How do I set up a website?
Please check the following link for a brief description of Building a website.
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How do I get my website placed on the server?
Using a small FTP program to upload the files.
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What is an FTP program?
An FTP program transfers files between your PC and a remote computer (the web hosting server). With an FTP program you can publish a Web page, or download the latest digital images, music, and software, and more.
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Where can I get an FTP program?
You can download a free program from the internet called Cute FTP located here. Or purchase a program such as WS_FTP.
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What is an IP Address?
The Internet Protocol number (or IP address) is the address of the server. You can think of this number as the formal address of any Website
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Where do I obtain the IP address?
The IP address will be provided by the Web Hosting Service. Therefore, the IP address of your new Website will be emailed to you in our introductory letter.
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What is the domain name?
The domain name is the official name of your website. This name, however, does not include the www or the http://www, just the name that follows.
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How do I obtain a domain name?
Domain names can be purchased many places, with varying prices. We generally use the services of GoDaddy.com for this purpose. GoDaddy charges approximately $10.00 per year, and we find their prices to be very competitive. If you sign up for our Web Hosting service here at Sitejibe and you have not yet purchased your domain name, we will be happy to take care of this for you.
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How do I register a domain name?
Once again, we use the services of GoDaddy.com for our registering needs. Trek on over to Godaddy.com and purchase a domain name. You won't be sorry!
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How do I register a .edu domain name?
The .edu domain registration is, for the most part limited to schools located in the United States. Edu domain name registration is handled exclusively by EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit organization working to promote the intelligent use of information technology in education.
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How do I register a .gov domain name?
The .gov domain name registration is limited to federal, state, local and tribal government organizations within the United States. Registration is handled through the Federal Government's dotgov.gov website.
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Is it possible to host my website free of charge?
Yes this is possible but remember, you get what you pay for. All free hosting comes with a "catch". You'll probably have unwanted banner adds running on your pages. Additionally, few if any free plans include features such as perl, cgi, databases, php and so on. You may not know or care about these features now, but trust me, you will! Do yourself a favor and spring for the $50 +/- per year. You'll be glad you did!
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Is it possible to run my own web server?
Yes this is possible but be prepared to spend gobs of time setting it up. If your intentions are to build and run a web server for the learning experience, Go For It! It's great fun if you're like me and thrive on that sort of thing. But, on the other hand if you're trying to save a buck, forget it. Using your dsl connection just doesn't cut it. The upload speeds of dsl just aren't fast enough for a dedicated server. Cable has become fast enough to run a dedicated server, however, you will be required to purchase a business acccount. You'll need a couple of static IP address as well. Try running on your dsl or cable with a non business package and your internet provider will most likely shut you down. (They frown on this sort of thing.) Most internet providers, cable and dsl block port 80 which is the port the internet broadcasts on. These are just a few of the drawbacks, but the list goes on.
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Can I obtain a .com domain name free of charge?
No, you can not obtain a .com, .edu, .net, etc. name without paying for it. That's because of the way the domain name service (DNS) is setup. An organization called the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names (ICANN) controls all of goods and so no matter who sells you the .com name, they have to go through the ICANN organization. Some companies such as ours, will include the cost of the domain name in the web hosting package, but at the end of the day we still have to pay for it.
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What is Perl and what is its purpose?
For our purposes, Perl is a programming language which can be used to develop interactive web pages. An example of this "interactivity" would be a fill-out form that a visitor completes and then gets some type of response (or interactivity). HTML can only produce static web pages that basically just sit there and cannot interact with the website visitor. Perl can go well beyond this simple example, however.
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What is a database used for?
I feel that a database is the ultimate tool for developing interactive websites. It is a repository that stores information gathered. Suppose you create a website fill-out form. This information can then be used to dynamically display an automated page. Let's say, for instance that you have many websites that want to be included on your "Links Page". You could write a fill-out form for these folks. They fill out the form, then Perl (or some other language) stuffs that information into a database. Then your "Links Page" pulls this information from the database and displays each entry automatically on your Links Page. This is but one simple example of a database use. Imagine the possibilities.
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What is php and why do I need it?
Not unlike Perl, PHP is another general-purpose scripting language, however I believe that generally, it is better suited for web development than is Perl. PHP unlike Perl can be included (or imbedded) right into a html page. This is something that Perl cannot do. Both php and Perl are considered server side scripting, which means the server provides the necessary tools (the program) to perform the tasks required by these languages. Although I was raised on Perl, I believe php is taking over in many respects and is better suited for many website jobs. Purists will argue that Perl is a little more secure than php and this may be true, but I've found that most security issues are the result of poor programming, not the chosen language. Your thoughts purists.
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What is MySQL?
We talked about databases early on. One size really does fit all when it comes to databases tailored for the internet. MySQL is the de facto database to use for web development. MySQL is created by Sun Microsystems and is Open Source. If you don't know about programs available that are Open Source, please read here. The definition does not do justice to the movement. This is a dedicated number of programmers who are committed to providing the world community with excellent programming. I'm a huge fan of Open Source and have turned my programming life around to support this noble effort.
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What is cgi?
CGI stands for common Gateway Interface. That's as far as I will go with the official definition. I struggled with this one when I first got interested in web based programs. I'm going to spare you the grief and give you my take on the subject. First off, a standard html web page is called a static web page. It just sits there and looks pretty. On the flip side there's a page like Google. You type a word in and it spits back information. This is called a dynamic web page. It looks at a database and retrieve the information. These dynamic pages rely on an interface to accomplish this. A sort of conduit or gateway. Hence, the name Common Gateway Interface. CGI's can be written in a variety of programming languages. Perl, PHP, C, C++ etc. The most common languages used with websites are php and perl.
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How do I move my site to a new location?
First, let's be clear on this question. This would appy to someone for instance, that had a free hosting plan which he/she has outgrown and now desires a new site with a new domain address. The individual then purchases a (new) domain name, somewhat different from the original name. When you move your website to a new location, such as a newly registered domain name of your own, you should never just shut down your old site. If you simply remove your old pages, search engines like Google will not automatically know about your new site. And other people who have made links to your pages (bringing you visitors!) will now have broken links in their pages. The best way to move your site is by issuing permanent redirects for each page of your old site. Ideally, you would do this for every page of your old site, because any page of your site could be coming up in search engine results. We can take care of this redirect for you by creating an .htaccess file with redirect instructions. Just drop us a line and we will be happy to perform this task for you.
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What domain name should I choose for my site?
Our recommendations are as follows. Try to use .com extension if possible. It seems to lend more credibility to the name. Secondly, try to keep your name no greater than 20 characters. Registering a name is easy. Finding a good one these days is the hard part.
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How long can a domain name be?
Technically it could be as long as 256 characters. Most registries place a self imposed limit on the length of 63 characters. However, try to keep your name MUCH shorter than that if you want any business treading through your site.
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If I were going to set up a server which would be the better choice, IIS or Apache?
You can Google this question and come up with enough charts and graphs to fill a good size room. Cut through all the crap and here's the bottom line. Apache! Although most independent tests show Apache outperforms, this is not even my criteria for choosing it. Apache is fast, secure, reliable, and costs nothing. IIS is owned by Microsoft, (or Microsoft's share holders). These folks want to crank out a new model of every product they sell each and every year to boost revenues. Case in point, Vista vs Win XP. They perform the exact same functions, and yet Vista has been pushed down our throats with the only apparent difference being, it comes with more bugs. As if it may have been released a little premature. . . Bingo! Same with servers. Nothing gnaws at an IT guy more than having to replace something that's working perfect.
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Why does Internet Information Server want a password?
The short answer is because Microsoft is gay. The longer answer is because there are default files (pages) placed on the server that have to be removed in the website home directory. Go into that directory and remove any files that look unfamiliar.
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What is my Internet IP address?
Finding out your IP address is easy. Click here. Keep in mind however, that unless you've purchased a static IP, your IP number will change from time to time.
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In what directory do I place my webpages?
The website's home directory is called public_html. Place your html or php files in this directory.
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What is propagation?
The process of updating a domain across the world's Internet servers.
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How can I upload my pages to the server before my site has fully propagated?
This method is described in our "Introductory Email" sent to you at the time of signup. If you are unclear, please email us for details.
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Where do I place perl scripts?
Perl scripts (or programs) should be placed in the cgi-bin directory. Also, don't forget that all perl scripts need proper ownership. This process is known as chmod. Perl scripts should be chmod to 755.
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What web hosting company should I choose?
Ours.
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Advertised Pricing Notice: *Prices displayed are based on a one year prepaid term. All plans require pre-payment annually. Please see our Contract Agreement and our Acceptable Use Policy for full details regarding our policies.
Money Back Guarantee Details: *Sitejibe Web hosting maintains a 30 day money back guarantee. It is important to note, however, that customers that register a new domain name will have the domain purchase deducted from the refund amount. To receive a refund, you must cancel your order within the first 30 days of having service with us, cancellation can be performed by filling out our cancellation form. Please see our Contract and Acceptable Use Policy for full details.