This page describes:

• types of websites
• how websites work

Types of Websites

What you need to know to support a website depends on the type of site you are creating or supporting.

There are several type of websites ranging from simple home pages provided by large internet companies like AOL, through fancy portal sites like Yahoo, where the whole internet is spread out in front of you.

The links below will open new windows for you to look at examples of different types of websites (close the new window after each visit, so you don't clutter up your computer screen):

• portal sites, such as http://www.yahoo.com, sell advertizing and connect to many other sites
• commercial sites like http://www.amazon.com sell everything imaginable
• business sites like http://www.eds.com promote business interests
• organization sites like http://www.classicssoccerclub.com promote organization interests
• personal interest sites like http://www.unrelated.net let people express themselves
• ready-to-go sites like http://www.cincysayeastsoccer.org let people put limited content, surrounded by advertizing, online
• home page sites like http://hometown.aol.com/Ladyfolks/cookbook.html let people who use a particular internet access provider have a small website

This Building Web Sites courses presents information useful for creating any type of website or web page, but Building Web Sites is primarily designed to support people creating personal interest sites and organization sites.

How a Website Works

There are five basic elements that make websites work:

1. Somebody called a web host sets up a computer and runs "web server" software on that computer.

   Any modern computer can run web server software. It turns out that what matters sometimes is the operating system the web server computer uses. Many web servers run UNIX, while others run MS-Windows or Macintosh operating systems. The type of web server used will affect how you use advanced features on your web pages. OneNet, AOL, MyTeam, and FuseNet are all web hosts at some level.

2. Somebody called an internet service provider (ISP) provides a way to connect the web server to the internet. Connections can be slow, by telephone line, or fast, by special cables.

   The ISP provides numeric "internet protocol" (IP) addresses for each website on the web server. (For example, "216.23.3.9" is an IP address.) Depending on who you use as your ISP, you may have a personal web page space already available. AOL, FuseNet, and others give you two Meg or more per username for web pages.

3. Somebody called a domain name registrar lets you rent a web address label called a domain name. For example www.ClassicsSoccerClub.com is a web address.

   When you have a domain name, you can then associate the domain name with your website IP address, and you can tell people your address on the web.

4. Somebody called a webmaster creates web page files and graphics files using standard Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) tags, and puts those files in the correct location on the webserver.
   • With full-service web hosts, the webmaster needs to know which operating system the web server is running in order to know how to name files correctly, and the webmaster needs to know how to use a file transfer protocol (FTP) program to move those files from the webmaster's PC to the webserver.

   • With personal web page providers like AOL or FuseNet, the ISP provides a structured front end program that makes it simple, though time consuming, for less technical people to put files on their personal page. These services give you your web address, so you do not need (and can not use) your own domain name.

5. Finally, somebody called the end user or audience member looks at the web pages on the internet. (As of January, 2001, 56% of adults in the United States are end users of the internet.) These users have many different browsers installed on their computers. The most popular browsers, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator, have gone through many upgrades. Some people, however, have old versions of these (or other) browsers, so not everyone will see the same HTML page the same way. When you create web pages, you need to keep in mind the size and nature of your audience so your pages are compatible across a range of browser types and versions.