Jeyas Blog

A site map (or sitemap) is a graphical representation of the architecture of a web site. It can be either a document in any form used as a planning tool for web design, or a web page that lists the pages on a web site, typically organized in hierarchical fashion. This helps visitors and search engine bots find pages on the site.

While some developers argue that site index is a more appropriately used term to relay page function, web visitors are used to seeing each term and generally associate both as one and the same.

Benefits of sitemaps
Site maps can improve search engine optimization of a site by making sure that all the pages can be found. This is especially important if a site uses Macromedia Flash or JavaScript menus that do not include HTML links.

Most search engines will only follow a finite number of links from a page, so if a site is very large, the site map may be required so that search engines and visitors can access all content on the site.

XML Sitemaps
Google introduced Google Sitemaps so web developers can publish lists of links from across their sites. The basic premise is that some sites have a large number of dynamic pages that are only available through the use of forms and user entries. The sitemap files can then be used to indicate to a web crawler how such pages can be found.
Google, MSN and Yahoo now jointly support the Sitemaps protocol.

For an example, think of a forum that is using dynamic pages. Google would only return less than 100 result without using sitemap. Once sitemap is provided, there are more than one millions pages result. Since MSN, Yahoo, and Google use the same protocol now, having a sitemap would let the three biggest search engines have the updated pages information.

Ron Foreman

For entrepreneurs a website is essential. If you’re on a tight budget here is how you can create your own website for less than $100!

1. Choose your domain name or names. You can have several domain names pointing to the same website. Keep the name simple; you will give it out often; make it easy to explain and spell. Avoid hyphens. Dot COM is best for commercial sites, dot CA if most of your visitors are from Canada. Check to see if your domain name choice(s) are available. For dot CA check here: CIRA.ca, for all other domain names check here: Register.com.

2. Purchase a hosting contract. I have found Hosting Plex to be very competitive. A one year hosting contract is US$60 and includes one domain name. (If they ask who referred you please mention my name if it’s convenient for you.) Purchase additional domain names here for C$9.95 each: Netfirms.

3. Download Wordpress to your C drive from Wordpress.org. Downlaod the .ZIP version. Unzip it. If you don’t have a ZIP/UNZIP program you can donwload and use one of several free programs such as this one from http://www.camunzip.com/ or this one from http://www.trans4mind.com/personal_development/zipper/.

4. If you don’t already have an FTP program, download FileZilla_2_2_32_setup.exe from this page: http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=21558&package_id=15149. Install it on your computer.

5. Open Filezilla and login to your website. Enter this data in the address bar at the top: Address: yourdomainname.com, the User and Password were provided by HostingPlex when you purchased your hosting. When logged in select the public_html folder. Upload the unzipped Wordpress files into this folder.

6. Log into your control panel in your web browser using the instructions provided by HostingPlex. Select MySQL databases. Choose a simple name for your database and click ‘Create’. Choose a user name and password and click ‘Create’. Add your user name as a user to your database. Write down your database name, user name, and password (your HostingPlex account ID followed by an underscore is usually prefixed to your database and user names, not your password).

7. Edit your Config file. In the Control Panel select File Manager and click on the folder icon to the left of the public_html folder. Locate the file named ‘wp-config-sample.php’ and click on its name. When selected click on ‘Edit File’ in the upper right corner of the screen. Look for these lines:

define(’DB_NAME’, ‘wordpress’); // The name of the database
define(’DB_USER’, ‘username’); // Your MySQL username
define(’DB_PASSWORD’, ‘password’); // …and password

and replace ‘wordpress’, ‘username’, and ‘password’ with your database name, user name, and password mentioned in # 7 above. (Don’t forget the prefix and underscore before your DB_NAME and DB_USER.) Save the file with this new name: wp-config.php.

8. Install your database. Open your browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc). In the address bar type your website address: http://www.yourdomain.com. Follow the instructions to activate your Wordpress installation. Write down your admin password.

9. Select a theme. If you don’t like the two installed themes (Classic or Default), select from hundreds of free themes. In your browser go to this address: http://themes.wordpress.net/ and browse the hundreds of Wordpress themes until you find the one(s) you like. Download the theme, unzip it to your C drive, and use your FTP program to upload the theme folder as you did in #’s 3 & 4 above to your wp-content/themes directory as you did in #’s 3 & 4 above. Login to your website as the ‘Admin’ and go to Presentations/Themes and select the theme you wish to use. You can change your theme anytime.

10. Enter your content in Pages and Posts.

There are several Wordpress plugins available here: http://codex.wordpress.org/Plugins. Use these plugins to automate your backups, add Google Adsense, control comment spam, etc.

If you have difficulty with these instructions or they are not clear please email me and describe your problem.

From Wikipedia

A Content Management System (CMS) is a software system used for content management. This includes computer files, image media, audio files, electronic documents and web content. The idea behind a CMS is to make these files available inter-office, as well as over the web. A Content Management System would most often be used as archival as well. Many companies use a CMS to store files in a non-proprietary form. Companies using a CMS file share with ease, as most systems use server based software, even further broadening file availability. As shown below, many Content Management Systems include a feature for Web Content, and some have a feature for a “workflow process.”

“Workflow” is the idea of moving an electronic document along for either approval, or for adding content. Some Content Management Systems will easily facilitate this process with email notification, and automated routing. This is ideally a collaborative creation of documents. A CMS facilitates the organization, control, and publication of a large body of documents and other content, such as images and multimedia resources.

A web content management system is a content management system with additional features to ease the tasks required to publish web content to web sites.

Web content management systems are often used for storing, controlling, versioning, and publishing industry-specific documentation such as news articles, operators’ manuals, technical manuals, sales guides, and marketing brochures. A content management system may support the following features:

* Import and creation of documents and multimedia material
* Identification of all key users and their content management roles
* The ability to assign roles and responsibilities to different content categories or types.
* Definition of the content workflow tasks, often coupled with event messaging so that content managers are alerted to changes in content.
* The ability to track and manage multiple versions of a single instance of content.
* The ability to publish the content to a repository to support access to the content. Increasingly, the repository is an inherent part of the system, and incorporates enterprise search and retrieval.
* Some content management systems allow the textual aspect of content to be separated to some extent from formatting. For example the CMS may automatically set default color, fonts, or layout.

Websites must be dynamic, with new information of value to visitors constantly being added, or visitors won’t come back. Relying on a webmaster who is not part of your organisation delays the process. Content Management Systems (CMS) provide the tools that permit you to manage your own site, adding and modifying content as needed.

There are several excellent, free, CMS available today. I often use WordPress for my clients with modest needs and budgets. The famous 5-minute install really works. And my clients find it easy to use. They can add and modify pages on demand and uploading photos is simple.

Read more about Content Management Systems here.