Page 21 - DCAP408_WEB_PROGRAMMING

Unit 1: Internet Fundamentals

When someone gives you their web address, it generally takes you to their website’s home Notes
page, which should introduce you to what that site offers in terms of information or other
services. From the home page, you can click on links to reach other sections of the site.

Notes A website can consist of one page, or of tens of thousands of pages, depending on
what the site owner is trying to accomplish.

Why Do People Visit Websites?

Generally, people look at websites for two primary reasons:
1. To find information they need. This could be anything from a student looking for pictures
of frogs for a school project, to finding the latest stock quotes, to getting the address of the
nearest Thai restaurant.

2. To complete a task. Visitors may want to buy the latest best-seller, download a software
program, or participate in an online discussion about a favorite hobby.
The main thing to remember in creating a website is that you’re not creating the website for you;
you already know about the information or service you have to offer. You’re creating the site for
your visitors, so it should contain the content they want, and be organized in a way that makes
sense, even to an outsider.
We’ll tell you how to create and improve your website in further articles, but the main thing to
remember is this: A website is a means of communication, and it is only successful when its
message is received by the intended user.

1.5 Home Pages

The World Wide Web consists of files, called pages or home pages, containing links to resources
throughout the Internet. Web pages can be created by user activity.

Example: If you visit an Internet search engine and enter keywords on the topic of your
choice, a page will be created containing the results of your search.
Access to Web pages may be accomplished by:

1. Entering an Internet address and retrieving a page directly.
2. Browsing through pages and selecting links to move from one page to another.
3. Searching through subject directories linked to organized collections of Web pages.

4. Entering a search statement at a search engine to retrieve pages on the topic of your choice.

Task Analyze the major advantages of home pages.

1.6 Hyperlinks

A hyperlink is a word, phrase, or image that you can click on to jump to a new document or a
new section within the current document. Hyperlinks are found in nearly all Web pages, allowing

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