Advice

THE ERIC SPELLMANN COLUMN

Web Page building for beginners, Part 3 with Eric Spellmann

Last time we discussed web page file formats and how they are transferred to a server. This week, let's dive into another very important factor in web design: Naming.

Let's say you're sitting in front of your web browser (Internet Explorer or Netscape) and you type in the following address and hit ENTER: http://www.EricSpellmann.com
Here's the question: does that address point to a website or a web page? Think carefully before you answer ...

It points to a website. So, when you type that address into your browser, what page do you get? The home page, that's right. Now, how does the server know which of your web pages is the home page? The home page must be named something specific. A home page must have a special name, so that a server can find it easily. If a person types a web address and does not specify a specific page, the server will send out the "default" or home page.

On about 80 percent of the servers worldwide, this default name must be index.html or index.htm

Check with your web hosting company for specifics, but I'll bet I'm right about your site.
You can verify this very easily. Remember my address above? Well, this time, type it in this way: http://www.EricSpellmann.com/index.html and see what happens.

You'll get the same page either way. This naming standard can lead to some frustrating mistakes, though. In fact, the number one mistake made by all new webmasters is misnaming their home page.

A lot of it has to do with the server operating system. You'll remember from previous columns that an operating system is the basic language of your computer. Most people run a flavour of Windows or the Mac OS. But what operating system is in use on most of the servers?

Nope, not Windows! It's Unix. You may have never heard of Unix, but that's OK. Think of Unix as DOS on steroids.

Two main reasons account for why the majority of servers worldwide use Unix: cost and efficiency. Many versions of Unix are completely free, having been developed at universities and colleges. Also, Unix is much more efficient than Windows at handling simultaneous connections. When you're a web server, that is VERY important.

Anyway, back to naming. One major difference between Windows and Unix is "case sensitivity." Take a look at the following two files:
Index.html
index.html

Could both of these files exist together in the same folder in Windows?

No. Windows is case-insensitive. On a Unix server, however, they could. That's where the problem lies. You may inadvertently create multiple copies of your home page on the server and wonder why the correct one is not coming up. Follow a little trick of mine. Make sure all your files are saved as lowercase files. That way, you'll never worry about it.

Another naming issue you must deal with is your web address. Take a look at the following address: http://www.mycompany.com

The "mycompany.com" part of that address is called the Domain Name. It must be unique. No company in the world can use the same domain name as you. Picking one of these addresses can be tough, as most of the great ones are taken.

Here's a few tips to follow when making your decision:

Keep it short, but don't use abbreviations. Abbreviations are much harder to remember.
Your domain name needs to be something you can verbally tell someone over the phone without having to spell it out. For instance: Jonesplumbingandparts.com is much better than jpap.com. It's more memorable.
Don't feel that you must use your company name in your domain name. In fact, if you use the primary product or service in the name, people will be more likely to remember it. As an example, a law firm would be better off with Texaslawyer.com than smithjonesclarkandbaker.com
Oh, and one other thing: write it down and look at it before you choose it. I had a guy that wanted his business name "Hunter's Exchange" as his web address. I told him that would be a bad idea. Can you guess why?
http://www.huntersexchange.com

I'll see you in Cyberspace!

Eric Spellmann is the owner of Spellmann & Associates, a corporate technology training facility in Amarillo, Texas. Besides his weekly column, he produces technology segments for his local CBS television affiliate and speaks at numerous conferences. If you would like to receive the full transcripts of his columns as well as the television segments he produces for CBS, sign up for his FREE e-mail newsletter by sending a blank message to nl@ericspellman.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject. Or, you can sign up at his website: http://www.EricSpellmann.com

© Christian Family Network
is run by CPO, supported by
Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting,
Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.


		THE ERIC SPELLMANN COLUMN Web Page building for beginners, Part 3 with Eric Spellmann Last time we discussed web page file formats and how they are transferred to a server. This week, let's dive into another very important factor in web design: Naming. Let's say you're sitting in front of your web browser (Internet Explorer or Netscape) and you type in the following address and hit ENTER: http://www.EricSpellmann.com Here's the question: does that address point to a website or a web page? Think carefully before you answer ... It points to a website. So, when you type that address into your browser, what page do you get? The home page, that's right. Now, how does the server know which of your web pages is the home page? The home page must be named something specific. A home page must have a special name, so that a server can find it easily. If a person types a web address and does not specify a specific page, the server will send out the "default" or home page. On about 80 percent of the servers worldwide, this default name must be index.html or index.htm Check with your web hosting company for specifics, but I'll bet I'm right about your site. You can verify this very easily. Remember my address above? Well, this time, type it in this way: http://www.EricSpellmann.com/index.html and see what happens. You'll get the same page either way. This naming standard can lead to some frustrating mistakes, though. In fact, the number one mistake made by all new webmasters is misnaming their home page. A lot of it has to do with the server operating system. You'll remember from previous columns that an operating system is the basic language of your computer. Most people run a flavour of Windows or the Mac OS. But what operating system is in use on most of the servers? Nope, not Windows! It's Unix. You may have never heard of Unix, but that's OK. Think of Unix as DOS on steroids. Two main reasons account for why the majority of servers worldwide use Unix: cost and efficiency. Many versions of Unix are completely free, having been developed at universities and colleges. Also, Unix is much more efficient than Windows at handling simultaneous connections. When you're a web server, that is VERY important. Anyway, back to naming. One major difference between Windows and Unix is "case sensitivity." Take a look at the following two files: Index.html index.html Could both of these files exist together in the same folder in Windows? No. Windows is case-insensitive. On a Unix server, however, they could. That's where the problem lies. You may inadvertently create multiple copies of your home page on the server and wonder why the correct one is not coming up. Follow a little trick of mine. Make sure all your files are saved as lowercase files. That way, you'll never worry about it. Another naming issue you must deal with is your web address. Take a look at the following address: http://www.mycompany.com The "mycompany.com" part of that address is called the Domain Name. It must be unique. No company in the world can use the same domain name as you. Picking one of these addresses can be tough, as most of the great ones are taken. Here's a few tips to follow when making your decision: Keep it short, but don't use abbreviations. Abbreviations are much harder to remember. Your domain name needs to be something you can verbally tell someone over the phone without having to spell it out. For instance: Jonesplumbingandparts.com is much better than jpap.com. It's more memorable. Don't feel that you must use your company name in your domain name. In fact, if you use the primary product or service in the name, people will be more likely to remember it. As an example, a law firm would be better off with Texaslawyer.com than smithjonesclarkandbaker.com Oh, and one other thing: write it down and look at it before you choose it. I had a guy that wanted his business name "Hunter's Exchange" as his web address. I told him that would be a bad idea. Can you guess why? http://www.huntersexchange.com I'll see you in Cyberspace! Eric Spellmann is the owner of Spellmann & Associates, a corporate technology training facility in Amarillo, Texas. Besides his weekly column, he produces technology segments for his local CBS television affiliate and speaks at numerous conferences. If you would like to receive the full transcripts of his columns as well as the television segments he produces for CBS, sign up for his FREE e-mail newsletter by sending a blank message to nl@ericspellman.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject. Or, you can sign up at his website: http://www.EricSpellmann.com © Christian Family Network is run by CPO, supported by Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting, Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.