absolute URL The entire Internet address of a Web page or other file. This URL must include a protocol (such as “http”) to be considered absolute. For example, http://www.pcmachines.com/ is an absolute URL.

active hyperlink The selected hyperlink in a Web browser. The color red is default for active hyperlinks in many browsers.

animated GIF A GIF file (Graphic Interchange Format) saved as multiple image slides that display quickly in sequential order.

applet See Java applet.

ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) Primarily used for encoding 7-bit characters.

aspect ratio Refers to an image’s ratio (width to height)

B

background The supportive area behind your Web page material. The color white is default for backgrounds in many browsers.

background sound A sound file that generally initializes automatically as a Web page loads.

banner An image usually containing text and design elements. Banners are traditionally displayed at the beginning of a Web page document.

baud rate The modem connection speed. Baud rates cannot exceed a modem’s maximum speed. They may be reduced with such factors as the wire composition, network traffic, available memory, etc.

broken hyperlink A dysfunctional hyperlink indicating an incorrect URL, missing page, or other file.

browser See Web browser.

C

cell A rectangular or square table component usually containing text elements.

cell padding The area between cell data and the cell inside images.

cell spacing The area between cells.

CGI (Common Gateway Interface) A script or program written to expand the capabilities of HTML. CGI is widely used for online form processing.

chat room An area on the World Wide Web where users meet to discuss various issues generally through the rapid exchange of brief messages.

check box A square form field that displays an “X” or check mark when selected. Check boxes are commonly found grouped together to offer multiple selection criteria.

click and dragging The method where a user clicks on a file or folder and relocates it to another location. This process can also be applied when creating shortcuts from program files.

clip art A collection of computer art intended as a simple, cost efficient alternative for implementing professional quality images into various publications. Use of clip art should be kept to the minimum whenever possible. This allows you to maintain a fresh, customized appearance most appropriate for your specific business or personality.

comment Text and other page elements intentionally hidden from Web browsers. They are typically used to name various layout sections but are also popular for listing the document creation date and page author.

D

DHTML (Dynamic HyperText Markup Language) Provides additional functionality not available through standard HTML. DHTML typically adds interactivity to a Web page.

discussion group An area on the World Wide Web where users can submit new topics or respond to previously submitted issues.

domain name Any address on the World Wide Web usually found in the format “www.anyname.com.” Other popular variations of domain name endings include “.net”, “.org”, “.edu”, and “.gov.”

downloading The file transfer process, commences between one computer and another; both connected to a network.

drop-down menu field A rectangular form field that displays a list of selections when clicked upon.

E

editor A computer program that creates and modifies files, such as HTML editors which are used to create and modify Web pages and their content.

E-mail (Electronic mail) An electronic message usually sent from one computer to a remote server where it is retrieved by the recipient.

external hyperlink A hyperlink linking outside the current directory, usually to another server.

F

file A collection of data stored on a computer. For example, an HTML document is a computer file.

file type The format of a file. Referring to a file’s filename extension will usually reveal its file type. For example, in the image file “computer.gif,” “.gif” is the file type.

folder A storage area on your computer storing files and other folders. Digital folders encourage proper organization of files.

form An area on a Web page consisting of data-entry fields.

form field An area on a form where a user inputs data.

frame A section of a frames page.

frames page A page dividing a single window into multiple parts for easier navigation and organization of Web site content.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) Used to transfer files from one computer to another.

G

GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) A graphical file format popularly used on the World Wide Web. GIFs have the capability to display quickly, due to their relatively high compression ratio.

H

hardware The physical parts of a computer system (i.e. keyboard, modem, monitor, mouse).

heading A paragraph style with six common sizes. Header size 1 (H1) is the largest while header size 6 (H6) is the smallest.

home page The introductory page to a Web site. A home page is usually saved as index.html or default.htm and is displayed by default when a user visits a Web site.

horizontal line Commonly used to separate sections on a Web page.

hotspot A defined area on an image map that contains a hyperlink.

HTML (HyperText Markup Language) The primary computer programming language used to compose Web pages.

HTML attribute Refers to the properties of an HTML tag. For example, in <body background=”back.gif”>, the element background=”back.gif” is an HTML attribute.

HTML tag An HTML component used to direct the method Web pages appear and function. For example, “body” is an HTML tag.

HTTP (HyperText Transport Protocol) The Internet protocol used to retrieve information from servers. It can be found within most absolute URLs.

hyperlink Used to navigate between Web pages and Web sites. The color blue is default for hyperlinks in many browsers.

hypertext A hyperlink attached to text.

I

image A picture or graphics file. The two most common image file formats used on the World Wide Web are GIF (.gif) and JPEG (.jpg).

image alignment Refers to how images and text are aligned with each other.

image map An image with hotspots linking to Web pages or other resources. The GIF and JPEG file formats support image maps.

instant messaging Offered through chat clients such as AOL Instant Messenger and Yahoo! Pager. Users meet to discuss various issues generally through the rapid exchange of brief messages. Instant messaging is typically faster than most online chat rooms.

interlaced GIF A GIF image containing properties instructing the image to display gradually.

internal hyperlink A hyperlink leading to a file located on the current directory.

Internet The global computer network composed of millions of interconnected computers. The World Wide Web is the most popular Internet service.

Internet Explorer A popular World Wide Web browser developed by Microsoft Corporation.

intranet An internal computer network based on a local level. Intranets are common in large corporations.

ISP (Internet Service Provider) A company that provides access to the Internet.

J

Java A computer programming language commonly used to create Java applets for the Web. Java was developed by Sun Microsystems.

Java applet A mini Java program attached to a Web page. Java applets are great for adding interactivity to your pages.

JavaScript A computer programming language usually found interlaced with HTML code.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Expert Group) A graphical file format. The JPEG file format is ideal for displaying high-resolution images such as photographs and image scans. JPEG is a compressed format, meaning it takes less time to display.

L

line break A special character that creates a new line.

link See hyperlink.

M

map Used to create a simplified view of your Web site architecture, which in turn make it easier for you to create your pages.

meta tag An HTML tag that appears in the <head> portion of the page.

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) A common audio format on the World Wide Web. MIDI formats (.mid) are commonly used for Web page backgrounds due to their availability and potentially quick download time.

modem Hardware used to connect to the Internet and other computer systems. Modem types include 14.4, 28.8, 33.6, and 56.6 Kbps models.

mouse-over The operation where a user moves the cursor over a button, making it display a short description of the button’s capabilities.

N

navigation bar A page element incorporating navigational features.

Netscape Communicator A popular World Wide Web browser developed by Netscape Communications.

Net An abbreviated and common term for the Internet.

network A group of interconnected computers usually established to exchange information over a great distance. The Internet is the world’s largest computer network.

normal text The default paragraph style.

O

one-line text box A single-line form field.

P

page template A pre-designed document, such as a Web page, with elements typical to a pre-defined task.

page title A common page identifier inserted between the title tags.

paragraph style Sets the font type, font size, and other paragraph specifications.

PERL (Practical Extraction and Report Language) The programming language of choice for most CGI scripts. PERL offers advanced Web site functionality.

plug-in A software module that extends the capabilities of a Web browser.

progressive JPEG A JPEG enhancement allowing the image to be gradually displayed.

properties Characteristics of a Web page or other elements. For example, aspect ratio is an image property.

protocol Allows access to various files. Common Internet protocols include FTP, HTTP, and HTTPS.

publish The process of publicizing a document or a set of documents, as in a Web site.

push button A usually rectangular form field allowing the submission of data. Push buttons can also be used to reset a form to its original state.

R

radio button A circular form field similar to check boxes.

relative URL A simplified Internet Address that considers only the path from the current page to the destination. For example, images/header.jpg is a relative URL where the file “header.jpg” is stored in the “images” folder.

S

script A computer code that instructs the behavior of a program.

scrolling text box A multiple-line form field allowing the user to input a virtually unlimited amount of data into a larger environment vs. a one-line text box.

search service A service that finds information on the World Wide web based on user input. Popular search services include AltaVista, AOL NetFind, Excite, HotBot, Infoseek, LookSmart, Lycos, Magellan, WebCrawler, and Yahoo!

server A service computer connected on a network.

shortcut A file created with the intention of saving time in opening a particular program or file.

software Computer programs (i.e. World Wide Web browsers and word processors).

status bar The area on a World Wide Web browser that displays information about a Web page component or of an operation in progress.

T

table A collection of two or more cells on a Web page arranged in an organized structure.

table cell See cell.

tag See HTML tag.

target frame A named frame displaying a specific Web page.

text A term applied to a group of words. The color black is default for text in many browsers.

theme Gives a Web page an attractive and consistent appearance (i.e. a space-age or modernistic theme). It consists of common graphical page elements.

thumbnail A reduced image intended for viewing before investing in download time of the larger, more detailed version. Thumbnails usually contain hyperlinks to the larger image version.

TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) A high-resolution image format. TIFF image formats are commonly used for images with high image quality.

U

uploading The process of transferring files to a World Wide Web directory on a server computer. See also publish.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator) The address for a Web page or other resource.

V

video clip A short video sequence.

virtual server A type of server with multiple Web site hosting capabilities. Every site on a virtual server has their own unique domain name and IP address.

virtual subdomain A domain address usually lacking the traditional “www.” An example would be books.pcmachines.com. This is useful for both faster navigation and marketing purposes.

visited hyperlink An activated hyperlink on a Web page. The color purple is default for visited hyperlinks in many browsers.

VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) A language describing three-dimensional (3-D) atmospheres and their interactions.

W

WAV (Windows Waveform) An audio format created by Microsoft and identified by a filename extension of “.wav”. This has become a standard PC audio format.

Web An abbreviated and common term for the World Wide Web.

Webmaster Any person responsible for maintaining a Web site.

Web browser A computer program with World Wide Web navigating capabilities. The two most common Web browsers are Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Communicator.

Web page A single page on the World Wide Web integrating text, images, sounds, and videos.

window The viewable area of a publication.

World Wide Web The Internet service with a graphical interface. Millions of Web pages are on the World Wide Web. The World Wide Web may be abbreviated as “WWW” and is commonly referred to as the Net, the Web, or the information superhighway.

WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get). A type of HTML editor that creates Web pages in a graphical interface and appears as it would in a World Wide Web browser. No HTML programming is required in a WYSIWYG type browser.

CoolText.com: Online Graphics Generator
http://www.cooltext.com

EverySoft Scripting Co.
http://www.everysoft.com

HTML Goodies
http://www.htmlgoodies.com

International Webmasters Association
http://www.iwanet.org

LinkExchange – SiteOwner
http://www.siteowner.com

Matt’s Script Archive
http://www.worldwidemart.com/scripts

MSDN Online Web Workshop
http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop

Pollit.com Web Poll
http://www.pollit.com

The CGI Resource Index
http://www.cgi-resources.com

The Compendium of HTML Elements
http://www.htmlcompendium.org

The Museum of Counter Art
http://www.counterart.com

The Museum of Web Art
http://www.mowa.org

The Webmaster’s Reference Library: Web Site Design Tips and Tutorials
http://www.webreference.com

ToolZONE – Page Builders Community
http://www.toolzone.com

JavaScripts.com
http://www.javascripts.com

JavaScript for the World Wide Web
http://www.chalcedony.com/javascript

VantageNet Web Polls
http://www.freepolls.com

Webmaster Resources
http://www.webmaster-resources.com

Webmonkey: A How-to Guide for Web Developers
http://www.hotwired.com/webmonkey

Webreference.com
http://www.webreference.com

WebRing
http://www.webring.com

Whatis.com
http://www.whatis.com

Web Building
http://home.netscape.com/computing/webbuilding

Web Site Garage – Improve Your Web Site
http://websitegarage.netscape.com

After creating and publishing your site, you might want to apply for some of these awards yourself. Once you have a great Web site up-and-running and get a nice award, your site will begin to earn a profit of its own. Advertisers will want their ads on your site, which give you potential for collecting great revenue. The following is a listing of popular awards available on the World Wide Web and where to apply for them.

Popular Web technologies include Macromedia (http://www.macromedia.com) Flash media, JAVA applets (introduced by Sun Microsystems, http://www.sun.com), and most media formats developed by RealNetworks (http://www.realnetworks.com) such as their RealMedia file formats: .ra, .rm, and the RAM meta file formats: .ram, .rmm. Besides the mentioned audio technologies on the World Wide Web, JavaScript, developed by Netscape Communications is also incredibly popular for adding quick and advanced interactivity within Web pages. As discussed earlier, the CGI and PERL script languages are popularly used for form processing and other functionality.

VRML is also becoming increasingly popular as connection speeds allow for faster download time. VRML makes it possible for a user to interact with 3D worlds in a unique “virtual reality” environment.

Adobe GoLive
http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/golive

Allaire HomeSite
http://www.allaire.com/Products/HomeSite

Bare Bones BBEdit
http://web.barebones.com/products/bbedit/bbedit.html

Elemental Software Drumbeat
http://www.drumbeat.com

Macromedia Dreamweaver
http://www.dreamweaver.com

Microsoft FrontPage
http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage

NetObjects Fusion
http://www.netobjects.com

SoftQuad HoTMetaL Pro
http://www.softquad.com

To become affiliated with Amazon.com, sign up at

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/partners/associates/associates.html

Another popular online bookstore called Barnes & Noble also has an affiliate program, and you can register for this at http://www.barnesandnoble.com/affiliate

Visit http://www.linkshare.com/html/affiliates.html for a listing of popular Internet-based affiliate programs.

Advertising
Obtain free advertising through these banner exchange programs.

BeSeen	http://www.looksmartclicks.com
LinkExchange	http://www.linkexchange.com

Chat Rooms
Talk with friends or meet new people from your own chat room.

BeSeen	http://www.beseen.com/chat
Xoom	http://xoom.com/chat

Counters and Trackers
Record all the unique visitors that log on to your Web site and view statistics relevant to their visit, etc.

BeSeen	http://www.beseen.com/hitcounter
eXTReMe Tracking	http://www.extreme-dm.com/tracking
FastCounter	http://fastcounter.linkexchange.com
TheCounter	http://www.thecounter.com
WebTracker	http://www.fxweb.com

E-Mail
Get a free e-mail account from one of these services.

AltaVista Email	http://altavista.iname.com
AmExMail	http://www.amexmail.com
Bigfoot	http://www.bigfoot.com
Email.com	http://www.email.com
Free|Stamp	http://www.freestamp.com
GeoCities	http://www.geocities.com
Hotmail	http://www.hotmail.com
Mail City	http://www.mailcity.com
Mail Excite	http://mail.excite.com
Net@ddress	http://www.netaddress.com
RocketMail	http://www.rocketmail.com
Switchboard	http://www.switchboard.com
Yahoo Mail	http://mail.yahoo.com

Guestbooks
Allows a visitor to sign a virtual guestbook as a way of letting you know who visited your site.

1-2-3 WebTools	http://www.freeguestbooks.com
ALX Guestbook	http://www.alxbook.com
BeSeen	http://www.beseen.com/guest
Dreambook	http://www.dreambook.com
GuestPage	http://www.guestpage.com
GuestWorld	http://www.guestworld.com
SlamBook	http://www.slambook.com
SPiN Guestbook	http://www.guestbook.de

Hosting Providers
Makes it possible to publish your site on the World Wide Web. Make sure you check their storage limit. Most allow anywhere from 3-10MB or above, which should be more than sufficient for your needs. In any case, the site http://freeweblist.freeservers.com is worth looking at for specific information (i.e. storage limitations, type of pages allowed, and requirements) on many hosting providers.

Angelfire	http://www.angelfire.com
CyberCities	http://www.cybercities.com
GeoCities	http://www.geocities.com
Tripod	http://www.tripod.com
Xoom	http://www.xoom.com

Message Boards
Want to get the community’s opinion on something? Set-up a message board from one of these services.

BeSeen	http://www.beseen.com/board
Delphi Forum	http://www.delphi.com
InsideThe Web	http://www.insidetheweb.com

Redirection
These services offer free subdomains (ex. computers.findhere.com) and link to a specific URL.

AltaVista (all languages)
http://www.altavista.com/cgi-bin/query?pg=addurl
http://www.altavista.digital.com/av/content/addurl.htm

Anzwers
http://www.anzwers.com.au/cgi-bin/print_addurl.pl?

AOL NetFind
http://www.aol.com/netfind/info/addyoursite.html
http://www.aol.com/netfind/info/addurl.html

EuroSeek
http://addsite.euroseek.net/page.cfm?page=start&ifl=uk

Excite
http://www.excite.com/info/add_url

Find Link
http://www.findlink.com/searchit/s-ctm.cgi?s-addurl.ctm

Google
http://www.google.com/addurl.html

GoTo.com
http://www.goto.com/d/advertisers/p/net1/

HotBot
http://www.hotbot.com/addurl.asp

InfoSeek
http://www.go.com/AddUrl?&pg=SubmitUrl.html
http://infoseek.go.com/AddUrl?pg=SubmitUrl.html

Jayde Online Directory
http://www.jayde.com/submit.html

LookSmart
http://www.looksmart.com/h/info/submsite.html

Lycos
http://www.lycos.com/addasite.html

Magellan
http://magellan.excite.com/info/add_url/

Microsoft Network Web Search
http://search.msn.com/addurl.asp

NationalDirectory
http://www.NationalDirectory.com/addurl.html

Northern Light
http://www.northernlight.com/docs/regurl_help.html
http://www.northernlight.com/docs/register.htm

PlanetSearch
http://www.planetsearch.com/?a=19&flags=3&count=10

Pronet
http://pronet.ca/add_url

QuestFinder Search Engine
http://www.questfinder.com/search/s-addurl.cgi

REX
http://rex.skyline.net/add/

Scrub The Web
http://www.scrubtheweb.com/addurl.html

Snap
http://www.snap.com/main/help/item/0,11,home-8450,00.html?st.sn.ft.0.surl

TheNet1
http://thenet1.com/search/s-ctm.cgi?s-addurl.ctm

WebCrawler
http://www.webcrawler.com/info/add_url/
http://www.webcrawler.com/Help/GetListed/AddURLS.html

What-U-Seek
http://www.whatUseek.com/noshock/addurl-tableset.shtml

Yahoo!
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/suggest/

If you use Netscape Communicator, go to the “Edit” menu, “Preferences”, “Mail & Newsgroups”, “Messages”, and check the “Spell check messages before sending” option to decrease the chance of sending spelling errors through e-mail.

If you use Microsoft Internet Explorer, you probably use Microsoft Outlook as your primary messaging and collaboration client. To select the e-mail spell check feature here, go to “Tools” on the menu bar, “Options…” and click on the “Spelling” tab. Now check the “Always check spelling before sending” option.

It’s definitely worth the disadvantage of waiting for this extra step to perform. It serves as a safety mechanism to protect you from potential embarrassment.

2) Be particularly careful when using JavaScript password protection for your Web pages. An experienced Internet user can simply review your HTML code and find your password from within the script. We recommend you somehow blend your password to make it look part of the script itself. Be sure you don’t include important information behind these pages, such as credit card or bank account information, social security numbers, etc.

If you happen to be using specialized CGI/PERL freeware programs such as AccountFirst, a popular accounting system, you might want to consider renaming the directories where valuable credit card information may be stored. Just remember to change the methods within the script to reflect your directory change (which can be done by simply going to the “Edit” menu in most text editors and clicking on “Replace…” (or hit Ctrl+H as a shortcut for IBM/IBM compatible systems). Enter the original directory name you renamed that was associated with your script in the “Find” field and then input the new directory name you created in the “Replace with” field. And always remember to change default passwords!

3) If you built a personal Web site, be careful about the amount of information you post on the Net. Unfortunately, there are people in the world that make a living stalking people. Try refraining from posing your full name, address, phone number, or information relative to family. If you want to give you’re location, publish vague information (i.e. I live in the south-western part of New Hampshire). You shouldn’t have to be too cautious, but just be careful about giving out too much information.

1) Offer your own Web site design award in the form of a graphic. As you give this award and have its recipient link to it, you’ll have the potential to generate more page views (or “hits”). As you generate more page views, advertising agencies and other companies may become interested in advertising on your site. (Which means more money for you.) This method will work similar to the obnoxious chain-mail letters but on a slower basis.

Suggestion: Some people might not know how to create hyperlinks (especially novices knowing little HTML coding) so you might want to consider placing some HTML on your pages that lead to your award page and/or graphic. Creating different versions of your award graphic will lead to a greater chance of someone displaying it on their Web site since one of them might pertain more exactly to their site’s color scheme or simply appeal to their personal preference. If you’re serious about your marketing strategies, you might want to consider having your award graphics created professionally.

2) Use powerful, catchy adjectives. Words like “chalk-full” or “excessive” are much better than just saying you have “a lot” of something. You also might want to consider using big words (if appropriate to your target audience) to create the impression you’re a well-recognized firm or you offer important services.

3) Take advantage of using the dynamically updated JavaScript date scripts. A simple input of “Today is” (followed by the day, month, and date) creates an impression that you’re pages are updated on a frequent basis. And if they believe they’re updated frequently, they’ll most likely return to your site in the future. (You can see this script in action on our Web site at http://www.pcmachines.com.)

4) Place some special effects or advanced functionality, when possible. Add some professionally designed graphics or use clip-art, if needed. Creating a professional appearance makes the visitor envision you offer quality services or products. Need some clip art? Try the site http://www.clipart.com. For professional photographs from award-winning photographers, try Photodisc at http://www.photodisc.com.

5) If appropriate for your site, create a section for “free stuff” aimed directly at your target audience. If within your budget, offer free tee shirts to both promote your site. Tee shirts are an excellent form of free advertising. Make sure that if you do offer free tee shirts that they look somewhat decent so people will wear them. Other popular physical forms of promotion include bumper stickers, key chains, pencils, and pens.

6) If registering for a domain name in the form “www.yourname.com”, create a product (or service) oriented domain name. Unfortunately, many of the single-word domains are already registered so you may have to get creative. For example, if you were a athletic wear company, you would want to register “athletics.com” as your Web address. This also serves as domain-based advertising. If interested, domain name registration can be done through InterNIC, at the site http://www.networksolutions.com.

7) Offer a free newsletter delivered through e-mail. Make sure it’s not entirely full with advertising although we do suggest some advertising. Try to advertise as conspicuously as possible so your newsletter won’t look like something that’s aimed entirely at promoting your site. To generate a mailing list, use your address book program that came with your Web browser. You can collect e-mail addresses through your forms. Simply create a checkbox and write something along the line of “click here if you would like a copy of our free newsletter.” In the actual newsletter, make sure you offer an option for the recipient to unsubscribe or it becomes illegal as per Senate Bill H.R.1910 of the 106th Congress May 24, 1999. Just write a message at the bottom of your newsletter saying “If you do not wish to receive future newsletters from us, reply with the word “unsubscribe” in the subject field” and you should be fine.

Based on the affiliate program idea reviewed earlier in this book, you might want to consider impressing your potential customer or visitor. Now, its possible for you to have a “store” without stocking virtually any merchandise. And how does that work out? If you become affiliated with Amazon.com (a popular online book store), you can actually display the book cover with a short description and link to the secure order form provided by Amazon.com. You earn referrer fees by directing your “customer” to the Amazon.com Web site. The only catch is your visitor will have to register with Amazon.com for an account to order their book(s) from your “store.”