I could have started from scratch, of course, with mundane stuff like what the background would look like. However, it was a lot simpler to let experts like yahoo! geocities do the needful.

Why this one over so many others? It's easy to use. Yahoo! PageWizards can build a personal home page quickly, while Yahoo! PageBuilder is a powerful, full-featured editor. And yes, Rediff member pages would have been an obvious choice, of course. But then, I wouldn't have managed to be objective, would I? So, I signed in, launched PageBuilder, picked a template called 'Classic Tan', and that was that.

First things first. What could I call my site? 'Lindsay Portal.' Short, and to the point.

Next, what would it have? I started off with the news, courtesy moreover. Two minutes at its page for Web masters was all it took for them to send me the code via email. After that, the PageBuilder 'Insert Code' command did the rest.

I wanted more: entertainment news, arts, literature and some wacky headlines. Tried iSyndicate, then took the 7am news ticker instead. All I had to do was fill out an online application, cut the code, paste it and smile.

SurfNetKids was another option for interesting stuff like a 'daily factoid', discussion board, etc. I decided to skip it though, along with other options for free content offered by CNET builder .

The next thing to do was get a Web search. Like half the planet, I picked google, and its simple 'Add Google To Your Site' page. In a similar manner, there were codes available for stock quotes, weather reports, as well as free greeting cards.

Note: while using these free services, it is important to read the legal information posted at each provider's page. It is not piracy, as some of you would like to think, simply because the originating sites end up getting traffic. Getting yourself acquainted with HTML may also be a good idea, as it helps tweak edges later. You could try this beginner's guide or this primer.

What's a portal without a chat room? I tried a number of free chat applets and scripts before setting my sights on quickchat: a streaming chat room that was fully integrated into my portal. For the finicky, there are other live chat codes and free programs available, like everychat, though the latter being a CGI script demands that you have Perl 5 installed.

Next, a clock. (Just in case I log on to my portal from a cyber café and lose track of time while counting the errors I've made). Did I want a free 3D twisting clock or a simple, live date script? I picked the latter to cut down on loading time. I also toyed with the idea of embellishing my portal with java applets and other freebies, but decided against them. For those who want them though, anfy offers 41 applets for web pages, desktop wallpapers or screensavers.

After all this trouble setting up a Web site, why not try and earn some money, I thought. Amazon's associates program promises to pay a 5 per cent commission on all books, and up to 15 per cent on books directly linked from my portal. So, buy, buy, buy!

There was just one thing left to do: get a tracking system for visitors. I chose a Java counter called jcount. It offered a free guest book too, but I declined. After all, there's only so much hate mail a man can take.

Almost done. Those who prefer shorter URLs can opt for redirection services. Also, for healthy criticism, why not type in your URL at the Web site garage? It analyses all aspects of your site - from construction and loading time, to HTML coding errors, and overall score.

I scored a 'poor' rating on all counts. But what the heck, I'm easy to please.

Here it is, then. Love it or hate it, it's mine. All mine.

More Like This:
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 -- Part 2: Drive traffic, add frills to your site
 -- Homepages: Create your own spot in cyberspace