How to start, what do I need if I do not have a website yet?

You need these 4 things:

Editor: an editor is basically just a place to type in your HTML code so that you can send the file to your Web host. This can be the editor that comes with your Web space. If you're using a Mac, Simpletext or TextEdit are good choices. AOL, Geocities, Tripod and others come with an editor but are very limited. You can also use a plain text editor, I use Notepad for Windows. There is a complete tutorial for using Notepad here. There are other, more complicated editors that you can use that will basically do everything for you, and you don't need to know any HTML at all. You just drag the images onto your page, and the editor writes the code for you. I really don't recommend these. You can build a Web page very quickly with a "drag and drop" editor, but you learn nothing about HTML, and when you want to add something more complicated to your page, you won't even know how to get started. I would recommend sticking with the advanced editors of the free Web hosts, or using Notepad to write your HTML.

The best way to start is using Dreamweaver from Macromedia, the most comprehensive and easy to use editor, although a little expensive but well worth. If you think about frontpage - then definatly Dreamweaver is the far better choice. You can purchase Dreamweaver at www.macromedia.com .

If you would like to see how HTML editors work, you can try our free service that includes online HTML editor at Googlepublisher.com .
It's a fun tool that shows you how plain text can be converted into HTML code.

Web space: you need this so that other people can view your Web page. There are several free Web space providers listed here. Choosing a Web host is very important. Some hosts have large pop-up ads that you have to deal with, and the editors that come with some Web hosts are not very flexible when it comes to building your page. The most important thing you need to look at when trying to find a Web host is the editor that comes with it. You need to be able to write straight HMTL, a lot of Web hosts don't provide editors that do this. I have heard a lot of complaints about various hosts, and the free host that most people find very reliable is IOP/RN3/myIOP and Googlepublisher.com as a free host. They have good support for their Web services, and they respond pretty quickly to problems. They also have a very small banner compared to most other Web hosts. Choosing the right host first will save you a lot of problems in the long run, because it takes a while to transfer Web sites from one host to another if you're not happy with your first host. Choose carefully!!! If you choose Googlepublisher.com, your pages will be hosted automatically for free - so give it a try.

If you already have a website or want to build one that should become profitale for you, it is even more crucial to choose the right host, possibly one that includes some promotion to get your site popular. There are only a very view providers that combine hosting and promotional services, the best one in my eyes is www.myIOP.com or www.WebhostSpecialist.com I have tried and tried for 12 months to get my sites listed in search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN- no success. Then I switched to www.myIOP.com and within 2 months I increase my site's popularity for more than 5000% - yes fivethousand ! The other one is called WebhostSpecialist and that what they really are - check them out.

Graphics: it's nice to add graphics to your page. You can find some links to free graphics for kids here. Please don't take graphics from other people's Web sites unless you have permission. If you use graphics from someone else's page (with their permission) you should always acknowledge where they came from, this makes your page look more professional and it's just the right thing to do. After you learn enough HTML to make a Web site, you might want to invest in a graphics program so you can make your own graphics. Making your own graphics makes your page look original, and makes it stand out from all the other sites on the Web. You can purchase Photoshop or Corel Paint, both are great program. If you can't afford something like this, try downloading a free program here. Nothing is better than a site that looks like no other. It keeps me interested and makes me want to see what you have on the inside.