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Steps To Taking a Website Live

Many things go into creating a viable website. It would be difficult to explain all of them in our newsletter, but we believe that everyone should understand the basic steps that must take place if you are reserving a domain name or if you are contemplating changing hosts.

Keep in mind that full-service website development firms (like Promethius Consulting) should complete all of the steps below for you.

Step 1. - Domain Name Reservation
The first step in the process is to choose an available domain name. These are becoming increasingly hard to find. Com is the extension of choice in the for-profit product and service provider community and one really has to stretch to find a .com applicable to his/her company name. Org is generally preferred by not-for-profits of all types. Therefore, acronyms under six characters are most likely already taken. Edu (education), Gov (government), and Mil (military) are the only extensions that are truly restricted (e.g. a company must prove that it is an educational institution before it can secure an Edu extension). Biz, TV, US and many more domain name extensions are now available, but many are reluctant to use them.

After you have jotted some ideas down on paper, your next step should be to check their availability on a WHOIS server. There are literally thousands of WHOIS servers on the Internet, but one of the best we’ve seen is www.truewhois.com. Simply type your choice of domain name into the field and press the search button. The search engine will query the known databases and tell you if it has already been reserved and if so, by whom. 

After you have found an available domain name, it’s time to choose a registrar. Not long ago, the only registrar was Network Solutions, Inc. Today there are dozens. Network Solutions (now a division of Verisign) remains one of the most popular. The key is to find a company you are comfortable with. Register.com, and Bulk Register have both been in the business for a number of years and seem to be prospering.
What you’ll need:

    1. Money – between $10  and $35 per year.

    2. The names of your Domain Name System (DNS) servers.

    3. The IP addresses of your DNS servers (Use temporary ones if necessary).

    4. Time – between 1 and 3 days for propagation across the Internet.

Step 2. – Reserve Server Space
Again, literally thousands of website hosts can be found with a simple Yahoo! search. The thing to realize is that not all hosts are the same. You’ll need to think about the following:

1. Security – Hackers and viruses can cost you a lot of money. Your hosts must be protected against all types of intrusions. Nightly backups should not be assumed. Always ask about procedures for backup and file restoration if needed. There will often be a fee for restoring files that you have damaged or lost.

2. Cost – Because the World Wide Web is so new, there are no clear-cut standards for pricing. Make sure your vendor explains the pricing structure to you so you’ll know what you’re getting for your money.

3. Growth – Can your host handle your growth? Know what happens if you outgrow your current plan. What are your hosts doing to stay current with technology? What if you add a database to your site?

4. Financial Stability – Keep in mind that website hosting is expensive. Be suspicious of extremely low prices. If your host closes its doors, where will you be?

5. E-mail – How is e-mail handled? Is it included or is there an extra fee? Do you have web-access to your mail server?

Generally, but not always, your host will provide DNS servers for you to use. You should also consider the kind of access you or your website designer will have to the host server (e.g. are MS FrontPage server extensions installed, do you have FTP access, …etc.).

Step 3. – Transfer Your Website
Now it’s time to transfer your website files to the new server. If this is a new website, the process is pretty simple; just move the files from your computer to your new space on your web server using FTP or some other method. If you are transferring your site from another host, make sure you have the website posted on the server before you change the primary and secondary name servers with your domain name registrar. If you are also hosting e-mail with the same host as your website, make sure all accounts and aliases are also setup prior to changing the name servers. Make sure that you either delete the accounts on the old server or that you have access to the old mailboxes after the propagation process has begun (e.g. use of IP address). During the propagation process, some users will see the website on the old server while other will see the website on the new server. This is the same with e-mail. If the mailboxes still exist, some will be sending mail to the old mailboxes, while others are sending e-mail to the new mailboxes. Expect some minor hiccups and delays.

If you have questions regarding this process or if you would like to talk with a Promethius representative about a website, please contact our office at 317-733-2388.

 

https: abb.:hypertext transfer protocol secure- Synonymous with http, but providing a secure link for such things as commercial transactions – online shopping with credit cards, for example- or when accessing password protected information.

FTP abb.: File Transfer Protocol- A standard system for transmitting files between computers across the internet or a network. Although Web browsers incorporate FTP capabilities, dedicated FTP applications provide greater flexibility.

Web Sites of the Month:
Independence Day web sites

Get into the patriotic spirit with some of these great websites:

http://www.nara.gov/exhall/charters/
declaration/decmain.html This website focuses on declaration of independence.

http://www.fourth-of-july-celebrations.com This site explores the history and traditions behind the fourth, uncle sam, the liberty bell, and the national anthem.

http://www.americaslibrary.gov/pages/
jp_celebrate_fourth_1.html America’s Story from America’s Library (the Library of Congress). This fun site also celebrates the history of the fourth and other historical events, people, and traditions. 

http://www.acplace.com/Special/
Lpicnic.htm Fun Independence Day trivia, and recipes


Why buy a digital camera?

As digital cameras are becoming more mainstream, we find more people asking themselves if they should go ahead and buy a new digital camera or keep using their regular camera. The answer lies in what you want to do with your images. If you want more artistic control of your images, and find yourself constantly scanning your images to your computer, a digital camera may be for you.

The Advantages of a Digital Camera
1. Creativity - You can become an artist editing your own images. Most digital cameras come with software that allows you to crop, adjust colors, and add textures and special effects to your photos. You can later make prints, or save your images to the web.

2. Archiving - It's easier to keep cds archived than most negatives. Unless you're a professional photographer, you probably don't have your negatives labeled and archived in a binder for further usage. When it comes time to make a reprint, scrambling to find negatives is common. With a digital camera finding your original image becomes a whole lot easier because all your images are stored on your computer. If memory is an issue with your computer, we suggest burning your images to a cd, then deleting the old images from your hard drive. 

3. No Film - No more last minute shopping for that roll of film. With a digital camera's reuseable memory card and its rechargeable battery, you can take pictures for a couple of hours at a time without having to recharge the battery. 

The Features of a Digital Camera
Digital cameras work, in essence, the same way regular cameras do. They both use aperature and shutter speeds to control exposure. And while conventional cameras expose film that later develops into images, a digital camera stores your images on a flash memory card, which are put onto a computer. 

Most digital cameras come automated, with features such as automatic exposure control (which manages the shutter speed or aperture--or both settings--according to available light) and autofocus.

When you are finished shooting, and you want to save your pictures onto the computer; the digital camera connects to the computer's USB or serial port. Some cameras have special readers for the memory card which plugs into your computer. Check your printer. Some newer printers have the option to take memory cards and make prints without putting the images on a computer first. Most digital cameras work with both Windows or Macintosh machines.

Digital cameras usually have an optical viewfinder, a color LCD viewer, and a zoom lens. A 3x zoom is comparable to a 35-to-105-mm lens on a film camera; a 2x zoom, to a 35-to-70-mm lens. Digital zooms double or triple the zoom range, but only by magnifying the center of the frame without actually increasing picture detail, resulting in a somewhat coarser view. 

Many digital cameras provide a video output, so you can view your pictures on a TV screen. Some allow you to record limited video, but the frame rate is usually slow and the resolution poor.

Sensors in digital cameras are typically about as sensitive as ISO 100 film, though some let you increase that setting. A camera's flash range tells you how far from the camera the flash will provide proper exposure: If the subject is out of range, you'll know to close the distance, but digital cameras tolerate some underexposure before the image suffers noticeably. 

What to know when buying a Digital Camera
Digital cameras are categorized by how many pixels the image sensor contains. A 1-megapixel camera has 1 million picture elements. The more pixels, the sharper the image. The sharper the image, the more expensive the camera. 

Also, make sure the camera is comfortable to hold. Some digital cameras are weighty and have awkward grips, while other cameras have no grips at all. Try out your options at a retail store before you decide to buy. 

For more information on digital cameras: 
www.pcworld.com, 
www.digital-camera-reviews.info
www.consumerreports.org