I'm pretty cheap so I used/still use the free web space that came with my earthlink account. I'm not sure, but i think some other email providers offer free space. Here, I found something from Yahoo:

http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/webho...9764pi19ai3688

here's something else:
http://www.free-webhosts.com/

but I'm sure you get what pay for, so keep t hat in mind. I keep saying that as soon as I have some $$ I'll buy a real domain name and host it, but that hasn't happened yet.

as for your other question, well, this probably says it all about me:
http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/fo...ad.php?t=38131

LOL, I'm there with you.

I really appreciate your reply.

Does a 'real' domain cost a lot of money?

I know that the cheaper sites only allow a certain amount of space, but just beginning, I'm not sure that I would need a lot of space/storage?

it depends

http://www.google.com/search?q=domai...ient=firefox-a


then again, as you have seen I am probably not the best person to be answering any web questions!

Thank you so much!
I certainly appreciate the help!

Now, I have no idea who/what to choose. LOL

You don't really need to spend money to learn, depending on what stage you are up to. If you don't know anything about web design/building then there are loads of free resources out there to start htmldog.com and w3schools.com for example (and you're right, forget Dreamweaver etc, there is nothing that you won't be able to do yourself, and it's way better to understand what you're actually doing.).

Once you start getting more experienced you can get some books on advanced techniques, but the basics can be done without spending a penny. Unless you want to learn about uploading sites (which is basically pretty simple) you can just preview your sites in your web browsers.

Don't spend any money 'till you get good is my advice!

IMO, it would be good for you to purchase a domain & a hosting account for a few reasons:

• Domain - You'll learn how to register a domain and change your nameservers to point to your web hosting company's nameservers.
• Hosting - You'll learn what's involved in creating a hosting account, how to use FTP & navigate through the directories, how to set up email accounts, password protect directories, etc.
• Help - When you need assistance, it'll give you a place to post your code where others can go to see it live and be better able to help you troubleshoot.

You can get a domain for under $8 and hosting for as little as $2.50/mo. if you pay for a year in advance—i.e. you can register your domain & have hosting for a total of a little under $40/yr.

That being said, simple HTML only requires a text editor and a browser, which you already have if you have a computer. If you want to set up a web server, you can do so for free on pretty much any decent modern computer. On Windows you can set up IIS or XAMPP. I'm not sure how you set it up on a Mac as I only have Windows & Ubuntu Linux machines, but it can't be very difficult.

As Brie mentioned, you can also use space that usually comes with your ISP account, or you can look for free space. The problem with free hosting is that it's often very limited in terms of functionality and/or annoying ads might be placed on your pages.
I did my first web page with a free hosting service back in 1997. I can't remember the name of it, but it has long since died or been bought out by a larger company.

Digi

obesebee,
Very helpful - thank you.
No, I'm definitely no where near being 'good' to spend money.

Honestly, I don't have it to really spend, but I desperately want to learn and see my mistakes/errors/weak areas.

Digi,
Thank you.
I would like to buy a domain for the reasons that you mentioned.
It would give me much needed experience.
However, I might start practicing for a month or so and then maybe purchase the domain.

Honestly, I am brand spanking new.

That sounds like a good idea. A month of practice will give you a little better handle on things. The domain registration process can be confusing when it's your first time, so when/if you decide to get your own domain, you can always PM one of us if you want some hand-holding.

Digi

Really?
Can I use the name, BeautyNut?

I would love to PM one of you for help.
That means A LOT to me, and I will try not to pester you too much.
Your time and help means A LOT to me, thank you very much.

Hehehe, yes, really. I'll gladly help you.
Just click on the link to my member name that's over my avatar. That will let you either PM me or send me an email—either way I should be notified by email as I have that option turned on. I may not answer right away as I only check my forum emails intermittently throughout the day, but I'll eventually get the message.
You're quite welcome.

Digi

Registrars like moniker.com will let you see what domains are available.

Duh. I just realized that you were referring to using the name BeautyNut for your domain, not PM-ing. LOL

Digi

Digi,

BeautyNut knows how to PM... TRUST ME!