Web Site

A Web site is a computer-generated document designed for graphic computer interfaces. The graphic interface used by the Internet is called the World Wide Web. Web sites can contain combinations of text, images, color, sound, and video. The basic logic of the Web is to enable individuals and organizations to easily create universally accessible visual and auditory documents using a discrete set of formatting commands.

In its purest form (i.e., using universally accepted formatting commands), Web sites can be read by any computer platform. As Elizabeth Castro (2000) explained, “Universality means that because HTML documents are saved as ASCII or Text Only files, virtually any computer can read a Web page. It doesn't matter if your visitors have Macintosh or Windows machines…a Unix box or even a hand-held device like a Palm Pilot” (Castro, 2000, p. 12). Occasionally, however, Web sites do not load properly. Typically, errors occur because the site creator (usually called the Web Master) has used nonstandard or nonuniversal coding commands.

The basic programming language for the Web is called HyperText Markup Language or, more commonly, HTML. HyperText refers to the ability to create documents that connect to other documents by means of links. Links can be placed on either text or images. Links direct users who click on them with their mouse to jump to other parts of the same Web page or frame, to open a document in a new window or frame, or to direct the visitor to a new Web page. A frame refers to a portion of a larger window.

Documents created using HTML may contain tables, numbered and bulleted lists, forms, and subroutines called applets and scripts that allow a Web Master to add special effects such as page counters, contingent logic (if… then), and special graphic effects (onMouseOver…, onclick…).

Other programming protocols, such as image maps, allow Web Masters to create an assortment of visual effects (pop-up windows, expanding menus, and enhanced document navigation). Cascading style sheets are another, more recent HTML feature and give Web Masters greater control over how Web pages are displayed. Cascading style sheets direct Web browsers to load pages using fonts that have been designated by the Web Master who created the page, rather than the generic fonts the browser might use by default.

Web pages are accessed via an electronic addressing system called a Uniform Resource Locater, or URL. A typical URL, such as the Public Relations Society of America's, might be http://www.PRSA.org (or http://www.prsa.org—most browsers are not case sensitive). The first part of the URL, called the protocol, tells the browser what sort of document to go looking for. In the case above, the protocol http:// is HyperText (or HyperText transfer protocol). Other protocols include https, or secure HyperText transfer protocol, and ftp, or file transfer protocol.

The second part of the URL is the name of the server or the domain name. In the above example [Page 898]the domain name is http://www.prsa.org. The www in a domain name refers to the World Wide Web. Domain names may be registered for a fee and are essentially rented each subsequent year for an additional fee. There are several types of suffixes attached to domain names that identify the type of organization and country of origin. Common suffixes include .com (company), .edu (educational), .org (organization), and .gov (government).

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