Personal home pages represent the smallest market sector for the professional designer. This, as a rule, is because the steps to the development of a professionally designed web site are, essentially, the same whether it is for business or for home. Consequently, most people feel that the cost of customized personal home pages is too high.

The private user may approach having his/her own site in a number of ways. (S)he may decide to go to one of those on-line virtual hosts like the WebSpawner site - one which allows you to make your own page, for free. Naturally, the space allotted is very small but you can, without knowledge of HTML, put up a very simple page, and have it hosted there at no cost. In addition, services like those usually offer, at a small monthly fee, enhancements for your page. This is the easiest way to put up a very modest, simple site at little or no cost.

The next most commonly used option is the web publishing package. This presents other sorts of problems. Packages have to be learned. They usually add some of their own codes designed for a specific server or the allowances of proprietary extensions. A point in case is Microsoft's FrontPage or the web publishing utility available with all more recent versions of WordPerfect. FrontPage, with its Microsoft extensions, will not run properly if it is not on an NT server. The extensions that WordPerfect uses are not supported, to our knowledge, by any commercial server.

Because of this characteristic of many packages, web sites developed on them are generally not as professional, in appearance, as the manually coded pages. The best of them still use some proprietary coding, or codes that don't have any apparent effect (or value) on a page.

Even with the packaged web site development programs, there is a learning curve. Many people don't have the time to learn, or interest in learning, how to get the most out of their chosen package. Most people who develop their own site find it too difficult to create their own graphics. As well, the good graphic programs are rather costly and take a long time to learn. For this reason, some of the more advanced amateur developers will seek out giveaway sites (such as ours at: GraphicFreebies.com) where they can download images to include in their own custom layouts. Many of these individuals will go out and take space at servers such as Yahoo! where they can have space and a mailbox at no cost. This option, however, still requires that you have an internet access accountt with your own ISP.

Most people who have a dial-up account with their chosen Internet Service Provider also have web space on their ISP's server - typically, between 2 and 10 megs of space, 5 meg being more than ample for the average personal (or even business) web site. As often as not, the user must request that his/her web space be opened up - something easily done by the ISP's technical support team.

Finally, the average individual paying for a web site will not be ready to spend $500.00+ to have this personal playground. As a result we have come out with a new product line: Web Site Design by Galganov's Web Sites to Go!. These professionally designed products are sites that consumers may purchase and have personalized at a price equivalent to or less than that of many packages - depending on how many web pages the consumer desires. A responsible seller of this kind of product would format the client's text, include any images and buttons, then send the owner all files that comprise the new site. Graphics on these sites usually remain the property of the developer and purchase of the customized model implies licence granted for use of the included graphics on your site as long as it is identifiable as the developers' work.

Individuals who follow this route to having their own home page can later upgrade their page themselves or purchase additional stock pages for inclusion. They can rewrite copy, add images, remove elements or they can contact an authorized vendor to do these things for them at a minimal cost. Quality developers will, as their product line grows, offer add-ons and upgrades (like new navigation tools or new sub-page layouts) if a model proves to be very successful. Depending on how many changes the consumer requires it may, however, be cheaper for the developer to simply redo a page rather than make the requested alterations. While this route does give the individual site owner plenty of flexibility, one limitation is that when you buy a given model, you may find that the site seller does not offer as wide a selection of navigation tools and/or other options as you may wish. After all, "stock" is "stock". As well, you must remember that these web pages are resold - this is what makes them so affordable. Consequently, you may find that, if you choose a very popular model, someone else may own a page similar to yours. On the up side, however, since the pages are so inexpensive, you can easily get yourself a completely new model whenever your heart desires.

Finally, we would like to discuss what motivates someone to own a personal web site. In our experience, it used to be that most people wanted a personal home page merely as a door to the Internet. Owning a personal web site is an announcement to the virtual world that says, "Yes, I am here!". As well, web pages are a fun way to communicate with the rest of the world. Personal web pages are now starting to get a different "flavour". Just six months ago personal web pages featured, primarily, links to other web pages. Nowadays, this is starting to change. More and more personal web pages post personal opinions, grandma's recipes etc. In other words, the trend, these days, is to use this venue for personal expression - a trend we applaud. After all, why create just another link page? Why not try to be original? Isn't it this that makes the Internet so fascinating and exciting? So, if you are thinking about putting up a personal web page and are not sure what it is you wish to put there, then take the time think about what it is that makes you, as an individual, so special - so different. Think about how you can make a contribution - in other words, "add value to the Internet". Remember the first three rules of Internet success: "content, content & content". We haven't yet met a person who has absolutely nothing to contribute.

If you have been considering your own home page. Do it! Stop procrastinating and try it out. Use a package, take some free space or get a page from Web Sites to Go! - it is really irrelevant. How much enjoyment you will get out of it depends on your attitude. If you want to compete with other home page owners, you may find owning a your own site stressful. If, however, you want to have some good old family fun, you will find that this venue of expression will be one of the least expensive forms of enjoyment you and your family have ever had. Make it a family project and encourage everyone to participate. A home page is just like a piece of clothing. You try it out and if you don't like it you change. Because you are dealing with the virtual world you can try out as many ideas as you want - no harm done. A home page crosses all boundaries created by the real world. In virtual reality nobody cares how old you are, how much money you have or what the colour of your skin is. In this world you are free. The only limitation is your own imagination. This, in itself, is so powerful that if you think about it for a while you will recognize the tremendous power you have at your fingertips. Write about your thoughts and imagine the person reading it. See their faces - who are they? If your topic is politics there is a good chance a politician may read it. Maybe, if you write about Microsoft, Bill Gates will read it. Who knows how much impact your thoughts may have on this world. No matter, the Internet can open up a whole new world for you if only you are willing to participate.

If this sounds like a come-on for your participation, then you've caught the theme of this article... "Do it - Do it now!"