Build Personal Website, with dialup connection

Build your own home website with your dialup connection!  As of 6/18/2004 this website was running on my home computer using a dialup connection.  I'm connected to the Internet through an Internet Service Provider ( ISP ) just like you.  I'm using a 56K modem which stays connected 24 hours a day.  My ISP promised unlimited Internet access and I use it!  I consider that this personal home website operates without cost.  I'd have an Internet connection anyway just for every day usage.  If you have Windows XP Pro, Windows 95 or Windows 98 you've got everything you need for a home web site, except:

6/19/2004 Please see my Home Web Site status report.  Things have changed!  

No static IP required!

The key secret or detail is Dynamic Domain Name Service ( Dynamic DNS ).  This one key service is what makes a personal web site possible just using your ISP.  If you have a cable modem or DSL you could still benefit from Dynamic DNS.  It can enhance the security of your home computer by allowing you to change your Internet Protocol Address ( IP Address ) on a regular basis.  There's no need to pay your ISP for a static IP address, basically this is a substitute for a static IP address.  Make sure your ISP allows unlimited connection time especially if you hope to get a reliable listing on the search engines!  My ISP does disconnect my PC sometimes, but a package like Direct Update will automatically reconnect for you.  There is also a registry setting that will do this, but it has some drawbacks.

Basic Home Website components

1. Your operating system, Windows, Linux, etc.
2. An HTML editor, can be as simple as notepad, see some of the links below.
3. The Web Server, Internet Information Services ( IIS ), Personal Web Server (PWS), Apache, an open source code web server and of course Unix or Linux servers, using Apache too.
4. Your Dialup Internet connection.
5. Dynamic DNS service running on your PC. (I'm using Direct Update.)
6. Your own Domain Name, just the registered name of the website.   A good source is IPowerWeb, Powerful Hosting - $7.95 - Free Setup , they charge just $5.50 a year for a domain name, excellent.  Look at their products page, $5.50 for a domain name is an excellent price.  What's odd is their prices for two or three years are actually higher, so I just buy one year!
7. Your Domain Name host where your Domain Name is parked.  Oops here's a hidden cost, for www.bobshowto.com I'm paying $27 for two years ownership.  I'm moving this to IpowerWeb for $5.50 a year!  One hidden benefit of your own domain name is you can create many of your own email addresses and own them for a lifetime!
8. Your Dynamic DNS service provider.  There are numerous no cost providers.  Today I'm using ZoneEdit for my dynamic DNS provider.
   

Over time I will expand this page adding more details on the entire process.  It's still not simple but it can be at virtually no cost.

And if you are building a website you should immediately look into affiliate programs so you may earn income: Calling all Webmasters! Let us pay you for referring affiliates to the LinkShare Network. ,at least to support your sites expenses, your ISP, computer, backups, maintenance costs in general!  Also a simple starting point to help your customer help you is accepting credit cards and E Checks through Paypal.  Big new with Paypal credit card customers are no longer required to sign up when making a purchase!

Easy to build personal home web site:

These are the tools and some links to tools that let you create Hyper Text Markup Language ( HTML ).  Unfortunately there's a lot more to do to actually publish your website on a personal web server.

1. How to build a basic internal home website using only the tools on your computer.  This site is a nice tutorial on editing Hyper Text Markup Language ( HTML ).  You'll be able to use your Internet Browser to look at a website you created on your home computer.  It won't be on the Internet but it's good practice.   Build Own Website. http://www.build-own-website.com/index.html
   This site was not available on 09/03/2004, nor 5/30/2005, I'll keep checking.  Bob
2. You can use NetScape's Browser as an intermediate  step to build your home website.  See the "File", "New", "Composer page" option and go from there.  http://channels.netscape.com/ns/browsers/download.jsp
3. Microsoft Word ® can create some nice websites.
4. Front Page by Microsoft ®. Once you really get started use a powerful website development tool that can save a lot of time, but of course it will cost you!
   Front Page site.

Dynamic DNS, the key to a family home website:

1. DirectUpdate - Home   I use Direct Update to run the http://www.bobshowto.com web site (this site).
2. The Public DNS Service  A Dynamic DNS service provider.
3. DNS Resources Directory (DNSRD)  About the DNS system itself.
4. Today I'm using ZoneEdit for my dynamic DNS provider.
   

I personally feel using "Web Forwarding" can give you problems in the long run.  You can use web forwarding to have your DNS server forward requests to the URL you purchased, like "www.bobshowto.com", to your ISP's home page path, something like "home.epix.net/~johndoe".  There's even something called cloaking that makes it look like you really are at "www.bobshowto.com", but I believe this can cause you big problems with search engines and directories in the long run, especially the Open Directory ( www.dmoz.org ).   Go ahead and build your home website or experiment with low cost hosts using something like Front Page to make life easy.

If my PC does go down I'm in trouble!

I'm fortunate to have another old PC to which I back up my web site content.  I've studied quite a few "web hosts".  A web host is, of course, where you might publish your website if it's not on your home PC.  If I had to, because my PC crashed or for bandwidth reasons I'd probably choose iPowerWeb:Powerful Hosting - $7.95 - Free Setup .  (Actually I did!) They seem to have a good reputation, even with the Better Business Bureau.  iPowerWeb's BBB report.  Many of the low cost hosts may try hard to serve you, but if you have problems you're mostly on your own.  You will find poor BBB reports for some of the lowest cost companies.  Also see if you can at least find a mailing address for the host you are considering!

And even cheaper Dot5hosting.  Guess what?  I've learned through the Better Business Bureau that Dot5Hosting is really IPowerWeb in a different wrapper at a lower price.  I don't see much of a disadvantage though today, 9/21/2007, this site is still hosted at IPowerWeb.  Here is the BBB report.  It looks like IPowerWeb bought up Dot5Hosting.com and now is offering slightly altered IPowerWeb products at a discount.
Oops, looks like the BBB has revised the report yet again, The comment "also doing business as Dot5hosting.com" has been removed.  I talked to the BBB and they have have been told these are separate companies that are in the same building.  (Even in the same Suite!).  Bob 8/28/2004.

Now you're a Web Publisher or Webmaster!

Finally if you do become a "webmaster" with your own website you will be considered a "Web Publisher".  If your doing it for a hobby or want to become a serious business merchant, in either case, please use my ClickXchange, and Netshops links to get started making income with affiliate advertising programs: 

clickXchange.com- online marketing you can trust! - clickXchange.com, is a leading affiliate marketing solution provider. Web publishers maximize their revenue and site content providing advertisers with traffic, leads and sales. Currently 6 commission structures supported.  

NetShops - Make Money!
Netshops has a nice assortment of very targeted products.  I joined them for Hammock Sales!

There are many more of these affiliate programs, each with many advertisers ready to pay you money for the service of showing their ads!  Also a company like ZoneEdit actually uses ClickXchange to manage their affiliate program, makes sense.

If you need to accept Credit Cards, Paypal is certainly one very easy program to start with: With your new website accept payments through Paypal, sign up!

Hope you've found this useful!  More in the future.
Thanks, Bob