Developing your own Class Website
A Website How-To (or at least "how to" get started...)
Low-Cost Option
Your ISP usually provides some free webspace for you to host your own personal website. You can always use this webspace, however, you will run into some limitations to website development.
Another low cost option is to just create a site on any of the free web spaces online such as Yahoo/Geocities. The downside to this option is of course the branding and ads that you have to accept as part of the “free” offer.
I’ve tried both of those options, and finally, after being repeatedly frustrated with pop-up and banner ads appearing on my pages, limited web space, and the lack of tech support, I decided to try paid web hosting… I find that the advantages more than make up for the cost of the services…
Advanced Option (Recommended)
Purchasing a hosting package will cost a bit more, but it will provide you with many more options including the ability to create websites where the users are able to contribute content easily through a web interface. (Like the website you are viewing right here.)
I am using HostGator for this website. I did a lot of research and read many reviews before I selected HostGator, and so far I have been VERY happy with the service. They offer different packages starting at $6.95 per month. Depending on what you need you may pay more – for example, I knew ahead of time that I needed the ability to use SQL databases and my cost is actually $15.00 per month.
However -- MOST class/alumni websites can get by with the minimum package from HostGator or any other hosting service. You should be able to do everything we have done with this website with the minimum package.
If you decide you want to go this route – I HIGHLY recommend HostGator. When I did the research and looked into user reviews I found that most of the less expensive web hosting services provided extremely poor customer service and tech support – which was something that I was looking for. My coding skills are limited and I needed good tech support to get things up and running quickly.
Continue reading to get detailed information on what I used from HostGator to develop this website and to access a link to purchase your own HostGator account.
The chart below shows some of the pros & cons of either method that I have experienced in my years of creating and publishing websites:
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Advantages |
Disadvantages |
Low-Cost Option
Your ISP or a free website online
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- Doesn’t cost much or it’s free
- Comes with your ISP service
Easy way to get a basic site up and running rather quickly
You can use your free web space to practice programming. Not many, but some free web hosting plans support a programming language such as PHP, ASP, CGI/Perl, Coldfusion or JSP.
- A free web hosting plan is great for creating a small personal website.
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- No backend support for advanced scripting or databases
- Limited or no tech supportA bunch of free web hosts place their banner and text ads on your website.
With a large number of free hosts, your website is placed in a sub-domain or a folder (www.yourwebsite.freehosting.com or www.freehosting.com/yourwebsite) which sometimes results in poor search engine rankings.Because they are offering free hosting, the majority of free web hosts can not afford to offer 24/7 or any support.Very few free web hosts offer a control panel with their plans.
Another flaw with free web hosts is many don't allow FTP access which is an obstacle if you have many files to upload.
- Free web hosting plans don't offer much disk space or data transfer. This could be a problem if you have a lot of large files or if your website generates a lot of traffic.
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Advanced Option
Paid Hosting Services |
- Extensive and advanced backend options and support for developing dynamic websites
- No “branding” or required banner ads served on your pages
- Your website will not be placed in a sub-domain or folder. You will have your own domain name (yourwebsite.com) which will not only result in better search engine rankings, it also looks more professional.
- Most paid web hosts offer 24/7 support.
A lot of paid web hosting plans offer a control panel such as cPanel, Vdeck, Plesk or Ensim which offer features like web stats, the ability to password protect directories, and the ability to create web based email accounts.
- Most paid web hosts offer FTP access.
The majority of paid web hosting plans support a couple programming languages such as PHP, ASP, CGI/Perl, Coldfusion and JSP.
- With the more disk space and data transfer you get with paid hosting, you can add more files to your website and it can handle more traffic.
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- It’s not free
- Advanced options do require some HTML and CGI scripting knowledge – but tech support can provide assistance
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How I used HostGator to develop this website…
First and foremost -- if you are going to use HostGator you will need to register a domain name for your website. Ours is “tors89.com”. Register your domain name through HostGator as you are purchasing your web hosting package! I can’t restate that enough. I purchased my domain names through HostGator, but I didn’t do it while I was purchasing the package – and the result was hours of trial and error and calling tech support to get the DNS servers pointed in the right direction.
If you purchase your domain name while you are purchasing your web hosting package, HostGator takes care of EVERYTHING for you, and within a few hours the domain name will be up and running with no effort. You’ll just have to create the website at that point.
Click on the banner below to go directly to the HostGator website where you can choose your package and get started right away.
What I used on HostGator to develop this website…
Every HostGator account comes with several options of website packages that you can choose from. The Fantastico feature allows you to choose any of the listed OpenSource packages and then it installs it automatically for you.
For example, this website uses the Geeklog OpenSource software package. OpenSource simply means that the code is free and customizable. For a basic site you don't need to know any (or much) coding -- Fantastico installs it for you. You then just go in to an online administration panel and change the settings as you want them.
It does become a little more complicated when you start adding plug-ins and modules like forums and media galleries -- however, most of these come with very good documentation and I found myself actually emailing and receiving help from the authors of the plug-ins and modules.
Other Web Hosting Services…
I have not used the following services, but I did come across each of them several times while researching and each did seem to have good reviews and offer comparable service to HostGator. I recommend HostGator based on my personal experience with using the service.
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Recommended
web hosts, domain registrars, and other webmaster resources:
#1 choice -- HostGator
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