Web mail readers allow you to read your email online in a web browser.
Examples include Hotmail and Yahoo
Email Clients
Email clients download email from the mail server to your hard-drive.
Examples include Outlook Express, Thunderbird, and Eudora.
2.
Email lists – Electronic distribution of information
Ezines and newsletter lists
An ezine is an electronically distributed newsletter. Only the list
owner may post.
Developing a good ezine is time-consuming and can be difficult.
Loyalty can be built by sending out the ezine on a regular interval.
A good ezine can be used to educate the masses.
Open
discussion lists
Anyone subscribed to an open discussion list may post. All emails
posted to the list will be sent to everyone who is subscribed
to the list.
Many people tend to “lurk” when they first join a discussion
list; they just read messages and refrain from posting
or replying to messages. This practice is often referred
to as lurking.
The address subscribed to the list must be used to post to the list.
The default of some open lists is to reply to the list while the default
of other lists is to reply to the person who posted.
Email targeted to one person should be sent “off list”
and not to the entire list.
Moderated
lists
Moderated lists work just like open lists except that emails to the
list first go to a “moderator.” The moderator
then decides which posts should be released to the list.
Some lists can be configured to moderate “problem posters”
while allowing others to post without moderation.
Keeping
the list focused
This is most easily accomplished via a moderated list. However it
is important to keep open lists such as SoLR's
discussion list on topic. If the list allows too much
spam or off topic postings subscribers will unsubscribe
to the list thus reducing its reach. Many
bikers are subscribed to multiple lists and often receive
a hundred or more emails in a single day.
How
to use and maintain the list
The recommended way to maintain a list is using the list-server service
provided free with most web site hosting packages; these
provide both a professional appearance and ease of maintenance.
Yahoo Groups provides
a free service that is adequate for smaller lists.
However sending emails to many subscribers
via your local email client or web mail without a list
server or Yahoo Group should be avoided for several
reasons including bandwidth issues, privacy of subscribers,
and maintenance issues.
Opt-in
and removal on request
It is important to quickly remove any subscriber from the list upon
request.
All subscribers should opt-in voluntary.
Do not pharm web sites for email
addresses.
Failure to follow the two above guidelines may result in your email
address and list-server being blacklisted as a spam sources.
All list messages should include a link to allow users to remove themselves
from the list; providing a link to subscribe for those
who receive your list via a third party is also recommended.
What is RSS?
RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary and
you'll need either an RSS reader or web-based RSS reader
to view this information.
RSS was originally designed for news information dissemination applications.
It guarantees that every subscriber to your RSS feed that asks for
your information is guaranteed to get it.
RSS avoids email deliverability and spam filtering problems.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) is using RSS effectively.
3.
Web Browsers and Web Servers
What
they are and how they work
The World Wide Web contains a vast amount of information; all of that
information resides on web servers.
URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator; the address identifies the
location of a Web page on the World Wide Web.
You may select a URL by typing it into the browser or clicking a link
in an email or web page. An example of an URL is http://www.mrf.org/index.html
The first part of the URL is the protocol. HyperText Transport Protocol (http) is used to transfer
HTML documents of the World Wide Web
The second part of the URL is the server address
such as www.mrf.org
The third part of the URL is the file name such
as index.html
4.
Web Sites
Why
your organization needs a web site
Are your supporters, members, potential members, or friends asking
for your Web address? Do you get a lot of information
calls from people who probably have Internet access at
work or at home?
For a relatively modest investment, you can reach bikers who would
never come across your office, your direct mail, even
your PSAs. You can strengthen relations with people you already
know and meet new people, too. Fundraising on the Internet
is growing fast.
What can
the Web do well?
Deliver easy-to-update information to people anywhere anytime without
requiring your staff to answer the phone or open the mail.
Solicit online contributions and automatic e-mail newsletter subscriptions.
Launch an interactive relationship with first-time visitors or existing
members.
Web site
design decisions your organization will need to make
Determine Your web site's Chief Purpose
Decide Whether to Outsource or Do It Yourself
Divide Your web site into Logical Sections
Develop a Site Navigation System
Give Your web site an Attractive 'Look and Feel'
Build Basic web page Templates
Construct Your Site to Be Search Engine Friendly
Be sure to pay attention and include:
Title - provocative and descriptive, containing the most important keywords
from that web page, no more than 80 characters. This
is what shows up hyperlinked in search engine results,
so make people want to click on it.
Meta tags - The description meta tag should include
one or two sentences (up to about 250 characters)
describing the contents of this particular web page.
Work into the sentence the most important keywords
and key phrases that occur on this page. Some search
engines will display your description. I still include
a meta keywords tag, since Yahoo currently uses it for
indexing, though Google doesn't.
Headlines - H1, H2, H3 in HTML parlance. Your headline
and subheadings should include your important keyword
at least once.
Body text - The first paragraph of the content of your
web page article or text should contain the main keywords
for that page.
Hyperlink text and filenames - Search engines believe that the words contained
in hyperlinks on your web page are important, and
thus rank them higher. If the filenames contained
in the hyperlink URLs contain important keywords (such
as widget.html for the filename of your widget order
page), so much the better.
Avoid these pitfalls
Frames produce a navigation system where the menu on the left scrolls independently of the page content on the right.
Unfortunately, frames can wreak havoc with search
engines. (a) Unless you are careful to include <NOFRAMES>
tags, search engines may not be able to find the content
pages. (b) Even if search engines do find your content pages, these
pages can show up in response to a search engine query
all by themselves, without the navigation system and
links necessary for a visitor to find the rest of
your web site.
JavaScript and Flash are programming languages that can make very
classy, animated menu systems. For example, a menu
item might have a drop-down sub-menu. The problem
is that if JavaScript and Flash systems replace plain
hyperlinks, the search engine may not be able to find
the underlying pages. Most search engines don't do
Flash. One solution: retain your fancy menus, but
include hypertext links at the bottom of the page
to your sectional pages, with links on your sectional
pages to all the subpages
in that section. You can also submit a site map web
page to the search engines that contains a link to
every page on your site.
Dynamically generated web pages created "on the fly" from a database,
are more difficult for search engines to index, since
these web pages don't exist in real time. They appear
when a visitor clicks on a link. Then the database
produces a transient web page for that visitor and
that visitor alone. Database-driven content management
systems are the only way to keep your sanity if your
site contains thousands of web pages, but they cause
search engine problems.
Write and Fine-tune Focused Content Pages
Incorporate Customer Communication Systems
Web sites are two-way, interactive communication
systems. You communicate your organization's marketing
message to potential customers and make it easy for
them to reciprocate by communicating with you. The better
the communication, the more trust increases, and customers
feel comfortable to do business with you.
Create and Test Effective Sales Pages to generate contact information
for a future lead or follow-up. For organizations, success
may be measured in memberships or subscriptions.
Conduct Usability Trials and Incorporate Changes
You need to test your site thoroughly. All newly
constructed Web sites contain unseen glitches -- especially
those created by inexperienced developers.
Plan to Maintain Your Site for the Long Haul
Why
do you need a domain name?
On the World Wide Web your domain name is your own unique identity.
No two organizations can own the same domain name at the
same time.
An example of a domain is mrf.org
Your domain name gives your web site, e-mail addresses, and your organization
a professional appearance.
Often the importance of maintaining a domain name is not realized
until it is lost.
How
to choose a domain name?
You can use a word or phrase as a domain name.
Try to use a domain name that is relevant to your organization and
web site.
Try to keep your domain name as short as possible. Short domain names
are easier to remember.
Avoid names that might cause spelling problems for users.
Avoid symbols and numbers in your domain name unless there is a number
in the name of your organization such as TMRA2.
Your chosen domain name should be easy to transmit verbally over the
telephone or radio.
How
do I get a domain name?
There are two main ways you can get a domain name. You can either
register your domain name yourself or you can get your
hosting service or ISP (Internet Service Provider) to
register it for you.
To register a domain name yourself you will need to choose a Registrar.
A Registrar is an accredited domain registration company.
An example would be www.register.com. The market is competitive,
which means that you can purchase domains names for a
low yearly fee.
Most web hosting companies will offer domain registration services
to their clients. When you register a domain name through
a web host they will register your domain name for you
through their own approved registrar.
Why
should I keep my domain name registered?
If you lose your organization's domain name you can lose your organization's
online identity.
Because you can only register a domain name for a year or a small
number of years, you will need to make sure that you renew
it before the expiration date. If your domain name expires
you will no longer own that domain name. You should renew
your domain name at least a month before expiration.
Make sure your contact information is correct and remains current.
Your organizations information should be displayed as
the registrant, administrative and billing contacts; make
sure that the email addresses for these contacts remain
current; email will be sent to these addresses concerning
your domain registration. You may check this information
at whois.net.
Maintaining your domain name is critical to having and keeping your
organization's identity on the World Wide Web.
What
is web hosting?
Web hosting allows anyone with a computer and internet connection
to own space on a web server. Your web server space provides
these possibilities:
A web site for news, bulletins, documents, data,
and files
A mail server for organizational email addresses
and access to web mail for members and officers.
List servers for ezines
and discussion lists.
To obtain space in a web hosting environment you enter into a contract
and agree to terms and conditions of renting the space.
After you obtain a hosting package you will be given an user-id and password to access your web server space.
You will use your login information to upload files, configure
email accounts and email lists.
Web-hosting environments vary by services offered and the disk space
and bandwidth provided. The amount of each of these resources
will determine the cost of your hosting package.
Disk space is measured in megabytes (MB) or gigabytes
(GB). A Megabyte is roughly 1,024,000 characters. The
amount of disk space will determine how many files,
documents, and data your web site can contain.
Bandwidth/Network Transfer is also measured in
megabytes or gigabytes that determines how much data
can be downloaded by people accessing your web site.
When someone visits your site using a web browser the
pages they view will be downloaded; the number of visitors
and pages they view will determine the amount of bandwidth
used.
The number of email accounts or lists will also
vary by package and impact the cost of your site
Which
web host should I choose to host my organization?
There are thousands of hosting companies to choose from. Each of them
offers some features you may or may not need.
Knowing the needs of your organization's web site is crucial in determining
the proper hosting package to purchase.
Web Hosting comes in many varieties and prices.
What services do you need?
How much disk space do you need?
How much traffic do you expect?
A site can range in price anywhere from the low end of $100 a year
up into the thousands of dollars per month. Most SMROs
should find a suitable hosting package between $100/year
and $300/year.
Choosing the right web host for your organization is important. If
your site suffers downtime it will negatively impact the
professional appearance of your organization and the services
provided from the web server such as email, ezine, and
discussion lists.
Below is a list of some important questions to ask prior to purchase:
Do they offer a money
back no questions asked guarantee?
Do they offer an uptime guarantee?
What types of backups do they offer?
Do they have redundant backbone connections to
the internet?
Do they offer 24-7 technical support; including
phone support, or is it only via email?
How long have they been in business for and can
they provide some business references of other sites
that they currently host?
Can you pay month to month or do they require
an annual contract?
How easy is it to upgrade and downgrade services
over time as needed?
Is
Your Web site.Ready For Prime Time?
Make sure your web site is error free before making it available for
everyone to see.
One of the biggest problems facing Web sites today is trying to attract
and maintaining recurring traffic. The key to most successful
sites is not only to attract people to your web site but
to keep them coming back.
Complete and test your site before you go live. Most users will not
return to sites that are not completed or are Under Construction. Never post Under Construction notices
on your site; under construction messages are unprofessional
and will result in lost visitors.
Check for spelling errors. Spelling errors are viewed as unprofessional.
Another common mistake is HTML errors. Not everyone uses the same
web browser; check your HTML code and make sure it works
across popular web browsers like Internet Explorer and
Netscape.
Broken links are another problem. It is easy to make mistakes with
the links on web pages. Broken links typically result
with the “HTTP 404 Page Not Found” error message.
Code a custom page not found. A good example is
may be found at http://www.abatesc.com/error.htm
Include a file named ".htaccess"
in the root directory of your site; the contents of
this file direct web browsers to you custom page when
an error is detected. The contents of the .htaccess
file used by ABATE of SC are below:
All web pages should have meaningful and descriptive titles. META tags should be properly formatted. This will
improve your site's chances of getting hits from search
engines.
Promote your site by getting links from related sites and submit your
URL to search engines.
Make sure that your web pages load quickly; your home page should
download in less than 10 seconds on a 28K connection.
Do not use large graphics that download slowly. Users
generally do not wait for slowly loading pages and likely
will not come back.
5.
Common Terms and Definitions
Web
Server: The web server is a piece of software that accepts requests
over HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) and delivers HTML
pages and Image files.
FTP
Server: FTP is the means by which a web master can transfer
files to and from the server. To put your HTML and image
files on a server you will generally use FTP to upload (transfer
to) your files to the server running the web server.
Mail
Server: The mail server consists of two parts POP (Post Office
Protocol) and SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol). POP
is where email is received into your mailbox and SMTP is
what is used to send and receive email between mail servers.
Web
Browser: When viewing the web you use a web browser like Internet
Explorer. Many web hosting companies provide a Control Panel
to administer your web host account, which you use with
your web browser. Most allow you to configure your web site
using a simple web browser.
Web
site/page editor: Used
to create your web site.
After it is created, use FTP (file transfer protocol) to
copy your site to your hosting company. Some web editors
such as Dreamweaver and FrontPage
can update pages online using FTP imbedded in the program.
FTP
Client: This is a very simple piece of software that allows
you to transfer files and folders between your computer
and the web hosting company computer.
Email
Client: If you are on the internet you would already be using
an email client to send and receive your email. The most
common are Outlook Express, Eudora and Web based mail clients
like Yahoo and MSN.
