Popular Uses of the Internet

Bernice Ly

Usage of the Internet is becoming more common due to rapid advancement of technology and the power of globalization. Societies are becoming more inter-connected. Thoughts from different cultures are shared through the use of Internet chat rooms and web postings. Study results also track the most popular uses of the Internet: “this year's study shows that e-mail is the top task conducted online, followed by general surfing, reading News, shopping, and seeking entertainment News.” (Chang Joshua (2005)) It can be summarized that the Internet is now being used for common, everyday tasks that would have normally taken more time to complete.

Internet shopping is becoming popular amongst users in developed nations, as it is more efficient to ‘shop on the Internet’ than to go physically into the stores. The Internet provides a virtual environment where consumers’ demands are met with supplies. For example, research has shown that shopping on the Internet can result in lower search costs and better product selections. This is because the shopper has the ability to analyze prices from various stores without having to travel distances. The shopper can now shop online for goods that are for sale in a foreign nation, and rather than having to travel to the country to receive the goods, the consumer can order online and get it delivered efficiently. According to the Ernst and Young Survey ('Internet Shopping' 1998), prospective shoppers viewed price savings and selection as more important benefits than convenience, which was ranked third. However, using the Internet we have the capacity to achieve both, having the ability to offer shoppers convenience as well as better prices.

Not only has the Internet achieved a more equitable trading environment for consumers, it also gives us the potential to communicate more effectively and efficiently. For example, the cost of sending an email is generally cheaper than posting a letter in the mail, especially for people wishing to communicate internationally. Furthermore, an email can be sent immediately after it is written, and does not need to go through official procedures such as the Post Office and a mail box. The recipient of the email is able to access it from anywhere, as it is a virtual communication tool, as opposed to having a physical mail box where the letters are delivered. Thus, clearly, an Internet communication tool such as the Internet is extremely valuable, especially for travelers who need to be able to be interconnected with their ‘old’ lifestyle whilst journeying to experience foreign cultures.

The power of the Internet not only extends to people who need the convenience of shopping, and to be able to easily communicate with associates and friends, but the Internet also provides an environment for News sharing and encourages people to be updated with the News. Unfortunately, as there currently isn’t any appropriate ‘virtual filtering system’ software out there, although there are many News articles available, they are from the perspective of international media institutions. However, the Internet is constantly changing and is becoming more accommodating to the individual as opposed to just catering to international corporations. Many academics believe that the Internet is a form of communication for people who want to express their own opinions and who don’t want to be repressed by the wealthy, whom are often seen as domineering as they hold too much power in a capitalist society.

Furthermore, many teenagers would also confirm that they have had many positive experiences with the Internet as they believe it is a place for them to ‘escape’ from the pressures of reality and enjoy the entertainment that this system has the ability to provide. Computer games, although some would argue that they actually distract people from reality, provide the opportunity for individuals to express creativity and challenge themselves. Interactive computer games provide an environment where individuals are allowed to explore foreign surroundings and take risks that will result in no harm to the game player. The Internet appeals to the younger generation not only because of entertainment purposes, but young academics have also agreed that the Internet creates convenience to research and university students. This is because many different articles can be found on a specific topic, and not only is the opinions of academics read, but people with unique experiences and in different professions are also heard and critically analyzed. Being an academic myself, I strongly believe that the Internet provides a great environment where people are allowed to share their thoughts and beliefs whilst remaining anonymous.

In conclusion, popular uses of the Internet have largely contributed to the advancement of society. More people are now turning to this phenomenon in order to have an efficient lifestyle where the maximum number of tasks can be achieved everyday. Although some would argue that people are becoming too reliant on the Internet, others would argue that it is a freedom of choice and it is the individuals’ choice to be able to choose how much they should be using the Internet per day, and on how dependent they want to be. Ultimately, the Internet is a tool that is effective when used appropriately and effectively and it is at the discretion of the individual. As quoted by Schipper, “the Internet is a tool that has both good and bad sides; let’s weed out the bad ones.”



Bibliography:

Ernst and Young (2000) 'Global Online Retailing' survey, Stores, Section 2, January

Content Management

by Barry Stein

More and more businesses are recognizing the importance of content management when it comes to their websites. Website content is more important than ever before, and as the Internet matures and changes, it is likely be become even more important. Many smart companies are beginning to make their website content the centerpiece of their Internet presence.

Content management means many things to different people, but it is generally understood to be the concept of separating the design and layout of a website from the actual content contained on that website. This allows a company's web developer to do his job more efficiently and not get bogged down with endless requests for changes, additions and deletions to the content of the web page. More importantly, it allows employees who are not web developers to update the company's web page.

When seeing the changes that have occurred to content management over the last couple of years, it is helpful to take a step back. The commercial internet is only about 10 years old. What began as a way for government researchers to communicate their findings with their peers has morphed into the giant commercial enterprise that is today's Internet. With this explosive growth over the period of just a decade or so, it is no wonder that content management has changed and grown as well.

It may take another 20 years or more until the internet is fully mature, and many more changes are likely to be in store. Seeing those changes coming can put your business on the cutting edge and position you for success.

Putting content ahead of technology is the centerpiece of the content management concept. When designing and updating their websites, smart companies will put the reader first. Try to put yourself in the place of a visitor to your website.

When a visitor first sees your website, what is their first impression?
Do they see an easy to use interface?
Is everything laid out clearly?
Is it easy to find what you want?

Take an objective look at your company website and answer these questions honestly. If you find your website lacking, you can use content management techniques to make your website more intuitive and user friendly.

More and more companies are hiring professional writers and editors as part of their overall content management strategy. This is a strategy that I believe will pay big dividends as the internet further matures. The internet is already the number one source of information for many people, and as more and more people get comfortable with using the internet, those numbers are likely to grow. The companies that can provide the most useful web content, to the greatest number of people, are the ones that will thrive in the 21st century.

By now most major corporations and many smaller firms already have functioning websites on the Internet. This means that the demand for professionals to design and upload websites is likely to shrink in the future. On the other hand, the need for professionals who can update web content and make it useful to customers is likely to grow. The future of content management has never looked brighter.

Article Source: www.businesshighlight.org

The Anatomy of Web Fonts. 2

....Choose a typeface or a group of faces that will honor and elucidate the character of the text.

- R. Bringhurst


Your typeface sets the tone or personality of your text. Type is a part of your design that the user has no choice but to interact with directly, so its power should be taken seriously. If you were designing a site for a large bank or mortgage company, it's unlikely that you would choose to set the body text in Comic Sans. Comic Sans is a fun, cartoony, frivolous typeface that would not at all be appropriate for the corporate image required.This is a rather over-the-top example, but the principle is clear: let the nature of your content and the goals of your design lead you in your choice of typeface. This means reading the text and having an understanding of what it conveys, then choosing a typeface that best illustrates and clarifies the key concepts.
The best way to 'get into type' is to immerse yourself in what's available and understand how people are using those fonts. Visit some of the good type foundries, in particular Linotype and, for the more adventurous, Letterhead Fonts. Another resource I find invaluable in the early stages of typographic work is the fantastic tool, Typetester. Typetester allows you to easily style text with any number of CSS properties and compare them to one another on-screen. It even builds the CSS rule for you when you find a combination of styles that you like! This tool is well worth spending some time with, particularly if you're new to many of the detailed text properties in CSS. This brings us to look a little more closely at those detailed CSS properties. With so many capabilities now available to the Web designer through CSS, how should we be using these properties to deliver the best possible experience to our users?

Size

Type size is one of the easiest factors to control on-screen, and as such it is often not given the importance that it deserves in the field of Web typography. Size is an important device for giving your content a hierarchy, and the relative sizes of your headings, body text, and footers can have a big influence on the overall feel of a page. Type size is also very closely linked to other characteristics of your page, such as column width, line-height, and so on.As early as the sixteenth century, typographers had begun to use a common scale for type size, and there is no reason not to replicate this approach on the Web, particularly if you're looking for a
traditional and highly legible result. Like a musical scale, the series below has a natural elegance to it, and is considered by typographers to be a standard for relative type sizes.





The traditional type size series developed in the sixteenth century


A great example of a site that uses this type size scale on the Web is Jaredigital.com[http://www.jaredigital.com] It's clear that traditional and stylish typography was required for this site, and a little discreet poking around in the CSS finds the rules that make it all possible:

h3 {
font-size:16px;
}

h4 {
font-size:12px;
}

p {
font-size:11px;
}

A good rule of thumb is that the closer to one another are the font sizes of the various levels, the more elegant the overall impression will be.If you're after a disjointed or modern feel, try using font sizes that are further apart on the scale. A good example of this can be seen at Coudal.com. The large headers used here are fairly unusual, and in my opinion, give a much more modern, less traditional feel to the design. Note, however, that the headings are displayed in a much lighter color than the main body text. Another good rule of thumb states that, if you want to use larger sizes for headings, use a lighter color to keep the overall feel of the page balanced. It's also worth pointing out those headings as a particularly successful use of a serif font (in this case, Times) on the screen.

Emphasis

Emphasizing text is a relatively simple way to bring your words to life on the Web. There is a great fashion at the moment -- particularly in online promotional or advertising text -- to scatter bold font weights liberally around the page. Although traditional typographic convention would warn against the over-use of related faces such as bold or italics, on the Web, this technique can be used to encourage the eye through the text when there are so many other distractions on screen. There are various ways we can introduce emphasis into text: Bold: On the Web, the most common and effective method is the use of a bold face from the current font family. Of course, as with all these techniques, ensure that you do not over-use the bold face. The key is to use bold faces sparingly, or not at all. Italics: Italic text can suffer on low-resolution monitors because of the slanted and more curved shapes of italicized letters. These are likely to look too pixilated when aliased, and too blurred when anti-aliased, and will spoil legibility when used in lengthy body text. However, this should not stop you from using an italic face when convention approves it, for example, quoting foreign words and phrases, or listing books and periodical titles. Underlining: It's commonly understood that underlining text on the Web is not a good idea. Web conventions tell us that any underlined text is a link, and can be clicked on. It's a pretty fair bet that if you go around underlining text that's not clickable, you're going to confuse users.

Color: Using color for emphasis is also a rather tricky business. Like underlined words, colored words could be mistaken for a link within body text. In the past it was common to use a distinct background color to give emphasis to a passage of text, but even this has now become a convention for identifying links. Furthermore, there are the accessibility issues assocaited with using color to display important meaning on the Web, which further add to the conclusion that using color for emphasis is not an ideal method. Capital Letters: Never set passages of text in full or small caps. Not only is doing this considered rather rude and inelegant, but typographically, it is a very poor choice. CONSIDER THE LEGIBILITY OF THIS SENTENCE COMPARED TO THE ONES THAT PRECEDE AND FOLLOW IT. There is no doubt that, without the distinct shape of the words created by the lower case letters, readability is severely inhibited. The example below highlights this clearly. There is no doubt that it is easier to make out the words in the upper half of the sentence due to the more obvious shape of the words.





Note how the upper half of the sentence is easier to read than he lower


However, nice touches can be achieved using full or small caps in the right situation. Try using small caps for abbreviations and acronyms within text, and of course, full caps for acronyms that stand for personal names or place names. This is a detail that is rarely considered on the Web, but that should be simple to achieve with site-wide CSS files.

Line Spacing

A crucial detail when setting type on the Web is the issue of line spacing, or leading. The vertical distance between lines of body text can make a huge difference to the legibility and overall style of your message. A comparison of the two blocks of text below should demonstrate the point clearly. A general rule of thumb when selecting a line-height value is that the longer the line length (measure) of your text, the more leading is required for legibility.














Notice the clarity that the increased line height brings to the text


The default line-height for most browsers is around 1.2 (where 1 is where the tops of one row of characters would touch the base of the row above). This is not sufficient for text on screen; I'd recommend increasing your line-height value to between 1.4 and 1.6.

Letter Spacing and Kerning

In my opinion, letter spacing (or tracking) as controlled by the letter-spacing property in CSS should never be used for body text. It's not very cross-browser friendly, and what you may see in Firefox may be drastically different in Internet Explorer or Safari. Furthermore, it seems wrong to mess about with the tracking that each font has built into it. The type designer carefully calculates these spaces, and most of the time, they're going to provide good results without any extra tampering.However, letter spacing can be a very effective tool in short headings.
A classic example of this can be seen at Zeldman.com. The large letter spacing of the titles in the right hand column allows for a bolder, uppercase typeface, but ensures that the overall balance of the page is consistent.















Letter spacing of titles at Zeldman.com

Kerning refers to improving the appearance of a word by adjusting spacing between certain pairs of letters. On the Web, it's not realistic to attempt this with body text. However, if you're creating headers or logos in graphics software, a little kerning can make a dramatic difference to the overall result. Look at the two examples below. The first shows the default kerning of the Verdana font; the second has been tweaked in Fireworks with the goal of creating a more balanced and well-proportioned word shape.

Word Spacing

As with letter spacing, word spacing should be considered carefully before it's applied to the screen. I am of the belief that if you think
your text needs spacing and tracking manually, then you have probably chosen the wrong typeface for the job. As with all the text properties that CSS allows us to control, consistency is the key. Keep readers focused on the text, and make it easy for their eyes to flow through
the words. If you're breaking up the letters and words, you'll only serve to distract them, and disrupt the flow of the text.

Alignment

Margins can have a surprisingly large influence on the look and feel of your pages. They help keep your text apart from other elements of your site, and from the edges of the browser window. Larger margins produce an open, free feeling, while smaller, tighter margins give a constricted and more intimate aesthetic. Assuming your content is in a language that flows left-to-right (ltr), you should nearly always left-align your text on the Web. Right-aligning should only be used for very specific purposes, and certainly not for long passages of text. The ragged left edge of right-aligned text makes it very difficult for the eye to move from one line to the next and reduces legibility considerably. Text that is set flush with both left and right margins is known as justified text. Justification is extremely popular in books and newspapers, and gives a uniform and controlled feel to a page. Justification on the Web would be far more popular if it weren't for the fact that no browser or operating system has a hyphenation dictionary built in. This means that the only way the browser has to justify text is to space out and/or squash up words to fit into the specific line length. This is fine to an extent, but there comes a point -- particularly with shorter line lengths -- when a bit more flexibility is required. The designer Todd Dominey provides an option on his site to justify all text, and the two screen shots below shows the good and bad results of doing that.












Good justified text at Whatdoiknow.org















Bad justified text at Whatdoiknow.org



The text in the wider column looks great, and the browser has dealt well with the justification. However, in the smaller left-hand column you can see that the word spacing is very mixed and inconsistent, and this drastically affects the legibility of the text.

Extending Web Typography

While a lot can be achieved with CSS in the ways described above, designers must still endure a number of limitations when it comes to Web typography. We are still stuck with a limited number of good screen fonts, but even if more were available, we'd still be relying on users having them available on their machines. With this system, designers are never going to have the true control of type that they desire. It is frustrating that in the ten years since designers came to the Web, this problem has not been solved.

Replacing Text

One way in which designers work around the limitations today is to use image and Flash text replacement techniques to display headers or navigation. This kind of text is often an integral part of a site's design or brand, and designers are keen to get as much control over these elements as possible. The rules for using images or Flash to replace text are no different from those we use to choose body text typefaces. Legibility should always be your prime concern, followed by suitability for the task at hand. However, you do have a little more flexibility, mainly because you are more likely to be working with large font sizes and thus many legibility issues are already solved. This situation may then be a suitable case for experimentation, and for basing a typeface choice solely on the character, or personality that you're trying to convey in your design. One Flash replacement method that has caused a lot of buzz over the last year or so is sIFR (pronounced siffer). SIFR is touted as an accessible, scalable method of embedding custom typefaces in Web pages, and as such has generated a great deal of excitement among designers.

The Anatomy of Web Fonts

By Andy Hume

If one aspect of design has suffered most in its transition to the Web, it is the art of typography. For years, Web typography involved little more than choosing a typeface and font size. Unstyled Times New Roman was the norm, and the integration of established typographical techniques and rules was unimagined.But times change. Since the adoption of CSS into mainstream Web design, we have entered a new age of Web typography. This facet of design has been opened up to the Web designer in a way that wasn't possible in the past. We now have the tools to return typography to its true role within the sphere of design.However, if we've learnt anything over the last ten years, it's that the Web is not print. The basic principles of typography will cross over to any format, but it's vital that we allow the features of the medium -- in this case, the computer screen or monitor on which our type is displayed -- to define the rules and techniques that we practice. So, how can we transfer the established and time-tested principles of typography to the online environment? The best place to start is to look at the differences between print and screen, and to understand how those differences will affect our use of typography in Web design.

The Technology

The most obvious difference between the Web and its print ancestor -- a most important point for those wanting to grasp the art of Web typography -- is that your type is displayed on a computer screen or monitor. If you're reading this tutorial on your computer screen, you're having a very different experience than if you'd printed this text with a modern laser printer.

Additive and Subtractive Color Systems
When you look at a computer screen, you see colors and shapes that are made up of light. Colors are built up by combining red, green, and blue light together in different mixtures and intensities. This is the additive color system.On the other hand, if you printed this page out, and are reading it on paper, the colors and shapes you're looking at are comprised of pigments in the ink. These colors are perceived by the absorption and reflection of light from their surfaces. This is known as the subtractive color system.












Why is this important? Well, let's consider the most common color combination for text and its background: black on white. In a subtractive color system (i.e. print), this is a perfectly suitable practice. The contrast of black on white is as stark and clear as possible, making for good legibility and comfortable reading. However, with an additive color system (i.e. on screen), the color white is produced by mixing red, green, and blue at full intensity. This is why the black on white combination can be overly luminous and too harsh on the eyes to allow extended reading on screen. There is never more light radiating from a screen than when it displays pure white, and this intensity can affect the clarity of fine detail in typefaces and other intricate patterns.

Wikipedia gives more details on the additive and subtractive color systems.

Screen Resolution

If you have printed this text with a modern laser printer, you may be enjoying a print resolution of up to 2400 dpi (dots per inch). On screen, you'll be lucky to have a resolution of 96 dpi. The conclusion to this point should be fairly obvious: there's no way you're going to get the same clarity and detail when displaying text on screen as you can with print. It is this factor, more than any other, that defines the recommendations and principles behind good Web typography.

The Unknowns

The other key issue we should think about is what I like to call the unknowns. One of the biggest hurdles designers have to overcome as they move from print to Web is the idea that they don't have real control over their finished product. No matter how much we try to second-guess users' browsing habits, hardware configuration, and software choices, we must live with the fact that we cannot control 100% how people experience our Web pages.In terms of Web typography, this has some pretty sobering consequences. We can spend hours choosing the perfect combination of typefaces to complement our design or meet corporate requirements, but if the user has stipulated that she wants all text to be displayed in 18px Comic Sans, there is absolutely nothing we can do about it.The key is to think of this not as a limitation of the Web, but as a strength. Which other medium gives so much freedom to the end user? As designers, we merely suggest a design or layout; the final say is in the hands of the individual, and their requirements and choices trump ours every time. Don't inhibit this freedom by assuming users' requirements or by attempting to force too many of your own preferences onto users. Another unknown that applies particularly to Web typography is anti-aliasing. Modern operating systems such as Windows XP and Mac OS 10 give users the option to display anti-aliased text as standard. This is a good thing, and it makes reading and working on your machine much more comfortable and pleasing to the eye. However, there is a danger when experimenting with typefaces and sizes that we forget that users may not have anti-aliasing available or switched on.











Comparing anti-aliased and aliased text.

Again, don't assume anything about the people who use your site. I would encourage any designer to at least check a site's pages with anti-aliasing switched off. The discovery you make may come as a shock, and in the worst case, you may even be moved to rethink your typographic choices.

Basic Principles of Web Typography

Having seen the technological issues that are going to inform our typographical choices, it's time for a more detailed look at the principles of typography as they apply to the Web.

Typefaces

Choosing a typeface is the starting point of typographic design, and may even go on to inform the overall design or feel of a page. Traditionally, Web typography suffers from a lack of options when it comes to typeface choice simply because fonts can be displayed only if they're available on users' computers. The first job of the Web typographer, then, is to distinguish the fonts that are readily available, and to understand which are best suited to his or her particular tasks.
Very generally speaking, there are two main groups of typefaces that are used on the Web: serif and sans-serif. The difference is easily demonstrated in this image:





Serif and sans-serif type

Serifs are the extra lines or small decorations added to the ends of the main strokes of the Georgia typeface above. The theory behind these serifs is that they help the letters flow, and lead the eye across the text during reading. Serif fonts are very popular in print, and although there is a certain amount of debate regarding which family of typeface is most legible on the screen, I fall firmly in to the camp that believes that sans-serif faces are a more suitable option.
The variable boldness and fine extra strokes of the serif fonts, particularly at smaller sizes of body text, often appear pixilated and untidy. This is still the case even with the most modern anti-aliasing techniques. With anti-aliasing enabled, the serif fonts look blurred (which is exactly what they are) around their curves and terminals. On the other hand, the straight, low contrast, open strokes of a sans-serif font, such as Verdana, will always leave a good impression on-screen.
The Common Web Fonts

Most designers are probably familiar with what could be considered the common Web fonts. The following CSS rule probably won't raise too many eyebrows.

body { font-family: verdana, "trebuchet MS", helvetica, sans-serif; }

Here, we have three classic fonts that are used all over the Web. However, instead of just copying and pasting this rule, let's look at why we have made the decision to use those three fonts, and what characterizes them as suitable for our purposes.Verdana is our first choice font here. This font was designed for the screen and is the most common sans-serif typeface used on the Web today.







The Verdana face in detail

Note the generous amount of space between each character, as well as the amount of whitespace within the characters (glyphs) themselves. This is what makes Verdana so legible on screen, and an excellent choice for a sans-serif on the Web.Trebuchet is another face created for the screen. Designed in 1996 by Vincent Connare, it is probably the most distinctive of the common Web fonts, and can convey a great deal of energy and personality. Certain features of this typeface depart significantly from what we would expect from a classic grotesk font, for example, the uppercase M seen below.






The Trebuchet face in detail

Despite its distinct personality, Trebuchet's strokes are blocky and clear. It has a large x-height, helping to increase legibility at smaller sizes. Finally, we've gone for Helvetica. Helvetica, designed in the 1950s and hugely popular throughout the second half of the 20th Century, is a
classic in its own right. That it transfers so well to screen is both a testament to its legibility and a blessing for Web typographers.





The Helvetica face in detail

Despite its compact width, Helvetica reads well on screen due to its large x-height. It has a consistent and uniform feel to it, which not only makes it economical with space, but also means it's easy on the eye.Finally our CSS rule declares sans-serif as a generic font family. This ensures that users' systems will at least default to a sans-serif font if they do not have any of the others we have specified. If you use the rule above, you'll be certain to provide good, legible text to the vast majority of your users. However, why not experiment a bit more? What are some of the other good screen fonts out there that we can provide to users who have them available?

What Characterizes Good Screen Fonts?

Having looked at the properties of the above fonts in a bit more detail, you should have a clear idea of the features that define a good screen font:

* Low contrast and simple strokes with a consistent weight and

thickness
* Generous x-height
* Generous width and letter spacing
* Generous punch width (space within letters)








goodscreenfont

With those points in mind, you should be in a position to begin looking beyond the common Web fonts. So, what are the design principles you should bear in mind when thinking about typeface choice?

Content is Key to Web Site Success

No matter how flashy or great your Web site looks, if you don't have good content you are in a boat without a paddle. I can not count the times that I have said that content is key to a Web site's success. Too many times to count. There are other things you should know about your Web site's content though that you may have not thought about before.

Rule number one is to keep your content easy to read. When folks are reading things Online, they don't like to scan through huge paragraphs of information. Instead, try to cut your paragraphs up into smaller sections. This makes it easier for the Web site visitor to read through all that you have to say.

The second thing to remember is to make every single word count on your Web page. Don't fill your Web site with a lot of fluff and hardly any substance at all. The one reason why people visit a Web site is to get information. Where is your information? If somebody has to ask that about you, then you might worry more about adding more content and less about other things on the Web site.

The third thing to get down is that spell checker is your best friend. As a writer, you'd probably expect that I have a great mastery of the human language. Not so. The funny thing is that I love to write, but I am the world's worst speller. That is when your friend and mine, the spell checker comes into play. Now I no longer have to sound like a total idiot when I am writing about something I feel strongly about. Well, okay I might still sound like an idiot from time to time. As least I spelled it right though.

Write with passion. It is fairly easy to tell when somebody is writing about something they have no clue about. Make sure you cover your topics and interests in the Web pages completely. If you are working on a rather dull Web site, then find a way of making it's content less dull. After writing it, you should be able to sit back, relax and admire your work. If you feel more like that you are making a mistake than having a job well done, then do it again. Practice makes perfect.

Another topic is I want you to remember is that nobody likes to have to scroll across the page horizontally to read your Web site's content. Horizonal scrolling on a Web page is a big problem. many folks get turned off by a Web site if they have to move their mouse left and right to get what you are trying to say. Make sure you test your Web site's layout at a few different resolutions to make sure you are not forcing folks to scroll horizontally to get the information that you have posted.

Other than that, it is up to speculation. If you ever have a problem, there are lots of second hand stores out there that will sell you old school English books for you to do some studying on. Yes, those years and years of English in school will finally pay off. As you might guessed, I wasn't a very good English student either. I have learned more though out of school than I ever learned in it though.

Last but not least, any good writer will tell you to read more if you want to write more. The more you read of other folks work, the better your own work will become. The reason is you start to develop your own style and content in your own way. You can pick and choose from different methods, and you will become a better writer.

So remember, that your Web site is only as good as the content that is in it.

by.Mitch Keeler

The Benefits Of Having A Website

When you're searching through the Internet you will find endless amounts of information, about everything, and all at your fingertips. The Internet is the largest source of knowledge in the world. Why is this? Because anyone can get their information on there. All you need is a web site and a resource generous web hosting company.

Many people think that getting their website on the Internet is an expensive venture, fortunately though, this need not necessarily be true; if you find the right web host, the benefits of having a web site will definitely outweigh the costs.
There are many different ways to benefit from having a web site, whether it is for personal gain, or to aid your business success. Those who have their own personal websites generally use them to further an interest or a hobby; having a web site is a great way to share and exchange knowledge with others. Businesses on the other hand use a website to promote and market their goods and services, while cutting back on such expenses as postage, couriers and advertising, etc.

These are but a few key benefits of owning a website:

Increased awareness of products and services - Businesses can now greatly expand their markets, no need to constrain the focus to only the local scene, but by using the Internet, businesses can venture into international and regional markets, with greater ease. This dynamically changes the nature and the marketing activities of some businesses, possibly encouraging the business to expand the diversity of its products and services, to meet these new markets. Websites, in their nature, allow hundreds and thousands of items to be on view 24/7; thus encouraging wider viewing, and extended trading hours.

Freedom - With the freedom of being able to post your information on your website, hence on the Internet, at any time of the day; available information of all variations is increasing at a huge rate. The freedom to browse anywhere and interact with anyone is enough to tempt the smallest of businesses and the most introverted of people to get on the Net; hence Net users are increasing in numbers, at an alarming rate, approximately 50,000 per day. Businesses are buzzing on the Net, they have found a way to compete on an even field, with even the largest of corporations; and within a daily increasing customer marketplace.

Cost advantage - Net businesses are extremely aware of how they can profit by being on the Internet; they can advertise their products and services without the huge costs, and delays of printing, publishing and distribution. The market is a global one, which adds greater value to the costs outlaid for promotion and marketing; compared to the limits of offline. E- commerce facilities can be incorporated into the website, transforming 2D screen visuals into user reactive models, for example, consumers can order their products and services online, greatly reducing administration expenses. Reduction of telephone calls to potential customers; follow ups by email; newsletters digitally made, promoted by email or downloadable from the website, with reduction of distribution costs; less promotional material sent out, printed and wasted; extended trading hours without a human presence; are just a few ways to cut costs.

The current opinion is that any business not on the Internet now or in the near future is not only missing out on the rewards of this new and vibrant industry, but is adding itself to the list of "the forgotten".Don't waste time scratching your head wondering what the Internet can do to benefit your business, you will be left behind; instead, think about how you can take advantage of this new and cheap form of industry awareness. Look for a web designer, or web developer, get a quote, and tell them what you need.



by
M6.net

What is Web Hosting

If you want to take part in the internet as a business, information resource, directory, or as a hobbyist wanting to share data, information and knowledge with the many people and communities on the internet, you have to contain this in a central spot on the internet. You have to own a piece of space in cyberspace.

Web hosting empowers you and anyone with a computer and internet connection to own a piece of cyberspace. In your space, you can have news, bulletins, documents, data, files (your web site) and your own post office (mail server) to accept mail, all in the context of you or your business. This is your space and to get this space you either have to own a piece of the physical internet with a network connection to the internet backbone and computer(s) operating as server(s) offering access to your files and post office, for people on the internet to view your web site or send and receive email with you.

The cost of owning a direct connection to the backbone and a server dedicated to a web site and email is out of reach for the average business and especially general members of the internet. Even running a web site and mail server on your own computer when it is connected to the internet requires a lot of technical ability and knowledge. The internet itself has to be your business for either of these options to be viable.

In our modern society, for every person in business or with a career in most industries today, it is imperative to have a place in cyberspace, not just to be competitive but to survive. Web hosting companies were born out of this great need to provide an environment for the masses to own a piece of cyberspace, to offer an environment where people could have their piece of cyberspace on the internet 24/7 without the great cost. Web hosting companies developed a model where they could split up areas on the servers connected to the backbone and ?rent? this space, cutting the costs across many people sharing the server and backbone connection to the internet.

In a web-hosting environment, you are offered a web site to place your files, data, documents, and bulletins for people to access with their web browser and an email server for you to send and receive email messages. The web host will also provide you a means to get an address for people to get to your web site with a web browser and post email to you.

To obtain space in a web hosting environment you become a member and agree to terms and conditions of renting the space ? just as if you were to rent a house or commercial premises for your business. Once you agree and become a member, you are given an access code, a key, to your piece of cyberspace. This key, in the form of a login and password, allows you to connect to the web hosting server and up-load (transfer to) your web site so it can be accessed on the internet. Your login and password is also used to connect to a mail server to create and administer mailboxes to send and receive email for you, your staff, or family members.

Just like when you rent a house or commercial premises for your business, you have so many rooms, bathrooms, and floor space to use. In a web-hosting environment, your area is defined as disk space and network transfer.

Disk space is measured in Megabytes (MB) or Gigabytes (GB). Megabyte roughly means 1,024,000 characters and Gigabyte roughly means 1,024 Million characters. Imagine a character as one key on your key board. These amounts determine how many files, documents, or data you can have on your web site.

Network Transfer is also measured in Megabytes or gigabytes which determines how much data (how many of your files, documents or data) can be downloaded (transferred to) people accessing your web site. The more people, or the more data each person accesses on your web site the more data is transferred on the network.

The more disk space and network transfer you use the greater percentage of the web-hosting environment you are using ? therefore the higher the rent.

Just as no office building and home is the same, neither is every web-hosting environment. Some offices have stairs, others have lifts, some houses have ensuites, swimming pools, and gardens, ? and others do not. Web-hosting environments are much the same, some offer bare structures to do just the basics and others offer an array of features and facilities to help you do just about everything you could ever need or want. Some of the features and facilities likely to be offered are ranges of software to use, components, databases, and server side script processing.

The similarity of renting an office or home to renting space in a web-hosting environment is even more similar. With some buildings a gardener and/or a guard is available to look after the gardening or provide security. In a web-hosting environment, you have support people to help you do what you need to do on your web site to make it grow and there are server administrators to protect and secure your web-hosting space.

When you rent a building there are key parts needed to work or live in the space, like rooms, offices, kitchens, toilets, and bathrooms. In your web-hosting environment, you will find equally important components that are required to make the space workable. The core components in a web-hosting environment are:

Web Server

The web server is a relatively simple piece of software that accepts requests over HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) and delivers HTML pages and Image files.

FTP Server

FTP is the means of which a web master can transfer files to and from the server. To put your HTML and image files on a server you will generally use FTP to upload (transfer to) your files to the server running the web server.

Mail Server

The mail server consists of two parts POP (Post Office Protocol) and SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol). POP is where email is received into your mailbox and SMTP is what is used to send and receive email between mail servers.

Database Server

If you are using server side scripting on your web server (you use something like Microsoft Internet Information Server) then instead of providing ?static? data only on web pages you can provide data from a database allowing your users to search and view the data in different and dynamic way. Also, a Database server is used to gather data from visitors to your site; orders, feedback, discussions and the like.

Each one of the above components are software programs running on servers in the web-hosting environment. You can interact with each of these with special software programs you use on your computer. The main ones being:

Web Browser

When viewing the web you use a web browser like Internet Explorer. Many web hosting companies provide a ?Control Panel? to administer your web host account, which you use with your web browser. Most allow you to configure most aspects of your account using a simple web browser.

Web site/page editor

Today many web servers allow editing of WebPages over HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol) based on Microsoft FrontPage technology. These special editors allow you to essentially look at your web site as if you were using a web browser and edit the pages directly as you see them using WYSWIG (What you see if what you get) technology. Most web hosting environments support this, and if you are starting out, make sure it is available. One tip: make sure the web host providing this really does understand this technology ? it is the main area of which many hacks and security intrusions occur.

FTP Client

This is a very simple piece of software that allows you to view the server folders and files in your web host account as if they were files and folders on your own computer. You can then drag and drop files between you computer and your web host account.

Email Client

If you are on the internet you would already be using an email client to send and receive your email. The most common are Outlook Express, Eudora and Web based mail clients like Hotmail.

Database Administration Client

The most common databases used with web servers are Microsoft SQL Server (available only on Windows) and MySQL (commonly found on Linux and UNIX but also available on Windows). SQL Server comes with it's own administration client where you can view your databases, edit them, backup data and do all the administration functions you need. MySQL has an active online community where there is a range of administration clients available.

Choosing a web host is, again, similar to choosing a house to live in or commercial premises to do business. You need to define what it is you require: how much space you need and what features and facilities you need.

If you have been reading this article because this is new to you, then it is likely at this stage you only need minimal space and basic facilities. Once you have worked with the basic facilities you will learn more and become aware of greater facilities and features and then you can simple move from one web ?hosting environment to another ? paying more or paying less. Moving in cyberspace is much easier, faster, and more seamless than physically moving house or commercial premises.

Initially you may use the web-hosting environment offered by your ISP (internet Service provider), the company you use to connect to the internet. But remember these companies main business is connecting many thousands of people to the internet ? not managing web hosting environments. You will generally find they offer less than basic facilities and minimal space.

If you are just starting out with your first web site the first major choice you will be faced with is ?Unix? or ?Windows?. For a person just starting out on the internet, both are equally capable and will offer the facilities you need to have your place in cyberspace.

If you have a web designer or technical person to help you, you only need to consider how much space you really need. With this simple idea in mind, when you are just starting out, owning your piece of cyberspace will not cost anymore than $8 per month. Many web-hosting companies will offer what you need for as little as $3 per month (usually paid yearly).

If you are going alone and doing it all yourself you may want to consider an account with a web hosting company that offers and prides itself on it's support and customer service, 24/7 support access and the experience, knowledge and skill of it's server administrators. Remember, these are the gardeners and the guards who take care of your environment.

Web hosting is very simple and straightforward an once you obtain your space in cyberspace you will never want to let it go and you can easily move it where you want as a turtle carries it's shell on it's back. Always remember you are not stuck in the first web-hoisting environment you choose.

Web hosting isyour space in cyberspace and it is imperative to have a place in cyberspace in our modern society, just as it is to have an office to do business.



Written by M6.net