Getting Started: Begin Your Community Instructions
Once you've decided that you want to build your own internet business, your own online community. Whether its like an online newspaper or portal for a real geographic community, or more like an online club for an interest group such as stock investors or backpackers; Benson Bear Unlimited can help you get started. Even if you have little understanding of web hosts, html, scripts, marketing, or any idea of how to generate revenue with your website community. Its possible to get started now, with out spending a fortune. Actually, other than paying for a rather basic web hosting account and domain name registration; you don't need to pay for much. That is assuming you already have access to a computer and the internet. Its even possible to get by without spending money on the web host and domain name. Although, its not recommended.
So first step is:
1. you have access to a computer capable of using a modern web browser like Internet Explorer,or Firefox 2. access to the interent via your own ISP account, a friend or familiy members ISP account, or public access such as the community library. 3. your vision for what your website community is going to be, and at some point a documented business plan. This can even wait until after you complete your first test run of your website community if you don't have one already. Your going to want to get some experience and confidence with using the WebAPP v1.0 software and its modifications before going live for real. This series of getting started articles will include a sample and guideline for building your business plan, if you need assistance. You may even have one already. But if you have a fairly good vision of what your community will be that will be sufficient to getting through the complete test run.If this is going to be your first experience with operating a website community business your probably going to want to do this setup and test run a few more times than once.
Once you have those three basics you'll need.
1. The WebAPP v1.0 SE software distribution and any add ons BensonBear Unlimited has made for the basic software we'll be using. Available at both the WebAPP.net site or in DOWNLOADS here. 2. A file decompression utility such as 7-Zip to extract zip and tar file downloads. 7-Zip is available for download here: The 7-Zip website. Which actually redirects to a file download at Sourceforge.net which is an excellent site to find free open source software to experiment with. 3. An FTP client utility such as FileZilla. to upload, download files to and from the server your website files are stored on. Its available at [http://http://filezilla-project.org/]FileZilla Home Page[/url] or you can also download FileZilla from Sourceforge as well. 4. A text editor for the times you want to modify or create files of your own. Notepad that comes with windows is sufficient. I use EditPad Lite myself. Its available for free from the EditPad website. 5. A web hosting account to store and serve your files. Although there are a few free web hosts available that allow you access to PERL, its been my experience that they are far more trouble than they are worth in what your saving from not paying for a web host account. However, I've found it possible to use free web-hosting from www.100WebSpace.com. They automatically include a banner a top of page that I've found screws up the usual processing on some page requests of former WebAPP versions I've installed there. That was overcome with some recoding of certain files. I've currently installed WebAPP v1.0 SE on it, and so far it appears to be OK, but I'm getting site failing to load sometimes now. Whether its something similar with the code as in the past, a server difficulty, or a local computer difficulty somewhere, I don't know yet, I've yet to use it much there. But it looks possible to at least demo test it from there for free. However; IMO, it's far better to collect pop cans and recover the deposit money to pay the $50-100 necessary to get a good, basic web host account with a domain name registration included for one year. Once again, you'll spend much less time collecting cans then you will waste trying to use free hosts. to save the $50-100 necessary to get a good, basic web host account with a domain name registration included for one year. Time wasted, isn't the only problems with free gosts. Some others are: a lack of support when necessary, if any support at all; they disappear suddenly; constantly finding another worthy free web host itself is very time consuming; your pages getting served priority is very low…usually leading to your website being unavailable very often or extremely slow almost always; possibly shut down for extremely long periods once you exceed any limitations; etc… I use BensonBear WebHosting, Basically I resell LiquidNet resellerspanel.com hosting plans. I've paid for an account with them for more than three years now and I've got no complaints. The WebAPP site itself recommends DreamHost, I've heard many of their members are quite satisfied with DreamHost after being less than satisfied elsewhere. The only complaint I've seemed to remember anyone issuing is that from time to time the page loads seemed slow. You can get BensonBear WebHosting from me here, or you can become a reseller yourself as my affiliate and buy the plan wholesale from yourself. You can acquire DreamHost account via http://www.web-app.net . If this is your option selected, you may want to ask in forums if they have any specials currently available first. There may be a better deal available. 6. Domain Name Registration. Its suggested you pick a good, appropriate domain name as soon as possible. Its not necessary to do so, as you can go with a supplied subdomain name from the free webhost or even the paid web host. Although most paid plans throw in a free domain name registration with many plans. I can sell you a domain name registration for $9.99 presently, if you want to try a free web-host for now first, but want your domain name now. If your going to go with a free solution you may as well just use the free subdomain name given, at least at first. Unless of course you don't want to risk not getting the domain name you want.
That's about it for the initial preparation. Some good books on Perl Programming, preparing business plans, marketing plans(especially guerrilla marketing or those for shoestring budgets), would be invaluable as well. I'll go over some resources in a later article in this series.
Tomorrow I'll go over the steps of getting from this point to having your site installed, setup, customized, and conducting a few test procedures you'll want to conduct to ensure the install did work as well as it seemed.
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