bandwith??? I'm getting very confused.

[geekgirl]

I'm trying to start my own website and I'm getting very confused.

I thought you just buy a domain name, and them boom your good to go...
but now it seems I need to buy hosting too for like, $4 a month!? and I dont understand the features and which ones I need.

My site is going to have a homepage,
a page with pictures that can be zoomed in on when clicked,
and page where users can submit a file + email,
and a page with a forum (im thinking of using phpBB)

I'm using dreamweaver to build my pages, and Ive seen tutorial on how to publish it to your domain name, so im good there. But im worried about bandwith. I just dont get it. How much do I need? Im not even sure what bandwith means! I'd like to expect ALOT of hits on this site, does that even have anything to do with bandwith?

whats the best domain + hosting service to fit my needs where I can use phpBB? also do I need to make some sort of database for this? cause I know nothing about that.

and please, when answering keep in mind although I know html and basic css, and can use dreamweaver without a hitch, all this server language and domain stuff, im complete noob to.

I havent bought a domain yet, but I know its available, and Ive been looking into godaddy.com, but is that the best option?


I know im asking alot, and im sorry to be a pain, but
Im afraid im going to be ripped off buying options I dont need!
and Im trying to make my dream website come true.

[TVGHosting]

Godaddy can be a decent option for your needs as they are cheap and you only have one page.

You are going to want to find a "shared host". A host which offers hosting on a server with other websites. You all share that dedicated server. These servers will have a Control Panel which will help you do what you need in order to set your site up with little work. Look for cPanel or Interworx server.

You will not really need much space or bandwidth to start off with. Bandwidth is the amount of stuff you can transfer. Mos shared hosts out there offer so much that $4 a month should cover you for a while.