How to Create Your Own Free Web Page

 

Terrylynne Marshall
terrylynnemarshall@yahoo.com
 

Email

You will probably need an e-mail address.  If you do not have one, do a search on the Internet for e-mail free and choose one that does not charge for the service.  Most browsers have free e-mail on their main home page.  This step is getting easier and easier. 

Examples: usanet.com

yahoo.com

netscape.com/sitecentral

or hotmail.com

and so on.

Free Web Pages

Find free web pages on the browser home pages too or by doing a search on the Internet for web page free.  Only sign up for the services that are free.  Examples are:

http://geocities.yahoo.com

tripod.com

angelfire

homestead

hometownAOL (must be a member of AOL)

xoom

netscape.com/sitecentral/

 

CAUTION

 

When asked for personal information make up something if you wish but they will need a real zip code so use the school address: 1201 Bishop Farms Parkway, Watkinsville, GA 30677.  When the web page offers products click no to keep it simple, otherwise you will get tons of e-mail junk mail or spam.  You can always go back later and change your options. 

Some of the steps change, as the months and years progress but most of the following information is true.  Select a community and homepage number/address, etc.  You will create a user name to call your web page write it down because you will need it after they send you e-mail confirming that you have your free web page.  In this e-mail they will have given you a password or you will have selected one for yourself, write it down and don't lose it. 

Always remember your user name and password you must have them to get into your web page. 

 

NEVER NEVER !!!! give out your social security number, mother's maiden name, credit card number, or other information that can be used for criminal activity unless a web site has topnotch security.  Honest Internet advertisers will have a section explaining their security and how they encrypt or scramble your personal information, be sure to read it before giving out important information. 

Everything you send on the Internet can be intercepted and read by other people.  Do not send messages via e-mail or information that you do not want made public.  For example: Would you want everyone in our class to know everything that you write to your friend on the computer?

geocities.yahoo.com DIRECTIONS

Our class has used geocities.yahoo.com the most.  They have an automatic e-mail service that will send you confirmation for your web page as soon as you sign up. 

Go to geocities.yahoo.com/home/ and type in your user name and password, sign-in, the next page will have two sections: Build Web Pages and Advanced Tools.  If you know nothing about HTML click under Build Web Pages on either Yahoo, Page Wizards or Yahoo, Page Builder and follow instructions.  I do not know the exact steps for PageWizards or PageBuilders but they should have easy to follow directions.  If you have questions we will try to solve them together.  (changed 4-00)

The following information is for Advanced HTML Students and all of you will be advanced after a month or two of practice. 

Under Advanced Tools you can click File Manager or Upload Files then on the next page click the yellow box with Open File Manager.  In the File Manager you will be given a menu with: New, Copy, Rename, Edit, Delete, Move.  To work on your main page check the box beside index.html (or home.html in some cases) and you will enter your page with the html code at the bottom.  If you click on Preview the next page will show the way your page will be seen with the html code also located at the bottom for editing. 

 

TO REVIEW:  

1. Get an e-mail address.

2. Go to one of the free web page providers

http://geocities.yahoo.com

netscape.com/sitecentral (see list above).

3. Fill in their information but don't give out ss#, credit card#, or other personal info.  They need a real zip so use 1201 Bishop Farms Parkway, Watkinsville, GA 30677. 

Type in your user name and password, sign-in, the next page will usually have two sections: Beginners and Advanced.  If you know nothing about HTML click on the beginners page builder section and follow the easy instructions. 

Advanced students will launch the File Manager and use the edit menu to Copy, Rename, Edit, Delete, Move, etc.  To work on your page check the box beside index.html (or home.html) and you will enter your page.  If you click Preview you can see the way your page looks with the html code at the bottom. 

With geocities

a. Go to http://geocities.yahoo.com/home/

b. type your user name and password, sign-in

c. select Build Web Pages and follow directions for beginners or Advanced Tools ALWAYS SAVE YOUR WORK TO A DISK before signing out.

d. Advanced Tools open File Manager box

e. Use the menu: New, Copy, Rename, Edit, Delete, Move. Check the box beside index.html (or home.html) and click Edit to enter your page and Preview to see how your page looks

f. save your work and enter the index.html again and again till your page looks great

g. ALWAYS SAVE YOUR WORK TO A DISK before signing out

You must maintain your web page by editing it once each week or at least every two weeks. If you do not change your page and use it often enough the web page police will kick you out of the system.

Have fun!

Tips on Using HTML

The following information contains basic commands for using html or hyper text markup language.  The easiest way to build pages is to use the page builders provided by the web sites.  Yahoo/Geocities has Page Builder and Page Wizard, Netscape has Composer in the Communicator menu.  You can also go Cnet.com and learn lots of information.  It takes time to use the computer and learn the details of page building but if you have the time you get credit in Ms Marshall's course and have fun too.

VIEWING HTML 

SOURCE  When you view web pages on the Internet, the html code is always available to review.  In the browser menu go to View and click on Source and a window will appear with the html symbols. 

1. HEAD and TITLE  All commands are contained within the smaller than < and the greater than > arrows. The arrows can be shown on the web page but for now we will see the commands between parenthesis, so when you see the parenthesis know that there should be a smaller than or greater than arrow in its place.
The beginning of the web page starts with (html) between the arrows, next comes the word (head) then the word (title).  Here the actual title of your page is typed as it will appear to the reader in the blue line at the top of the web page, then the sequence of words is reversed and you close with (/title) and (/head) between arrows with a backslash to end the sequence.  The title appears at the top of the browser and is used to identify your page if it is bookmarked.

2.  BODY  The word body between the arrows comes next and this is where your web page information is placed.  The end of the body with the backslash to end the sequence is the last part of your page.  Within the body many commands allow the user to make interesting web pages.

3.  TEXT ALIGNMENT examples CENTER  The default alignment is usually to the left side of the page.  To center a title or paragraph you must use the word center between the arrows.  End centering with (/center) as usual.

4.  FONT SIZE is determined by numbers.  The command between the smaller than arrows is: (font size=+1), +1 is the font size of the majority of this page. The size +4 is a very large text size, similar to size 36, for example 36 and could be used for the label or name of your project or report.  Remember to end the font size with the smaller than arrow, the slash and word /font followed by the larger than arrow marker so that all your words are not large. A good size font for the body of your report is font size=+1, used here and is similar to 12 on a word processor.  Play with the font sizes to see which you like. The type style used on this page is Times New Roman (FONT face="Times New Roman,Times,Times NewRoman")

5. PARAGRAPHS (P) and LINE BREAKS (br)  To begin and end a paragraph or heading, use the letter P or p between the arrows. The p puts two line spaces between the text lines.  If you only want to drop the next line of text down one line use BR or br between the arrows.  The backslash is not always necessary to end these two functions.

6. BOLD To create bold type, put the letter B or b between the arrows, type the phrase you want in bold then end with (/B) to close the sequence.

7. LINKS to web pages  Type the following sequence
(a  href="http://the-web-address-here")Phrase that explains the web link. (/a) and br between the arrows for a line break if needed.  Be sure to put the complete web address between the parenthesis without spaces.

8. IMAGES  Save the images on a disk or on the hard drive. Open your web page through the file manager.  After you are in the editing program follow the directions to upload the image.  Use the browser to find your image and follow the directions for uploading.  When using html use this sequence:  (img src="name-of-image.gif") or .jpg, or other image identifier. The text then defaults to the bottom right corner of the image untill you change it.

  To Review:
Remember all the parenthesis are really smaller than and greater than arrows.
( = <
and
) = >

(html)
(head)
(title) (center) (b)Your Title Here will be seen in the blue bar at the top of the web page(/b)(/center)(/title)
(/head)
(body)
Type your text here and use (br) to go down one line and (p) to go down two lines, (b) is bold, (center) is to center text and (align=left) is what it says, always turn the commands off with the backslash and the command word between the smaller than and greater than arrows.
(/body)
(/html)

Note: Miss Marshall will be adding more information. (Tell me what you have learned and I will add it for the rest of the class to use.)

 

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