No, that's not the real question. The real question is "How in the Heck Do You Make a Website???"

You do not have to buy software. You do not have to invest $300 in a special online program, either. You can do this for free.

My websites were created for free and I did them myself. I knew almost nothing about making a website. I did not use any store-bought programs whatsoever. (Actually, I did buy "Front Page." I never got around to figuring it out. My daughter zipped out a website on "Front Page" in minutes. But kids these days can do that sort of thing. Not me!)

A friend of mine mentioned that his websites are free. That is how I found out about this avenue for getting on the web. And now I'm going to tell you the BIG SECRET - and this company is not going to give me any commission for doing so, but that's all right. I'll tell you what I wish someone had told me before I spent two hundred bucks on "Front Page" - which, by the way, I do hope to learn one day, but right now I have a business to run, like you!!

The big secret is tripod.com. Now there may be plenty of other similar places out there, but if you're like me, you've never heard of any of them. In the very short time I have been working on my websites with Tripod, I have grown to LOVE this way of making a website. It is so fast and easy, and it's such a pleasure to make a quick change when I see the need. I click a few things, and it's automatically and instantly changed on the Worldwide Web!

That's a big difference from two years ago when I did manage to make a very basic web page with the beginner's program that came with my computer. The process of "uploading" the page to the internet was a lot more involved. I had to be very sure I did exactly the right thing - on the right file - in the right index. Not so with Tripod ? it's all automatically done for you with the click of your mouse.

When I came back into the internet business world just recently, I knew I needed more of a website than just the "one-page wonder" I'd come up with last time. And I had no idea how I was going to do that. But Tripod has come to my rescue. Now I seem to be hooked!

At first, it was slow going to get the hang of making a Tripod website. I wasn't so sure I liked the selection of designs that they had to choose from, either. But I found that I could customize many designs so that they would look entirely original. And after I made the first website, which took me quite a few hours, it was very easy to make the second one. And as I continued to work with Tripod, it soon became a snap to do anything I wanted to do.

For example, once a page (or a website) is the way you want, you can simply copy it, and this makes working on another one almost effortless.

I also found out that I can make as many websites as I want on just one Tripod account. I am doing exactly that as I gain ideas for new websites.

Before I found Tripod, I had purchased several domain names. I can use these domain names with my Tripod websites, so that you cannot tell that my website is a Tripod site (well, now, for you at least, my secret's out...).

I have only one complaint about Tripod: when I emailed the technical support, I always seemed to receive form letters or partial form letters, some of which did not seem to address my questions. At one point, that got me very frustrated. I responded with an email with lots of emphatic, ALL-CAPS pleas for the answers to my questions!

I got back yet another form answer...kept searching...and so far I have figured out all the answers to my questions on my own.

So all in all, I'm happy with my websites...not too bad for someone who knows nothing about HTML (technical website language). What I love most of all is the amount of control I have over the finished product.

If you're looking for answers on how in the heck to make a website, give Tripod a try, as I did. Once you give it a little time, it's actually fun to work with. Try working with it for free until you get your website the way you want it. Then you can consider paying the small fee ? $4.95 per month - to have your website run without any ads. I think it's an incredible bargain, and I'm absolutely thrilled to have found this solution to making a website.

Let me know if this advice has proven helpful for you! And check out my websites to see examples of what your tripod.com website can look like. Mine are fairly plain, but there are loads of options available. Enjoy the process of making your own website!

Sarah Tanner is a writer about relationships and charm. Visit her website, http://www.howtohavecharm.com, and sign up there for her unique emails about charm and relationships. You will receive free ebooks on relationships and self-improvement with each email! You are welcome to reprint this article if you include this resource box with all links unchanged.