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Directive Blogs

Directive has been serving the Oneonta area since 1993, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support, and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses.

Understanding the Makeup of Websites

b2ap3_thumbnail_Web400.jpgWe’re all familiar with the “Dummies” book series, they are helpful when it comes to understanding specific topics, but not all of us have the time to read a manual of information. We want to dummify web knowledge regarding the web’s ever changing buzzwords and platforms. This will help educate you on what web services and products are available for your company’s website. Every business owner should at least be aware of the website platform they are using and be fluent enough to understand its capabilities. If your website breaks, then having at least a basic understanding will make interacting with your website maintenance team go smoother, and give you a foot in the door if you ever want to take the plunge and learn more.

BASIC TERMINOLOGY

It’s important to understand the terminology used in the industry before you make a decision, otherwise you will come off as a dummy. Here are some terms that you will frequently run into when talking about websites.

Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML): The code that all websites are built upon, kind of like the foundation and structure of a house.

Cascading Style Sheet (CSS): If HTML is the house structure, then the CSS would be the plaster, paint, and walls. Using CSS is how the builders know what to color the walls in each room (the website pages), how high to make the ceilings (how big the page is), and what photos are to be hung on the wall (where your images go).

JavaScript (JS): The term “script” is like a movie script. With our house built, we can now start filming a movie in it using a script. When the director yells action (or you click on a button), the actors begins acting a scene. When you command a slide show to move, a menu to drop down, or ask the website to move anything else, it’s JavaScript that’s causing the movement.

Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP): In its most basic form, PHP is logic; if = then, and true = false. You use PHP when you go to pay a bill on a company’s website. You will login by submitting your username and password, in the background of the site the system checks your username against what’s on file. If the password and username are correct, then the PHP triggers a return value of “true.” The site will now let you in like a key to your house.

Now that you have a working knowledge of website terminology, we can move on to website platforms. You can think of your website platform in relation to the terminologies we have just used to build our house. What do you want your house to look like and do? Did you want a cabin in the woods or an elaborate mansion? Picking out your platform is like choosing the house that best suits your needs.

TYPICAL HOUSES/PLATFORMS ON THE WEBSITE MARKET

Cabin/Plain Website – HTML & CSS includes very few frills. You get the framework and it can look pretty (with a good graphic designer), but beyond that, it has little else going on. Visitors can look but they can’t touch. With a plain website, you can expand and make it larger, but the more you add, the more maintenance you will need. For example, when you want to repaint one room, it’s up to you to gather all the needed supplies to do the work. Plain website platforms require so much maintenance that they can be hard to upkeep therefore stick out like a sore thumb.

Apartment/Standard Website – A standard website is the minimum platform that you will encounter on most websites. Typically, it will include HTML, CSS, and JS which will allow for some interaction and movement. With a standard website, you won’t be able to have guest in your apartment and throw a party, but you can hang up Christmas lights that will be visible to your neighborhood. The downside to a standard website is that you’re still making these changes manually. You will need the services of a website designer to take your website to the next level and make it look professional.

House/Web 2.0 – Web 2.0 represents anything that’s not a plain or standard website. With the addition of the PHP/logic functionality, visitors can interact in real time and create accounts, comment on blogs, and more. You will still need to make changes manually, but with PHP you can paint the entire house in one shot rather than going room by room.

The platforms above may be suitable for some businesses depending on their needs; but for companies looking to upgrade to a mansion website, they will want to consider a content management system (CMS).

CMS/Mansion -- CMS platforms give you everything you need right out of the box. With CMS, it’s like you will never again need to go to the store and buy housing materials because you have a contractor onsite. Most CMS systems use an editor that functions similarly to Microsoft Word, making it easy to do maintenances. With CMS, visitors can also create their own keys to the house in order to access needed information, while allowing you to setup permissions that will lock visitors out of certain doors.

THREE COMMON CMS PLATFORMS

Wordpress -- Wordpress has done a fantastic job of saturating the website market, but it’s rare for Wordpress to call their systems a CMS. This is because Wordpress originated as a blogging platform. Wordpress inherently is a CMS because it allows you to edit without needing a web designer and users can leave comments.

Drupal -- Drupal has its roots in a more typical CMS platform, but it’s difficult to manage as a plain HTML website. There are people that prefer it as a platform, and it does have its pros, but it’s one of the more difficult platforms to manage

Joomla -- Joomla goes above and beyond any other CMS system. Comparing Joomla to other CMS platforms is like comparing a castle to a mansion! The Joomla community offers thousands of extensions for adding new features that are reasonably priced. You will be able to implement these changes and additions with little-to-no labor, and standard Joomla templates look great right out of the box.

To learn more about website platforms, check out a great learning tool called WAPPALYZER. You can attach WAPPALYZER to your browser in order to see what platform a website is built on, along with what code types a website is using.

Congratulations, you are now equipped with the basic knowledge about websites! This means that you are no longer a web dummy; you have graduated to web novice! If you would like to inquire more about websites and increase your knowledge even further, then reach out to Directive’s website masters at 607.433.2200!