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Passing On Web Administrating Knowledge

Passing On Web Administrating Knowledge

This Thread is mostly for Felipe so he can understand how to run a network but others may benefit from parts of this information. I am using my own terminology here. I will regularly update this first Post as I have time.

Lesson 1 - Understanding some jargon

There are some terms that you should understand as it relates to running sites online:

Site or Website - this refers to an online page or group of online pages that make up one theme. It could be about business, a club, etc. Usually a website will function under a "Domain" (See below).

Domain - this is the address of a server. Usually a server / host can be found using an IP address like: 192.168.1.0 but it is too complicated for people to remember that so a name is used for instance: InternationalDiscussions.com

IP Address - This is the actual location of a server / host on the world wide web (Internet).

Server or host - the computer (Located somewhere in the world) that stores your data and displays for you when a certain domain is requested.

FTP - this is a file transfer protocol - a program that allows you to upload files from your computer to the Server / Host.

CPanel - this is a common interface program on the Host that allows you to partially control how the Server responds when someone accesses your site.

Knowledge Administrating Web Passing

Lesson 2 - What Kind Of Website Should You Build?

Once you are ready to create a website you need to plan a number of things:

1. What is the subject or theme? Along with this is the domain name you will chose to represent the content. If your website is going to be about socks then your domain should reflect that.

2. Are there sites like this already? If there are what will make mine better than the next guy's? The reason you should ask this is because you can:

A. View the competition and look to see how you can improve upon it
B. See if you are not wasting your time by trying to duplicate something already popular.

Many refer to this process as finding your niche, something that is unique and will likely attract a certain online user.

3. How many pages will be needed to display the content I want to share and along with that should I use a dynamic or static presentation?

Now let me elaborate some more on what dynamic and static sites are supposed to be.

Dynamic sites rely on a language such as PHP, ASP or other online programming language that use a database (Text, MySQL, or other database type) to save the content and display it as needed.

Static sites on the other hand are created and managed totally by you, the creator. This means you will need to edit or add each page manually as needed.

Each has pros and cons to it but if you have plenty of content to manage then a dynamic site is needed. Dynamic sites also allow you to make your webpages interactive. In other words, others can contribute or participate in your website in more ways than just reading your content. An example of this is forums, chat, social network, e-commerce, etc.

If you are not displaying a lot of information, just a couple of pages for example, then a static site is best.

4. After you've decided whether your site will be static or dynamic you then should consider the number of images and style with which you will display your site. If images are not created by you then they need to be purchased and possibly modified as needed.

5. The other thing to consider is the layout. How will it look to the viewer is paramount no matter what your content is about. You look should also be in union with the audience you are targeting. For instance if you are creating a gaming site then your site shouldn't look like its for a news service or senior citizens.