Putting Your Page on the Web

Chapter three of Creating Web Sites: The Missing Manual is titled "Putting Your Page on the Web". This chapter deals with how Web servers work and choosing a Web Host.
The Web Host is a company that allows you to rent space on their server. The language that allows web browsers to interpret a web pages is called a URL (Uniform Resource Locator). A URL consists of a number of parts.

• The protocol is the communication method of the web which consists of requests and response messages. Web pages utilize HTTP (HyperText Transport Protocol) so all web site request begin with http:// or https:// (a super-secure connection). In most cases it is not necessary to type the protocol portion of the web site. The browser will translate the URL the request into a full URL.
• The domain recognizes the Web Server which interprets the name into a numeric address.
• The path recognizes the spot on the Web server where the Web page is kept.
• The final portion of the URL is known as the file name and generally ends in the extension .htm or .html.
• The bookmark recognizes a distinct position in a web page. This is an optional portion of the URL and is often distinguished by the hash (#) character.
• Another optional portion of the URL is the query string which some Web sites utilize to transmit additional instructions from one Web page to another. Query strings begin with question mark (?) character and appears after the file name.

Next in the chapter is a description of how browsers analyze a URL.

1. The browser determines which browser to contact by selecting the domain portion of the URL.
2. The browser converts the domain name into an IP address; which consists of four sets numbers separated by periods. The browser searches for the IP address for the Web server's domain name by looking through the DNS (Domain Name Service); which is a tremendous catalog.
3. The browser transmits the request to the Web server using an IP address.
4. The Web server receives the request and searches for the path and file name in the URL.
5. The browser receives the HTML page it has searched for and displays it for the user.

The domain name is important because it is what ones web site is identified by. The first step in determining your domain name is checking the availability of the name. There are many Web hosting companies that supply a domain name search tool to check the availability. One such domain search tool is known as http://www.domaindirect.com/

A domain name should be short with intelligent word groupings. Many times a domain is already taken by another person so it may need to be longer or more specific. Often names of people or locations are used to create a domain name.

Common Mistakes:

1. Dashes should never be used in domains because people are more likely to forget the dash and wind up another web site (possibly a competitor's site).
2. Phrases that do not translate well in lower case should never be used.
3. Using a name that does not correspond with ones business.
4. Taking a .org site. A .com site is more desirable for a business.

In most cases it is best to register your domain name when you determine who your Web host will be because many companies offer discounts on domain registration when you rent space.

Domain parking is when one has registered a domain name but has not yet purchased anything else like the host company.

Domain forwarding is when you purchase your URL but forward your site to other space you have available to you. This is a something people often do when they have free web space. Most web hosting companies also allow you to forward subdomains (they appear to look like your domain name however they do not begin with www. They begin with a word or phrase).

There are three web hosting packages:

1. Simplified Web site creation. This is when the web host supplies software to create a web site. It creates very basic web sites.
2. Standard Web site hosting. In this case, one is given web space on a server, the person then constructs the Web page files utilizing their own computer and then copies the files to the server.
3. Web application hosting. This an option for someone who is a programmer and requires a Web server that runs Web applications.

The chapter then goes into the process of assessing the needs when deciding upon a web host.

1. Bandwidth is the most amount of space require to run your web site (how much is needed for users to view your site). Most people do not need more than the minimum bandwidth offered by a Web hosting company. One GB is all that is needed.
2. A domain name is your personally created Web site address.
3. Email addresses- you usually want to customize your email address to match your web site address.
4. Upload-ability. It is important that file transfer to the Web server is smooth. FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is one way effortless way to copy a group of files all at once.
5. Frills. Extras that Web hosts add on to the package in an effort to gain your patronage. Examples of frills include Web site creation tools (not particularly good), Web site statistics (detailed information on who visits your site) and server-side scripts (small programs that run within your Web site).

Then next portion of the chapter deals with the different types of Web hosts:

• Ones provided through your ISP (internet service provider). Many times this space is already included in the price for your ISP. Some ISPs only provide a small amount of space like 5 or 10 MB. A customized name is not included through ISPs.
• Web Hosting Companies. The author provides names and addresses of four good companies:

1. Brinkster http://www.brinkster.com/
2. Insider Hosting http://www.insiderhosting.com/
3. Pair Networks http://www.pair.com/
4. Sonic.net http://www.sonic.net/

The author then walks you through the process of comparing and contrasting two Web hosting companies. This is extremely helpful information since it gives one an idea as to how to figure how which company would be best for ones needs. This is a section to note when I need more web space. Right now I am planning on using my USF space for my Web site.

• Free Web Hosts give a small portion of free space to host your Web Site. These sites are restrictive in what you can do. Many obligate you to have advertising banners on your site (this is how the company makes money).

After a Web host is selected one can transfer files to their web space. There are two types of ways to transfer files:

1. Browser-Based Uploading- One uploads files via a Web page on their Web hosts site.
2. FTP- which allows one to transfer a number of files from your computer to the Web server.

This chapter was incredibly useful in familiarizing myself with the whole process of choosing a domain name, Web host and learning how to transfer files to your Web host.