OSUWeb.net offers 10 megabytes of personal web space to customers signed up for our Basic Plan and 20 megabytes of personal web space to customers signed up for our Unlimited Plan. To sign up as an OSUWeb.net customer, visit our sign-up page at the link in the menu on the left. During the sign-up process, there will be a box you can click to request your web space. The webmaster will then create your web space, and send you instructions on how to upload files into your personal web space. (You can expect to receive this e-mail within two business days.)

If you do not elect web service during the sign-up process, you can contact us for web space at any time by any of the following methods:

• Phone: 614-688-HELP (4357) or toll-free at 1-800-678-6003
• Fax: 614-688-3425
• E-mail: osuweb@osu.edu

Make sure you have the OSUWeb.net user name you selected during sign-up.

NOTE: When creating your OSUWeb.net password, please bear in mind the following guidelines (which are also found on the page where you select your OSUWeb.net user name and password):

• At least 7 characters
• At least 2 non-alpha characters
• At least one case change
• No dictionary word longer than 3 characters (cat and dog are acceptable if the password passes the other tests)
• No more than 4 instances of the same character in a row. (No more than 4 instances of the character in the word is better)
• No references to your personal or business life of the (such as birthdays, anniversaries, family members' names etc.)

If your password is rejected by the web server's security, the webmaster will create a password for you, and will let you know what it is.

When we have finished creating space for your personal web site, you will be sent an e-mail message (with the subject field of "OSUWeb.net: New web site information") containing the FTP information you will need, and instructions for uploading your site. You can also find help with FTP by clicking here.

For software to help you create your web site, visit our download pages. And you may also want to visit our CGI page so that you can add response forms and a guest book to your web site.

Click here for more about how to go about creating a webpage.

From the Webmaster:

Many of you know all about creating web pages. However, this may be a new endeavor to some of you. Unfortunately, teaching customers how to build web pages is a bit beyond the scope of my job, but I'll be happy to point you in the direction of some helpful information. I don't know your level of knowledge, so please excuse me if I am telling you things you already know.

Most people nowadays use a tool called an HTML editor to build web pages (unlike the dark ages, when I got started, and we had to code the danged things by hand in Notepad). If you have a reasonably new version of Microsoft Word on your computer, you already have a primitive HTML editor. You just go to file:new, and select "web page" as the document type.

However, that is a very limited tool. I would suggest that, instead, you download one of the trial versions of the software on a site like HotDog --

http://www.sausage.com/products/index.html

These are reasonably easy to use, and will give you more of what you need than the editor that comes with MS Word. And if you like them, they are reasonably-priced.

If you are wanting tutorials, the one I've heard the best reviews of is the insultingly-titled "HTML for the Conceptually Challenged" --

http://www.arachnoid.com/lutusp/html_tutor.html

There are more sites for you to try in the "Downloads" pages on our site --

http://www.osuweb.net/downloads/index.html

Once you create your pages, you will absolutely have to have a tool to transfer them to the server with. I highly recommend WS_FTP LE. You'll find it towards the bottom of --

http://www.ipswitch.com/downloads/index.html

It's free, and it works smoothly.

If you run into specific snags, I may be able to help you out. But for the best source of peer group help with building web pages, I would suggest the HTML Writers Guild. There are e-mail groups that include every level of user, from people who've never built a web page, to people who do it for a living -- including some who do good work! You don't have to join to belong to most of the mail lists.