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GENERAL
What is a
website?
How is it
created?
Why would
I need a website?
If I build
the website, does profitability become inevitable?
I'm excited,
how do we do this?
TECHNICAL
What is HTML?
What is JavaScript?
What is Flash?
Do I have to
keep my Website on my computer?
Can I just transfer
company flyers and brochures to the Web?
How is the Web
better than my company flyers and brochures?
DESIGN
What's an interface?
What are your
designs based on?
What part do
we play in the design process?
GENERAL
1. What is
a website?
A website may exist as a single document (a.k.a. page), or
a multitude of documents (many web pages), all part of a common
domain (e.g. www.samename.com./document1.html, www.samename.com./document2.html
etc.) Most or all these documents are linked together, providing
a "web" of information, tools, entertainment, or any other
purpose that can be conceived. Each document may consist of
different types of files (text, images, animation, sound files
etc.), all combining to form one page.
2. How is
it created?
Websites are created - depending on the inherent requirements
of that site - via scripting, computer programming, database
archiving and querying, multimedia (utilizing sound and visual
effects, such as animations, music streaming or video presentations),
or a combination of all these techniques.
Of course the development of websites is not limited to the
abovementioned technologies; there are many, many more computer-based
techniques that can be, and are used to build websites.
Primarily, however, web pages are created with a scripting
language called HTML. This language is interpreted by a web
browser (Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator,
or any of a host of other types of browsers - Oh Yeah! There
are more!), and is rendered on your screen as a well designed,
interactive experience. In fact, there is much "ugly" coding
that goes into creating the aesthetics through which web users
navigate everyday.
3. Why would
I need a website?
Any type of organization can have its mission and goals enhanced
through the engineering and maintenance of a website. Having
said that let us declare that a website is no magic potion
for your business, or organizational ailments. You must work
for your website in order for it to work for you, like any
of your company's other branches, it requires constant upkeep,
solid marketing and promotion, and its own set of employees
operating from within its "cubicles". It becomes another outlet
for your product and services and should be treated as such.
4. If I build
the website, does profitability become inevitable?
No. As was previously mentioned, the website is not the "be
all and end all" for path to profitability. Constant work
must be put into promoting, updating and improving your site,
as well as making it a user friendly, comfortable experience
for your visitors - just like your offices, but with less
overhead (starting to see how benefits can arise from such
a venture?).
With no utility bills to pay, a US$21.95*1
'lease' per month as opposed to the huge lease requirements
locally, fewer staff to pay (as an alternative, APSIS offers
an exceptional site maintenance programme that also includes
marketing and search engine registration absolutely free of
cost, among other services), and a reach that encompasses
over 150 nations, and - at last count - 370 million people
and innumerable businesses worldwide*2,
a website seems like an inevitable step in the ascent of your
company to its apsis (forgive us we had to throw that in).
5. I'm excited,
how do we do this?
Well you can start by contacting
us for more info, or provide us with info regarding your
organization. Go to our contact page and fill out the form,
or:
Email : info@apsisjamaica.com
Call : 876 759 5118
Fax : 876 759 5119
You come to us or we'll come to you, whichever option proves
more convenient to you - we're ready to dot.com your entity
(or .org, or .net, or .jm, or…OK, you get the picture!).
TECHNICAL
1. What is HTML?
HTML stands for Hypertext Mark-up Language.
Hyper...Who…wha…wha?!?
Yeah, we know, sounds technical, but it's really very simple.
HTML is a scripting language that is interpreted by the web
browser. It tells the browser what to do with the information
(text, graphics, etc.) that you want conveyed to a visitor
to your site. So, for example, text that you see in bold is
actually just written as normal text with an accompanying
instruction to the browser saying, "Make that text look bold
on the user's screen!". Or an image that you see is actually
rendered by the browser when the instructions (HTML) tell
it where to find that image, and where to place it on the
page.
Why do we need to have a scripting language for that? Well,
it is key not to mistake the World Wide Web with your document
processor (Word, WordPerfect et. al.). They are two different
concepts, and in fact when you type a document in your word
processor, the processor is actually writing code in the 'background'
telling the screen how to render the final product, a la HTML.
Further, when all the info is sent to your computer (instructions
as well as data), your computer and browser do most of the
work in terms of presenting the page on the screen. This takes
the load off the servers hosting the web pages, allowing them
to more quickly, and dependably, serve up other web pages
to you and the millions of other 'surfers' out there.
2. What is JavaScript?
JavaScript is another scripting language, but is much more
powerful than standard HTML. It was developed by Netscape
as a means of adding interactivity and more capabilities to
web pages.
3. What is Flash?
Flash is a platform utilized by Macromedia™ to deliver
animation to the web. Flash is quickly providing one of the
most popular forms of enterainment on the web (through animated
movies, games, and even navigation schemes), and greatly enhances
the ability of web developers to draw from their creative
recesses, to provide the user with a dynamic, well-rounded
experience.
4. Do I have
to keep my Website on my computer?
This is always an option, albeit NOT a viable
one!
Fortunately, APSIS offers some of the best rates in North
America and the Caribbean that gets you going with no overheads,
and at a nominal cost. Of course you could go through the
trouble of purchasing server hardware, licensing server software,
then configuring that software, setting up redundant arrays
and clusters, performing nightly backups, obtain a dedicated
leased line connection to the Internet....whew! We didn't
think so either. We're just one click away! Go
>>
5. Can I just
transfer company flyers and brochures to the Web?
Another 'no, no!'. You certainly can transfer company flyers
to the web, but by doing so you fail to tap the vast potential
of an exciting, dynamic, responsive medium.
6. How is the
Web better than my company flyers and brochures?
Thought you'd never ask! The Internet is a protean dimension
- continuously growing and changing each day, each second.
As it continues to advance, it also continues to add new facets
to already existing technologies. The web has the capability
to deliver voice and other aural data, visual media (inclusive
of, but not limited to video, animation, text and images),
the ability to respond to user interactions; it also has a
potential reach of 370 million people and is always accessible
once an Internet connection is available. Pretty difficult
for a brochure to top that.
DESIGN
1. What's
an interface?
An interface - in 'Net lingua' - refers to the particular
design and layout with which a surfer interacts on individual
websites.
2. What are
your designs based on?
An interface is generally developed based on the existing
brand of an organization. It takes into consideration the
colours of the organization, the logo(s), the fonts used in
said logo(s), and other effects/media utilized by that organization
in establishing their brand.
3. What part
do we play in the design process?
APSIS attempts to involve the client totally in the creation
of their web presence, through a thoroughly collaborative
process. This process entails periodical requirement of client
input and having them sign off on each phase of development.
*1REF:
APSIS Solutions - Basic Hosting Prices
*2REF: The
NUA International Web Surveys
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