Whoever coined the phrase "you can't get something for
nothing" had pegged free Web hosting services correctly.
While you're not laying out any cash, you do have to make one
concession -- advertising banners which appear whenever
someone surfs to your site. You've probably seen them in your
travels on the Web, either as pop-up windows or ads embedded
at the top of a Web page. Advertisements are annoying, but they are a
necessary evil. That's because the serviced rely on the
support of advertisers and sponsors to help make them free.
To set up an account, you'll probably have to give the
service of your choice some personal information -- address,
telephone number, age, etc. It's another necessary evil, but
on with which you may not feel comfortable.
Free Web hosting services give you an excellent opportunity
to create a presence on the Web. Not only can't you beat the
price, but you'll find that these services offer a number of
features that even the best ISPs lack. While there are
aspects of them that leave much to be desired, you may find
that using a free hosting service is the fastest and cheapest
way to get your message out there.