Contents

• Contents
• Introduction
  • Outline
  • Review of Class 1
• Planning and Creating a Site
  • Outline
  • Web Site as Software?
  • Software Development Life Cycle
  • Web Page Development Life Cycle
  • Summary
• Resources for creating better content
  • Outline
  • Contract services
  • Contacts
  • Graphic Editors
  • Icon Libraries
  • Summary
• Publishing
  • Outline
  • What is publishing?
  • How is it done?
  • Upload methods
  • Publishing sequence
  • Demonstration?
  • Summary
• Hosting
  • Outline
  • What is it?
  • Considerations
  • Hosting Types
  • Hosting Types Summary
  • Search engines
  • Summary
• Business on the net
  • Outline
  • Accepting Credit Cards
  • Net Credibility
  • Net Failures
  • Summary
• Business resources
  • Outline
  • Communities
  • Mailing Lists
• Conferencing

Introduction

Outline

• Class 1, last week
  • Introduction
  • Web development
  • Introduction to HTML
  • Using web development tools
  • Project
• Class 2, this week
  • Planning and creating a web site (moved forward)
  • Resources for creating better content
  • Publishing and hosting
  • Business on the net
  • Business resources
  • Conferencing

Review of Class 1

• Web development
  • homepage, file types, client/server
  • page styles, navigation, frames
• Introduction to HTML
  • used to mark up text so it can be laid out
• Using web development tools
  • Microsoft Frontpage 2000
  • click here
  • local links (file://C/)
• Project

Planning and Creating a Site

Outline

• 2.5 Describe the development cycle for web page writing

Web Site as Software?

• A web site is information rather than software
• The information is referred to as ``content''
• Web sites may consist of software as well
• Professionals use the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) when building large web sites

Software Development Life Cycle

• The SDLC consists of these steps
  • requirements analysis
  • functional specification
  • top level design
  • detailed design
  • writing programs
  • test
  • release
  • maintenance
  • end of life

Web Page Development Life Cycle

• An adaption of the SDLC for content
  • defining goals
  • defining target audience
  • defining site design
  • defining table of contents
  • defining site layout
  • defining navigation
  • defining page design
  • designing content pages
  • assemble prototype
  • test prototype
  • publish content
  • revise content
  • close site

Defining Goals

• What do you hope to achieve with this web site?
• What do you specifically want to avoid achieving?

Defining target audience

• Who are they?
• What is their net access like?
• How much time do they have to delve?
• What web browsers do they use?
• What platforms do they use?

Defining site design

• Depending on goals and target audience ...
  • links page
  • information resource page
  • portal page
  • personal page
  • business page
  • community forum page

Defining table of contents

• So that you know how much work is involved!
• Aids in collection of information
• Helps you avoid information you do not want

Defining site layout

• Based on table of contents and site design
• Many small pages or one big page?
• Hierarchial/tree structure or big list?
• Audience delve time determines page size

Defining navigation

• Depending on your layout
• How do you expect the audience to move around?
• Can they just drop in and not be lost?

Defining page design

• Make a paper or whiteboard draft
• Make a template page
• Adopt a common table layout
• Consider common graphical elements
• Build common navigation links

Designing content pages

• The actual writing phase at last
• Using the template page, fill it out
• Any change to the template layout needs to be pushed back to the defining page design step
• Just writing the page is usually what amateurs do

Assemble prototype

• Place all the files in one folder
• Check all the page to page links
  • there are tools that do this

Test prototype

• Depends on audience
• Test on all audience browsers
  • at a minimum test on
  • Netscape Communicator
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer
• Test on all audience platforms
  • education content must be tested on MacOS
• Test on actual audience
  • mail out a request for comments
  • announce the site to select few
  • good for a sanity check prior to going live

Publish content

• Send all files to hosting service
• Avoid publishing content marked ``Under Construction''
• Reasons?
  • Statement adds no useful value
  • Reduces credibility of site
  • All sites should be under maintenance

Revise content

• Most expensive part of an ongoing web site
• Repeat the development process

Close site

• Every site has an end!
• Or at least a set of end conditions
• You are out of business?
• Short term web project?
• Costs exceed revenue generated?
• Something better has arrived?

Summary

• Cycle
  • defining goals
  • defining target audience
  • defining site design
  • defining table of contents
  • defining site layout
  • defining navigation
  • defining page design
  • designing content pages
  • assemble prototype
  • test prototype
  • publish content
  • revise content
  • close site
• Questions?

Resources for creating better content

Outline

• Contract services
• Contacts
• Graphic Editors
• Icon Libraries
• (probably many more)

Contract services

• Can rapidly lose any margin you planned
• Can be cheap if they are on the net
  • their costs are lower
  • labour rates vary
• Ease of communication is important
• Authoring
  • can draft an outline based on your specification
  • often can handle the entire publishing stage
• Graphic Artists
  • can suggest a look and feel
  • can place on their web site an example for review
• Web Programmers
  • can create response forms etc
  • beware of technical arguments
    • between host and programmers
  • ask your hosting service for a referral

Contacts

• Don't underestimate your personal contacts
• Can review your site
• Can tell you what they failed to find
• Can nick your ideas and beat you to it

Graphic Editors

• Used to create small images
• Merging real images with decorations
• Examples
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • The GIMP (ten hours to learn)
• Costs many hours training
• May be best left to the graphic artists

Icon Libraries

• Copying icons may violate copyright
• Check terms and conditions on web page
• Assume the worst
• Find and use icons with permission for re-use

Summary

• Resources for creating better content
  • Contract services
    • Authoring, Artists, Programmers
  • Contacts
  • Graphic Editors
    • Adobe Photoshop
    • The GIMP
  • Icon Libraries
• Questions?

Publishing

Outline

• What is it?
• How is it done?
• Upload methods
• Publishing sequence

What is publishing?

• Making the content available to the public
• Once done your web page is visible to the world

How is it done?

• Move the folder and files to a web server
• Commonly called ``uploading'' or ``publishing''
• Consumer web page editors embed this action
• Professional web page editors have nothing to do with it
• Content publishing programs are available

Upload methods

• FTP put
• HTTP put
• HTTP form submission
  • pay for time online while you edit your page!
  • or cut and paste a prepared page
  • form may have a file upload feature
• rsync what-has-changed upload
  • the way of the future
  • compares signatures of files
• Configuration of the software
  • requires technical instructions
    • from your hosting service
  • losing this configuration can be risky
• Note: a 56k modem has a 33k6 upload rate!
  • upload time proportional to download time

Publishing sequence

• Make changes to your copy of the content
• Test on your computer
• Upload
• Test via web
• Test via another ISP

Demonstration?

• TAFE is behind a firewall, we can't publish outside

Summary

• Publishing
  • What is it?
  • How is it done?
  • Upload methods
  • Publishing sequence
• Questions?

Hosting

Outline

• What is hosting?
• What to consider before buying?
• What types of hosting are there?
• What about search engine registration?

What is it?

• The placing of content on a web server that is always connected
• Usually a contract between you and the hosting service
• Choose an appropriate hosting service provider

Considerations

• What are the terms and conditions?
• How much technical assistance will you need?
  • are you paying for their technical expertise?
  • or just paying for the hosting?
• Is server side scripting required?
• Is the hosting service going to stay around?
• What domain name is appropriate?
• What top level domain name to register within?
  • .com
  • .com.au
  • .au.com (what is this?)
  • .org.au
  • .net.au
• What hit rate is expected?
  • Server network connection bandwidth
  • Size of content

Hosting Types

• Dial-up Account Hosting
• Free hosting
• Site hosting
• Advanced site hosting
• Colocation
• Self hosting

Dial-up Account Hosting

• Definition
  • included in most dial-up ISP contracts
  • provided as a service differentiator by the ISP
• Advantages
  • immediately available
• Disadvantages
  • can only upload from your ISP dial-up number
  • terminated when contract terminates
  • limited hit rate
  • limited to a reasonable size
  • limited to the ISPs domain
  • no chance of URL envy
• Good for
  • personal and small business web sites

Free Hosting

• Definition
  • web sites that provide free hosting
• Advantages
  • immediately available
• Disadvantages
  • includes advertising you cannot control
  • no contract exists at law
    • no ``consideration'' paid
    • international scope
    • terminated whenever they like
    • some have gone broke already
  • limited hit rate
  • limited to a reasonable size
  • usually limited to the hosting service's domain
• Good for
  • personal web sites

Site Hosting

• Definition
  • contract with an ISP or hosting service
  • hit rate determines cost
• Advantages
  • does not have to be your dial-up ISP
  • a good domain name can be registered
  • secured update can be paid for
  • performs fastest for your local surfers

Advanced Site Hosting

• Definition
  • additional services providing differentiation
• Services
  • guaranteed low latency to critical markets
  • server side scripting
  • standardised shopping experiences
  • redundant databases prevent order loss
  • can fax you when an order comes in

Colocation

• Definition
  • placing your own web server in the ISP premises
• Advantages
  • permanent connection to internet
  • hit rate determines cost of network link
  • full control over software configuration
• Disadvantages
  • knowledge required to operate software
• Good for
  • large organisation web sites

Self Hosting

• Definition
  • connecting your own server in your own premises
• Advantages
  • permanent connection to internet
  • hit rate determines cost of network link
  • bandwidth vs hit rate determines site performance
  • nobody else to pay
• Disadvantages
  • knowledge required to operate software
• Good for
  • large organisation web sites

Hosting Types Summary

• Lots of options
• What you get you pay for

Search engines

• Two different types
  • subject search engines
  • content search engines
• Why would you want to be listed?
  • surfers can find your site
  • not relevant for some web sites

Subject search engines

• What is a subject search engine?
  • a database of topics and subtopics
  • has to be told about your website
  • allows surfers to find things by subject
  • example Yahoo (in subject search mode)

Content search engines

• What is a content search engine?
  • also known as a web crawling program
  • a program that follows web page links
  • builds a database of words and titles
  • allows surfers to find things by content
• How many content search engines are there?
  • Far too many!
  • Google
  • AltaVista
  • Yahoo (in site search mode)
• How does a content search engine find your web site?
  • links from other sites
    • business associates
    • mailing list archives
    • hosting service index page
  • direct submission of URL
  • fee based submission
• When does a web crawler find your web site?
  • link following, unpredictable, days or weeks
  • direct submission, usually in a few days
  • fee based submission, immediately
• What is ``search engine registration''?
  • your hosting service fills in the forms for you
  • sometimes semiautomatically
  • no guarantees of success
  • you can't afford the time to check

Summary

• Hosting
  • What is it? Placing content on a web server
  • What to consider before buying?
  • What types of hosting are there?
    • Dial-up, free, site, advanced, colocation, self
  • What about search engine registration?
    • Subject vs content
• Questions?

Business on the net

Outline

• Accepting credit card transactions
• Net credibility
• Net failures

Accepting Credit Cards

• What is it?
  • capturing a credit card number via your web page
  • approving the transaction at the time of submit
  • being able to debit the credit card account
• How is it done?
  • merchant account may be required with a bank
  • transactions usually attract a percentage fee
  • server side scripting usually required
  • hosting service will often be able to advise
• Security considerations
  • transaction should be secured by encryption
  • electronic mail from web server must be secure
  • web server logs must be secure
  • your computer must be secure

Net Credibility

• What is it?
  • your reputation within the net community
• What is the problem?
  • net community reacts to abuse
    • sharing of a bad response is fast
    • interest group mailing lists
    • old information stays around
    • perception counts more than reality
  • no way to appeal
    • jurisdiction issues
  • honesty and good records win

Net Failures

• Failures of business on the net
• Internet speed
  • as communication increases so to does business
  • entering the market can be quick
  • return on investment can be quick
  • failure can be even faster
• Example
  • five ISPs went broke in Dubbo in last few years
  • offered online service in competition with established services
  • low barriers to market entry
    • technical knowledge (freely available)
    • software (freely available)
    • equipment $5k to $15k
    • connection to Australian network
  • needed a service differentiator
    • they chose "no download limit"
  • Telstra charges by data, not time
  • the bill killed them
• Hints for avoiding failure
  • do a cost benefit analysis
  • prepare a budget
  • do not overreach
  • understand the technology before buying it
  • talk with others in your market
  • monitor the results closely

Summary

• Business on the net
  • Accepting credit card transactions
    • costly but doable
  • Net credibility
    • do not delete your mail
  • Net failures
    • risks abound, it's business
• Questions?

Business resources

Outline

• Communities
  • Mailing Lists
  • Web Forums
  • Newsgroups
  • Chat

Communities

• What are they?
  • group of people who share an interest
• How to use them?
  • lurk and listen
  • learn acceptable behaviour
  • giving: contribute answers
  • taking: ask questions
  • balance the give and take
• Community types
  • mailing lists
    • electronic mail redistribution
    • like a letters to the editor
  • web forums
    • web site that records comments
  • newsgroups
    • distributed message delivery
  • chat
    • line by line discussion

Mailing Lists

• What are they?
  • group of people who share a common address
  • list of electronic mail addresses
  • central message redistribution software (free)
  • list maintenance software (free)
• How to use them?
  • find a list (e.g. at egroups.com)
  • find any web page archive of list postings
  • determine the suitability of the mailing list
  • decide: want to be "on list", "lurk", or "surf"?
  • subscribe to the list
  • record unsubscription instructions
  • wait for list mail
  • write to list
• What can go wrong?
  • cause pain for yourself
  • cause people to laugh at you
  • cause people to ignore your message
  • cause people to ignore you permanently
  • cause the community to eject you
• Common blunders
  • pain for yourself (you fail to profit if you)
    • don't know how to direct list mail to a folder
    • lose the list unsubscribe information
  • foot in mouth disease (people laugh at you if you)
    • reply to all instead of one
    • reply to one instead of all
    • reply instead of posting (thread breaking)
  • readability risks (people ignore you if you)
    • post in non-text format
    • add attachments (put them on the web)
    • fail to trim your reply for context
  • credibility killers
    • blatantly advertise your own products
    • post off topic messages
  • offenses against the community (you may be ejected if you)
    • reply "me too"
    • engage in a flame war
• Lists vary in their response to abuse
• Solution: think of the community, not yourself

Conferencing

• What is it?
  • immediate transfer of text, sound or vision
• Two main types
  • point to point
    • telephone call style
    • reduces long distance call costs
  • group
    • conference call style
    • reduces conferencing charges
• Costs
  • software license
  • installation and configuration effort
  • training all participants
  • data charges
• Reasons for unpopularity
  • takes more time to place a call than a telephone
  • a telephone gives better data performance
  • both ends have to have interoperating software
  • there are no commonly accepted protocols
  • until the market chooses one, avoid choosing
  • any investment you make may be wasted
  • most of the products are easy to learn
  • therefore we won't invest in learning them now
• Examples
  • Internet relay chat
    • Microsoft Chat
    • mIRC
  • SpeakFreely
  • Microsoft Net Meeting
• May be able to demonstrate internet relay chat

Footnotes

... outside

On the other hand, crackers can't easily get in to stuff with the systems we used in class.

... this?)

Someone registered au as a subdomain of .com which is administered within the USA. From this they can grant subdomains of .au.com at no significant cost to themselves, but yet charging.

... chat

Wasn't able to, TAFE network security policy did not permit connection of foreign devices to the local area network in the classroom. Had I brought along some more computers, I could have demonstrated it, but I didn't see the value.