{INCLUDE BLOGS? "Call for Help", 9/18/03; The Weblog Review}
FriendPages (predefined template with guestbook etc)
{Future Modification: Make more specific (gradable) requirements.}

alert_red.gifCREATED 9/9/00; 2/23/03 alert_red.gif
THIS IS A DRAFT, WHICH WILL BE IMPROVED WITH YOUR FEEDBACK

COSC 330 LAB 2
WEB  DEVELOPMENT ON FREE COMMERCIAL WEB SITES


         In this exercise you will investigate the facilities available at a free Web site hosting service..  You will establish a Web account and explore their Web Development facilities for, at least, two commercial Web sites, and write a brief comparison of these including which one you prefer, and why. (alert_red.gifNOTE: If you have already created a Web site, you should not use that; instead use alternative commercial Web sites.  Read CNET's "Web Hosting 101", How to pick the right Web host", and select hosts from CNET's comparison of free/cheap commercial Web hosts,
http://100best-free-web-space.com/;
e.g. Tripod, Yahoo Geocities, Anglefire, Brinkster, Web Host Me, ProHosting, Virtual Avenue, NetColony, etc. In any case, just be sure to explain why you chose your particular hosts and give me your preference.   Be sure to place a link on each home page to the other one.)  Specifically the goals of this lab are to:
  1. establish a account on two free Web hosting services,
  2. tour the facilities and complete the online tutorials of the Web hosting services,
  3. create Web sites with which your can practice using the Web development facilities of your host,
  4. investigate how the various Web page elements are:
    1. created by the user and
    2. developed using interactive tools of the host, and
  5. gain experience using online tutorials, an exploding opportunity for independent learners.
CREATING WEB SITES ON TWO COMMERCIAL HOSTS
  1. Record the time you begin so you can determine how long the lab lasts.
  2. Read CNET's "Web Hosting 101", How to pick the right Web host"
  3. Select one or more Web hosting services from http://100best-free-web-space.com/ or those listed in the introduction to this lab.  Access the Web hosting service of your choice, as long as you do not already have a site there.  (I want you to learn about a new Web hosting service, not one with which you are familiar.  Then I'd like you to compare them to help me find the "best" Web hosting service for this lab.)
    1. Take any available tours of the service.
    2. Sign up for a free Web account.
    3. Work through the any available online tutorials.
    4. Read any available online references.
    5. Look for any Web page elements (e.g. visit counters, guestbook, etc.) that can be added to your site.   There are lots of elements (e.g. clip art) that you may find useful in HTML documents outside the Web hosting service.  For example, you can right click on any graphic and download it to use on your computer; once on your computer you can upload it to the Web page you have created.
  4. Create a Web site; consisting of a home page and several other pages.   If your host provides templates, feel free to use them.  Don't worry about initial mistakes or changing your mind; everything can be subsequently modified.
    1. If possible, preview all available templates before selecting  those for your site.  You might want to use several templates, different ones for different pages or you might want to use a single template so that your site has a consistent "look and feel".   I don't advise starting with a blank page; you can do this, on your own, later after you have learned how to use the basic page editing facilities.
    2. Add various elements to your pages and investigate the HTML document generated to see how the elements are incorporated.
    3. Minimum requirements:
      1. home page should include:
        1. a description of yourself,
        2. a link to your homepage on the FSU student server (and perhaps your resume, COSC 120 project, etc.),
        3. links to the other pages of this site,
        4. graphics that complement your home page, and
        5. page elements, e.g. hit counter, guestbook, etc., that are available from your provider.  (alert_red.gif Don't use elements from outside your provicer because I am interested in comparing the facilities of the various providers so that I can recommend one or two in future courses.)
      2. other pages with features similar to those mentioned above.
  5. Do steps 2 and 3 for a second commercial Web host.  Include the same features as you did on your original Web site.  Compare the two hosts and recommend the one you like best, giving reasons.
ASSIGNMENT:
  1. Send an e-mail (with "Lab 330-2" in the subject space of the e-mail) to me containing the following:
    1. the URLs of your commercial Web sites, created in this lab exercise,
    2. brief explanations (e.g. "JavaScript function called ...") of how each page element (e.g. visitor counter) is implemented.  (It is probably easiest to determine this if you simply access the page and then select Edit page or Edit Frame from the File menu in Netscape Navigator.  In Netscape 7, you can use the Show All Tags tab to locate non-standard elements; the actual code, including JavaScript, can be viewed by using the <HTML> Source tab.  In Netscape Composer 4 you have a limited editing environment, but a unusual HTML tags will appear as little yellow arrow-like icons.  If you pass the cursor over these icons they will usually indicated what the tag contains; if this doesn't work, right click on the icon and select HTML Tag Properties.  To see the details of all tags, while in composer, select Page Source from the View menu; however, it is much harder to locate specific tags because all tags and text are displayed in what looks like a maze of words.),
    3. the time it took you to complete the lab, and
    4. any suggestions you have for improving the learning experience of this lab.
  2. Continue developing the Web site of your favorite host.  You will not be required to do this nor will this contribute further to your grade.  However, this introductory exercise can not cover all of the facilities provided by these commercial hosts, so you should continue investigating this; at the very least, you will gain insight into WYSISYG HTML authoring software and you may get some ideas that will augment your Web development skills.