Internet is a relatively new phenomenon, and many factors intervene in the creation and maintenance of a website. The complexity of some of the processes involved and the supranational character of the Internet contribute to this confusion.
Here we try to answer some of the questions that our clients have asked us. We have started with the obvious, because we think that it is better to explain too much rather than too little. If you would like to see other questions answered here please contact us. We will be pleased to help you and to add the question to the list so that others can benefit too.
Internet is a network of computers connected with the telephone line around the world. Each computer is connected to the web through a server, which technically is a bigger computer that works as a connecting node and a dabase.
An intranet is a private Internet. Normally they are used by companies to facilitate the communication and the exchange and update of information within them. When the information is stored in a unique database that can be accessed from anywhere, the management of a business becomes easier and the productivity increases.
A website is a number of linked pages. For a website to be accessible it needs to have a domain name registered, which is the address that the visitor types in the browser bar. A domain name is the equivalent of having a telephone number. The website also needs to exist physically, this is, the files need to be created with the appropriate technology. Once the site has been designed and the domain name registered, it needs to be hosted in a server. So, a website on the Internet has three elements: the files, the domain name and the hosting space.
A search engine is a piece of software that searches and indexes the content of the Internet. Normally search engines have two parts, the engine used to search and the directory where the findings are stored. When a user types in the keywords the search engine search its directory and shows the results that it considers most relevant.
To optimise a website for a search engine it to design, develop or adapt it so that the search engines can easily find them, index them and show them to the users that look for it.
Search engines use increasinly complex methods to determine the relevance of a particular website to a given search. They analyse on one hand the site itself, its structure, its content, and the relationship between them. On the other hand the relationship between the site and other sites on the Internet, its popularity (the number of visits), and the links that come from relevant and highly ranked sites.
Webmail is the name given to the e-mail management through the Internet. There are two ways of accessing the content of an e-mail. One is to configure a specific software on a computer to download the mail from a server, this is what for example Outlook does. Another way is to to visit a website and introduce your username and password to access the mail, like with Yahoo or Hotmail. Most e-mail services that come with hosting packages include both options. It is more comfortable to manage the mail with a POP3 account, but webmail can be checked from any computer connected to the Internet.
The hosting of a website is the rental of a place in a server for a website.
What is a domain name
The domain name is the name of a website with a chosen extension, like slgsolutions.com.
When we register a domain name what we do is to buy the right to use the name for the period
that we have payed for. The chosen name must be configured to show the content that we want it to choose, it
needs to point to the server where the site is hosted.
How long does it take to register a domain?
It depends on the type of domain. Normally it takes from 3 to 5 days to register a domain.
However, some domains, like top level domains, require a manual registration by the ISP.
Who owns the domain?
The domain belongs to the company, organisation or person that has registered it, and therefore, these are
the contact details that appear in the Whois database.
When can I confirm that the domain is mine? Will I get any sort of certificate?
When the domain is unavailable when searching the database and your details appear in the Whois database.
There are no documents for domain name registration. When you search for a domain the details of the owner appear.
Once the domain has been registered, do I have to stay with the same provider?
No. A domain can be transferred whenever the owner wants to. The server doesn't own the domain.
What is Whois?
It is a database will all the registered domain names. It includes the owner of the domain, the contact
details, for how long the domain has been registered for, etc.
Internet Service Provider.
HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. http:// is used in front of a web address to visualize websites. To transfer files instead of just viewing them, ftp is used instead (File Transfer Protocol). FTP details are used to access the hosting of a website, to upload, download and delete files from the server.
IP is the digital address of a computer.
A cookie is a small text file that is sent to our computer by some websites that we visit. Cookies are usually used to track visitors, their behaviour on the web to adapt the content displayed by a site, or just to recognise them as repeated visitors. Cookies aren't dangerous, but it is convenient to clean them from the computer from time to time.
A plug-in is an accessory that is added to an application to increase its possibilities. For example, if you add the Flash plug-in to your browser, you will be able to view animations created with Flash.
A ping is a signal sent to another computer to see whether it exists or if it is synchronised with ours. A ping is also useful to verify the connection to a remote computer. However, some computers have this function turned off, and they don't reply.
Internet is the worldwide web of interconnected computers. To connect to other computers and exchange files is sometimes risky. If we configure our browser to filter some of those dangers and we are careful with what websites we give our contact details to, the risks will decrease. It is difficult, however, to get rid of the spam and the constant virus threats. It is important to have updated antivirus and anti spyware software too.
Things to take into account: never reply to unsolicited e-mail, to do would only make the automated software class your address as active, which would increase the traffic of spam to your mailbox. Your address is not always on a list because you have visited a particular website or filled in your details, even if the message you get says so. There are many ways of accumulating addresses for spam lists: scanning the web for published addresses, starting the famous forwarding lists, combining words randomly (this is one of the reasons why active addresses are sought after), etc.
A firewall is a combination of software and hardware that filters everything that enters our computer. The firewall examines the files that arrive and depending on how it is configured it will authorise or reject files.
Domain Name Server. It is the name of the hosting provider, the domain name needs to be configured to point to this address. The DNS tells the domain where the site is hosted.
If you have questions that you would like answered to please contact us using our contact form or sending an email to info@slgsolutions.com.