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Originally Posted by ExAnimo91
I apologize, because I am all too aware I'm one of those very annoying people who do not even understand the basics of something, and yet am asking for help :/
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Oh no, that's not annoying. Annoying is when somebody pretends to know something, but clearly does not. So simply admitting that you don't know something, and are willing to ask for help, is quite respectable.
So let's see if I can help you here...
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most of those top 10 lists are BS and there were money mongers behind many of them (both through the companies themselves - a lot owned by EIG, as well as many of the bloggers promoting those companies).
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Yep. It's so easy to be suckered into using a bad host these days.
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I'm never happy to leave things to pre-determined templates. I also don't like not being able to make something my own. As time has gone on, I've also been frustrated with the restrictions such sites have.
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Entirely understandable.
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I'd like it to be multi-functional
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Okay, great! But what functions are you referring to? That's the "techie part" you'll have to figure out. Or ask, and I'll try to help you.
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I'd like to be able to have a blog (and as you can all ready see), some links to outside sources, I might share videos from time to time but not extensively, and I would probably like a photography portfolio (but nothing uber professional, just a place to share some of my hobby photography).
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Sometimes, it's best for low-knowledge users -- NOT an insult!! -- to stick to pre-existing services. For example, image gallery plugins for WordPress to Flickr, or video plugins that embed from Youtube. Because a fully DIY method is not fun or easy. I've made several photo galleries, and have never been happy with them. For videos, we have an in-house system that STILL does not work well (too much time investment required), and this is primarily a video site! (We use Youtube or Facebook still.)
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- I do plan on using wordpress if I can figure it out (but I still get annoyed trying to tweak themes).
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I've been a WordPress dev for 7+ years now, and still run into issue myself. "WordPress" is mostly just CSS and PHP, and those languages are almost limitless. If you have issues, post them here, and maybe I (or others) will have run into the issue before (and thus know a quick fix). I've seen a lot of weird things in my day, and we've supported some plugins long after the original dev went missing.
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Oh and something that is really important to me (if you haven't guessed) is that I really do need a user-friendly interface (content manager?).
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WordPress is the "content manager" (CMS = content management system). What you want is "UX" (user experience), which is a fancy way of saying the design and layout works well for both new and existing users. So you need a good WordPress theme (design).
ThemeForest has a lot of good themes for under $50. I often make my own themes, but I've bought some as well. (Why reinvent the wheel?) You can try to find free ones, and it might work.
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But I also don't want something that will be restricting, once I become more acquainted with the process. (this always ends up being the case with wordpress.com and tumblr.com - it is easy at first but then I have no options when I actually want to customize something. Even with my basic knowledge of html/css.)
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When you have your own WordPress site (not WordPress.com), you can do whatever you want, to the limits of your knowledge.
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So far I've looked through the forums here - and I wasn't too excited about Site5, because some people have critiqued it quite a bit. I was interested in namecheap.com, but I always run into the problem of not fully understanding the terminology used when people talk about it.
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Both are excellent hosts.
For newbies like yourself, I'd highly suggest Site5,
WebhostingBuzz or Stablehost. If money is no object, them
LiquidWeb is another excellent solution. Each of those hosts has excellent support, and is friendly. You may need that.
Whatever critique you read about Site5 may be malarkey. I'd be curious to see one.
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From what I understand, they offer both domain names and webhosting; is there a bundle way of doing this, or do you get the domain and then the webhost through them?
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Never buy a domain from a web host. Only get a domain from a registrar. However,
Namecheap is a registrar. Buy it from them. Don't try to be cheap and get a "free domain", as that ALWAYS leads to issues. It's not a case of if, but when you'll have problems. You do NOT want middlemen involved when it comes to domains.
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I apologize for being the village computer idiot! And for being as wordy as I am. I know it's a pain! (Believe it or not - I am much more knowledgeable on other topics and have dealt with the 'naive techie questions' in other forms such as 'naive medical questions'!)
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Then you may have dealt with me.
I know several things very well, and hosting is one of them. But I'm not a doctor. I'm the patient that comes in with a list of questions/notes, and want them all answered. (And I see no problems with that, either!)
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If you're not in a rush to act, then in about a week I may have some more suggestions for you.
