Become the Webmaster of Your Own Domain

by

Fall 2003

Every day we see evidence that web-based technology can be used by everyday people  to document your family’s genealogy, display photo albums for distant relatives, host a discussion board on a favorite hobby or topic, manage a youth soccer team, show off your collection of stamps or coins, or publish your own writings. This class covers what you need to know to create, manage and update your own website in plain, non-techie English. Even if you use canned software or have someone else do the hard work, you need to understand these basics. Follow-on support provided to ensure your success.

Course Outline and Notes

Introductions

CD Contents

Course Overview

Components of the Internet

  • World-Wide Web
    • The “Mall Analogy”
    • The “Sonic Drive-in Analogy”
    • Browsers
    • ISPs (Internet Service Providers)
    • Web Hosting Providers (‘free-ad-supported’ vs. paid)
    • Domain names, extensions
    • URLs (http://{www}.domain.extension/folder/file name.suffix)
    • FTP
    • Email
    • Other (Operating Systems, …)

Browser Capabilities

  • File Save As, (right click) Image Save As
  • File Send (page or link)
  • Edit Find
  • View Source Code
  • View Text Size
  • Refresh
  • History

Design Considerations

1. What’s the purpose of the site? What do you want to achieve?

2. Who is your audience?

3. What software do you need/want to use?

  • straight HTML or WYSIWYG Editor?
  • Microsoft Front Page, Publisher, Word, etc.
  • Macromedia Dreamweaver, including HomeSite (www.macromedia.com)
  • Homestead (www.homestead.com )
  • Netscape Composer (http://channels.netscape.com/ns/browsers/download.jsp)
  • web building tools provided by web hosting providers, templates, or specific to certain businesses or industries
  • Adobe Acrobat and Reader (.pdf format)
  • photo editors (PaintShop Pro, Adobe Photoshop, …)
  • FTP (WS-FTP LE, www.ipswitch.com , others)
  • digital camera
  • scanner
  • word processor, spreadsheet, …
  • media players (audio, video)
  • CD burners

4. What capabilities do you need? Does hosting account support:

  • MS Front Page extensions
  • how much storage space
  • multiple/ ‘parked’ domains
  • administrative tools, control panel
  • traffic logs
  • cgi, php, asp, …
  • form mail
  • message boards, mailing lists, guest books, chat, …
  • email accounts, forwarding, spam tools?
  • site search index
  • private directories (search-protected, password-protected)
  • streaming audio, video
  • E-commerce: secure servers, shopping carts, merchant card processing, PayPal, …
  • Customer Support – phone, email, online Help

5. Other

  • User interface (navigation, menus, page linkages)
  • Administrator interface
  • directory/folder structure
  • file naming conventions
  • index.html, .htm
  • Screen width and sizing
  • Graphics, photos
  • Search engine registration
  • Colors
  • Text, fonts
  • General “look and feel”
  • Expandability, “scalability” and maintenance
  • What code, scripts, templates, examples, etc., can you find on the web to adapt?

Creating a web page

  • Tags and Attributes
  • Page-level tags
  • Formatting tags
  • Links
  • Tables
  • Lists
  • Images
  • Forms
  • Colors
  • META tags and attributes
  • “Snippets” (reusable code)
  • Testing, Validating (locally)
  • Uploading and Testing (web)