i have looked at some sites already that offer domain and web site hosting, site builders, and so on. i'm not dumb i get all that but what i don't honestly understand is what i will get for my money if i sign up for them. i dont just want to create some website like what i did 6th grade for a science project, i want a fully functioning website , where people can sign in and out with usernames and passwords, chat, have profiles, etc. my gut tells me i won't get that on 5.99/month. if it sounds too good to be true it usually is i guess. please suggest web site builders i can use to create a website like that. money is not a factor at this point, i just want suggestions. thanks so much

try "microsoft office live"

For a beginer, it's VERY easy to manioulate and it's FREE. I do sites for all of my friends there and they have no idea that I'm using pre-designed stuff.

Good luck

get an e-server? do you have a server to put your customers on?

I am a web designer but I can give you lots of information. You can get really good hosting for $2.95 a month from my favorite hosting company, http://crystaltech.com. They are reliable and have a great reputation along with hostmysite.com. The usernames/passwords thing is troubling me, do you want an ecommerce site? if so, you will spend more like 16-20/month just on hosting. getting the domain name (hwww.yoursitesdomain.com) is about $8.95/year from a site called "godaddy.com" which is my personal preference, though there are dozens of places to get a domain. please visit my site at http://www.frannysites.com and check out my profile. if you don't want me to design your site, i can at least help you get started.