If you're technically skilled enough to surf the internet, why not learn to build it? With the modern web tools available making a simple website can be as easy as checking email online or buying on Ebay. Why just consume other people's content? Let's all stop complaining about the obnoxious porn and gambling online and start contributing our own wit and wisdom.

Step 1: Choose your weapon. There are a variety of programs and learning tools available for making a website. HTML is the main programming code of the web. As a beginner, your first pick should be a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) HTML editor. Dreamweaver (adobe.com) and GoLive (adobe.com) are the luxury class. They come with luxury price tags as well, though. Other options range in price, power and ease of use. There are many shareware (cheap or optional donations) and freeware programs for Macs and PCs (see the chart).

Websites Need:	HTML Editor / Site Builder	Graphics Program	Server Space [not needed for Type Pad ]
$$ Pro	Dreamweaver adobe.com GoLive: adobe.com	Photoshop adobe.com Fireworks adobe.com	1and1.com
$ Affordable	[click and build] typepad.com Coffee Cup html editor [PC] coffeecup.com	Photoshop Elements adobe.com Graphic Converter (Mac OS X)	aplus.net earthlink.net and other ISP's
— Free	Mozilla - browser with html Composer Moveable Type blogger.com	The GIMP	geocities.com angelfire.com
»Recommended	Pro, Free, Blue Stratus and Type Pad options	Pro or Affordable options	Aplus.net or Affordable options

You can find these at tucows.com or other software download sites. With these you can "drag and drop" graphics, links, tables, text and other web content and see the results as you go. Other options include handy "blogging" and "click and build" technologies that enable you to create web sites right in your web browser by cutting, pasting and uploading graphics from your computer. Blogger.com is an easy place for beginners to try this. For an informal explanation of HTML with more depth go to: davesite.com/webstation/html.

Step 2: Get graphical. Almost any graphics program that creates ".JPG" or ".GIF" files will work in a pinch. In general, the JPG format is for photos or complex graphics. The GIF format is usually for buttons or graphics with solid colors. The high roller graphics programs are PhotoShop (adobe.com) and Fireworks (adobe.com). Photoshop Elements is a solid and less expensive alternative. Again, like the HTML editors, there are many cheap or free ones out there for downloading. Have fun and try emulating the design styles you see on professional sites.

Step 3: Upload. This gets trickier unless you're using one of the blogging or click-and-build solutions. Otherwise, you'll need a server. What's a server? Nevermind for now... Just begin by finding a site that provides server space and sign up. A nice one is Site5.com. Many internet providers like Earthlink, Cox and others also offer free web server space for their subscribers. Completely free server space can be found at angelfire.com or geocities.com. They also include obnoxious ads and pop-ups, though. All of these sites have "FTP information"--instructions on how to upload your files to their servers.

When your files are uploaded to the server, go online to your site and check it out. Test it in Internet Explorer and Netscape on both PC's and Macs. It may not be perfect, but it's a start. With time, you can study and adapt to a professional level of web design. You could also just do it as a hobby that will span the globe. If you have a half-decent computer and a message, there is nothing to keep you from starting right now.

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