Help Newbie

[cozmo]

i need a website fast but have no idea what im doing
i am in the control panel and then goto download Soholaunch website builder
and it gives me an error
Server Auto-Configuration Failed
It seems we could not automatically configure your host's server access information. This means we cannot install anything on your site, at least in it's current configuration.

Probable Causes and Solutions
Your domain name (DNS) may not be pointed to your hosting account.
Chances are, this is where your problem lies. If you have pointed (redirected) your domain to a website or hosting account outside of the one you are using for this installation, we won't be able to install anything on this account. Your webhost may provide an 'alternate access URL' to your account, of which we are probably already aware and have tried. If at all possible, point your domain name to this hosting account, and we will continue as normal.
You may be Redirecting traffic elsewhere.
You may have a 'hard redirect' setup through your host's control panel, or by using a '.htaccess' file or similar. Try renaming or deleting this file from your account to remove the redirect.
Your FTP root directory may not exist.
This directory, called your 'FTP Root', is where all of your publicly available folders and files live. Common locations for this are "public_html", "httpdocs", "www", "htdocs", and assorted others. Check with your webhost to make sure one of these folders exists on your account.
Your domain is protected by password authentication.
If you require a password to access your entire domain (not just one section), we cannot bypass that security. For the duration of the installation, please deactivate that authentication. Installation takes only a few seconds, and if you must deny access, try putting an 'Access Denied' page up or set your domain to 'Maintanance Mode'. Your host can further assist you

[felgall]

How long ago did you set up the domain name? It can take several days for it to point to the right place.

You can set up your computer so it will work with the domain name while you are waiting by adding an entry to the hosts file on your computer that attaches your domain name to the ip address of the server.

[Early Out]

i need a website fast but have no idea what im doing
This isn't going to turn out well. There's a reason that website designers make a good living - it's because it isn't all that simple, and there aren't any really good shortcuts. Various website builder packages do a fair job of cobbling something together, but using them is usually an exercise in confusion, followed by frustration.

[cozmo]

so what is the best thing for me to do
is it to buy a web template?

[dkinzer]

so what is the best thing for me to doKeep this in mind: {fast, good, cheap} Pick any two.

[cozmo]

a bit of all
i guess i want a good html website
just having a problem getting off the ground

[felgall]

Probably a good place to start would be to learn HTML. To get your pages working properly you're going to need to know what the HTML tags mean even if you do use an editor that generates most of them for you.

If you are going to buy a template then you really need to know a reasonable amount of HTML to be able to tell what is a decent template and what is garbage.

[cozmo]

ok thanks for the help
one more thing
should i get a flash web site or html?
i heard html is better for google searches....higher on the list

[bobdog]

Flash based templates or websites are irritating, difficult to edit, and generally not a good idea for a beginner to start learning.

In other words, flash is a whole new can of worms.

Start learning by googling html tutorials. Get a decent graphics program (gimp is free) and then look at some html editors like dreamweaver. (pricy but good)

[Eriksrocks]

Keep this in mind: {fast, good, cheap} Pick any two.

That's awesome. :D Somehow I've never seen that before. :)

[felgall]

should i get a flash web site or html?

A flash site doubles the workload because you need an HTML version for all the people who don't have flash.