Internet: How to create your homepage or website

Webpages are created using Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML), that requires you to be aware of certain formatting guidelines. When the Internet was just introduced, many people who knew the basics of HTML made a killing in the webpage development market, extorting exorbitant amounts of money for creating a few basic webpages. The scene is very different today - anyone can design a webpage and be the proud owner of a mini-website. All it needs is a little time and the inclination.

The simplest way to create a nice looking page without any knowledge whatsoever of HTML is to go to a site like Rediff Personal Homepages (more about that one later) and use their free homepage builder to create your homepage. They take you step-by-step through the process of choosing the layout for your homepage and the pictures you'd like there. Based on the content you want to put up on your homepage, the builder creates a nifty looking page for you!

Another way to create webpages is by using templates. There are books that are accompanied by CDs that allow you to take your pick from a wide variety of differently styled pages, and then, a few simple cut-and-paste steps later, your homepage is ready. No HTML required once again, as they explicitly mention what is to be pasted where!

An increasingly popular way to create webpages is to use converter programs to convert ordinary text into an HTML page. Word '97 for instance has a "Save as html" option that converts any Word file into a webpage. Those who prefer the tried and tested Word '95 need to download a plug-in called "Internet Assistant for Word" that will then equip Word '95 with the conversion feature.

But if you'd rather have control over the webpages you create, giving you artistic flexibility in designing your pages, you'll need to learn a few basic formatting tags of HTML. Don't looked scared - it's not too difficult a job. While I learnt HTML by reading the webpage source code of pages I fancied on the Web (choose the `View Page Source' option in Netscape or Internet Explorer), those who would rather follow the traditional route could pick up a book on HTML, and learn webpage creation in a step-by-step structured manner. You'd also need a homepage builder to help you in creating, designing and maintaining your webpages. An excellent program is HomeSite - a program available for free download off the Internet at <http://www.allaire.com/>.
You can learn HTML online too:
HTML Resources
HtmlHelp.com
A Beginner's Guide to HTML
The Hypertext Markup Language - a very thorough tutorial

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