Tutorial on Web Presentation
So, you have done some research and now you want to present to the world your findings. Or, maybe you have some artifacts from WWII or your favorite time period that you want to share pictures of. Or, you want to create a lasting memorial to a loved one that will bring their story to the internet. After all, if you don't bring their story, or pictures or artifacts to the internet, who will?
Well, here we are, getting ready to present what we have on the internet. There are a few steps in the process, and depending on the type of internet host or provider you use, some of these steps might be taken care of by them. Please be sure to read all directions for your specific providers to ensure the least amount of frustration. Getting things online can be a tedious and frustrating process, but once it is complete, you will be proud. There are some things to ask yourself before starting and that is what kind of web pages will I develop? More than likely, regular old "xxxxxxx.html" files will suit your needs. However, if you have information in a database format like Microsoft Excel or My SQL or other systems, you will probably need to develop PHP or XML type web pages. If you are more interested in aesthetics, CSS or Cascading Style Sheets will be your desire. Whichever you decide to use is up to you, many tutorials on these systems can be found at HTML GOODIES For the purposes of this tutorial, we will assume our users will have access to Windows XP and will be creating HTML or Hypertext Markup Language web pages.
Overall, you can sum the steps up in three major phases:
Phase 1: Gathering and preparing your files
Phase 2: Preparing your internet home
Phase 3: Delivering your files to their internet home
Phase 1: Gathering and preparing your files
Step 1: Gather Data
Start by getting all of your information together in one spot. If you have everything in electronic format, this should be easy. If things are not in electronic format, you will have to get them there.
Step 2: Prepare your files
Generally speaking, if you want to use photographs on your site, JPEG ("XXXXXX.jpg) is the most accepted and highest quality format for images. If your photos are in this format already then you are doing good. If not, then you will either need to convert your files using image software of some type, or re-take/re-scan what you have into this format. Text and other files are generally pretty easy to present on the internet using PDF ("XXX.pdf") or just putting the information on the web page itself. Personally speaking, if you are going to use sound on your web page, please make it optional or downloadable. There is nothing more annoying to me than going to a web site and suddenly getting scared to death because of the sounds coming from my computer speakers. When using any file types on the internet whether for text or sound or video, be sure to check that they are in a usable format for others.
Step 3: Prepare your web pages
Now that you have put together all of your information, it is time to start creating web pages. Each web site has to have at least one page to it, the home page. Your home page (or any other page for that matter) can be built using many kinds of software, such as Microsoft NOTEPAD (on all windows systems) or Microsoft FRONTPAGE, or Macromedia FLASH/DREAMWEAVER etc. There are many ways to do it, for beginners, I would recommend using NOTEPAD. For more experienced users or those with a good grasp of internet fundamentals, FRONTPAGE or FLASH/DREAMWEAVER can be used. I would highly recommend FLASH/DREAMWEAVER which I currently use. FRONTPAGE requires a lot of microsoft isms in order to make it work and can prove to be more frustrating. I used Frontpage for a year before switching to Dreamweaver, and I am glad I made the switch. Now, back to page creation. For the rest of the tutorial we are going to use NOTEPAD for simplicity sake.
The best place to go to for information and DIY on building web pages is HTML GOODIES. This site has a wealth of tutorials and how to's for web page creation. Just remember that your homepage must be saved as "index." In other words, when you save your text file in notepad, save it as "index.html" with the quotes and everything. This way, when you send your web pages to their new home (internet server) the server will know which page to show first when someone clicks through to your site from a Google Search or someone types in your web address (domain name).
Phase 2: Preparing your internet home
Step 1: Find a domain name
The first step of getting to the internet itself is to find a name for your web site. To do this I would recommend using Go Daddy to search for a domain name. Once you find one, you will be able to purchase it for around 10 dollars a year. Now that you have found a domain name, you will need to find an internet host.
Step: 2 Find a hosting service
The host is where your internet web pages and files will reside at. For this you can use Go Daddy or you can use Dreamhost which is my favorite. Dreamhost's customer service is really great and timely. Once you choose a host, go ahead and pay for a hosting service package. Once you have become set up, you will be ready to go and just need to do one more thing.....
Step 3: Find your name servers
Now, once you have found a host, find out what their "name servers" are. This will be a designator, kind of like a web address, where your domain name will point to. Once you find the name server designator, go back to your domain name provider and enter in the information. This process will vary from provider to provider and host to host so be sure to research and find directions.
Once you have connected your domain name to your host, you will be ready to take your files to their new home on the internet.
Phase 3: Delivering your files to their internet home
Step 1: Upload your files
This will probably be the easiest step, but possibly the most confusing depending on your hosting service. At this time, you will need to send your web pages and associated files to the hosting service (not the domain name service). Again, there are many ways to do this, but the most common and possibly the easiest is to use something called file transfer protocol (FTP) which is similar in origin to hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP). Is it coming together now? The file transfer protocol (FTP) will allow you to transfer your files (web pages and other files) to the internet while the hyper text transfer protocol (HTTP) allows people to see those files. HTTP will sound familiar because you type it in the address line on your internet browser (Netscape or Internet Explorer). Using FTP will be tricky due to the lack of use, but if you go to network places in Windows XP, there is a wizard which will guide you through the process and set up a FTP connection for you automatically. Just be sure to get the correct FTP address format from your hosting service. Once this is complete, just open up your FTP connection and drag and drop your files, just like on your home computer. It is that easy. After that, you are finished, just surf to your web page and enjoy your creation.
Step 2: Trouble shoot
If for some reason your web page is not showing up, the most likely causes can be: file name errors or capitalization errors in the HTML code. Be sure you have an "index.html" file and go back over your html code to check for errors. Other web sites, such as HTML GOODIES will help with additional trouble shooting. Hosting and domain name services also have numerous FAQ's and forums to help with any problems. I hope this helps you get started in bringing World War II to the internet, if not, just drop me a line and I will be happy to answer any questions or issues.
Cheers
Jason
Well, here we are, getting ready to present what we have on the internet. There are a few steps in the process, and depending on the type of internet host or provider you use, some of these steps might be taken care of by them. Please be sure to read all directions for your specific providers to ensure the least amount of frustration. Getting things online can be a tedious and frustrating process, but once it is complete, you will be proud. There are some things to ask yourself before starting and that is what kind of web pages will I develop? More than likely, regular old "xxxxxxx.html" files will suit your needs. However, if you have information in a database format like Microsoft Excel or My SQL or other systems, you will probably need to develop PHP or XML type web pages. If you are more interested in aesthetics, CSS or Cascading Style Sheets will be your desire. Whichever you decide to use is up to you, many tutorials on these systems can be found at HTML GOODIES For the purposes of this tutorial, we will assume our users will have access to Windows XP and will be creating HTML or Hypertext Markup Language web pages.
Overall, you can sum the steps up in three major phases:
Phase 1: Gathering and preparing your files
Phase 2: Preparing your internet home
Phase 3: Delivering your files to their internet home
Phase 1: Gathering and preparing your files
Step 1: Gather Data
Start by getting all of your information together in one spot. If you have everything in electronic format, this should be easy. If things are not in electronic format, you will have to get them there.
Step 2: Prepare your files
Generally speaking, if you want to use photographs on your site, JPEG ("XXXXXX.jpg) is the most accepted and highest quality format for images. If your photos are in this format already then you are doing good. If not, then you will either need to convert your files using image software of some type, or re-take/re-scan what you have into this format. Text and other files are generally pretty easy to present on the internet using PDF ("XXX.pdf") or just putting the information on the web page itself. Personally speaking, if you are going to use sound on your web page, please make it optional or downloadable. There is nothing more annoying to me than going to a web site and suddenly getting scared to death because of the sounds coming from my computer speakers. When using any file types on the internet whether for text or sound or video, be sure to check that they are in a usable format for others.
Step 3: Prepare your web pages
Now that you have put together all of your information, it is time to start creating web pages. Each web site has to have at least one page to it, the home page. Your home page (or any other page for that matter) can be built using many kinds of software, such as Microsoft NOTEPAD (on all windows systems) or Microsoft FRONTPAGE, or Macromedia FLASH/DREAMWEAVER etc. There are many ways to do it, for beginners, I would recommend using NOTEPAD. For more experienced users or those with a good grasp of internet fundamentals, FRONTPAGE or FLASH/DREAMWEAVER can be used. I would highly recommend FLASH/DREAMWEAVER which I currently use. FRONTPAGE requires a lot of microsoft isms in order to make it work and can prove to be more frustrating. I used Frontpage for a year before switching to Dreamweaver, and I am glad I made the switch. Now, back to page creation. For the rest of the tutorial we are going to use NOTEPAD for simplicity sake.
The best place to go to for information and DIY on building web pages is HTML GOODIES. This site has a wealth of tutorials and how to's for web page creation. Just remember that your homepage must be saved as "index." In other words, when you save your text file in notepad, save it as "index.html" with the quotes and everything. This way, when you send your web pages to their new home (internet server) the server will know which page to show first when someone clicks through to your site from a Google Search or someone types in your web address (domain name).
Phase 2: Preparing your internet home
Step 1: Find a domain name
The first step of getting to the internet itself is to find a name for your web site. To do this I would recommend using Go Daddy to search for a domain name. Once you find one, you will be able to purchase it for around 10 dollars a year. Now that you have found a domain name, you will need to find an internet host.
Step: 2 Find a hosting service
The host is where your internet web pages and files will reside at. For this you can use Go Daddy or you can use Dreamhost which is my favorite. Dreamhost's customer service is really great and timely. Once you choose a host, go ahead and pay for a hosting service package. Once you have become set up, you will be ready to go and just need to do one more thing.....
Step 3: Find your name servers
Now, once you have found a host, find out what their "name servers" are. This will be a designator, kind of like a web address, where your domain name will point to. Once you find the name server designator, go back to your domain name provider and enter in the information. This process will vary from provider to provider and host to host so be sure to research and find directions.
Once you have connected your domain name to your host, you will be ready to take your files to their new home on the internet.
Phase 3: Delivering your files to their internet home
Step 1: Upload your files
This will probably be the easiest step, but possibly the most confusing depending on your hosting service. At this time, you will need to send your web pages and associated files to the hosting service (not the domain name service). Again, there are many ways to do this, but the most common and possibly the easiest is to use something called file transfer protocol (FTP) which is similar in origin to hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP). Is it coming together now? The file transfer protocol (FTP) will allow you to transfer your files (web pages and other files) to the internet while the hyper text transfer protocol (HTTP) allows people to see those files. HTTP will sound familiar because you type it in the address line on your internet browser (Netscape or Internet Explorer). Using FTP will be tricky due to the lack of use, but if you go to network places in Windows XP, there is a wizard which will guide you through the process and set up a FTP connection for you automatically. Just be sure to get the correct FTP address format from your hosting service. Once this is complete, just open up your FTP connection and drag and drop your files, just like on your home computer. It is that easy. After that, you are finished, just surf to your web page and enjoy your creation.
Step 2: Trouble shoot
If for some reason your web page is not showing up, the most likely causes can be: file name errors or capitalization errors in the HTML code. Be sure you have an "index.html" file and go back over your html code to check for errors. Other web sites, such as HTML GOODIES will help with additional trouble shooting. Hosting and domain name services also have numerous FAQ's and forums to help with any problems. I hope this helps you get started in bringing World War II to the internet, if not, just drop me a line and I will be happy to answer any questions or issues.
Cheers
Jason