Congratulations! You have a webpage! Now that you have your very own spot on the World Wide Web, you need to personalize the information contained on this page so potential customers know about the products and services you offer. Below are instructions to help you customize this page where visitors may read about your products and services. Remember, both people who live in the River Valley, and those tourists who plan to visit the River Valley, will be reading this page. Glossary links are provided throughout the text to help explain web-specific terms!
Web pages may be designed by you or your favorite web programmer. For a list of webpage designers, click here.
Instructions for Editing Your Custom
Homepage:
Editing Your Homepage
Every website needs a homepage! Browsers look for a page named “index.html” as the first thing to load when you enter a web address. Typically, this file name is hidden in the address bar. For example, when you type “www.rivervalleychamber.com” in the address bar to get to The Chamber’s website, the page that loads is “index.php” (don’t worry about the extension .php vs. the .html, for the purpose of this example, they are the same. Try typing “www.rivervalleychamber.com/index.php” in another browser window and see what happens!) The file name of the page you are viewing right now is named “index.html” and is the web page that automatically loads when you enter the web address to view this page.
To change what people see when they view your website, you must change the index.html file. To modify and personalize the web pages of your site, you may use any editor you like, or you may use a search engine to look for "free HTML editors". For the purpose of this tutorial, we will use a free HTML editor called Nvu. To download your free copy of Nvu, click here.
Setting Up and Using Your Website Editor
Website editors like Nvu are called "What You See Is What You Get" (WYSIWYG) editors. This means exactly what the name implies. Back in the day (10 years ago!), to make a webpage, you needed to know a computer code, known as HTML. Today, software has progressed, so that users of all levels can easily create and edit web pages using intuitive buttons and menus, and seeing the results of those changes immediately. These programs are powerful, yet user friendly.
To setup Nvu to begin editing your web pages, you must complete a few one-time setup steps. After that, Nvu will always automatically connect to your web space for easy editing.
Step 1 - Download and Install Nvu
Click here to download the file if you haven't already done so. Once the download is complete, double click on the program and run the installation. Follow the on-screen steps until the installation is complete. An icon should appear in your Start Menu, under the category of Nvu. Click on the purple Nvu Icon in the Start Menu to open Nvu.
Step 2 - Setup Nvu To Connect to Your Personal Web Space
The Nvu screen is divided into three areas. Area 1 (the top) is reserved for menus and buttons. Area 2 (bottom left) area is the site manager, where you may view all of the webpages which makeup your web site. Finally, area 3 (bottom right) is where you will view your webpage as you edit it. Below is an screen shot of Nvu highlighting the three areas.
In area 2, under Nvu Site Manager, click the button titled "Edit Sites". This will bring up a window asking you to enter information to allow Nvu to connect to your web site. Below is an example of this window, explanations to each section follow.
Site Name: This can be anything you like.
Tip: The Site Name is what you will see when you connect to your Chamber website in the future, so make it something descriptive.
Web Site Information: This is the address of your website. All member website address follow the same rules, and will always contain "http://www.rivervalleychamber.com/members.[YourBusinessName]". This is address you type to view you Chamber web space. If you are viewing this instruction page on the internet, then enter the address that you typed to get to this page.
Tip: You can copy and paste the address that is in your browser's address bar if you are viewing this page on the internet.
Publishing Server
Publishing Address: This address is the same for all member websites of the River Valley Chamber of Commerce. Enter "ftp://rivervalleychamber.fatcow.com/" under publishing address.
User Name: This is the username assigned to you by the River Valley Chamber of Commerce. You were provided with this name when you renewed your membership.
Click here if you forgot your User Name.
Password: This is the password assigned to you by the River Valley Chamber of Commerce. You were provided with this password when you renewed your membership.
Save Password: Check this box. This step is not required, and is offered a convenience so you don't have to type your password each time you wish to log in.
Once all of the information has been entered, click "OK"
Step 3 - View the Contents of Your Site Using the Site Manager
In area 2, you will see the Site Name of the site you just setup. Click on the little plus sign, next to the site name, to open the site and view the contents. In the example below, under RVCC, you will notice there are three web pages and four pictures. These files makeup the content of the website.
By double clicking on Index.html, you will open that webpage for editing. Editing webpages is as easy as typing a letter to someone using a word processing program like Microsoft Works or Word Perfect. Located in area 1, you will notice buttons and toolbars which allow you to change the font, size, color, or other features of your text.
That's it! Saving changes to this file will change the page your friends, family, or potential customers see on the internet within a few seconds. The world is at your fingertips!
The next time you run Nvu, just click on the plus sign next to your site name to open your site and begin editing.
Expanding Your Website With More Pages
Once your homepage is setup, you may add many other web pages and pictures further describing your business and services. Use a hyperlink to connect these new pages to your homepage.
For more information on getting the most out of the Nvu editor, click here.
Space Allocation
While you are free to upload and use your web space in accordance with the FTP User Terms and Conditions, be sure your don't go over your size limit! Members are each allocated 10 megabytes. To put that quantity in perspective, you could store over 700 web pages similar to the one you are reading right now (not including photos)! Uploading many photos can quickly drain your available web space. For example, the file size of the photo of the Rumford Falls sign below is approximately 0.2 megabytes. If you were to fill your available web space with photos like the one below, you could fit about 50, however you wouldn't have any space left over for other pages! It is your responsibility to monitor your space usage.
If you go over your limit, The Chamber will contact you and may delete your web pages and suspend your account if you continue to fail to comply with the space regulations.
