SydLexia.com - The Forums :: View topic - Setting Up A Web Site...General Questions

Posted: May 19 2009 10:16 pm

I eventually want to set up a site for blogs, videos, maybe audiocasts(I hate saying podcasts). What is the best way to go about setting up a domain, linking it to where the data is stores and all that? I don't want to have to create something from scratch. So stuff that lets you use templates like Wordpress and so on will probably be used. Also how do you go about hosting the actual files that are then linked to your main site? Thanks for any help/info.

Banned Joined: Sep 13 2008 Posts: 3129

You can find usefull information here

http://www.pagetutor.com

It does start from scratch but you can skip pages to find what you need

This is also the site where I got some jokes from

Posted: May 19 2009 11:35 pm

Thanks hacker but I really am more looking for how to go about getting everything set up, not how to design a page/site.

What I mean what is the best way to get a domain, get hosting for files like videos and audiocasts, and then have everything work together. Like I said I'm looking at using a site like Wordpress or Blogger to showcase the content so I don't have to build the site from scratch. Then having the Wordpress/Blogger area link into my domain and so on.

Joined: Aug 05 2008 Location: CA Posts: 867

I am building a site at the moment for school/fun. I get hosting through Hostmonster and all the stuff you are talking about is done through an easy to use control panel. Wordpress, multiple webmail apps, phpBB ect is literally installed with the press of a button. Using what they call Simple Scripts, it all auto populates to the correct directories.

As for other content I use Filezilla for FTP, (Dreamwaever, Photoshop, Fireworks and Flash to create the site itself). As for getting the URL to point to a page, the site automatically points to the index.html file placed into the top most directory, everything else is linked from there. I am sure that index.html could be changed, but I haven't had a need to do so.

I guess this only really helps if you were to go through a hosting service. ($250 for 3 years through Hostmonster).

Note: I have worked with godaddy hosting too, it was very similar to Hostmonter so I assume most hosting services work similar.

Edit: This might help, they have a demo of the control panel.

https://www.hostmonster.com/cgi-bin/cplogin

Posted: May 20 2009 05:46 am

I used GoDaddy briefly to host TotalSycophants for the AFD joke, and I didn't find them to be very user-friendly at all. The Dreamhost control panel is so much better.

As for hosting files, if you have FTP access, upload them to a folder on your FTP. Bam. Filehosting accomplished. And if for some reason that's too difficult for you, the Wordpress software lets you upload files too.

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

The easiest (not cheapest, though close) would be to get a Dreamhost account and domain.

1. Register your domain with them and it will be simple to have it linked with your hosting account.
2. Download Firefox (you needed firefox for cross platform testing anyways)
2a. Install FireFTP (now you can upload stuff)
3. Choose a CMS product (Content Management System). May I suggest that for individual use you look at Media Wiki for a wiki, Wordpress for a blog, and vBulletin for forums (this one costs money, use PHPBB3 if you want free, but not as nice). If you are looking for more of a 1 stop shop all included site, choose either Drupal 6 or Joomla! for a full CMS. All of these products have very good forums and instructions, though it takes a lot of practice to get it all 100% working.
4. Learn basic HTML, then CSS, then Javascript and finally the basics of PHP. You will really need to understand this stuff to get away with being a webmaster.

Also, don't ever listen to hacker about anything ever. There is a chance he might be right once in a while, but he is wrong so often that it isn't worth it.

Posted: May 20 2009 08:45 pm

Thanks for all the advice, Dreamhost sounds like exactly what I'm going for. One more thing, I can link my Wordpress blog to my Dreamhost domain? I mean say if somebody types in my domain name that I register with Dreamhost it will show my Wordpress blog, right? Thanks again for all the help/advice.

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

As long as you link the registered domain to the hosted space (this should be done automatically if you buy them together through Dreamhost) you will not have any issues with content displaying correctly.

You will need to just make sure you have an index.html index.php or index.htm file inside your root directory to point the web traffic in the right direction. You should install Wordpress into a subfolder, do not put it at the root of the hosted space.

Title: Alexz Aficionado Joined: May 21 2008 Posts: 2889

IceWarm wrote:

Thanks for all the advice, Dreamhost sounds like exactly what I'm going for. One more thing, I can link my Wordpress blog to my Dreamhost domain? I mean say if somebody types in my domain name that I register with Dreamhost it will show my Wordpress blog, right? Thanks again for all the help/advice.

Dreamhost can install Wordpress on any domain you want. They have a "One Click Install" menu where you can install all kinds of software, Wordpress is just one choice.

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

Ghandi wrote:

IceWarm wrote:

Thanks for all the advice, Dreamhost sounds like exactly what I'm going for. One more thing, I can link my Wordpress blog to my Dreamhost domain? I mean say if somebody types in my domain name that I register with Dreamhost it will show my Wordpress blog, right? Thanks again for all the help/advice.

Dreamhost can install Wordpress on any domain you want. They have a "One Click Install" menu where you can install all kinds of software, Wordpress is just one choice.

Just be careful with automated choices like this. If you choose to do one, you won't necessarily go through the steps that also ensure that you will be able to understand how to maintain one.

Part of becoming a webmaster is understanding the tools you use. Even if you want to install it once on your own and then remove it and use the automated one, you should try to do this yourself at least once. You will learn so much from the experience and will really be better at maintaining the website for it.

Banned Joined: Sep 13 2008 Posts: 3129

I had to build a website in my multimedia class. just a simple background and links to the assignments but i found dreamweaver to be annoying so I gave up on it and just did it manually

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

Hacker wrote:

I had to build a website in my multimedia class. just a simple background and links to the assignments but i found dreamweaver to be annoying so I gave up on it and just did it manually

Do you want a cookie?

Banned Joined: Sep 13 2008 Posts: 3129

GPFontaine wrote:

Hacker wrote:

I had to build a website in my multimedia class. just a simple background and links to the assignments but i found dreamweaver to be annoying so I gave up on it and just did it manually

Do you want a cookie?

I just felt like sharing

that aside I am hungry and would like a cookie

Posted: May 22 2009 09:06 pm

Well I've taken the plunge and have registered a domain and hosting package with DreamHost.

I'll be using WordPress for most of my content. Now this is a bit of a request, Syd, can I put SydLexia.com on my blogroll? Just asking before I do it.

Posted: May 22 2009 09:09 pm

Congrats Warm. I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Posted: May 22 2009 09:11 pm

SoldierHawk wrote:

Congrats Warm. I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Thanks, it will mostly be reviews of games, movies and random stuff along those lines.

Posted: May 22 2009 09:13 pm

IceWarm wrote:

SoldierHawk wrote:

Congrats Warm. I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Thanks, it will mostly be reviews of games, movies and random stuff along those lines.

Oh...oh. I thought your site was going to be about cool stuff. Sad

Posted: May 22 2009 09:28 pm

SoldierHawk wrote:

IceWarm wrote:

SoldierHawk wrote:

Congrats Warm. I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Thanks, it will mostly be reviews of games, movies and random stuff along those lines.

Oh...oh. I thought your site was going to be about cool stuff. Sad

Don't worry...there will be plenty of cool stuff on there. It will be a little bit of everything from said reviews to just random stuff.

Posted: May 22 2009 09:39 pm

^ For the record, I was kidding of course. If I didn't think games and reviews and said other random stuff were cool, I sure as hell wouldn't be on this site. Wink

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

Ice, as you have questions or concerns about getting things working please feel free to bring them up. Just ask away in this thread and I'd be happy to answer.

Posted: May 22 2009 09:54 pm

SoldierHawk wrote:

^ For the record, I was kidding of course. If I didn't think games and reviews and said other random stuff were cool, I sure as hell wouldn't be on this site. Wink

I figured you were joking, I was just saying it will be cool stuff. Smile

GPFontaine wrote:

Ice, as you have questions or concerns about getting things working please feel free to bring them up. Just ask away in this thread and I'd be happy to answer.

Thanks for the help. I'll definitely ask in this thread if I have any questions.

Well the site is now live. Just a couple blog posts and a photo gallery with one picture of my gaming setup. More posts to come.