NEWBIE SECTION

The Internet is an incredible resource for communicating and for a whole host of other computerized activities. A huge gap remains between the people who want to have their own websites, and the people who actually have them.NEWBIE SECTION

The Internet is an incredible resource for communicating and for a whole host of other computerized activities. A huge gap remains between the people who want to have their own websites, and the people who actually have them. This article is geared towards narrowing this gap.

To start a website, one can go the full service route with a high quality web design and hosting company like Pixel Chix Multimedia. A middle ground is to hire a web services company or consultant that will show the client how to do some of its own site updates and maintenance.

A website can be built on one’s own, too. For those who have limited html (hypertext markup language) knowledge, Microsoft FrontPage 2000 is a web design software option.

To launch a site onto the web, a web host is needed for parking the site on the Internet. Quality hosting is critical to a successful website. Informational websites of modest size can function sufficiently with a shared (virtual) host server, so long as the host’s servers are almost never down (too many shared servers don’t fit this requirement). Our law firm’s current host server has apparently rarely been down. We use Emphasis On as our hosting company. Websites with more bells and whistles, including online shopping and thousands of daily visits, likely will fare better with a dedicated or co-located server.

Software is needed to upload a website onto the Internet, and cuteftp is an option. The website should be tied to a unique domain name. Domain names can be registered with Network Solutions and several other companies.

The Webmaster faces the choice of using cookies to track visitors’ usage of the site. This choice should never be taken lightly. On the one hand, cookies can be used for the most effective method to track traffic to a website, and can also be used for protecting against unauthorized entry into password-protected areas of the website. However, cookies also pose an undue invasion of privacy, so much so that our law firm does not use cookies. Some websites that we link to, however, do use cookies.

Cookie-free statistics tracking software is available. The cookie-free Extreme Tracking software records such useful information as the number of daily visits to each unique page, keywords used to find the website, and the referring URL names.

Using a counter can also be an effective way to track your traffic.

Selecting and presenting content is a vital part of building a website. When a website’s content becomes extensive enough, a sitemap is advisable. Webmastering also involves circulating the website address through search engines and other means.

Numerous classes are available to beginning Webmasters. The Capital PC Users Group – which is a phenomenal organization for any computer user to join – presents several Webmastering classes each year from beginner to advanced. CPCUG’s website should also have links to additional PC users groups in the United States for such classes.

Quality websites are constant works in progress. At their best, websites erode many of the pre-web financial and resource barriers to delivering ideas, messages, and creativity to the public.

Attorney Jonathan L. Katz is the Adult Entertainment Partner at the law firm of Marks & Katz, LLC, Silver Spring, MD. Marks & Katz, LLC, believes strongly in protecting free expression on all fronts, including on the Internet. Too many people, including many government officials, wish to strangle the Internet into a bland, barely offensive medium. However, it is impossible to carve off certain free expression rights without leaving a chilling mess that threatens our remaining free expression rights.

For representation on Internet matters, please contact partner Jon Katz at jon@markskatz.com.

Copyright to this article is jointly held by YNOTNews and Marks & Katz, LLC.