This is a great place to get started with your own
homepage
Jump to your area of interest with these quick links.
Overview
FREE spirit of the net
The original concept of the Internet hasn’t
been lost altogether over the years. The reason for developing the Internet
in the first place, was to share information and make it freely available to
those wanting access. There are plenty of people out there doing their level
best to keep the idea alive. We’ve managed to track a few of them down for
you.
What a homepage can do for you
Homepages are great for contacting other people with the same
interests as you. Instead of going on a long search through the World Wide Web, you can
sit back and wait for people to seek you out.
For example you may choose to advertise on your homepage if
you want to –
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Find pet breeders, or owners with
the same breed as your pet. |
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Look for someone to share your
leisure pursuits with. |
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Find a person to chat with via the
keyboard. |
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Meet someone new and interesting. |
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Locate a contact, either in
Australia or overseas, at a destination you plan to visit while on holidays. |
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Swap recipes or communicate about
arts and crafts. |
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Make new friends to play games
with on the PC, over the phone or Internet. |
There are many things you can use your homepage for.
Basically it’s your introduction to the rest of the world!
What you’ll need for a homepage.
Quite simply you need a computer with Internet access (use a
friends if you don’t own one or have an Internet access account). If you want people
to email you, naturally you’ll require an email account and computer
for regular access. For those without an ISP of their own, email accounts can be obtained free of charge
via the MSN web site, or Hotmail, to name but a few.
Where do you get homepages?
A homepage is made by the user. There are
FREE design
services available on the Internet for those wanting something simple. Normally
your ISP
will have storage space available to you, however if they don’t, there
are other alternatives. See below
A guide on where to start
Storage on a server, not your PC, is required so that people may view your homepage at
any time, from anywhere in the world, even while your computer is turned off. It will be kept on the
server host as a
file. We have listed just two of the many sponsors for free homepages who
also offer design assistance –
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http://www.tripod.com
will be your homepage host in exchange for allowing them to advertise on your page. A free
membership registration is required.
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http://www.geocities.com
is probably one of the best places to choose as your host. Their "no strings
attached" approach is refreshing.
Once again GeoCities,
MSN, or
HOTmail
has what you’re looking for. You need an email address if you want people to contact
you. An email knows no limitations, such as air mail or surface mail does. There are no
delays and people expect you to reply to their messages rather quickly i.e.: the next day
or so.
For experienced users building their own pages from
scratch, here are a few tips to consider.
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Don’t put large or numerous graphics on the page as
they take forever to download and people will leave without ever having seen what you
wanted to show them. You can make a link to a separate page with all the big stuff on it.
Make a note at your link, that it contains large graphics, and people can choose whether or not they
want to go and look. |
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Check your page in a couple of
different browsers to see how they handle it. While your there, change the resolution of
your screen and view the homepage again. Make any adjustments necessary before your page
goes onto the net. |
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Always include an email address
where people can send messages or comments about your homepage. |
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Make sure your text can be clearly
seen against any background you might choose. |
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Animated objects can give some
degree of pleasure to the viewer and will often serve to leave the impression of a well
designed site and worth another visit in the future. |
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Up date your page regularly and
revamp the whole thing at least annually. Include a "What’s New" section
for your regular visitors to zip off to. This way they won’t miss any new additions,
get bored or take you off their favourites list. |
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We hope to visit your homepage soon. Email your homepage
URL (address) to mrcc@hotkey.net.au so we can go
look. Good luck with it, and remember there’s other resources out there for the
taking. All you need to do is search. |
Stop and look at some of the other homepages while
you’re on the net. You never know what you’ll find.
Happy surfing from the Macedon Ranges COMPUTER Club. Bring a
friend or relative to the next meeting
and enjoy the atmosphere of people helping each other for free! We hope to
see you soon!
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