Most hosts support Microsoft Frontpage design and most people already have it on their desktops. Go to your start menu. Click on programs. Click on internet Express. It will show you three options. One will be Frontpage Express that is a free download that comes with IE.

People have free or low cost hosting to them available and usually don't know it. It's with your ISP. If you have a regular dial-up, you'll only find out about free hosting usually by reading teeny, tiny print. If you have a more expensive plan, your ISP will plaster this all over as an incentive to get you to buy.

OK, now you know this, who are you going to sell for? There are several programs available to find legitimate businesses that won't charge you to sell for them. I use Commission Junction and Linkshare. However, these aren't only ones available.

If you want step-by-step instructions on doing all of these things, I have developed a package called NetSteals. It is available to purchase for $39.95 at mailto:pooka@frognet.net I provide ongoing support for all of my customers, along with all of my resources. NetSteals was developed after months of my own personal research. However, you can do this for free if you're willing to invest time.

Cheryl A. Crossan is author of NetSteals News, dedicated to web design, hosting, marketing and advertising. For free membership with free ads mailto:pooka@frognet.net

3. Adding The Extra Line

This last step can actually be included with Step 2. I am not an expert concerning MIME, servers, and .htaccess files, but I want share with you a 'glitch' that I encountered after first time I followed steps above. Using a WAP simulator/emulator (see below), I was able to access and begin to modify two wireless sites that I had created.

Shortly afterwards, after feeling that I had accomplished something, I went to visit one of my site's, (actually home page from which this article originates, estOnto.com) and I discovered that entering either

http://estonto.com or http://estonto.com/index.html

resulted in an error message that access was forbidden! The same thing happened with my other web site. I could access new wireless sites, but neither home page would open on desktop!

After continued searching and reviewing many online resources I did not encounter any mention of this situation. I repeated and retraced my steps, and I still had same result. Therefore, I attempted to correct this on my own and with some persistence realized that solution was simple. By adding this one extra line to Step 2 above

DirectoryIndex index.html

now - http://estonto.com

once again opens my home page and wireless web site is also accessible!

So final lines that I added to my Apache server via .htaccess file were;

DirectoryIndex index.html

DirectoryIndex index.wml addtype text/vnd.wap.wml wml addtype application/vnd.wap.wmlc wmlc addtype text/vnd.wap.wmlscript wmls addtype application/vnd.wap.wmlscriptc wmlsc addtype image/vnd.wap.wbmp wbmp

How To View Wireless Sites Using a PC's Browser

Obviously, one method of viewing wireless web sites is by using a mobile device. During construction and testing phases of building a wireless site this is not a very practical nor economical approach.

Yet if desktop and laptop browsers can not 'read' WML, at first glance there appears to be a problem then with being able to view a wireless site via a desktop machine.

But just as there are editors and browsers for viewing web pages 'under construction', and using a localhost Apache server along with a Perl console for reviewing Perl scripts before going online, there are a number of different wireless simulators / emulators available. Some can be downloaded for use on your machine, or your web site, or there are sites that offer access to a simulator / emulator for free.

Some sources, a search will easily bring up others;

YoSpace, multiple simulators, life size and enlarged

WapMore, multiple emulators

Wapsilon, several simulators

A WML editor, available free for download, can be found at WAPDrive

WAP Search Engines As on 'regular' web, wireless web has search engines which can be used to search for wireless sites by inputting keywords. Just as important though, is that these search engines accept submission of wireless sites for review and inclusion into their listings. Even though regular and wireless web sites are both on Internet, remember that they are different protocols so SEO and promotion needs attention on both fronts.

Some examples of wireless search engines;

WapTiger WapDrive, many sites listed

WAP Validators Here are a few WAP validators for checking your WML coding for errors. As part of XML, WML must be correct.

WAPuSeek WapTiger W3C WapForum

This is only but a few of wireless resources that are available on Internet. Searching will bring up many related results.

----------------------------------------After being a practicing dental specialist for twenty-five years, William Tolson became intrigued with Internet and web/wap page design. Self-taught and initially designing and hand coding his own personal web sites, he now devotes all his time as an independent contractor focusing on web page design, optimization and accessibility for all.

2002 wjt@estonto.com ©. All rights reserved.