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If the subject title header has an Adobe Acrobat Reader " " icon, click on that icon to download or print the document. In order to download these pdf documents you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer.

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Site Planning Information

Branding and Logo Website Integration

Website Design Information

Internet Glossary and Other Helpful Information

Site Planning Information (click here to download this info)


The information below will assist you in determining the purpose of your website and developing it accordingly. Please contact us if we can assist you in any way.

(1) Research Trademark and Service Mark issues (see http://www.uspto.gov) before deciding on a domain name to use. It is never too early to consider the legal Trademark and Service Mark ramification for business and personal websites.
(2) Prepare a detailed Website Goals Plan or Business Plan.
(3) What is your website design and hosting budget?
(4) How do you plan on marketing your website? What is your marketing budget?
(5) The main purpose of the website is? Only chose one answer for this question. For example income generation, product/service knowledge, information resource, etc.
(6) Other purposes of the website are? List all purposes in order of priority. There may be numerous purposes.
(7) Look on the web for websites you like and why. Additionally, identify websites you do not like and why.
(8) What type of overall appearance do you want your Website to project? For example artsy, professional, serious, humorous, some humor, etc.
(9) What is the main purpose of the website home page? What impact or appearance do I want the home page to project?
(10) What type of graphics do I want the site to have (i.e. static, moving, photos other graphics)?
(11) Identify specific website page elements (i.e. colors, fonts, general website layout, navigation features, etc.).
(12) Develop an outline or flowchart or story board of your entire website starting with your home page and branching out to all other pages.
(13) I expect most of the website users will find out about the site by? For example word of mouth, advertising, search engine referrals, networking, professional referrals, etc.
(14) Identify website users (i.e. demographics of website users, connection type, personal computers users, business computers users, PC or Mac computer users, browser uses, Palm PDA's and Pocket PC PDA's users, etc.)?
(15) Copyright your finished website content (see http://www.copyright.gov) to include all text, pictures and images. MEGMIND® does offer this and most website services.

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Branding and Logo Website Integration (click here to download this info)


Below you will find a series of questions to help derive a look and feel for your website. Some of the questions are quick and easy, while others require some real thought. Please answer all of the questions to the best of your ability. Some of the questions may seem redundant but keep in mind that the more that we know about how you envision your identity, image, product or service the better we can develop it. Please be as descriptive as possible in your answers.

Please answer all of these questions. In addition please have all of the staff members or people closely involved with your main objective, product, service or organization answer the above ten questions in order to obtain a broad scope of responses. Please contact us if we can assist you in any way.

(1) If your identity, image, product or service were a color, what color would it be? Why?
(2) If your identity, image, product or service were a food, what kind of food would it be? Why?
(3) If your identity, image, product or service were a car, what kind of car would it be? Why?
(4) If your identity, image, product or service were a vacation resort, where would it be? Why?
(5) If your identity, image, product or service were a lump of clay, what would you shape it into? Why?
(6) How would you describe the staff involve with your main objective, product, service or organization?
(7) What differentiates your main objective, product, service or organization from other like it?
(8) List three words that describe your identity, image, product or service.
(9) What are your products or services or other key strengths?
(10) How would outsiders describe your identity, image, product, service or organization to others?

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Website Design Information (click here to download this info)


Content
Creating effective content (meaning text, graphics and other information) for your site requires that you have determined the purpose of your site how you will organize the information.

Organization can help you refine your focus and create content that is more useful for your purpose and enhance the experiences of your site visitors.

Organization
A sites organization is paramount because it will make it easier (or if omitted more difficult) for your site visitors to find what they are looking for and what you want them to experience.

Outlines
Put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and organize your thoughts into a site structure outline. Outlines are excellent tools in assisting in the planning of a website and it's content. Most word processing software programs have outlining features that allow one to hide all your text and just see your headings (or sections). Moving around headings reorganizes your document, so changes are easy.

What is your site going to do for your visitor?
A common mistake is for people to know what they want the site to do for them, but not for their site visitors. One must decide what they want the site to accomplish for them, as well as, the site visitors.

Once you know what you want your site to accomplish site planning then will focus on site details to accomplish those goals.

Look and keep looking
What should my sight look like? Start by looking at your favorite sites and noting what you like about it. One of the best ways to make your site great is to keep looking around the Web and learning from what you see. That does not mean copying but instead determine what you like about the site and how it will complement your site look, feel and purpose. It is also helpful to note site you do not like and why.

Appearance
Appearance is often the first thing that site visitors notice—how the site looks. The design of your home page is especially important because it communicates the tone of your site, it is your first impression. A site's design should also reflect your identity or corporate brand and purpose.

The visual design of a site has a great effect on the impression your site gives to visitors. Is it formal or casual? Corporate or personal? Modern or traditional? Serious or friendly? Warm or cool? These feelings can be conveyed instantly just through the design of a site.

It its also important that the look of your site is consistent throughout. Backgrounds, colors, navigation buttons all need to present your site visitor with a uniform appearance (aka "seamless"). This also helps to build a "style" so your site is recognizable. Since it is so easy to go anywhere in the world on the Web you want your site visitor to know where they are.

There's no place like a home page
Most sites start with a home page. Home pages usually are introduction and/or a "table of contents" to your website. Visitors should immediately learn what the site is about and what it is offering the visitor. Home pages also introduce visitors to the organization of your website, sections and pages. All your pages in your site (starting with your home page) should have a "consistent" feel and design.

Home pages always contain links to a site's sections and pages. Home pages can link visitors directly to any information or content you want your visitor to have immediate access to.

Some sites use what is called a "splash screen" (i.e. Flash page). A splash screen is an introductory page that is like a magazine cover or billboard. This page can add style to the site and act as a ceremonial front door, but because they present less information than a less complex home page but are usually more "flashy" and take longer time to load. If you use a splash screen some users will feel that the splash screen is not needed and annoying. Simple is sometime superior. Generally, the more time it takes a site to load the more visitors will be lost.

A splash screen may be a must for your type of business or industry and is best used in an "artsy" type of site or if you know your visitors will wait for the page to load. When using long loading pages it is best to have a "click here to skip the introduction" link.

There are two schools of thought about home page length - short home page verse longer home page:

Short page
A short home page is one where the entire home page is visible on a single screen. The advantage to a short home page is that visitors do not have to scroll and they can view everything there is to offer on one screen.

The disadvantage is that a short home page cannot present much information or content. The short page forces visitors to click on something, anything, just to get to more information. Sometimes when a visitor is presented too little information the site will run the risk of them not knowing the purpose of the site and/or not seeing something of interest that they may have clicked if more information was available. Additionally, visitors may not be comfortable clicking on an item if they are unsure of where the link will lead to.

Longer page
The other school of thought is that the more information you provide, within reason, the better. People are use to scrolling in their word processor, spreadsheet, Internet use and other software applications.

Studies have shown that Web visitors do scroll, and that the more information you give them (again, within reason), the better. Rather than being overwhelmed, you make it easier for them not just to find something but to find something that interests them. If people are interested, they will scroll. If they are not , it does not matter how short your home page is. Note: It is advantageous to place your site's most important topics at the top of the page so they are emphasized and not overlooked.

Sections
Any site more than a few pages long needs sections. You can think of them like chapters in a book, or even file folders. Their purpose is to organize articles into logical units.

Sections and their titles are very important because they tell your site visitors what kind of information you are going to present to them. For example, a site about gardening might have sections on Flowers, Trees and Vegetables. Or, you might have sections on designing a garden, planting a garden, and maintaining a garden. Both sections relate to gardening. However, the two sets of captions in each section present the site visitors with different expectations of the information and content they will find.

Deciding what sections you need for your site is one of the first items you need to complete—and it all has to do with deciding on why you want to create a site in the first place and what you expect it to accomplish for you and for your site visitors.

Navigation
Navigation is such an important element of a Website one needs to consider it form the start. Your site visitors need to know how to get to the information they are looking for—and how to get from one part of your site or section to another.

Your home page must link directly to the most important items on your site and all sections. Every page on your site should have navigation buttons (links) that let your visitor get to your home page and all main section pages.

Navigation should be consistent from page to page. This is so your visitors do not have to figure out how to navigate each and every page.

For larger and complex sites visitors should be able to search all text.

Links
The Web is based on the idea of linking—from page to page and from site to site. Links within your site help you break up information into logical pieces, and help your reader go to related information quickly and easily

Some people are hesitant to include links to other sites because they do not want visitors to leave. It is possible to set your links so they open a new browser window leaving your site open in the original browser window.

Some basics to remember:
Visitors should know where they are at all times—the name of the site, the name of the area within that site. Otherwise they may never want to return to your site or never be able to find the information again.
Make sure to include an easy way for your visitors to contact you! Feedback is a vital part of the Internet experience so make sure to include links that allow visitors to easily e-mail you—plus your traditional address and phone numbers. One should include your site address, e-mail address and telephone number each page. That way if someone saves or prints a page (or pass the printed page or file to someone else) they can view your contact information without access their computer and/or Internet again.

You do not have the normal constraints of printing (or reprints when information is updated), printing costs, postage/distributions costs.

Make sure to detailed site content and information. Web readers may want details. You should offer condensed overviews with links to more complete information—that way casual viewers are not bored by details—but the details will also be available to those who want further information.

Detail content will not only help your visitors it will help you and/or your staff and your business by supplying answers to question that otherwise be handled in person or over the telephone.

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Animated GIF
An animated Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) is a graphic image on a web page that moves - for example, a twirling icon or a banner with a hand that waves or letters that get larger. In particular, an animated GIF is a file in the Graphics Interchange Format specified as GIF89a (a GIF89a graphics file is an image formatted according to Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) Version 89a, July 1989) that contains within the single file a set of images that are presented in a specified order. An animated GIF can loop endlessly (and it appears as though your document never finishes arriving) or it can present one or a few sequences and then stop the animation.

Java, Shockwave, and other tools can be used to build applets (an applet is a little application program) that achieve the same effects as an animated GIF. However, these require browsers and operating systems capable of handling the applets. Animated GIF's can be handled by most browsers and are easier to build than comparable images with Java or Shockwave.

Aanti-aliasing
Due to the fact that images are created using pixel (which are gird squares) images that are not square can appear jagged. The distinct division between pixels is called "alias". Many graphics programs use a technique called "anti-aliasing" to create the illusion of smoothness. Curved shapes and text should always be anti-aliased to maintain a clean and presentable look.

BIOS (basic input/output system)
BIOS (basic input/output system) is the program a personal computer's microprocessor uses to get the computer system started after you turn it on. It also manages data flow between the computer's operating system and attached devices such as the hard disk, video adapter, keyboard, mouse, and printer.

BIOS is an integral part of your computer and comes with it when you bring it home. (In contrast, the operating system can either be pre installed by the manufacturer or vendor or installed by the user.) BIOS is a program that is made accessible to the microprocessor on an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) chip. When you turn on your computer, the microprocessor passes control to the BIOS program, which is always located at the same place on EPROM.

When BIOS boots up (starts up) your computer, it first determines whether all of the attachments are in place and operational and then it loads the operating system (or key parts of it) into your computer's random access memory RAM from your hard disk or diskette drive.

With BIOS, your operating system and its applications are freed from having to understand exact details (such as hardware addresses) about the attached input/output devices. When device details change, only the BIOS program needs to be changed. Sometimes this change can be made during your system setup. In any case, neither your operating system or any applications you use need to be changed.

Although BIOS is theoretically always the intermediary between the microprocessor and I/O device control information and data flow, in some cases, BIOS can arrange for data to flow directly to memory from devices (such as video cards) that require faster data flow to be effective.

Bitmap (or bit map)
A bit map defines a display space and the color for each pixel or "bit" in the display space. A GIF and a JPEG are examples of graphic image file types that contain bit maps. A bit map does not need to contain a bit of color-coded information for each pixel on every row. It only needs to contain information indicating a new color as the display scans along a row. This being the case an image with much solid color will tend to require a small bit map.

Because a bit map uses a fixed or raster method of specifying an image, the image cannot be immediately rescaled by a user without losing definition. A vector graphic image, however, is designed to be quickly rescaled. Typically, an image is created using vector graphics and then, when the artist is satisfied with the image, it is converted to (or saved as) a raster graphic file or bit map.

Bootstrap
The term apparently derives from "bootstrap" which is a small strap or loop at the back of a leather boot that enables you to pull the entire boot on. There is also an expression, "pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps," meaning to leverage yourself to success from a small beginning. The booting of an operating system works by loading a very small program into the computer and then giving that program control so that it in turn loads the entire operating system.

Booting or loading an operating system is different than installing it, which is generally an initial one-time activity.

Browser
A browser is an application program that provides a way to look at and interact with all the information on the World Wide Web. The word "browser" seems to have originated prior to the Web as a generic term for user interfaces that let you browse text files online. By the time the first a web browser with a graphical user interface was invented (Mosaic in 1992), the term seemed to apply to web content too. Technically, a web browser is a client program that uses the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to make requests of web servers throughout the Internet on behalf of the browser user. A commercial version of the original browser, Mosaic, is in use. Many of the user interface features in Mosaic, however, went into the first widely-used browser, Netscape Navigator. Microsoft followed with its Internet Explorer. Today, these two browsers are highly competitive and the only two browsers that the vast majority of Internet users are aware of. Although the online services, such as America Online, Compuserve, and Prodigy, originally had their own browsers, virtually all now offer the Netscape or Microsoft browser. Lynx is a text-only browser for UNIX shell and VMS users.

The majority of our networking equipment including routers, and switches are from Cisco Systems.

Color depth
Each pixel of your on-screen image is displayed on a monitor using a combination of three color signals: red, green, and blue. The intensity of these signals determines its appearance. On a black and white TV or monitor, pixels have only two possible colors: black or white. That's called "1-bit" because the pixel is either on or off. On color monitors, it gets more complicated. Each pixel can display a number of colors, from 16 (4-bit) to 16 million (24-bit). Most computer monitors today can display 256 colors (8-bit) per pixel. Newer computers routinely display 65,000 (16-bit) to 16 million colors. Web browser-safe colors are the 216 colors supported by browsers across platforms (Mac and Windows). MEGMIND® uses the 216 browser-safe colors for all web page design. Note: 216 browser-safe colors rules do not apply to photographic files. All photographic files should be saved as 24-bit JPG files.

Domain Name System
The Domain Name System is the way that Internet users locate people, computers, and information on the Internet. Domain names represent places to go on the Internet. In the same way that a street address represents a business in the physical world, a domain name can be used to represent a business on the Internet. In the physical world, we rely on both street addresses and the postal system to send information back and forth between individuals and organizations. On the Internet, we rely on domain names and the Domain Name System (DNS).

The Domain Name System plays a critical role in the process that computers and people use to communicate on the Internet. Consequently, a smoothly functioning DNS is extremely important to those registering domain names. It is not necessary to understand the technical intricacies of the DNS, but we hope this overview offers both an understanding of this very important element of Internet communication and an explanation of why the DNS is important to domain name registrants.

Internet-connected computers use a numeric addressing system to locate other computers on the network. This numeric addressing system requires that each computer connected to the Internet have its own, unique numeric address - an Internet Protocol (IP) address. IP addresses are 32 bit addresses that are represented by a string of numbers separated by periods, for example 198.41.0.108. Machines, of course, have no problem remembering and using these numerical addresses. People, on the other hand, generally find it easier to remember addresses if they are familiar, relational, or hierarchical. If you want to remember the Internet address of a company that sells raincoats, it will be easier to remember "raincoats.com" than it will be to remember a string of numbers. The network, however, must use the numeric address. Therefore, when an Internet user types in the domain name raincoats.com an intermediary system is needed to "translate" the domain name to the corresponding IP address. The Domain Name System is the system that enables this translation to occur.

Domain Name System characteristics
It is hierarchical, distributed, interdependent, and requires unique addresses. Let's take a look at each of these characteristics.

Hierarchical
The Domain Name System uses a hierarchical structure. At the very top of the hierarchy is the "root" which is also technically called the "." (dot). Beneath the root level of the hierarchy are the top level domains, for example .com, .net, .org, .edu, and .gov. Other examples of top level domains include those for countries, which use the International Standards Organization's ISO 3166 standard - for example .us for the United States of America, .fr for France, and .de for Germany. Beneath each of these top level domains are subdomains that are commonly referred to as "second-level domains." To return to our example, raincoats.com, "raincoats" represents a second-level domain within the top level domain of .com. Beneath the second-level domains are subdomains, the next level of the hierarchy - for example an organization using the domain name raincoats.com might create a subdomain called southern.raincoats.com to represent the southern division of the organization.

The domain name system has been compared to an inverted tree, with the root ("dot") at the top, branches (the top level domains) stemming from the root , and the second-level domains beneath each branch representing "nodes" on the branches.

A domain name represents a specific and unique portion of the "domain name space" which is the total number of computers and resources that can be described and located via the Domain Name System. A domain name appears as a string of alphanumeric characters separated into segments by periods. Each segment of the name represents a different level of the hierarchy. When reading a domain name, the rightmost segment of the domain name will represent the highest level of the hierarchy; as you move left each segment will represent increasingly lower levels of the hierarchy.

Distributed
The Domain Name System is actually a distributed database containing information about domains and the hosts, or computers, within those domains. What do we mean by distributed? The database is actually split- up among multiple computers which are scattered across the Internet. Each of these computers is running a program called a "name server." Each name server computer controls, or has authority over, the particular portion of the database that it contains. The portion of the database that a name server has authority over is called a "zone." However, the entire Internet can access The information held by each name servers. This ability to exchange information is essential to the functioning of the Domain Name System.

This distributed framework takes the burden of maintaining such a massive collection of information - all of the data on all of the domains in the world - off of a central authority. The control over a specific portion of the database will rest with those closest to the information contained in that portion of the database. Imagine for a moment that you have to tackle a large project. One way to handle the situation would be to split the project into a group of smaller tasks, and then distribute the tasks to various people. Then you can delegate the control, or authority, over each task to the person you assigned to the task. Each person working on the project will hold information essential to the project's completion. By exchanging their information, the people involved will be able to work together to complete the project.

In this analogy, the project would be the database, the tasks represent the portions of the database, the people that you delegate the tasks to would be the computers running the name server programs, and the tasks over which one person has authority would represent a zone. Everyone working together and exchanging information to complete the project would represent the DNS at work.

Interdependent
The information used by the DNS - and the control over this information - is distributed among name servers. Therefore, it is extremely important that these name servers run smoothly and maintain current information in their areas of authority. The actual data that represents a name server's area of authority are also known as "zone files." If one of the name servers experiences a problem, it is very likely that the rest of the network will also encounter problems with the portion of the database, or zone, controlled by that name server.

At first glance, it seems as though a simple problem with one name server could pose significant problems of global proportions for communicating on the Internet. If the name server that contains the authoritative information - that is, the information needed to translate raincoats.com to its corresponding IP addresses - failed to operate or contained incorrect information, it would be impossible to reach any people or information in raincoats.com. For all intents and purposes, everything within the domain raincoats.com would be unreachable.

The DNS uses several techniques to protect against such possibilities, but the interdependent nature of the system still demands the smooth operation and careful management of the machines, software, and data that comprise the DNS. (This is one of the reasons why a secondary name server is highly recommended!)

Uniqueness of addresses
As with most addressing systems, it is necessary for each domain name to be unique. Just as postal addresses describe specific and unique locations in the physical world, domain names describe specific and unique locations within the "domain name space." Think for a moment about the postal address "123 Main Street, Canton, New York" (we'll ignore the zip code for the purposes of the example). This is also a hierarchical address. It is easy to see how duplication at any level of the address - e.g. more than one New York; more than one Canton in New York; more than one Main Street in Canton, New York; more than one 123 Main Street, etc. - would pose problems. A unique address leaves no doubt where a letter is supposed to be delivered. If, however, duplication exists at any level of the address ( two New York's, two Canton's, etc.) confusion will result. How is the postal system to decide which "Canton, New York" is the right one?

The Domain Name System is no different. At each level in the DNS hierarchy, a domain name must be unique. For example, at the top of the hierarchy, there can be only one root; among top level domains, there can be only one .com; within .com there can only be one raincoats.com. Of course, in the physical world, it is possible to come across two towns in New York named Canton. The postal system is able to rely on humans to sort out the confusion and come up with the correct destination. The DNS, however, relies on automation and cannot use human intervention to resolve confusion. Consequently, it is even more critical that domain names remain unique.

Domain name restrictions
You can use any name that has not already been registered that complies with the following rules:
(1) You can use any letter from the alphabet, and any number from 0-9 and you may use hyphens within the name.
(2) It must begin with a letter and can end with a letter or a number.
(3) It must not have any spaces in it.
(4) It must not be longer than 63 characters.

How the Domain System works
Have you ever wondered what really happens when you type in a URL (Universal Route Locator) or an e-mail address? How does the Domain Name System figure out where the machine www.example.com is located?

When you type in a URL or an e-mail address, a series of queries takes place between your computer and name server computers. Say that you wanted to locate the computer at www.example.com. The first query would be sent to your local name server. Your local name server most likely has information about your domain, as well as information about any other domains within its area of authority. Chances are, however, that the domain name you entered is not within your local name server's zone of authority. So the response is: "I don't know, so I'll ask the root server."

Your local name server will then send a query to the root server. The root server will not have the specific information needed to translate www.example.com to the proper IP address, but the root server knows where to find the name server that contains authoritative information for the .com zone. The root server will provide your local name server with the information it needs to contact the name server for the .com top level domain.

The next step is to send a query to the name server for the .com top level domain. The .com name server will not have specific information about the IP address of the machine www.example.com, but the .com name server will know where to find the local name server for example.com and will send this information to your local name server.

In the last step, your local name server sends a query to the local name server for example.com. The local name server for example.com will be able to tell your computer the IP address for www.example.com, your local name server will send the address of www.example.com to your machine, and your computer will make the connection. This entire process normally takes only a few seconds. This example should clearly illustrate the hierarchical, distributed, and interdependent nature of the Domain Name System.

Technically, the queries are exchanged not between users and computers but between software programs. We have already mentioned name server programs, which enable a machine to store a part of the DNS data, accept queries about domains and hosts, and send responses. "Resolve" software acts as a "client" of the name server program, asking questions and waiting for the name server to return the authoritative answer. It is the name servers which do most of the work, however, sending the queries, accepting referrals, asking more questions, and interpreting the information returned by other name servers.

Modifying Domain Name information
All domains name extensions (including .com, .net, .org, .edu, .ws) registered by companies such as Network Solutions Inc. or Regester.com with InterNIC. For you to modify any information with InterNIC you must go through the company that you purchased your domain name from. Contact you company to find out how.

Domain Name MEGMIND® server information
For MEGMIND® to host your website you must have you site pointed to our server. If MEGMIND® did not include or assist you in your purchase of your domain name please contact us for changing your current domain name servers to MEGMIND® Web Services domain name servers.

E-mail
E-mail (electronic mail) is the exchange of computer-stored messages by telecommunication. (Some publications spell it email; we prefer the currently more established spelling of e-mail.) E-mail messages are usually encoded in ASCII text. However, you can also send non-text files, such as graphic images and sound files, as attachments sent in binary streams. E-mail was one of the first uses of the Internet and is still the most popular use. A large percentage of the total traffic over the Internet is e-mail. E-mail can also be exchanged between online service users and in networks other than the Internet, both public and private.

E-mail can be distributed to lists of people as well as to individuals. A shared distribution list can be managed by using an e-mail reflector. Some mailing lists allow you to subscribe by sending a request to the mailing list administrator. A mailing list that is administered automatically is called a list server.

E-mail is one of the protocols included with the Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite of protocols. A popular protocol for sending e-mail is SMTP and a popular protocol for receiving it is POP3. Both Netscape and Microsoft include an e-mail utility with their web browsers.

GIF
The GIF (Graphic Interchange Format) originally developed by CompuServe in 1987, is an aging but still popular way of exchanging files between computers. With the advent of JPEG, which can store much more color information in a much more tightly compressed file, this format is gradually becoming obsolete, but you will still find many of these files available today.

Graphic image
A graphic image is an electronic representation composed of thousands of tiny colored dots called "pixels." The pixels are so small they can't be detected individually by the human eye, so they create the illusion of a continuous image. This is how all images you see on your computer (and TV) work. See below for more information on pixels.

Web browsers can only display graphics saved in special file types. The two main web graphics formats used are the GIF and JPG. The GIF, JPG and PNG formats are defined and discussed on this web page.

In general terms a graphic images is considered a "simple" or "photographic image". A simple image generally consists of text, charts, diagrams, an item with sharp edges or large bodies of continuous color. A photographic image can range from a photo to a painting. A photographic image is basically considered anything with a large amount of non continuous colors. As a general rule, "simple" content should be saved as GIF files and "photographic" as JPG files.

Hosting (aka website hosting)
Website hosting (also called just "hosting") is the process of housing, serving, and maintaining files for one or more websites. Just as important as the computer space that is provided for website files is a fast and secure connection to the Internet. Typically, an individual or business hosting its own site would require a dedicated computer, software, security system and a fast connection (minimum a T-1 or T-3 line). Procurement, setting up and maintaining these hardware and software items is expensive. Using a hosting service lets many companies and/or individuals share the cost of the hardware, software and fast Internet connection for serving files.

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)
HTML is the set of "markup" symbols or codes inserted in a file intended for display on a World Wide Web browser.

Markup refers to the sequence of characters or other symbols that you insert at certain places in a text or word processing file to indicate how the file should look when it is printed or displayed or to describe the document's logical structure. The markup indicators are often called "tags".

The markup tells the web browser how to display a web page's words and images for the user. The individual markup codes are referred to as elements.

Intranet
An intranet is a private network that is contained within an enterprise. It may consist of many interlinked local area networks and also use leased lines in the wide area network. Typically, an intranet includes connections through one or more gateway computers to the outside Internet. The main purpose of an intranet is to share company information and computing resources among employees. An intranet can also be used to facilitate working in groups and for teleconferences. An intranet uses TCP/IP, HTTP, and other Internet protocols and in general looks like a private version of the Internet. With tunneling, companies can send private messages through the public network, using the public network with special encryption/decryption and other security safeguards to connect one part of their intranet to another. Typically, larger enterprises allow users within their intranet to access the public Internet through firewall servers that have the ability to screen messages in both directions so that company security is maintained. When part of an intranet is made accessible to customers, partners, suppliers, or others outside the company, that part becomes part of an extranet.

An extranet is a private network that uses the Internet protocols and the public telecommunication system to securely share part of a business's information or operations with suppliers, vendors, partners, customers, or other businesses. An extranet can be viewed as part of a company's intranet that is extended to users outside the company. It has also been described as a "state of mind" in which the Internet is perceived as a way to do business with other companies as well as to sell products to customers. The same benefits that HTML, HTTP, SMTP, and other Internet technologies have brought to the Internet and to corporate intranets now seem designed to accelerate business between businesses.

An extranet requires security and privacy. These require firewall server management, the issuance and use of digital certificates or similar means of user authentication, encryption of messages, and the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) that tunnel through the public network.

Companies can use an extranet to:

Internet
Today, the Internet is a public, cooperative, and self-sustaining facility accessible to hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Physically, the Internet uses a portion of the total resources of the currently existing public telecommunication networks. Technically, what distinguishes the Internet is its use of a set of protocols called TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). Two adaptations of Internet technology, the intranet and the extranet, also make use of the TCP/IP protocol.

For many Internet users, electronic mail (e-mail) has practically replaced the Postal Service for short written transactions. Electronic mail is the most widely used application on the Net. You can also carry on live "conversations" with other computer users, using IRC (Internet Relay Chat). More recently, Internet Telephony hardware and software allows real-time voice conversations.

The most widely used part of the Internet is the World Wide Web (often abbreviated "WWW" or called "the Web"). Its outstanding feature is hypertext, a method of instant cross-referencing. In most websites, certain words or phrases appear in text of a different color than the rest; often this text is also underlined. When you select one of these words or phrases, you will be transferred to the site or page that is relevant to this word or phrase. Sometimes there are buttons, images, or portions of images that are "clickable." If you move the pointer over a spot on a website and the pointer changes into a hand, this indicates that you can click and be transferred to another site. Web pages are written in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).

Using the Web, you have access to millions of pages of information. Web "surfing" is done with a web browser, the most popular of which are Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. The appearance of a particular website may vary slightly depending on the browser you use. Also, later versions of a particular browser are able to render more "bells and whistles" such as animation, virtual reality, sound, and music files, than earlier versions. To find and retrieve specific information on the web one can use a search engine to locate just about anything or any subject.

From the ARPA Net to the Internet what a remarkable evolution (especially considering it evolved as opposed to being well planned). Now that you know a bit more about the Internet you can see what an amazing accomplishment it truly is. Never in history, has so much information, been so available, to so many people at little to no cost! Take a few minutes to contemplate the last sentence then think about how you can use the Internet to improve your life and the life to others!

ARPANet was the network that became the basis for the Internet. It was funded mainly by U.S. military sources and consisted of a number of individual computers connected by leased lines and using a packet-switching scheme. ARPANet was replaced over time in the 1980's by a separate new military network, the Defense Data Network, and NSFNet, a network of scientific and academic computers funded by the National Science Foundation. In 1995, NSFNet in turn began a phased withdrawal to turn what has become the backbone of the Internet (called vBNS) over to a consortium of commercial backbone providers (PSINet, UUNET,ANS/AOL, Sprint, MCI, and AGIS-Net99). TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) is the basic communication language or protocol of the Internet. It can also be used as a communications protocol in the private networks called intranets and in extranets. When you are set up with direct access to the Internet, your computer is provided with a copy of the TCP/IP program just as every other computer that you may send messages to or get information from also has a copy of TCP/IP.

IRC (Internet Relay Chat)
Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a system for chatting that involves a set of rules and conventions and client/server software. On the Web, certain sites such as Talk City or IRC networks such as the Internet provide servers and help you download an IRC client to your PC. Talk City also offers an IRC client applet that it downloads for you as part of their home page so that you can start chatting right away. You can start a chat group (called a channel) or join an existing one. There is a protocol for discovering existing chat groups and their members. Depending on the type of network, nicknames can be reserved (registered) or just used during the session. Some channels encourage you to register a nickname that you always use and even offer space for a personal profile, picture, and personal home page link. Popular ongoing IRC channels are #hottub and #riskybus. A number of channels are set up and conducted in foreign languages. The most common IRC networks are IRCnet (mostly European), EFnet (mostly North American), Undernet, and Dalnet. Popular IRC clients include mIRC for Windows, IRCle for Mac OS, and irc2 (the original client) for UNIX-base operating systems. The IRC protocol uses TCP (you can IRC via a Telnet client), usually on port 6667.

Telephony is the technology associated with the electronic transmission of voice, fax, or other information between distant parties using systems historically associated with the telephone, a handheld device containing both a speaker or transmitter and a receiver. With the arrival of computers and the transmittal of digital information over telephone systems and the use of radio to transmit telephone signals, the distinction between telephony and telecommunication has become difficult to find. However, we believe that telephony does connote voice or spoken and heard information predominately and it usually assumes a point-to-point (rather than a broadcast) connection.

It also tends to assume a temporarily dedicated connection. Internet telephony is the use of the Internet rather than the traditional telephone company infrastructure and rate structure to exchange spoken or other telephone information. Since access to the Internet is available at local phone connection rates, an international or other long-distance call will be much less expensive than through the traditional call arrangement.

On the Internet, three services are now available:

The ability to make a normal voice phone call (whether or not the person called is immediately available; that is, the phone will ring at the location of the person called)

The ability to send fax transmissions at very low cost (at local call prices) through a gateway point on the Internet in major cities

The ability to leave voice mail at a called number.

Among uses for Internet phone services are phone calls to customer service people while viewing a product catalog online at a website.

JPEG (or jpg)
JPEG or jpg is a standardized image compression mechanism. JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group, the original name of the committee that wrote the standard. JPEG is designed for compressing either full-color or gray-scale images of natural, real-world scenes. JPEG handles only still images, but there is a related standard called MPEG for motion pictures. JPEG gives much better quality-millions of colors versus 256 colors for GIF's and compress smaller than GIF's.

Microprocessor
A microprocessor is a computer processor on a microchip. It is sometimes called a logic chip. It is the "engine" that goes into motion when you turn your computer on. A microprocessor is designed to perform arithmetic and logic operations that make use of small number-holding areas called registers. Typical microprocessor operations include adding, subtracting, comparing two numbers, and fetching numbers from one area to another. These operations are the result of a set of instructions that are part of the microprocessor design. When the computer is turned on, the microprocessor is designed to get the first instruction from the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) that comes with the computer as part of its memory. After that, either the BIOS, or the operating system that BIOS loads into computer memory, or an application program is "driving" the microprocessor, giving it instructions to perform.

Operating System (OS)
An operating system (sometimes abbreviated as "OS") is the program that, after being initially loaded into the computer by a bootstrap program, manages all the other programs in a computer. The other programs are called applications. The applications make use of the operating system by making requests for services through a defined application program interface (API). In addition, users can interact directly with the operating system through an interface such as a command language.

An operating system performs these services for applications:

In multitasking operating systems where multiple programs can be running at the same time, the operating system determines which applications should run in what order and how much time should be allowed for each application before giving another application a turn.
It manages the sharing of internal memory among multiple applications.
It handles input and output to and from attached hardware devices, such as hard disks, printers, and dial-up ports.
It sends messages to the applications or interactive user (or to a system operator) about the status of operation and any errors that may have occurred.
It can offload the management of what are called batch jobs (for example, printing) so that the initiating application is freed from this work.
On computers that can provide parallel processing, an operating system can manage how to divide the program so that it runs on more than one processor at a time.

All major computer platforms (hardware and software) require and sometimes include an operating system. UNIX, Microsoft Windows, DEC's VMS, IBM's OS/2, AIX, and OS/390 are all examples of operating systems.

Pixel
A pixel (a word invented from "picture element") is the basic unit of programmable color on a computer display or in a computer image. Think of it as a logical - rather than a physical - unit. The physical size of a pixel depends on how you've set the resolution for the display screen. If you've set the display to its maximum resolution, the physical size of a pixel will equal the physical size of the dot pitch (let's just call it the dot size) of the display. If, however, you've set the resolution to something less than the maximum resolution, a pixel will be larger than the physical size of the screen's dot (that is, a pixel will use more than one dot).

The specific color that a pixel describes is some blend of three components of the color spectrum - red, green, and blue. Up to three bytes of data are allocated for specifying a pixel's color, one byte for each color. A true color or 24-bit color system uses all three bytes. However, most color display systems use only eight-bits (which provides up to 256 different colors).

A bitmap is a file that indicates a color for each pixel along the horizontal axis or row (called the x coordinate) and a color for each pixel along the vertical axis (called the y coordinate). A GIF file, for example, contains a bitmap of an image (along with other data).

Screen image sharpness is sometimes expressed as dots per inch (dpi). (In this usage, the term dot means pixel, not dot as in dot pitch.) Dots per inch is determined by both the physical screen size and the resolution setting. A given image will have lower resolution - fewer dots per inch - on a larger screen as the same data is spread out over a larger physical area. On the same size screen, the image will have lower resolution if the resolution setting is made lower - resetting from 800 by 600 pixels per horizontal and vertical line to 640 by 480 means fewer dots per inch on the screen and an image that is less sharp. (On the other hand, individual image elements such as text will be larger in size).

PNG
PNG (Progressive Network Graphics) is the newest graphics file format for the web. PNG files are compact and versatile and can combine the best features of GIF and JPG, such as the ability to have transparent backgrounds or the ability to contain images with millions of colors. Despite this, the PNG format is still not widely used, mostly because it's not supported by older browsers. MEGMIND® advises not to use the PNG graphic format at this time due to the fact that a great deal of Internet user's browsers will not support this format.

Raster graphics
Raster graphics are digital images created or captured (for example, by scanning in a photo) as a set of samples of a given space. A raster is a grid of x- (horizontal) and y- (vertical) coordinates on a display space. (And for three-dimensional images, a z-coordinate.) A raster image file identifies which of these coordinates to illuminate in monochrome or color values. The raster file is sometimes referred to as a bitmap because it contains information that is directly mapped to the display grid.

A raster file is usually larger than a vector image file. A raster file is usually difficult to modify without loss of information, although there are software tools that can convert a raster file into a vector file for refinement and changes. Examples of raster image file types are: BMP (bitmap), GIF, JPEG and TIFF (Trivial File Transfer Protocol - is a network application that is simpler than the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) but less capable).

Resolution
The number of pixels that can be displayed on the monitor is referred to as screen resolution. The greater the resolution, the more pixels that can be displayed, which allows for greater graphic detail. As a general rule graphics for the web should be no larger than approximately 600 pixels wide. Most computer monitors and/or browsers web text and images with a screen resolution of 640x480. Graphics wider than 640 will not be fully displayed without horizontal scrolling. web graphic resolution should not exceed greater than 72 dpi (dots per inch). There is no benefit to a higher resolution as computer monitors and/or browsers are unable to display resolution greater than 72 dpi. Larger files will take longer to download and the image quality on screen will appear at 72 dpi.

Search engines
A search engines are programs that pursue through some data or dataset (i.e. the Internet). In the context of the web, the word "search engine" is most often used for search forms that search through databases of HTML documents gathered by a robot. MEGMIND® Search Engine Submission service (additional fees may apply for this service) includes site HTML META keywords and descriptions tags and the registration of your domain with 10 search engines (such as Yahoo, Lycos, Alta Vista, Excite, Infoseek, HotBot, WebCrawler, Northern Light, GoTo and Snap.com).

How a website is listed on a search engine
There are two methods to have a site listed in a search engine:(1) listing with the actual search engine and (2) inserting META tags into your websites HTML code so that search engines can index (usually by "robot") and list your site accurately and correctly.

Meta tags consist of keywords and descriptions:

Keywords are META tag values that specify certain words to help Internet search engines index a website. Most search engines limit the number of keywords it will list to 10-15 words.

Descriptions are META tag values that also assist most search engines when indexing a site. Some search engines will automatically use in their directory listing the exact words or phrases that are coded in the HTML description list in that site (the site the search engine is indexing). Again, most search engines will limit the number of characters it will list.

A robot is a program that automatically traverses the web's hypertext structure by retrieving a document, and recursively retrieving all documents that are referenced. Normal web browsers are not robots, because the are operated by a human, and do not automatically retrieve referenced documents.

Web robots are sometimes referred to as Web Wanderers, Web Crawlers, or Spiders. These names are a bit misleading as they give the impression the software itself moves between sites like a virus; this not the case, a robot simply visits sites by requesting documents from them.

Sever platforms
A platform is any base of technologies on which other technologies or processes are built. With reference to computers, a platform is an underlying computer system on which application programs can run. On personal computers, Microsoft Windows and the Macintosh are examples of two different platforms. On enterprise servers or mainframes, IBM's System/390 is an example of a platform.

Web servers are either UNIX and Windows NT based platforms. I would like more information on UNIX and Windows NT based platforms.

A platform consists of an operating system, the computer system's coordinating program, and a microprocessor, the microchip in the computer that performs logic operations and manages data movement in the computer. The operating system must be designed to work with the particular microprocessor's set of instructions. As an example, Microsoft Windows operating system is built to work with a series of microprocessors from the Intel Corporation (or others) that share the same or similar sets of instructions. There are usually other implied parts in any computer platform such as a motherboard and a data bus, but these parts have increasingly become modularized and standardized.

Historically, most application programs have had to be written to run on a particular platform. Each platform provided a different application program interface for different system services. Thus, a PC program would have to be written to run on the Windows platform and then again to run on the Macintosh platform. Although these platform differences continue to exist and there will probably always be proprietary differences between them, new open or standards-conforming interfaces now allow some programs to run on different platforms or to inter operate with different platforms through mediating or "broker" programs.

Sever platforms used by MEGMIND®
RedHat LINUX is the traditional web hosting platform that powers websites on an extremely reliable and robust platform. Our most affordable and reliable hosting packages are UNIX based. UNIX has the traditional advantage in the hosting field. UNIX is the Operating System (OS) that powers most of the popular sites on the Internet. At MEGMIND® we run RedHat LINUX as our UNIX based hosting OS. LINUX has gained a reputation for being a rock solid, extremely stable, operating system.

TCP/IP
TCP/IP is a two-layered program. The higher layer, Transmission Control Protocol, manages the assembling of a message or file into smaller packets that are transmitted over the Internet and received by a TCP layer that reassembles the packets into the original message. The lower layer, Internet Protocol, handles the address part of each packet so that it gets to the right destination. Each gateway computer on the network checks this address to see where to forward the message. Even though some packets from the same message are routed differently than others, they'll be reassembled at the destination.

TCP/IP uses the client/server model of communication in which a computer user (a client) requests and is provided a service (such as sending a web page) by another computer (a server) in the network. TCP/IP communication is primarily point-to-point, meaning each communication is from one point (or host computer) in the network to another point or host computer. TCP/IP and the higher-level applications that use it are collectively said to be "stateless" because each client request is considered a new request unrelated to any previous one (unlike ordinary phone conversations that require a dedicated connection for the call duration). Being stateless frees network paths so that everyone can use them continuously. (Note that the TCP layer itself is not stateless as far as any one message is concerned. Its connection remains in place until all packets in a message have been received.)

Many Internet users are familiar with the even higher layer application protocols that use TCP/IP to get to the Internet. These include the World Wide Web's Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), the File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Telnet (Telnet) which lets you logon to remote computers, and the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). These and other protocols are often packaged together with TCP/IP as a "suite."

Personal computer users usually get to the Internet through the Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP) or the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP). These protocols encapsulate the IP packets so that they can be sent over a dial-up phone connection to an access provider's modem.

Protocols related to TCP/IP include the User Datagram Protocol (UDP), which is used instead of TCP for special purposes. Other protocols are used by network host computers for exchanging router information. These include the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP), the Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP), the Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP), and the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP).

Do I need a Trademark?
The question "Do I need a Trademark?" is best answered by an attorney. Below is general helpful information:

Trademark search is designed to identify pre-existing Trademarks that have the potential to conflict with your name (including domain names). Without the benefit of a Trademark search, you run the risk of being sued for Trademark infringement and losing the right to use your new business name, product name, domain name or slogan after you have invested in that name. It is in your best interest to uncovering and avoiding Trademark conflicts. In simple terms, searching yourself (or having a third party search) will supply you with the information needed to select and name that will not conflict with preexisting Trademarks.

The test for Trademark infringement is whether your use of a name creates customer confusion because of a preexisting Trademark. This inquiry depends in large part on how similar the names are and whether they are used on related products or services.

It is recommended that before you make any investment in a name (even small investments, i.e. business cards and letterhead), you understand the risk of using a possible Trademarked name. MEGMIND® advises you to secure and protect your name and/or domain name by obtaining a Federal Trademark (check with your attorney about obtaining a State Trademark). In our opinion global access of the Internet demand that you protect your and/or domain name with a Trademark.

The Federal Trademark application fee is $365.00.
NOTE: Your fee will not be refunded if the name you requested is not available. So before your submit your application and $365.00 fee search a current and up-to-date information source.

Trademark Search and Registration options
(1) Searching and completing the application yourself-not recommended.
(2) Searching the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) website (http://www.uspto.gov) and downloading the application for you to fill out-not recommended due to the USPTO's database may not be as current as a "fee for service databases". See http://www.uspto.gov/tmdb/disclaim.html for USPTO disclaimer about name searches.
(3) Paying an attorney for conducting a search and preparing the application-recommended but expensive.
(4) Online search and online application guidance from a web based service such as Name Protect (http://www.nameprotect.com).

Vector graphics
Vector graphics is the creation of digital images through a sequence of commands or mathematical statements that place lines and shapes in a given two-dimensional or three-dimensional space. In physics, a vector is a representation of both a quantity and a direction at the same time. In vector graphics, the file that results from a graphic artist's work is created and saved as a sequence of vector statements. For example, instead of containing a bit in the file for each bit of a line drawing, a vector graphic file describes a series of points to be connected. One result is a much smaller file.

At some point, a vector image is converted into a raster image, which maps bits directly to a display space (and is sometimes called a bitmap). The vector image can be converted to a raster image file prior to its display so that it can be ported between systems.

A vector file is sometimes called a geometric file. Most images created with tools such as Adobe Illustrator and CorelDraw are in the form of vector image files. Vector image files are easier to modify than raster image files (which can, however, sometimes be reconverted to vector files for further refinement). Animation images are usually created as vector files.

Website
A website is a related collection of web files. The main (or beginning file) is usually called a home page. A company or an individual tells you how to get to their website by giving you the address of their home page. From the home page, you can get to all the other pages on their site. For example, the website for IBM has the home page address of http://www.ibm.com. (The home page address actually includes a specific file name like index.html but, as in IBM's case, when a standard default name is set up, users don't have to enter the file name.) IBM's home page address leads to thousands of pages (but a website can also be just a few pages.)

Since site implies a geographic place, a website can be confused with a web server. A server is a computer that holds the files for one or more sites. A very large website may be spread over a number of servers in different geographic locations. IBM is a good example; its website consists of thousands of files spread out over many servers in world-wide locations. But a more typical example is probably the site you are looking at, megmind.com We reside on our server with a number of our customers sites that have nothing to do with Internet glossaries.

A synonym and less frequently used term for website is "web presence." That term seems to better express the idea that a site is not tied to specific geographic location, but is "somewhere in cyberspace." However, "website" seems to be used much more frequently.

You can have multiple websites that cross-link to files on each others' sites or even share the same files.

In general, a server is a computer program that provides services to other computer programs in the same or other computers.

Specific to the Web, a web server is the computer program (housed in a computer) that serves requested HTML pages or files. A web client is the requesting program associated with the user. The web browser in your computer is a client that requests HTML files from web servers.

Most web servers are based on UNIX or Windows NT based platforms. For "What is a platform?" see above.

Why do I need a website?
Do you run ads of any kind?
Do people call and ask for sales information to be sent to them?
Do people call and ask what services do you offer? payment and credit terms? hours of operation?
Would it help to be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?
Do you sometimes not have the time to provide all the information to a prospect or customer?
Do you sometimes not feel like talking to prospects?
Do you have problems answering all the phone calls you receive?
Do you have problems dealing with prospects because most of your time is used providing the service?
Do you change your sales literature on a regular basis?
Do y