Here you are. At the very beginning. This is the absolute, very first place you need to be if you’re considering starting a photography website or blog. Securing a domain is something you might consider doing way before you’re ready to invest any money or time into your web presence.

First you need a domain:
domain: a unique alpha numerical set of characters and extension that will be a user-friendly address for your website. Domain names are not case-sensitive and each unique combination can only be registered to one person at a time. Purchasing a domain name is one of the simplest but most stressful things you’ll do to get started because you have to really think about what you want to have for a long time in the future now and hope it isn’t already taken.
The domain for this site is 4theloveoffocus.com. Buying the domain is just buying the name and usually costs as little as $10/year…usually much less. You can purchase a domain from your hosting company or any reputable domain registrar.

The next step is hosting:
hosting: a web-hosting service is provided to you for a fee, usually a monthly service charge. When you pay the host company, you are renting space of their server. The files that you put on the server are written in code and your web-url is essentially an address on the internet so that any computer knows where to look to find your information.
One of our favorites is bluehost.com for their capability and customer service. Bluehost offers 24/7 live chat customer service and unlimited hosting space for a low monthly price of $6.95!

Got it?

Uuuhhhhhhh……

No? Still a little fuzzy? Let’s try an analogy. Say you’re renting a storage unit at 123 Main Street, Springfield, IL.

The domain is the address. You’re paying for the name of the website.

The hosting is the space you’re renting. You move your junk (junk being your website files) in there and pay to keep it there.

You can usually get the domain free with a year of hosting. Now when we quote the price of $6.95/month, that’s kind of a guideline. If you think you’ve found hosting for $5/year…you’re getting screwed. Don’t do it. Unless a reputable company is having a blowout sale (which Dreamhost does and it’s a great deal but it’s still not as cheap as $5/year), you’re probably going to end up with shoddy access to your files and inaccessible customer service.

Make sure the hosting company you choose has good, 24/7 phone support as well as cPanel access, one-click installations and multiple email addresses. When checking out, you’ll probably be offered several add-ons like extra security or backup services. These are nice to have but make sure you get the WHOIS privacy option. It protects your personal information so creepers can’t easily track you down as the owner of a domain. Not. Cool.

So there my dear beginner, just starting out, budding photographer and blog manager. Just take this thing one step at a time. Sure it can be overwhelming and confusing, especially when you’re trying to read tutorials and comb forums and practice your skills. Just try to take it as it comes and soon you’ll be all, “Oh domains and hosting and websites and servers? Yeah, I got it. Yay me!”

And if you don’t want to wade through all of it on your own, 4TLOF has a great start-up option for you. Come take the “For the Beginner: Launch a ProPhoto blog or blogsite from start to finish”. We’ll hold your hand while you buy a domain, secure hosting, install wordpress, purchase & download the ProPhoto theme (with a discount!) and install it to your blog. Then we’ll walk through customization, blog management and some basic SEO tips. Knock it all out, baby!

The workshop starts May 23, 2011 & registration will be open on May 11 at 12:00pm EST. Fee will be $75 for workshop & you don’t need to be a 4TLOF member to take the course. One lucky registrant will get the ProPhoto theme 1/2 off!

***IMPORTANT INFO: I know this is really exciting stuff but please don’t run out and get a domain & hosting and the ProPhoto theme right now. We’ll provide information and support on that including a discount code for the theme after registration!

If you’d like email notification with registration information, please leave a comment here.