Leland Initiative Web Tutorial Series:
Lesson 11—Posting a Web Site

Overview of Last Lesson

In the previous lesson discussed some of the basics you can follow to make your site easier to use and more appealing.

My Web Site's Finished--Where Do I Go from Here?

Once you have finished your web site and ensured that it is user-friendly, you'll need a way to make it accessible to the world of the World Wide Web. With the site located on your computer's hard drive, in most cases it is visible only to users of your computer. The reason for this is that ordinary desktop computers are designed as stand-alone machines. They can, of course, be connected to a network in order to access files from elsewhere, but they don't have to be in order to function as designed.

The key to making your web site visible to the entire World Wide Web is a computer called a "web server". It is called a "server" because it "serves up" web pages to connected computers (called "clients"). It might help to quickly explain how servers fit in to the Internet.

Briefly, here's what happens when you access a web site through your browser. When you type in the address for a site (www.info.usaid.gov, for example), data is sent via the telephone line connected to your computer to your Internet Service Provider's computers. Those computers then figure out where to route the data. The computers know that you are looking for the site "www.info.usaid.gov" and will send the data to the appropriate web server (in this case, the server's located in Rosslyn, Virginia). The web server then retrieves the web page you are requesting and sends the data for it back over data wires to your computer.

OK, enough background on the subject. You want to know how to publish your web site. Well, to do this you have a few options.

Using a Commercial Web Presence Provider

The easiest way to publish a web site--and the way I highly recommend--is to simply pay a commercial web presence provider to "host" your site. Often, the Internet Service Provider that provides you with Internet access will also offer web-hosting services--firms that provide web hosting services are often called "Web Presence Providers", or WPPs for short. Fees vary, so it is a good idea to shop around before making a decision, especially since many hosting services require you to sign on for one year contracts. Here are some questions to ask when looking at site hosting services:

  • How much does the service cost?
  • What kind of connection to the Internet does the server have? Speeds are generally "T1", "T2", and "T3". "T1" is the slowest of the three, but should be adequate for most purposes.
  • Does the hosting service offer Front Page compatibility? If you are using Front Page to manage your web site, then the web server on which it is hosted must have "extensions" installed in order for all Front Page features to operate properly.
  • How much disk space do you get on the server for a given price? Unless your site is absolutely huge, 10 megabytes should be plenty. If you can choose cheaper packages that offer less disk space, you may want to opt for that. You can see how large your site is by looking at the "properties" of the root directory in which your site's HTML files are contained.
  • Is the company reputable? Does it offer good service? Believe me, problems are bound to occur, and you will save yourself a lot of time and trouble if you choose a provider that focuses on prompt, quality customer service!

Once you have selected a WPP and signed on the dotted line, then they should provide you with the information you'll need to place your web site on their server. This information includes the Internet Protocol (IP) address--often a numerical address such as "198.76.60.611"--for the site and the user name and password you'll need to access your space on the server. To place your files on the server, you will then use a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) program to transmit your web files to the server. Once your files are on the server, Web users will be able to see your site from anywhere in the world.

You'll also probably want a "domain name" for your web site. While it's possible to access a public web site by typing in its numerical IP address, this can be confusing to users. After all, do you want users to have to type in something like "198.76.60.611" to access your site? Wouldn't a better address be something like "www.ethioleland.org"? To get this kind of address, you'll need to apply for a domain name. The process is relatively straightforward. You can use any domain name you like, as long as the name is not already taken. It also entails a one-time setup charge and small yearly fees. Your best bet is to let your WPP do this for you. Check with them to see if they offer the service. As a matter of fact, you might want to factor in whether they do offer this service into your decision on which WPP to choose.

Hosting on Your Own Web Server

In addition to letting some other organization handle the technical aspects of hosting your site, there's another option for those of you who are willing and able to tackle the task. You can set up your own web server or configure an existing server for hosting web pages. Let me state here that for most situations, it would be preferable to use a Web Presence Provider. I just want to inform you of all the options available to you, and using your own server is certainly a viable--if not always the most practical--solution.

Why would you want to set up and use a server if someone else can take care of all the dirty work for you? The answer is that if you use your own server, you will have complete control over what you do with it. In some situations, this can be important. For example, having more control can be quite important if you will be building a web site that incorporates databases. To set up many web-enabled databases, you will need to configure the web server to enable the database to function properly. Now, you can work with most Web Presence Providers to have them make the necessary changes to the server, but the process can be tedious. If you are already knowledgeable of and comfortable with setting up a web server, then you may be able to save yourself some time and trouble by just doing it yourself. Of course, whether you are willing to take on the task yourself depends on many factors, including--in the case of the database example--the extent to which you will be using databases. If you will have just one small database, then it might make sense to deal with the WPP to set up. If you will be using multiple databases that require more constant monitoring and maintenance, then you might not want to have to continually consult someone else to make them work properly.

Setting up a web server requires three things:

  • The computer hardware for the server--I would put the minimum requirement for a web server as a Pentium 100, but of course faster is always better;
  • Web server software--examples include Windows NT Server, Apache, and others;
  • A "dedicated" communications line to connect your server to the Internet. We're not talking about an ordinary telephone line here. You would need a more robust connection, such as a "T1" dedicated line. Such a line handles much more data than ordinary phone lines.

Your organization may already have a web server or all the equipment that would allow you to quickly set one up. If so, then talk with your computer support department to see about using it or setting one up. If not, be aware of these potential drawbacks before trying to install your own web server:

  • Dedicated lines can be quite expensive. The types of lines you'll need to connect your server to the Internet usually cost hundreds--if not thousands--of dollars per month.
  • Setting up a web server can be technically challenging, and maintaining one can be even more challenging. Do you have available the technical expertise needed to do it? If so, is your organization willing to devote the time that goes into it?
  • Having your own server presents possible security breaches, particularly if the web server is connected to a Local Area Network (LAN). Ensure that you can provide for security on your web server so hackers can't wreak havoc on it (or even worse, the whole LAN).

That's All Folks…

Well, this is the final installment in the series. Thank you all for your attention and patience. I hope the series has been of some help with your web endeavors. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. See ya.

Related Web Sites

Lesson 10 | Table of Contents

This series was developed for USAID’s Leland Initiative by the Research and Reference Services Project (operated by the Academy for Educational Development).