Put Your Patrol on the Web

Objectives and Topics:

We will discuss such issues as "What is the Web?", "Why a Web site?", Web terminology, ethical, legal and privacy issues. We will talk about "the nuts and bolts" of getting a Web site on-line, and build a quick and easy Web site with the Netscape Composer Web page editor.

Prerequisites:

Absolutely no prior computer experience is necessary. If you've never switched on a computer, that's okay.

Agenda:

1. Welcome.
2. Some concepts and terminology.
• What is the Web?
• Why a Web site?
• Who is our intended audience?
• Region folk
• 1300 W.R. patrollers
• Basic candidates
• Prospective patrollers/candidates
• What do you want to accomplish with your Web site?
• General / Programmatic information
• Utility - "How do I...?", "I need ...", "Who is ...?"
• "Just for fun" stuff (photo's, stories)
• Prospective member information - "How do I join?"
• Frequently seen terms and abbreviations/acronyms
• ISP (Internet Service Provider)
• HTML (Hypertext Markup Language
• URL (Universal Resource Locator; a.k.a. the Web site address)
• TIF, GIF, JPG, BMP, etc.
• W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) http://www.w3.org/
3. Getting on-line with your web site.
• Where will the Web site reside? Which options work for you?
• on the Region Web site?**
• on the ski area's Web site?
• establish an independent Web site? - What is needed?
• Internet Service Provider (ISP).
• Domain name registration and annual registration renewal (InterNIC, Networking Solutions, Inc., etc.)
• $$ required for starting up a site
• "free" space to non-profit organizations (SpaceStar, Netscape, AOL, GeoCities, Homestead, etc.)
• Creating and maintaining the Web site files (pages)
• Quick and simple Web pages with Netscape Composer
• Some other popular Web page editors
• DreamWeaver (MacroMedia), FrontPage (Microsoft), PageMill (Adobe), etc.
  Trial downloadable versions of Web page editors (eg. DreamWeaver)
• MS Word 97 (or later) or Corel WordPerfect 8 (or later) files can be saved as HTML files.
• Images
• Digital camera images, scanned photographs, "animated gif's", clipart, etc.
• Too many images, photographs, "animated gif's", clipart, etc. can significantly increase the load time for modem users.
• Resource tools
• Code and link validation, technical tips - "Website Garage" http://websitegarage.netscape.com/
• Comprehensive Web site management - ""LinkBot" by Watchfire" http://www.watchfire.com/index.htm
• ADA accessibility check - "Bobby" http://www.cast.org/bobby/
• Graphics / Paint software - "PaintShop Pro" http://www.jasc.com/
• Intra-Web site (within) search tool - "Free Find" http://www.freefind.com/
• Web site visit "hit" counter - "SiteMeter" http://www.sitemeter.com/
• Internet search facilitator - "Web Ferret" (FerretSoft) http://www.ferretsoft.com/netferret/index.html
• two of the sites returned from a Web Ferret search for "designing your first web page"
• http://www.adpc.purdue.edu/DCS/html/design.html
• http://www.topten.org/content/tt.AM2.htm (the top 10 mistakes to avoid...)
• W3C (World Wide Web Consortium; HTML language defined, validation tools) http://www.w3.org/
• Learning resources
• HWG - HMTL Writers Guild http://www.hwg.org/ - excellent independent study courses on Web-related topics via the internet
• Shelly Cashman Series http://www.scseries.com/ - high quality, up-to-date computer education materials. (Examples include: Internet - Web Site Creation, Netscape Composer Creating Web Pages, HTML Complete Concepts and Techniques, JavaScript Complete Concepts and Techniques)
4. Standardization vs. innovation...
   Fortunately, one doesn't have to preclude the other. While it's helpful to find a Patrol's officer roster and calendar on their Web site, mandating the same "look and feel" would be stifling. Have fun. Be innovative.
5. Web site etiquette, copyrights and ethics.
6. (Optional) Enhancing a Web page with JavaScript and PHP.
• Are you looking to create dynamic, interactive Web-based applications that run completely within a Web browser? Consider JavaScript. JavaScript is used in the home page and roster page of the Western Region Web site. Click here for a look at some other examples of "client-side" Web page enhancements using JavaScript. (Use your browser's "back" button to return to this page.)
• If you are looking to add "server-side" enhancements executed within the Web server (such as dynamic web page creation, form processing, session tracking, and database management), consider PHP (PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor). PHP is used in the Western Region Web site to create the HTML calendar page (which is then downloaded to the viewer's computer), and to respond to viewer requests made in the calendar page.
7. (Optional) Web site security and controlled access to restricted areas.
• .htaccess provides a set of server-side utilities which allow you to control access to your Web site, including: password protecting folders, redirecting users automatically, custom error pages, changing your file extensions, banning users with certian IP addresses, only allowing users with certain IP addresses, stopping directory listings, and using a different file as the index file. Learn more about .htaccess with these tutorials:
• Apache tutorial: .htaccess files
• .htaccess Tutorial
• Comprehensive Guide to .htaccess
8. Questions and answers (hopefully :-) ).

**To help WR Patrols get on the Web, our Region is willing to provide space in the Region Web site for a modest Patrol home page and some specific Patrol documents such as the Patrol officer roster, Patrol calendar, membership ("How do I join?") information, candidate information, the Basic OEC course syllabus, newsletter issues, etc.