Web 101  ...is it real or virtual?

Seems like everyone on the planet is buzzing about the Web.  Web this, Web that, E-mail, Photos, Celebrities, Pizza, Online, Look, Dates...  Oh, and did we remember to mention pictures, photos, celebs, pictures, photos, movies, celebs, food, dates, online, e-mail, tigers, cars, boats...???

You know that your business needs a website simply because your customers keep asking what your URL (pronounced earl or YouAreElle) is or what your e-mail address is.  You know it must be important since every company that advertises anywhere  seems to have a www.something.com  at the bottom of their ad.  It's on the business cards that you get from associates, it's on toothpaste, it's even on pizza boxes.

Where do I begin?

You have to start somewhere, so why not Web 101,  the place for those didn't bother about the Internet.  If you're unsure of the difference between a domain and a host, uptime and downtime, bandwidth and baud rate, you soon will be talking shop with the best of them.  Even if you can't tell  jpegs from mumbledy pegs, read on...   Sherwood is here to inform, advise and assist in your quest for a Home on the Web.  And, like people, every business needs a good home.

Introduction to the Web

Since you are reading this, it means that you are probably connected to the internet and that you're sitting at your computer in front of a monitor and keyboard (disregard if using WebTV or cell phone).  You type in the www thing  of the site you want to visit using your browser and poof, a page appears.  How does it do that?

For example, when you type in http://www.sherwoodinc.com the Sherwood home page materializes on your screen.  Well,  www.sherwoodinc.com is the domain name for the site owned by Sherwood Technologies, Inc. of Concord, NH.  That name was bought from a company that registers names for the internet and keeps track of them.  So, step one in having a site is to think of a name for the site and, if it is available, we can register it for you.

I see a page, but what is it?

Actually you are seeing the visual rendering of HTML (HyperText Markup Language), a programming language that your computer's browser understands.  In the most basic sense you are viewing a file.  The Sherwood website is comprised of many files written in HTML.  You'll be pleased to learn that you don't have to know anything more about HTML, or programming.  That's why we're here.

If the page is really a file, where is it located?

Good question.  The file is located on the hard drive of a computer that is connected to the Internet.  That computer is called the Host.  Where the host is physically located is irrelevant, well, almost.  Our host is in an air-conditioned, climate-controlled environment and is monitored by network professionals around-the-clock.  Let's say that your host is located in someone's basement or garage, then they go away for the weekend and there's a flood, your site will not appear.  This is downtime.

That is why our hosting provider boasts server uptimes of 99.9% for Windows and 99.96% for UNIX - in addition to 24/7/365 monitoring.  And, since Sherwood is an authorized service provider, we can also handle all the 'paperwork' associated with setting-up and maintaining your website.

For more information...

Read our Terminology page and check the Library often.  You may also contact us with your specific question, and if it's a good one, we'll post the answer here.

If you're ready to get started today, just give us a shout to schedule a free consultation at your convenience.  More information about Sherwood, our Services and Products, are just a click away.