Who does what?
web developer
A person who takes control of and responsibility for the process and implementation of your project. You can hire your brother or sister and they may build you an attractive and sufficient web site. However, building a web site with all (or many of) the potential applications available today (2008) is a project for a professional. Graphic design is one of the skills that may fall outside the scope of what the "developer" does. But the developer should be able to explain the full range of what is possible to implement on the World Wide Web. A web developer has some familiarity with all the tools and building blocks of technology.He or she need not be an expert in all areas of web programming, implementation and use of database applications, web server management (web hosting), but will be able to sub contract any needed tasks to suite the scope and purpose of your project.
web designer
May or may not be synonymous with web developer. A web designer may specialize in an area such as graphic design or information architecture as it relates to web site and database design. Of these two terms, developer implies less specific (but more global) skills. The web developer may be seen as having more of a managerial or oversight function, but these terms are often used interchangeably. Web developers are actually often skilled in the programming aspects of web design.
web host
This can and does refer to the physical machine that "hosts/serves up" (makes available) your web site to the world, but also to the company or other entity that manages the hardware and software needed to accomplish this. Not just any old computer is equipped to host web sites on the World Wide Web The host computer must have a permanent, published (broadcast) connection to/address on the Internet, and must be loaded with specific "server" software. The physical machine can then be referred to as a "web server." Note that your ISP (Internet Service Provider) may also provide you with with Web Hosting services, though often of a somewhat limited nature. Many kinds of web hosting packages are widely available.

web master
A person who may have served as your web developer, web designer, web host, all three, or none of the above. However this is an ongoing position. It can be a very active one, or a very intermittent one. This is the person who is charged mostly with keeping you web site current and up to date information-wise. This is the person you call first if you have a problem or an update that you can't handle yourself. This person often acts as both web host and web master, but this is somewhat misleading, as the webmaster, or whatever he or she calls her/himself, is often reselling web hosting space on web server computers of a much larger /organization. Webmasters or web hosts will bill for intermittent services on various bases, one being strictly an hourly rate charged as needed or time as agreed upon for regularly occurring maintenance.

Estimate the scope and cost of developing your web site

There are so many features of web sites these days it can be very very confusing for the neophyte.
First, know what you want, by getting an idea of what is possible. Then balance your needs against your wish list.
Best way to start is to critically look at web sites that you know (and love or hate). Tell your developer why.

Initial Process at Oxgate

Before making any contract, potential clients look at many live web sites of the same category (business) as their own, and choose 4 or 5 to admire and perhaps partially emulate. The client is required to make a list in writing of their likes and dislikes of the features of each of these 4-5 web sites (simply done is fine and good). Oxgate (John or a colleague) may also compile a list independently of example web sites for discussion, the purpose of which is to discover the client's priorities and to foster the correct expectations.

After some discussion, for example: 3 hours over a period of 3 weeks, Oxgate (John) and the client confirm whether they will make an initial contract and then work together to develop a web site. This initial (or preliminary) contract will not guarantee an end product, but will provide some compensation to the designer/developer for further exploration (this refers mostly to the graphical "look" of the web site) What a contract, and the proposals formalized in the plan the contract spells out, can only be discovered during the preliminary phase/discussion back and forth.

Worksheets will be provided to the client to promote clarity even at this stage. It is the client's responsibility to provide the material content and copy relevant and appropriate to the web site and all of its parts in precise detail eventually. There must be promised cooperation with regard to timeliness/completion of the various final worksheet drafts, and other kinds of sign-offs, so it is a good idea that the client be taken through an outline of what will be expected from their side.

Execution Phase and Contract

After agreeing on concrete graphic designs/layouts/mock-ups, a finalized contract will be written and signed for the complete execution of the project. The contract will spell out as many of the requirements and specifications for the job as possible. The contract will outline acceptable ways, among other things, to handle partial or full revisions of design and technical features, especially those which will fall outside the agreed upon scope of the project. The contract will also formalize deadlines and suggest equitable means for dealing with failure to meet deadlines. At the signing of this contract, fifty percent (50%) of the agreed upon amount will be paid in advance of further work.