[curtiss]

Originally Posted by Bluestar

First of all, what do I need to look for in a server to make sure I get my money's worth? Which web hosting service do you prefer?

I don't know if I can really recommend one that I prefer, but I can offer one that I would not recommend (they used to be fantastic, but have really gone downhill the last year or so). Do not, under any circumstances, sign up for an account with WebHostingEtc (AKA t3link). I have found a company called PenguinHost that appears to offer some very nice services at some very good prices, but have not yet tried them, so I cannot endorse them.

Originally Posted by Bluestar

Second, I need to use secure forms in my site for my customers. What programming do I need to learn for this?

There are quite a few ways to accomplish this. Probably the most popular at this point is PHP. Of course, you will also want to do some research on Secure Socket Layers (SSL).

Originally Posted by Bluestar

Third, how can I promote my business site? Any advice?

Registering with Search Engines is the best way to go. Of course, it helps to have some brochures and ad specialties (magnets, pens, etc.) made up with your web address on them so that you can pass them out. I had a bunch of Post-It pads made up at iPrint a while ago, and they were very helpful (something that's actually useful for people, and I still use them myself, even though all of the info on them is incorrect now).

Originally Posted by Bluestar

Fourth, what payment method works best for online business?

That really depends on what payment method you're comfortable accepting (and really kind of depends on what service and/or products you're offering). If you are considering using credit cards, you should check the topic called "Online Credit Cards" in the Programming and Scripting forum

Originally Posted by Bluestar

Fifth, is it necessary to have my site hosted in my native country? Or can I have it hosted in the US without legal or other impediments?

As far as I know, there are no legal restrictions whatsoever on where your domain is hosted.

Originally Posted by Bluestar

Sixth, what’s MySQL and PHP? I read so much about these recently. Do I need to know about them?

SQL (stands for Structure Query Language) is a language used to interact with databases. MySQL is a particular brand name of SQL (and is the most popular). Generally, when people refer to SQL, they are actually referring to the databases themselves, rather than the language. So, if someone recommends that you use SQL, they are really telling you to make sure you have databases that are compatible with SQL.
PHP is another language. PHP interacts extremely well with SQL and SQL databases. PHP is kind of like a super-charged form of dynamic HTML. It is a server-side scripting language (whereas javascript is a client-side scripting language), which means that it is capable of actually making changes to various files on your server (it's extremely helpful for interacting with SQL databases to store information). It is extremely powerful, and, if you know what you're doing with it (which I don't), you can accomplish almost anything on a web site.

On a side note - have you looked into any e-commerce solutions yet? osCommerce and ZenCart seem to be the most popular. Check the Online Credit Cards topic, and the Helpful Links sticky in the Programming and Scripting forum for some more information.

Originally Posted by Bluestar

Thank you.

You're welcome. I hope I helped a little.