Getting It On

[Annie M.]

Sorry about this recent flurry of postings but I am almost done...

OK now...
It seems I have 2 basic options... I go down to the beach and paint 'ART' in red on a rock with an arrow pointing to the house or I get a web presence.

I searched the domain name I want and it is available... then I hit a snag right away the registrars for the domains are mentioning 'technical support' for those that are not familiar with domain system concepts... What's the system? What's the concept? What am I missing here? I thought they just registered the name with the government (I'm in Canada) and it was a done deal. Am I hooked in with the registrar as long as I use that name or what... any insight on this would be appreciated.

OK next...

I just want a simple Zenlike site... I doubt the MOMA curators are going to be showing up daily hammering the links... in fact I don't want any links where you click on a small photo and another window pops up... I would prefer a nice simple linear flow... I like Frank's site it is nice and crisp... anyway any resources for simple templates (or do I just use what is in my Mac and schlep it to the web somehow) and reliable basic hosting would be appreciated.

Thanks for the benefit of your experience ... A.

[BrianShaw]

I go down to the beach and paint 'ART' in red on a rock with an arrow pointing to the house

I like htis idea the best. But why red? Red is such an angry colour.

[Doug Dolde]

You have to pay by the year to keep a domain name. It's not a forever thing. I use http://www.cheap-domainregistration.com/ for $7.99/year. Others may be cheaper I don't know. You aren't hooked in forever, you can switch registrars later if you want to.

I use Foliolink myself for webhosting. Click the link at the bottom of my website for info. It is extremely easy to use but again an annual fee applies.

[Annie M.]

OK... thanks Doug!

Yes Brian the rock is more 'me'... I am still considering it... I am in the process of converting my 'shed' to a sleeping cabin and the thought did cross my mind to make it into the world's smallest art gallery... 10x12... it even has little loft too.

However with the domain name of KITTENS&STRING up for grabs it is difficult to decide... I am amazed nobody has snapped it up!

Cheers... A

ps... I'm not sure colours have issues like anger.

[Brian Vuillemenot]

With the number of photo sites on the web these days, you may actually get more hits if you paint the arrow on the beach.

[Greg Lockrey]

I like the "Red Arrow" idea too. :)

[PenGun]

OK... thanks Doug!

Yes Brian the rock is more 'me'... I am still considering it... I am in the process of converting my 'shed' to a sleeping cabin and the thought did cross my mind to make it into the world's smallest art gallery... 10x12... it even has little loft too.

However with the domain name of KITTENS&STRING up for grabs it is difficult to decide... I am amazed nobody has snapped it up!

Cheers... A

ps... I'm not sure colours have issues like anger.

I'm sorry but "&" is a control character and is not used in domain names.
"A - Z" case insensitive and the "-" are what is allowed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_name

kittensnstring.com appears to be open.

What happens is you register your name with a registry service, it used to just be network solutions but we now have something approaching Babel.

Anyway once registered you upload your site to your sever which has an address some thing like 209.122.254.25. The registry guys upload the site address and your domain name server addresses to the ROOT name servers, the .com, .net etc servers. The domain name servers are at least two nameservers usually related to your server which have the information relating the number address to your domain name.

So when someone wants to visit your site they type in kittens*.com and their browser will cause the first router, we are simplifying here, to query it's local nameservers which if they do not have the domain-number pairing will ask up the line till they get to the ROOT name servers if they need too and get the domain-number pair. That info is stashed locally for ... a while. The routers do their magic with the numbers and your site is served up.

No matter how I explain this everyones eyes usually glaze over. Hope this is better than usual and is some use..

[Scott Knowles]

I can't add much beyond what excellent advice you've gotten so far. While many Websites can register domain names, only a handful actually have the official registration (database) of the domain names, eg. Network Solutions.

They'll be the ones who then will send you the bill for your domain name. This is important as some registration services may try to bill you for the same service when you renew your domain name (remember you're leasing it for a specific period of years) since you started with them. Your host and domain name database company are the only ones who matter.

You can have the ISP that registered your domain name, and even are the database company, be your host or you can have another ISP host your Website. The new (non-registration) host ISP will update the domain name registration. You can and should check with the domain search engine to see if the information is correct as you're the liable party now.

Once that's done you'll get an assigned IP address (the four number string) which with your domain name will tell everyone what computer to find your Website (all Website need an Internet home and address). Then you're on to the actual Website work.

A word of caution here. Some registration Website are cheap(er) because they rent you the domain name. They will sell you the name but register it their name, hence they're the owner. Don't register with these companies because you can't get the name out from them without additional money and you can't use another host. Avoid these folks like the plague.

As mentioned domain names are case insensitive to avoid conflicts with upper and lower cases, so you can keep you domain name in the standard lower case (browsers will or should automatically switch to lower case anyway). After that any part beyond the name or IP address can be a mixture of upper and lower case (past the ".com/").

Symbols in pathnames (past the domain name) are still tricking and more than a few (dash, dot, or underscore) should be avoided as they're often recognized as symbols (question mark, ampersand, etc) for arguments or variables. And especially please avoid spaces. While MS allows them in the Web design and IE applications, and many browsers will translate it to computer equivalent (%20), it's safer to just avoid them altogether.

As mentioned, after getting your domain name and host, it can take a few days for the name and IP address to proliferate globally throughout all the routers, servers and hosts, so be patient if people say they can't find your Website because it's "not found". Their host hasn't updated their local registry.

Good luck.

[Annie M.]

Thank you so much for this information I truly appreciate you all taking the time to help me.

Brian... in the summers I do get a few hits at the beach... : )

[Gordon Moat]

I don't know what you have decided for a domain name, but thought I would give a subtle suggestion. While you seem to be favoring fine art, in the commercial world your name is your brand. So, consider using your name as your domain, and reinforce your brand.

Also, very low cost web site hosting can be found through MySite.com. If you pay two years in advance, then the cost is $3.95 per month. I don't work for them ... just a happy customer.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat Photography (http://www.gordonmoat.com)

[BrianShaw]

ps... I'm not sure colours have issues like anger.

When you have some free time... there is actually a lot of research in this area. Here is one summary:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/frontpage/HA010429371033.aspx

p.s. I really need to adjust my attitude and focus on the positive rather than the negative. Maybe that will help rid me of my GURD. :)

[Annie M.]

OK... I have decided on blog/rock/gallerwee for the summer.

I notice that there a few members here using Blogspot... any warnings... pitfalls... alternatives? My main concern is someone hacking through the blog to my computer...is that possible? Also... can the blog be deleted or does google now own this aspect of my life?

[Scott Knowles]

I like Blogspot (eBlogger) because it's free, easy to use, easy to link to from my own Web pages, and has decent blog post managment toolls (probably why Google bought it). And I can write, edit, delete and add photos ad naseum, without using my Website's quota. You do need a Google account, but after that it's fair straight forward to learn and set up one blog in an hour or so.

Google doesn't claim ownership of anything by users. Just watch out if you use Picassa (my blog post about accidently linking the two). I didn't read the full TOS about decency but I suspect you have to get reported first, Google doesn't police the users. And since the servers are Google's and the posts on those servers, there's no risk to your computer.

That's my view of them, but then I have 3 blogs there too. Question. Is a "gallerywee" a portfolio of happy photos?

[Annie M.]

It is "Gallerwee" ... a wee gallery... I am thinking of converting an outbuilding on my property to a space for my photographs... however... you may be correct... they may be very happy out there!

[Drew Bedo]

Hello AnneM,

I went through some of that a while back. What I did was to look at a lot of websites and noted what I liked...and what I didn't like. Then I made a list of domain names and ranked five variations of my favorite. THEN, I found a web designer that seemed compatible and we talked about it all, agreed on a fee and shook hands. Two weeks later my work was on line.

My web host is www.godaddy.com and I've been happy with them. My web designer is Lynn Bell of www.lunnbel;ldesigns.com and she did a great job. My website is www.quietlightphoto.com and I'm happy with the way it looks and how the images are displayed.

Hope yoy can bring your vision to the web...let us all know when you are live and online!

[PenGun]

Hello AnneM,

I went through some of that a while back. What I did was to look at a lot of websites and noted what I liked...and what I didn't like. Then I made a list of domain names and ranked five variations of my favorite. THEN, I found a web designer that seemed compatible and we talked about it all, agreed on a fee and shook hands. Two weeks later my work was on line.

My web host is www.godaddy.com and I've been happy with them. My web designer is Lynn Bell of www.lunnbel;ldesigns.com and she did a great job. My website is www.quietlightphoto.com and I'm happy with the way it looks and how the images are displayed.

Hope yoy can bring your vision to the web...let us all know when you are live and online!

That is actually http://www.lynnbelldesign.com/ typos everywhere ;)

[Annie M.]

'Just watch out if you use Picassa'

Watch out for what?!?! My blog has been up for 10 minutes are there problems all ready?

When I uploaded a photo to my new blog... it said that I was making a Picassa album or something... have I messed up already?!

Anyway I am over here now... http://lamorephoto.blogspot.com/ ... I will be doing a conceptual timeline of my photographic work here at the beach... it will take me a while to get the content going...

Thanks for all you help...

[PenGun]

Suchness is a wonderful name. Used to describe the state of untroubled being that Zen targets..

I do love the water worn rock, it does such wonderful things to the light. Very nice indeed.

[Annie M.]

PG... you are much too generous in you comment... thank you

[Scott Knowles]

'Just watch out if you use Picassa' Watch out for what?!?! My blog has been up for 10 minutes are there problems all ready? When I uploaded a photo to my new blog... it said that I was making a Picassa album or something... have I messed up already?!


No, everything's fine. Google, who owns eBlogger, stores all the photos in Picassa folders. That's fine. And you can open a Picassa account for your photo folders. The problem is that you should NOT connect the two, your eBlogger and Picassa accounts.

There is a link to import your eBlogger photos into Picassa, even though they're already there, to make them viewable, manageable and displayable on Picassa (if you have or open an account) too. Don't do that unless you're absolutely sure.

The problem arises when you manage the eBlogger photos in Picassa. If you move or delete any photos in eBlogger posts in Picassa, such as duplicates, it removes the link and display in the blog post. And they're impossible to search where those post(s) are in eBlogger to re-add them to the posts.

That's the missing link in Picassa, it doesn't tell you where the eBlogger photos are displayed, meaning which blog and post(s). And there is no undo in Picassa to unlink the folders. You're stuck. The only thing you can do is keep the Picassa folders with eBlogger photos nonpublic.

In short, if/once imported, set them to nonpublic, and forget about them, and continue with any eBlogger blogs and posts you want. You can still manage all your other Picassa photo folders.

That's a cool photo. Thanks.

[Annie M.]

Thanks for clearing that up!

Long way to go yet with the scanning... sheesh!

Thanks...Annie