Can you find out who I can talk to about setting up a web site? I
called Verizon and they can't do it for me because my condo is not set
up for it.

setting up a website is a software issue. I am therefore making a
guess that what you actually mean is setting up a web server that can
host a website. That is quite a different thing. If this is the case
then it depends on if you intend to run your own server which is very
costly or hire a dedicated server from company.

I want to set up a web site for an actor friend of mine.  I guess I
want to know who to call in this endeavor.

If it is just a person web site, your ISP should be able to help you.

What's an ISP.  I have compuserve as part of my e-mail address but I'm
pretty sure AOL bought them out.  What do I do now? Thanx.  I'm
anxious to get going on this.

Hello if you want to set-up an independent website you will need an
address, these can be gained from a company such as 1&1. You then need
a piece of software like Microsoft FrontPage or Macromedia Dreamweaver
which can be used to to create a website.

Your ISP may be able to host the website, if not a company like 1&1
offer hosting services.

From the questions you're asking, I think it'd be best to delegate
this job. Try your local Yellow Pages and look under Internet Web Site
Developers and ask for quotes.

Faisal,

The terms of service prohibit the posting of personal contact
information (read: posting email addresses and spamming for business
with your web site URL) at Google Answers.

When the editors see your post, they will remove it. I'm mentioning it
so you'll know not to do this again.

There are 3 main requirements for a web site. You can purchase them
all together, or separately.

1. The domain name eg www.myactorfriendsname.com

There are many companies offering "domain name registration" services. 

2. A web server - the computer on which the site is hosted. This has
to be connected to the Internet.

You can have your own server on your own premises, but this is not
usually recommended for small sites. Web hosting companies provide
either a "virtual server" (where you share some space on one of their
big computers, but it's almost like having your own) or a "co-hosted
server", where you have your own computer in the same datacentre as
all their computers. A virtual server will be adequate for your
purposes. Things to consider include whether you want static pages or
interactive content such as forums/guestbooks, which require scripting
and/or database services. Not all virtual servers come with
scripting/database facilities, those that do usually cost more. A lot
of virtual servers have a small selection of pre-installed scripts for
simple guestbooks, response forms etc which you can use.

Web hosting companies will provide the virtual server and Internet
connectivity together as a package. They will also usually register
domain names if you want them to. They won't usually design the
website itself.

3. Content - the desogn / pages of the site. 

These pages are written, for static pages, in HTML (hypertext markup
language) and there are various packages which you can use such as
Frontpage, Dreamweaver, etc. For interactive pages you need
programming tools such as Perl/PHP or ASP.

You will also need good imaging software and graphic design skills to
create the images needed on the website. You should also
copywriting/proofreading skills, and copyright clearance for any
images/scripts/filmclips etc you use.

You can contract a "web designer" to produce this, or commission a
designer to produce the layout and style of the site, and an editor to
write the content, separately. If you do this, be very clear who owns
the copyright to the resulting website, as otherwise you can find that
*they* own the copyright to your site.

Once you have your website files (the HTML, images, etc) from the
designers, you upload them to the server, usually using "FTP" (file
transfer protocol).

If the site is likely to require frequent updating, you can use a
"content management system". There are both free/open source and
commercial/proprietary ones available. These are installed on the web
server (which will require scripting and database support) and this is
a fairly technically involved job. Once installed, however, they allow
pages to be updated very easily by anyone with a web browser using a
password-protected system.

Terms in quotes above should be helpful if put into a search engine if
you need additional information.

There are various options:

a - basic host
register a domain name and use one of the many shared web hosting
providers on a month to month basis to host your email and website.
All it takes is a littl ebit of web knowledge and a credit card and
you can have your site up and ready in 48 hrs (you have to allow time
for propagation). Also if you are not too cinfident about setting this
up yourself, a few companies offer turn-key solutions where they
manage your entire website, email and hosting for you.

b - custom hosting solution
If you plan on having a lot of web traffic or to out up large scale
websites that require a lot resources, you may need a semi dedicated
or corporate hosting package. This will give you a lot of bandwidth
and storage space as wella s more control over the server setting (MX
records, Scripts, SSL, etc...)

My only advice to you is making sure that which ever route you go, you
use a compnay that can provide you with proper over the phone
technical support, there is nothing worse than having to wait 3 days
to get an answer to a simple, yet crucial question.

Dreiden Business Solutions does this, they are located out of Toronto
Canada and they specialize in custom web services and web design.

Good luck,

Hi:

Go to http://www.blogger.com and you should have you web site working
in minutes with no help from techies.

Just take your time and follow the instructions.

Don't worry anything you do will not blow your computer up.

Have fun.

Bill

Go to http://www.easywebs.info.
Here you will find alot of web building resources including software
that will automate much of the process for you.
Good luck on your quest.

Setting up a website in this day and age is quite an easy task as many
hosting providers include fantastic website builders which ease the
process of creating a website without having to require any knowledge
of HTML or complex scripting languages.

We provide a site builder to clients on our Gold plans and above at no
extra cost, all of our clients have never had a problem with having to
create a website :) I am sure if you look around various hosting
companies you will find they too offer website builders, some do not
advertise them so you may be required to contact them to be certain,
but it is the best way to go.

Best of luck with your search,

Regards,

Tahir Ahmed
NetspaceOnline.net
http://www.netspaceonline.net