Although I've been using and messing with computers since the days of the Apple II, I'm a total neophyte (i.e. "newbie") with respect to web creation and hosting.  I've spent a fair amount of time over the last ten years exploring the Internet and the World Wide Web (see my short note about these words) but, until now, have not been a webmeister.

The genesis of this web site was simple:  I felt the need to have my own soapbox from which I could freely publish my opinions on whatever subjects came to mind.  I've been known as a curmudgeon and an eccentric in my life, and I thought about using one of those words as my domain name.  My heart really wasn't in it for those names simply because they seemed to be too restrictive in nature, and I wanted to offer ideas and stories that weren't exactly curmudgeonly or eccentric.  Then the little light bulb went on over my head as I thought of a previous publishing project, The Ecphorizer.

I charged ahead and went to a place called www.register.com, a service that helps you register a domain name with the organization charged with maintaining all the domain names in the universe.  register.com aids in this by conducting a search to see if your chosen name has already been taken.  If it has found that your moniker has been taken, it suggests alternates.

My initial choice was www.ecphorizer.com and it was indeed available.  I registered it and then found that this is just the first in several steps in web site creation.

The next step is to find a place that will serve as your web site host.  This can be accomplished in a number of ways, the two most popular for non-commercial sites such as this are:

1. to set up a computer with a high-speed Internet access line such as DSL in your home.  This computer needs to be on all the time in case someone happens to visit your site.  You build the pages and control everything.  The cost is the DSL line and possibly an extra computer, though the computer doesn't have to be top of the line for this type of application.
2. to find a web hosting service, which is the way I decided.  I found OLM Services by pure luck:  I used Alta Vista as my search engine of choice and I typed "web hosting" into the search field.  This produced a number of entries, but what also appeared was one of those little ads off the the right touting an Alta Vista special arrangement for $9.95 per month.  I browsed through several of the other choices but none seemed to offer what I needed for such a small price.

Fine, now I've got my name registered, I've got a web hosting service, and now I've got to figure out how to get my content into my user directory at OLM so that you, my visitors, can see my site.  It takes time and patience but bit by bit I'm bringing it all together.

Please bookmark the home page for The Ecphorizer and visit here often as I promise to bring my own brand of humor and observations of the world to these pages fairly regularly.

But it doesn't end there!  In addition to my own opinions I welcome not only emails in agreement or friendly disagreement, but also your submissions, your ideas.  (Please see submission information elsewhere.)