Working the Web
What you’re about to read may be your biggest revelation of 2006. You can create a Web page for free. All you’ll need to get started is a little free time and a little piece of free software called Notepad, a text editor that usually comes with your Microsoft operating system. If you've got Windows, I bet you've got Notepad.

To find Notepad, click through START/ALL PROGRAMS/ACCESSORIES on your computer desktop. It's the blue notebook icon. Click once on it using your left mouse button. It’ll open up blank, eager for you to start typing.

But hold on; don’t start just yet. Visit http://www.w3schools.com/html/html_intro.asp. They give an excellent basic sample of HTML code and they tell you how to save and view your file. They even step you through what each part means and how to fix it if it doesn’t work.

Sure, you can have a nice HTML editor like Microsoft FrontPage do the work for you, but it’s mighty handy to know how to troubleshoot the code when your page “breaks,” as Web pages are apt to do from time to time (yes, even pages made in a nice HTML editor).

The power is now in your hands (and on your computer desktop). It’s time to take the next step.

Making a name for yourself
You’ve told yourself, “I’m going to go WWW (World Wide Web, that is) in 2006.” That’s a big step. There’s a lot to consider: you’ve got to get a domain name; you’ve got to buy host space. But finally, you’ll be able to upload those nice pages you’ve been making in the wee hours. Here are few things to consider before you start.

Pick a simple, descriptive Web address. Now is not the time to get too cute or catchy. A name (or acronym) that can be easily given in a couple or three seconds with little explanation works best. And remember, the convention is for the .org extension to go for nonprofits; for-profits end with dot com.

Use the links given below to determine if the name you want is taken. If it's not taken, register it ASAP. By law, name registration companies can charge as high as $30.00 a year. But some companies are offering domain names for $1.99.

Next, you'll need a host provider, an online company that will sell you space on one of their Web servers. You may want to buy host space from the same site you registered with to save a few bucks per year.

A typical low-cost hosting package will probably run you about $4 a month. Be sure you get at least one e-mail address with the deal. Then you can have yourname@yourdomain.com. Your friends will be very impressed. If you shop around, your new “basic package” Web site will probably run around $56 for one year. You can hardly buy a pair of good shoes for less than that (and hardly anybody looks at your shoes anyway). But everybody will stand up and take notice of YOURdomain.com.

When you’re shopping around for a hosting deal, decide up front that you’re not going to pay for features you don't need. Please note: this is coming from a woman that hates to supersize, even if it’s just 10 cents more for three times as much product. Let’s be honest, you don't really need an unlimited number of e-mail boxes and 2,000 Gigabytes (GB) of disk space, so don’t buy it. That’s more space than you have on your PC hard drive.

Chances are, host providers will bombard you with the hard sell. Buy this. Buy that. You know what you want: just something nice and simple. Simple is good. Don’t be ashamed of simple. You can supersize—I mean, upgrade—later.

Don’t forget to submit your address (aka URL, or uniform resource locator) to the major search engines, but remember, they are not obligated to add it unless you pay a fee.

Put your new address on EVERYTHING: letterhead, business cards, e-mail, your neighbor’s cat. Tell everyone you know about your new URL. And if they have a site, ask them to put your link on it. That’ll increase your chances of getting ranked in a search engine or online directory.

Discount registrars and host providers:

• http://powweb.com/
• http://www.godaddy.com/
• http://hostcolor.com/

Follow Through
There is so much to learn about creating and publishing Web pages. So start small. Commit to working on your site an hour a week (10 minutes a day, resting on Sunday, of course).

The best place to learn about making Web sites is on the Web. You’ll find it gets easier with time and exposure.

Once you’ve mastered the basics, buy some HTML or graphics editing software. Check out a few library books. Take a course.

HAVE FUN. WORK THE WEB.