...But when I started as a young and inexperienced webmaster, I had no idea where to begin, A problem that you wouldn’t face once you have gone through my blog. This guide will lead your way so that you don’t make the same mistakes that held me back for long time.
First you need a place to stand on, and in the context of internet, it simply means that you need to have some kind of web presence, maybe a free/paid website or a blog.
As inexperienced webmasters, I recommend that you stick with free hosting initially, there will be a few disadvantages, but it will be a learning experience for you which will help you build on your experiences, afterall nothing teaches you like you own experience. The problem with free hosting was that you would never know when your service provider would stop offering free services and/or disappear from the scene. I therefore built my website with some better known and established websites, although they were ad-supported and offered lesser features than that of the “hottest free hosting services” at that time, atleast I was sure that these sites were more reliable than others.
I started out with Yahoo! Geocities, but later changed to bravenet.com and for the last few years, I have been using the bravenet free webspace along will all the free web tools. Bravenet.com has the collection of best web tools at one place, available to you with a simple and fast registration. Bravenet has been offering these services for over 10 years.
Bravenet now offers two types of hosting, Classic Website Hosting with FTP (File Upload) as Bravenet Hosting or Drag & Drop Site Builder and Content Manager as Viviti.com hosting
Classic Website Hosting with FTP (File Upload)
Bravehost features a classic hosting control panel with access to FTP, file manager, PHP, databases, email accounts, and domain management.
· File Transfer (FTP)
· Easy to Use Control Panel
· Online File Manager
· PHP Enabled
· MySQL Databases
· Free and Pro Levels
Drag & Drop Site Builder and Content Manager
Viviti is the latest in website construction from Bravenet. It features an easy drag & drop website builder with powerful content management utilities.
· 100's of Site Themes
· Sell Products with Paypal
· Blogs, Maps, Widgets
· Drag & Drop Editing
· No Coding Required
· Free and Pro Levels
Once you have your own free account on bravenet.com, you can choose from a variety of web tools for your site which according to bravenet:
“… we specialize in web tools so you can give your website visitors the best user experience possible.”
Here are the Most Popular Web Tools
Blog - Create an online diary or blog.
Guestbook - The most popular guestbook on the Internet.
Hit Counter - Track and graph your website traffic.
Online Calendar - Public event or scheduling calendars
Password Protect - Restrict access to selected website pages.
Photo Album - Store and share your photos online.
Web Templates - Pre-built templates for your web site.
Chat Rooms - Host live chats with your site visitors.
Email Forms - Add a visitor feedback form to your website.
FAQ Service - Automated frequently asked questions.
GuestMap - Site visitors pin your map of the world.
Message Forum - Message Board to host online discussions.
Vote Caster - Hold a multiple-question poll on your website.
E-Cards - Host your own custom postcard service.
Affiliate Program - $1.00 for each person you refer to Bravenet.
Classifieds - Buy/Sell/Trade with classified ads.
Headline News - Put live news on your web site.
Site Search - Allow visitors to search your entire website.
Mailing List - Maintain a distribution mailing list with ease.
Web Poll - Embed a quick poll in your website.
Speaking Characters - Create animated characters for your site.
Web Ring - Create a ring of sites with similar interests.