xhtml, css, php, mySQL and W3C...

So, What does all of this mean?

If you know you need a website, but you're not sure where to start, I may confuse you with all that gibberish. I'll try to explain what these things are, and why they are important.

Skip the definitions

xhtml (and html) is the code that makes a website what it is. It is like a backbone. Your web browser reads the code, and turns it into something that makes sense to the user. xhtml stands for eXtensible Hypertext Markup Language.

css is the code that makes a website look the way it looks. css declares colors, images, layout, etc. css is the current best practice for laying out a website. css stands for Cascading Style Sheets.

php is the code that tells a website what to do. It is defined as an open-source, server-side scripting language. php allows for a website to interact with its users by the use of forms to collect information about users (name, address, email, etc.), send email directly from the site, develop a user-base for forums and product/merchandise reviews, and a thousand other possibilities. php is an abbrevation for Hypertext PreProcessor.

mySQL is a database management system that works with php to store collected information on a server. It is also an open-source product, and sql stands for Structured Query Language.

W3C is the main international standards organization for the World Wide Web. W3C stands for World Wide Web Consortium

There! Does that all make sense to you now?

Basically, what I'm getting at is it takes more than owning a copy of Microsoft Frontpage or Publisher or Word to build a website. If you don't know what any of the above words are, you need to hire a web designer/developer to get the most out of your website.