Best Free Stuff Online
As e-commerce takes hold and more Web sites begin charging for content that used to cost you nothing, good free stuff is getting harder and harder to find. For our third annual guide, we scoured the Internet, tossed aside the dreck, and found worthwhile downloads.
Best Free Web Services
Electronic Soapbox, Part 1
Got something to say? GeoCities will give you a free Web site (up to 3MB of space) to speak your mind in one of over 25 themed "communities," including Entertainment, Government, and Science. Setting up your site is a little tricky, but this is one of the Web's best free offers. GeoCities makes its money by populating its free sites with ads. www.geocities.com
Electronic Soapbox, Part 2
Tripod's free Web site service is similar to GeoCities', but it's a more inviting habitat for first-time Web creators. While Tripod gives you less space (2MB versus GeoCities' 3MB), it provides a friendlier lineup of authoring tools, including one that lets you construct a basic site without knowing HTML. Like GeoCities, Tripod puts ads on your pages. www.tripod.com
Chatter Away for Free
Okay, so you've created your Web site. Now what? Spiff it up with a free chat room. ParaChat lets you add chat to any site--no special software required. True, your room will sport banner ads and won't be big on options, but it's still a great deal. ParaChat also offers ad-free and more feature-rich chat services starting at a thrifty $60 per year. www.parachat.com
Get Your Site Noticed
Once you have your Web site looking good, you'll want the world to know about it. For some quick publicity, stop by Register-It. The free service registers your site with 16 search engines and directories, including HotBot, Infoseek, and WebCrawler. For other search sites, you'll need to either register with those sites yourself or opt for Register-It's $39.99 service, which covers 100 engines and directories. www.register-it.com
