• General

    Going On 13 Years

    Back in October 2005, I started my first website that cost me money. Back then, I did not know much about the different webhosts that were available. I started with Invision Powerboard and ran a Star Trek Simm (RP) off that board. It was not until a year later that I had bought the standalone version of the board and moved over to hostgator which is still my webhost today. I have checked out other hosts over the years, but none that I have tried compare to them.

    For the longest time, I used to make themes/skins for invision powerboard. Having said that, the forum will be coming back to this website once I can afford to pay the invoice. Since I need an upgraded version, I need to pay for it, but its worth it and I have all the addons. Once that happens, new themes will be coming back. I will have some for free, but also I will have some that will cost a little bit, but its not going to be expensive. I do not believe in charging a lot of money for a skin, nor have a maintenance cost ever so many months.

    One thing I have learned over the years, is that I am rare when it comes to website. I took the time over the years to learn how to set up a website, but there are people who do not have the time to set it up. In those cases, they rely on other people to set up a website.

    Even though, I have been running a website for this long, that does not mean I know everything. Things have changed over the years though.

  • Tips and Tricks

    Database Backup

    It is very important that you backup your database if you have a database for your website. Sites like forums, CMS and much more use them. If you don’t back up your database and for some reason the webserver has a hardware failure, you would lose everything you have worked hard on.

    Having said that, what needs to be done to backup a database.

    1. Go to your cpanel
    2. In the database section, find phpmyadmin.
    3. Then find your database you want to backup.
    4. Click export
    5. I’d choose zip down a ways on that page and hit go. It will then save itself to your computer.

  • Technology

    How to make a website from scratch

    Building a website can be rewarding and also at the same time, it can be an headache. First before you plunge into creating a website, you need to decide what you trying to accomplish.

    Here are some questions that you need to ask yourself:

     

    • What are you trying to accomplish?
    • Are you looking to have a very basic or very complicated type of site where you have forums and among other things?

     

    Once you have figured out those answers, then you should go onto the next step.

    The Next Step
    Now that you have answered your questions, its now time to go onto the next step. Before you can even create a website at all, you need to figure out where you are going to have it. Are you going to have a free one or are you going to have one that you paid for?

    Now its time to create your site
    If you managed to go the free route, all you need is the site and notepad or wysiwyg editor. Most free sites do not allow a lot of advanced features so you have to go real basic. No matter which route you go, it is a real good idea to learn html and css.
    If you are going with the paid route and you plan on designing a site that is database driven, you will need a ftp client, your website information and the and the information listed above. If you are planning on adding a cms or message board, please check this hub. It should give you the general idea of what you need to do when installing either one.

    Now you should be on your way.

  • Technology

    Reasons To Have Your Own Website

    Many people have websites for different reasons. Some have them for hobbies and some use it to run their business from. Some people use if for business reasons and some use it for hobbies. More and more people and businesses these day have websites.

    Email

    In most cases the email is a lot better than going with one of those free emails out there like yahoo and etc.You have more control of it as to how much space you get and etc.You can view the emails online like you normally do, but if you are using a portable device to read your emails, you may not be able to access it.At least with this, you are knowing you are getting your emails and most hosts are real good at helping you if you have any problems.When you go through yahoo or whatever free site, you don’t typically get an answer back by a real person.
    The Website itself

    Having a website is a great way to sell if you are putting a business online.You can hold a blog of your own and you have more control of it compared to if you go to some free site out there.Those free hosts are not worth it as they are rather limiting to say the least.

  • Tips and Tricks

    How to own, build and develop a website?

    Many people create websites for many reasons. It may vary from a business purposes to a hobby. When I first had a website, I didn’t know a whole lot compared to what I know now. Like everyone, my very first website was a free one until one day I decided that I needed more control and now I run a site that has its own domain name and webhosting. In fact, I currently have a total of three sites running concurrently under one host.

    A little about Free Websites
    Free websites do have their place if you are only starting out and you don’t typically need a lot of advanced features like having a forum included in your website. More than likely, you would have to go a domain name and webhost to take advantage of that. Most free hosts do not have the stuff you need in order to install a forum.

    What Do You Need to Develop a Website
    In this section, I am going to discuss what is needed when it comes to paying for a website.

    What you need is this:

    • A domain Name
    • Webhost

    A little About Domain Names

    Buying a domain name is cheap. When I first bought my first domain name, I was spending $15 dollars a year only because I didn’t know of any other sites that charged less for the money. Now I spend less than $10 per year per domain name.

    When you do buy a domain name, come up with a name that suites what your website is all about. The key to a good domain name is one that is easy to remember.
    A little about Webhosts
    A domain name is only just a name so you need some sort of host. Most people I know these days use hostgator. I’ve used them for a couple years and I have hardly had any problems with them. A little about webhosts, they usually meet what you need.

    The webhosting Options
    There are many different options that you can choose when choosing the webhosting options.

    Here are a few options you have:

    • Shared
    • Reseller
    • Dedicated Server
    • Virtual private server

    Most people will start out on a shared server as that is usually all you need when first starting out. A reseller account is where you can sell hosting to other people to choose. Its great for that, but its also a good way to divide your own websites up. Its the more expensive option than shared. Resellers are typically on shared environment. Then the next step would be the virtual private servers as that is right in between a shared environment and a dedicated server. What it basically is, is where you share a particion with other people on that server. Finally the last option here is Dedicated server where its only you on there and if you are hosting other people.

    Lets get to the Fun Part

    Now it is time to start building a website once you have done all that I had said before.
    Now you have to decide if you want to build a site from scratch or not. You can build the site with only just html and css or using a cms.
    If you decide to create a site from scratch, you really need to learn how to create a site from scratch. The other option is that you can install a cms and it will do most of the work for you. Still it will be helpful for you to learn html in order to do everything you want to do to make the site look good.

    The Bottom Line

    The bottom line is that it does take time to learn everything. If you are willing to learn new things, this is for you and it will be well worth it once you start building your own website. You will be happy on what you had created and as time goes on you will keep on trying to improve it. I have had my website for quite a few years and have never looked back since.

  • Technology,  Uncategorized

    Steps to Installing a Message Board or a Content Management System

    Introduction

    Many people who are new to having a website want to have either a content management system or a forum. What are the steps to getting them installed?

    Step 1: Get a host
    If you have a free website, typically that is not going to cut it unless you have a sql database included in your package.

    Step 2: Download it.
    Find what CMS or Forum you going to be using and download it. Usually they are zipped up so once you download it, please unzip it. You can use winzip or 7 zip to accomplish that.
    Step 3: Download your ftp client

    In order to batch upload you need a ftp client. I use ftp core.

    Step 4: Set up your database

    Most host have a cpanel. Go in there and you will need to set up your database. You will find a icon that says database and you should double click it. There create whatever name you want for your database. After you do that, you will have to set up a username. It should be near the bottom the database screen. There you may choose whatever username and password you like. Once that is done then you need to connect it to your database. Where it says add user to database, pick the username and database you want to add and click add. Then you should be coming to another screen which gives you the option to set privileges. There I set all of the options.

    Step 5: Upload your files

    The next step is you have to upload your files. Usually your username and password you use to log into your cpanel is enough for the ftp program. Once you have your ftp program loaded there will be some setting you need to add

    website name: whatever you named it.

    host ip/url is usually something like this ftp.yourwebaddress.com

    then it will ask for your username and password. Use what you use to log into your cpanel.

    Once you get logged in via your ftp program. Make sure that you are in your public html directory at least otherwise whatever you load will not show up on the internet. Load up your files.

    Step 6: Install your CMS or Message Board

    By now you should have all your files uploaded to your webserver. Most forums or cms you can go to the main website that you installed your files up to and it will havew an install page. If not and you get a white page then there is a install directory or install/index.php. Either case follow the directions.

    When you get database server hostname thats is usually localhost. Then it should be asking for database name. That is the database you made up. A lot of cases its a mix between your cpanel username and your database name so I usually copy and paste that. The same idea goes for the username and then oviously you have to put your password in. Once that is all in, just follow what the screen tells you.

  • Technology

    About Webhosts

    What To Look For From Your Host

    You really have to look into a lot of things before you choose your host. You do not always know how the service is before you even try it. If you can find one that is month to month, that is the best for when you are starting out. Some of them even have a money back guaranty. Those are usually the best ones to try out.
    Some things you really need to know outside of price

    What is their uptime? Uptime is where the server is actually running. You would want something at around 90 percent. Most offer 99.9%. All servers do have downtimes at times, so you really can’t expect 100% due to servers having to be restarted up or having to be fixed.
    How much space are they giving you when it comes to hard drive and bandwidth?
    Most webhosts do oversell and in those cases, you get unlimited space and etc. What I have found is that usually the unlimited has the better deal than ones that give you so much of diskspace. This only applies to shared webhosting usually.
    What are their terms of service?
    Please read their Terms Of Service. You would hate to go with someone to find out what you are trying to do is against their rules. Many of the different hosts, I have used, have similar policies like no adult content.
    What Kind of Hosting that is available
    Shared – This is usually the type that most people would start out. You share the same server as other people.
    Reseller – This is usually on a shared host, but also can be on a dedicated server too. There is less people on this type of sever.
    Virtual Private Server – You have your own section of a server and have root access to your section.
    Dedicated server – The server is all yours with root access.
    Most people usually go with a shared server when starting out. Most webhosts will help you out if you have a problem or question. I use Hostgator and I am very happy with them. There have been times I have been annoyed with them, but they seem to be the best for me for what I need to do. For a while I went from one host to another until I found hostgator. What I like about them is I am able to pay ahead of time so there is always money in my account so when its time to pay each month, there is money and I just let them take it that way. I make sure I always have plenty of money. They even do have all of these services available.
    Hostgator worked for me, but that does not mean it will work for you. You have to look around and see what each hosting provider has and if it fits for you. Its all about what you want to do with your own website.