2003–2005
It wasn't long after the wild success of Yahoo! Geocities and social networking sites such as MySpace early this century spurred a new phenomenon: Personalized Web sites for everyone! It seems like almost everyone wants to have a place on the Web to share their lives with friends and family members. In the past few years the Web has exploded with services centered on giving everyone their own personal Web presence. The new Web 2.0 experience allows people to quickly and easily share their lives with everyone through blogs, wikis, and personalized Web sites, among other services.
 
Meanwhile, services such as eBay and PayPal have made it possible for these same people to turn their Web sites into online stores where they can buy, sell, or exchange almost anything you can imagine. This has increased the already-phenomenal pressure for businesses to establish their own online presence. Although it has become common practice for any established business to have a Web site, small businesses and home-based businesses are struggling to make a presence on the Web.
 
The increased demands for an online presence for individuals as well as small businesses have given rise to a nearly unlimited number of services offering domain name registration, Web hosting services, e-commerce solutions, and countless other services aimed at creating a Web presence for individuals or businesses. Unfortunately, however, these services come with a price - usually far too much for the average individual or small-business owner.
 
2006–2007
In 2006, Microsoft made a daring venture into this market by creating a new service branded Microsoft Office Live Basics. Individuals and small business owners could sign up for this service to register their own domain name and host a simple Web site free of charge. Although the free-level of service can potentially meet the needs of the average small-business owner, there are many limitations to the service that make it difficult to compete with the flashy, high-tech sites people expect on the Web these days.
 
This sounded like something too good to be true. I jumped in as soon as I heard of the service, and LockworldHerald.com was born.
 
Although I initially intended Lockworld Herald to simply be a personal Web site where I could store some documents for my own use, I quickly grew frustrated with the limitations to the service. In trying to find workarounds that would fit my personal needs, I decided that it would be a good idea to start sharing these ideas with other Microsoft Office Live Basics customers, as well as people who have a relatively simple site somewhere else, to enable them to turn their small, limited site into one that had the same look and feel as a more professional Web site.
 
I began sharing these ideas on The Web for You in June of 2007. As I began to blog, I realized that I needed a place to store examples of the techniques I was discussing, so I converted LockworldHerald.com from a personal Web site into a testing ground and showcase of the work I was doing.
 
2008
Eventually, Microsoft Office Live Small Business (as it was then called) stopped offering free domain name registration. They informed the early-adopters who already had free domain names that they would continue to renew those domains indefinitely free of charge.
 
2009
In 2009, Microsoft changed their minds and told their Office Live Small Business customers that their domain names would no longer be renewed.
 
This news, combined with the never-ending struggle to build a decent Web site when limited to plain HTML and Javaxcript (No server-side-includes or database-driven content), made me decide that it was time for me to upgrade to a more professional level of service. My Web site is now hosted by HostMonster, and the difference between free and paid hosting is unbelievable. For under $10 a month, I now have access to all of the features I've only dreamed of before. I can now create content that takes advantage of server-side-includes and database-driven content. But I also have access to countless other tools, such as professional blogging platforms, social networking tools, content-management systems, and so much more.
 
I look forward to the next stage in the development of LockworldHerald.com.
 

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I hope you enjoy your visit to Lockworld Herald!