The website marketplace
The following questions are ones that a website manager might need to consider
before setting up their website. For each of the following, you need to know
the main issues that would influence your decision about which of the alternatives
you might choose.
In your spare time during
the rest of the semester, research these issues using online and other sources.
We will cover some of them explicitly in lectures relating to website management
(e.g. security, measuring readership) but for the others it is expected that
you will do your own research to raise your awareness of the issues.
Where do you host your website?
- Own machine
- Internet Service Provider (ISP)
What do you call your website?
- Site Name
- Domain name (URL)
What server software do you use?
Operating systems:
- Unix/Linux
- Windows server
- Windows desktop (for development/trial)
Server software:
How do you manage the site?
Updating content:
- Adding new information
- Amending/updating existing information
- Deleting/archiving outdated information
Checking structure:
- missing links
- orphaned pages
Security at various levels:
- network
- server
- application
Monitoring readership:
- for PR purposes
- for security/audit purposes
- for development purposes
Searching your site
- local search engines
- remote search engines
Monitoring performance:
- response - are users getting the information quickly enough?
- capacity - is there enough space to hold all the information?
Integration with:
- email
- ftp
- telnet/ssh
- etc.
What do your readers use?
Platforms:
- Desktop (Windows, Linux, MacOS)
- Tablet/smartphone (IOS, Android, Blackberry)
Web clients:
- Microsoft Internet Explorer
- Mozilla Firefox
- Google Chrome
- Safari
- Opera
- Netscape Navigator
Plug-ins:
- for multimedia (e.g. Flash, Quicktime, Realplayer, ...)
- for executing programs (Javascript, Java)
- for representing data (XML)
Other issues
What database management system do I want to use?
Big/expensive ones:
- Oracle, Microsoft SQLServer, Sybase, IBM DB2, Informix
Little/free ones:
- MySQL, Derby, Postgres, Access
What tools to use for application development?
Programming languages:
- Perl, Java, PHP, ASP, C/C++, Python, PL/SQL
Application development environments:
- Glassfish, Oracle WebDB/iPortal/Application Server, IBM WebSphere
Web page design tools:
- Notepad
- Dreamweaver, HoTMetaL, FrontPage (often include site management)
- Multimedia content (e.g. Photoshop, Fireworks, ...)
What standards to conform to?
- HTML, HTML extensions
- XML
- Java compatibility
What happens when things go wrong?
- Data backups
- Power failure
- System crash
Where to look for further information?
- Internet magazines available from newsagents
- ISP websites
- Solution provider websites
