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Bahá'í Communications
International
5712 Deerfoot Trail
Fort Worth, TX 76131
USA
Copyright © 1996-2005 by BCI. BCI is sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Fort Worth, Texas.
Getting started
Once you have registered with BCI, you will be sent a confirmation notice with your username and password. Then you will be ready to create your website and use your email.
Getting started on your website
You will need to decide which development tools you will need to create your website. Your choices include
- Commercial software. Software for creating websites (like Mircosoft FrontPage) is available at all computer stores or can be purchased from on-line shopping sites using a credit card. Tools may already be included in your office suite if you purchased it recently. This is the most expensive option, but will enable you to build professional-looking sites with ease.
- Shareware. Shareware can be freely downloaded from many internet sites. Shareware typically includes a trial period of 30 days with an obligation to purchase the software if you want to continue using it.
- Applets and "Express" tools. You probably have some basic tools already installed on your system. For example, Windows includes a DOS-mode ftp program and possibly "FrontPage Express" which can be used to develop simple sites. Your word processor or presentation software may have a "save as HTML" option which will create web-ready documents. These tools will enable you to create simple websites.
- Text editors. Every system includes a basic text editor, such as "Notepad" which can be used to develop websites. These don't cost anything, but you must have a knowledge of HTML in order to do this. You can learn the fundamentals of HTML in a few hours and be able to develop simple websites. Once you become proficient in HTML you will be able to create great-looking websites. Many professionals use text editors exclusively or in combination with other tools for web development.
To create graphics (buttons, banners, and other images), you will have to use drawing or photo editing programs. You can use commercial graphics software, tools that came with your web development package, shareware, or "express" tools.
If you purchased a commercial or shareware product for web development, you probably will use a "publish" feature from within the program to transfer the files to BCI (using the ftp protocol). Otherwise, you will need an FTP client program to upload your files and manage your online web directory.
FTP clients are available as shareware (such as WS_FTP which can be downloaded from www.ipswitch.com). Alternatively, one may already be available as part of your operating system. Windows includes a command-line version (ftp.exe, found in the Windows directory). For more information about the windows ftp program, see http://home.att.net/~knoblock/dosftp.html.
For more information, see Managing your website.
Getting started with email
To use BCI's email, you must already be connected to the internet and must have an email client program, such as Eudora or Outlook. You will be able to retrieve your messages directly from the BCI mail server or by setting up your BCI mailbox to automatically forward to another one of your email accounts (such as your ISP).
For more information, see Managing your email.