Websites are connected by a network of larger networks of networks. Websites are published on a computer connected twenty four hours a day, seven days a week to that network. You can rent space on computers that will stay connected with your website all the time. The process of renting the space is called virtual hosting. There are quite a few companies that offer this service but the best thing is to go with an established, well rounded one. I prefer Network Solutions. They have been around for awhile and offer nice combination plans for start ups. If you host with them for a one year contract, ask about how you can get your domain registered free. Another nice perk is their customer service. If tech support can't answer your question, they get someone who can. Most providers of hosting packages will include an email account (or 100) so that you can receive email with the format of yourname@yourdomain.com. Network Solutions offers 300 Gigabytes of space for $10 a month. That includes 25 email addresses and free registration of your domain. We will review a sample of hosting providers in another post and should you decide you were not happy with your hosting, it is not difficult to switch.
In our next post we will discuss how to setup a virtual server on your desktop
