1 Set Up an Affordable Website SUMMARY: If your NMA chapter has a small number of members or modest funds, you can still create a sharp website for very little investment of time or money. The key is to keep it simple and use the vast resources available for free on the World Wide Web. Mega- pages of information exist on the Web to help you build a nearly zero-cost website for your chapter (e.g., Build-Website.com).Build-Website.com REQUIREMENTS: To start, youll need a computer, web page design software (HTML editor), internet access and space on a web server. It should take less than 40 hours to build the website, and less than 2 hours/week to update it. PROCESS: Nearly any computer built in the past 5 years has all the capabilities to create a web page. If no one in your chapter owns a computer, find out if your employer allows after-hours computer usage for personal purposes. Microsoft products such as Word and PowerPoint allow you to design web pages and save them as HTML. Free HTML editors abound and produce cleaner code than Word: search on text editors in Google. Create your own web art using PhotoShop, Fireworks, or Microsoft Photo Editor (included with most Microsoft Office packages). If you prefer using available art, copyright-free art abounds on the Web, but make sure the site is legit (Clip Art, Inc. is a good example).Clip Art, Inc. You may be able to access the Web from your place of work with management approval. Or you can use your home account if you have one. NetZero and others offer low-cost web access. You need a web server to host your web pages once theyre created. The same company that offers you Internet access (see above) will usually offer members some amount of server space. You dont have to buy your Web hosting from the company that sells you your domain name or provides you with Web access, though. There are thousands of independent hosting services out there.NetZero Some services offer free hosting if you allow ads to run on your site. Some free hosting companies are listed at Free Internet Access. Others offer low-cost hosting with a one-time setup fee (usually $40-$80). High-quality services have monthly rates in the $20 range (plus a setup fee), but offer higher reliability, tech support, and other extras. On the Web, as anywhere else, you get what you pay for.Free Internet Access Finally, you need a way to get your files onto the web server. Some services have ways to upload files, but the best way is to use FTP (File Transfer Protocol). Free FTP software abounds; just type the phrase into Google youll drown in choices! FTP software allows you to connect directly to the web server and choose any or all the web pages you want to upload to the Web; hit the button and it will do it, even allowing you to pick destination folders on the server. Aside from listing your web page on NMAs list of chapter and council wegbsites, you can submit your web page to over 40 search engines for free using Microsoft Submit-It, one of the oldest services of its kind. You can also register your web page with Google, Yahoo, and elsewhere. Good advice on search services and ranking can be found on Googles Webmaster Central.Submit-ItGoogle YahooGoogles Webmaster Central Rev QuickTool 4