do you want one area with a common password that you'd give to all users
do you want one admin type area that only you have access to
do you want multiple users to log onto a common area, (members area)
do you want multiple users with multiple different usernames etc to be able to log into individual portals.
what server doe you use (APACHE IIS etc)
what languages are available on the server (PHP, ASP, ASPX, PERL,)
are you able to put CGI programs on the server to interpret pages?