've made it through the most difficult step. Now, you get to put the final polish on your site by proofing your content, checking all your links, and adding any remaining features you want to implement. For Webworks, we created a search engine and several interactive scripts.

uploading your site
You're finished! Now, all you have to do is upload your site on to the Internet, where anyone can see it. The details of this process depend on your Internet Service Provider, and they should be able to help you connect using FTP software. FTP (File Transfer Protocol) software is what you use to connect with an Internet server and upload your site. There are many different products available that can do this, and many are free or offer free trial periods. My personal preference is WS_FTP, available at http://www.ipswitch.com/. Once again, if you have any questions, talk to your Internet Service Provider for details. If they don't provide you with free web space, there are a number of services available on the Internet that do. Two of the most popular are http://www.geocities.com/ and http://www.tripod.com..
Good luck!

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