Website Hosting and Domain

[Emington]

I've built my own website using dreamweaver but I'm not sure how to put it on the web. I would like free hosting and domain as it's more just to show my work to people and models I might work with but I only do it as a hobby not a business so wouldn't be making anything out of it thats why I would prefer it to be free.
Could anyone point me in the right direction as to where to host it, domain name and how you actually load it up?

[brap]

You won't find a free domain, but most free hosts will offer a free subdomain like emington.theirsite.com it is not the most attractive solution, but it is the best you will find. A domain is only £6/£7 a year, which considering how much you must have spent on your camera and equipment is hardly a great expense. Especially if you are going to use it as a profile to show models etc, consider the fee an extension if your equipment.

For a free host you could try http://pages.google.com/ or just google it, there are thousands. Although many are likely to disappear pretty quickly or will have adverts on your page.

http://uis.georgetown.edu/web/hosting/dwtutorial.html here is a guide to walk you through uploading your site directly from dreamweaver, its a bit old but its pretty much identical to dreamweaver CS3

[D Thompson]

Check your ISP as a lot of them give you space for personal pages etc.

[Emington]

I know what your saying brap but I doubt I'd be making a living from photography so if possible I don't want to be spending a lot on websites as I have to hire models/studios for my enjoyment.

I've tried looking at my IPS provider but can't see anything on my account that offers free/payable web space. But I'll keep looking.

[Bubble]

domain registration: $11/year
Hosting fee: $5/month = $60/year

Nothing is free anymore.

[j.owen]

godaddy accounts can be had for as little as $4 a month, and you can get your domain at the same time for $2.99. Really not a huge expense, especially since you can pay a recuring monthly fee instead of a lump sum. Basically the cost of a cheeseburger every month.

[ScottKCooper]

Plus if you select a domain name that could carry over, and you decide to go pro - you take the domain with you somewere else if needed (ecommerce site hosting, etc.)

[Keeler]

i agree with j.owen. i've used godaddy for well over a year now for different projects. loads of space and bandwidth for like he said ... a cheeseburger a month. their web interface is super easy to use as well.

[Hamster_Huey]

You can definitely have free hosting, but don't expect fancy features and no downtime. You get what you pay for (or don't pay for). Check this site out:

http://www.free-webhosts.com/

They have an extensive list with reviews of various free webhosts. Make sure to use one which has been around for a few years. A lot of time new webhosts come up with great offers, build up a user base and are then sold off to someone else who then starts charging for hosting.

As for a domain name, I would really recommend buying one for 4-6$/year. It's too cheap to skimp out on and having your own custom domain name/webaddress to hand out to people is very appealing.