A group that wants to establish a presence on the Internet has to consider many things before beginning. It can sometimes be confusing and overwhelming. This article should clarify some of the complications of setting up a website and provide a few pointers along the way. The Internet can be divided into several formats. Two of the most popular are Email, and the World Wide Web (WWW). The WWW is the most popular and visual representation of the net. It is a graphical interface of linking pages, which can display text information, images, sounds, video, and can be interactive.

Searching for the Host

The first step in getting a site on the Internet is having access to the Internet. One needs a computer with a connection to the Internet. That connection is supported through a “service provider.” There are many types of service providers. The connection to the Internet can be through a government or institutional provider. An educational institution such as a University can provide Internet access for faculty and students, a corporation can provide access for its staff. Typically institutional or commercial connections to the Internet are very high speed. Many people pay for Internet access by subscribing to a commercial service provider such as Earthlink, Sprint, Bell, Rogers, AOL, or MSN (Microsoft), or through small local service providers.

Without going into too much detail about service providers and methods of connection, there are three competing ways of connecting to the Internet, differentiated by speed and cost. The most common method of residential connection, and the cheapest, is connecting through the telephone via a dialup account using a modem. Other more costly methods include high-speed “DSL” telephone lines and connecting via cable using a cable modem. These are much faster methods of connecting to the Internet than standard dialup. When planning for a website, it is always good to know how your target audience generally connects to the Internet, especially when considering connection speeds and whether or not to deploy bandwidth consuming multimedia.

Knowing what type of service provider one uses comes in handy when searching for a place to “host” or house the web page. In order to have a page on the Internet, that page must be housed in a web server, which is permanently connected to the Internet.. For those putting up a page on behalf of a government, institutional, corporate, or educational group with an established Internet presence, it is easy. Most large institutional or corporate bodies have computer departments and staff devoted to servicing their organization. A group within an organization, with an established web server, need only ask the systems administrator for permission to post a site, and some instructions on how to do so.

For the private individual or unaffiliated group, one has to look around for a host. Usually the host can be the company that provides Internet access. For example, someone who holds an Internet account with a local provider can ask for space to post a web site. That space may be available free of charge, as part of the Internet access package with the service provider, or there may be a fee for space to post a web page.

A person can set up his or her own web server. This may be complicated for those unfamiliar with the technology and is not really recommended for beginners. It is better to put the web page on some one else's server. A novice group should consider signing up with a commercial service provider, who should provide all that is needed to host the site.

Before any action is taken, shop around for a provider that has good service and is reasonable in cost. So many options are available, the best thing to do is look around. A group just starting out should look for about 10 megabytes of disk space and FTP (File Transfer Protocol) access to the site. Larger sites with greater programming demands should be hosed on servers that are capable of meeting those needs.

The best solution for a group with a small web development budget is to find an organization, which can host a site for free or for a nominal fee within their server. There are “free” places to host a page on the Internet, such as Geocities or Tripod. However, the drawbacks to these hosts are that they force a web page to take on commercial banners and pop-up box advertising on behalf of the host. This may not be desirable.

If a group is going to host a web page with a local service provider, it may be worth investigating the background of the provider. A local company may provide lots of space, for a great price, but it may also be the host of adult web sites, or host other organizations that may be incompatible with the values and views of your group. This can be a problem and is worth a quick visit to that hosts web page.

A final point to consider, when looking for a host, is the look of the “Domain Name,” or web address. This is what the user has to type in, or search for, in order to find the group on the Internet. A long name, which is over 20 characters in length is not appealing, hard to remember, and awkward to post on letterhead. Better domain names, such as www.mygroup.org, can be expensive. Most groups that obtain space with a service provider will be assigned domain names which incorporate the hosts domain name. For example, www.hostcompany.com/online/mygroup. Again, it is up to each group or individual who posts a page to take this into consideration when choosing a host.

Web Site Design

Once a group gets space to put the page on the Internet, the group needs the web page. The following are some steps and strategies to go through when preparing to design the web page.

Getting Started

Before starting the web site prepare a few things: Pick a person or people who will be responsible for the web page. Pick someone who either already has some Internet or computer knowledge or who is willing to learn! For those that are ready, do lots of homework. Surf the Internet. Check the sites out and classify them - what is good about them, what is not. Which site format seems to be able to deliver information the most effectively to users? Evaluate the site. It is important to be realistic. There are many corporate sites on the net, which are amazing. They also cost quite a bit, and have full time staff members employed to keep them updated.

Assess the communication needs of your group. What is the primary purpose of the group’s web site? There are several models of sites. The following are some that a group may consider. The first model is a page, which displays simple information, a few pictures, and a few links. This is the basic site for a novice. It establishes a web presence for a group and provides an opportunity for improvement.

Another type of site, the second model, is one that is built for mass information delivery. An example of this is a database site, or news site with many full text documents, data, or multimedia. If there is quite a bit of content that a group wants to provide, such sites usually have fewer graphics, and are easy to navigate.

A third model is a site that is designed to communicate an important message or grab attention. This type of site is like an advertisement. It is usually flashy; it features impressive graphics, big titles, and sometimes the use of multimedia. It is important to note that graphics laden sites are complex and often expensive. Plus it will take the user a long time to download and experience the site on a slow connection. The use of multimedia requires the end user to have a fast computer or a fast Internet connection. Long download time may exclude many potential visitors.

A fourth type of site is the search engine, or directory site. It is a compilation or index of other web sites. Most groups do not attempt to reach the level of the major search engines, but they focus on listing all the web sites pertaining to their particular focus. Such a site would most likely be resources to other groups of similar interest and would get visited more often than other sites due to its utility.

Most web sites, however, are a combination of these site types. Pick the features that will be best for what your group wants to communicate to others. Different groups will want to communicate different things.

There are some useful things to include in a web site. The site should contain background information on a group. There should be a section highlighting current events. Some pictures of the group and its activities are useful. A calendar of events and activities, news releases, and contact information are also good things to have. An Email address to allow feedback from visitors is always an asset. Groups who are trying to reach the media, attract members, or communicate a message, should provide easy to find access to their business address, fax number, and contact phone numbers, as well as the name of a spokesperson for the group and hours they are reachable. Links to other relevant web sites can bring depth to a smaller site. A method of tracking the number of visitors to the website is also helpful. Avoid planting a “web counter” on a page. This looks unprofessional, it can leave a bad impression on visitors if the number of visits is low, and the results of such scripts are not accurate. Most ISP’s provide some form of comprehensive server side usage tracking. They can also provide access to secure web based and user-friendly programs, which interpret usage statistics results into easy to understand reports with graphs and totals.

Building the Site

When it is time to start construction on the site, gather all information. Compile the documents, photos, and web link addresses needed. Make a blueprint of the site. Plan out what the site is going to look like on paper. Sketch out where the text is going to go, and where a graphics should go. Will there be a logo? How big will it be? If the site will have many subsidiary pages, it will be of great help to sketch out a flow chart of the site. Take note of any special technical requirements for the site. For example, will the site have animated GIF files, JAVA scripting, Form/CGI/ASP scripting, data collection, a counter, sounds, video, Real Audio, applets, or other plug-ins? If so, research what these formats are and how to use them.

Getting to Work on the Site

Simply put, the easiest way to go is to "do-it-yourself." Go on the Internet and look for “How To” and FAQ (Frequently Asked Question) pages that talk about web page building. Look into purchasing commercial web publication software. Some of the better-known products are available from Macromedia, Adobe, and Microsoft. The drawback to such software is that the best programs cost hundreds of dollars and still require some degree of technical ability to understand them. When a group feels it has a need for a more professional product, then it may opt to have a page done for them. Keep in mind that the cost of having an Internet site designed by a professional will vary according to the complexity of the work, the time it takes to do the page, any artistic or graphical work, and computer coding such as JAVA, CGI, or Plug-ins. A professionally designed web site may cost upwards of $100 to over $1000 depending on complexity. One option is to find someone in one’s group capable of designing a page. Another option is to employ a student to do the page. Go to a local High School and ask the computer science teacher if there are any students willing to do a page on behalf of a group as part of a project or for a small fee. This will benefit both the student and the group.

It is worth mentioning the task of updating and maintenance of the site. A group should take into account that a web site should be updated often to keep the interest of visitors. When designing the site, keep in mind that it should be easy to maintain and update. This is especially important on the home page, or front page of the site.

A final point to consider is the promotion of the site after it is finished. Look into getting the web page listed on the major search engines. Email other groups and tell them about the new site.

Have all this preparation done before paying for anything. Lots of preparation will make the job much easier, and your time more productive.