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Those who create websites and other online marketing methods sometimes assume that Internet terminology is common knowledge. By now you know that I work hard to ensure that the target audience for your website is a very important aspect of your business. You are the target audience for my business and you are important to me! So, to help answer some of your questions about owning a website, I have included the following Frequently Asked Questions.
Because clients of High Time Design will have differing levels of experience and knowledge, the questions start out very basic and become more advanced.
If you don't find the answers you are looking for, I encourage you to E-mail me and I will be happy to answer your questions, and perhaps add them to this list.
Why does my website look different on different computer screens?
How can I send my web site's address as a clickable link in an email?
Why do some web page links open a second browser window or tab?
A web browser is what you are using right now to view this web site. It is a program installed on your computer that interprets website code and displays it on your computer screen. You are probably using the most popular browser called Internet Explorer. There are several others browsers available but the basic use of any browser is the same - to view websites on a computer monitor. Other popular browsers include Netscape Navigator, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera. Visitors to your website might use one of these browsers. Your website statistics will tell you the percentages of your visitors who use each (and others.) If you want to serve your web pages to visitors using cell phones to access the Internet, Opera serves a small-screen version that will look and function most like your website should.
Every year or two there are new or improved versions of web browsers. Newer versions have improved capabilities of displaying new standards for website code. To view all websites, including your own, as they are intended to be viewed, make sure your computer has the newest version of your browser available; older versions may not understand new code. To update your Internet Explorer, click here to open a second browser window and update your Internet Explorer browser from the Microsoft web site).
One of the greatest frustrations of a website designer is that it's impossible to know exactly what every website visitor will see on their screen. The fact is what looks great on my monitor, can look somewhat different on yours. Or, what looks one way on your home monitor may not be exactly what you see when you look at the same website on your office monitor or your laptop. There are several reasons that this can occur: different operating systems (OS), browsers, brightness/contrast settings, and screen resolution.
Operating Systems: Most computers use one of the Windows operating systems (98, XP, Vista). The second most popular operating system is Apple Macintosh. Each system uses its own set of fonts, and only a few are found on both. If a website specifies a Windows-only font, Apple computers substitute one of their fonts, causing a slightly different look. Another OS-based difference is the brightness assigned to your monitor. Macintosh computers create a brighter image than computers running a Windows OS, which can make another slight difference in the way your site appears on different computers.
Browsers: The most popular web browser currently in use is Microsoft Internet Explorer. But there are a variety of other browsers (see What is a web browser? question above.) Each browser displays the website code (HTML) somewhat differently. Usually the differences are minor, but they can add to the slight variations in what you see when viewing a website on various equipment.
Monitor Settings: Like televisions, computer monitors can be adjusted to different levels of brightness, color saturation, and contrast. Unfortunately, most people take their monitor out of the box and plug it in, without adjusting these settings. While the factory settings may be fine, there's always the possibility that the settings are not correct for the location of a monitor, like opposite a bright window. And, as monitors age they need to be adjusted to compensate.
Monitor Size and Screen Resolution: The size of a monitor and the size of the browser window can affect the appearance of a website. Some people choose to let their web browser fill their entire screen, no matter how large or small. Others choose to make it smaller so they can see part of their desktop. The resolution settings of the monitor can also affect the display (common settings are 800, 1024 or 1280 pixels wide, but there are many options). So your website can end up scrunched together or spread out, depending on the settings used by your visitors.
So how do we resolve these problems? First, accept that your web site will look somewhat different to different visitors. Unlike print media where all copies of a magazine or newspaper look identical, there are many factors beyond our control when displaying information via the Internet. Second, know that you have worked with a designer who is aware of these problems and used strategies to help minimize them. Even though your site won't be identical everywhere, know that it will be attractive and functional on all systems and monitors.
The Refresh button is used to reload the current page of a website to make
sure it is displaying the most current version and information for that page.
When you visit a web site, you are actually telling your browser to retrieve those website files (text, graphics, photos) and download them to your computer. So when you're looking at a website page, you're actually seeing static (unchanging) files that temporarily reside on your computer.
Usually, when you visit that same website at a later time, your browser automatically retrieves the newest information. Occasionally, like when you use a Bookmark or Favorite to access a web page, the new information does not always updated correctly. If you click the Refresh button, the browser will retrieve the most current version of that page.
In Outlook, you can add signatures in which your logo and link text serves as a signature below your name. Since many of you use web email (Hotmail, Yahoo mail, etc.) the easiest way to add a simple, clickable link in an email is to copy and paste the address of your page from the address bar. Here's how:
Open your email program and place the cursor where you want to add the link.
Open your browser, go to the web page you need and highlight the address in the address bar (if you click once on the address it will highlight the full address for you.)
Click the Edit menu at the top of your browser, and then click Copy.
Switch back to your e-mail, and then paste the copied link into the e-mail (click Edit, and then Paste.) The address should appear in your email message as a clickable link. If you are not sure you've copied it correctly, send the email to yourself, and then test the link.
This technique is used to link to additional information without sending the user away from your web site. For instance, if I included a link to an article on a web site other than my own, I don't want you to loose track of where you are on my site, or to move you away from my site, possibly not to return. So, I add code that opens a second browser window to display the linked information. My website keep your place, making it easy to return. Your Links pages are set up in this way; all outgoing links will open in a new window.
