Publishing Overview

Six steps lead to publishing on Web. We'll outline them here and look at some of your options for each step.

1. Obtain space (get an account) on a Web server.
      At Boston University, the available options are:
   • Departments can get an account on www.bu.edu
   • Students, faculty and staff members can get an account on people.bu.edu
   • Some departments maintain their own Web servers
   
   
2. Gather your content (text, images, audio, video) and work with the appropriate tools.
      Some of the tools you might consider are:
   
   • WYSIWYG-based HTML editors such as Dreamweaver.
   • Text-based HTML editors such as HomeSite or BBEdit
   • A basic text editor, such as Notepad (Windows), SimpleText (Mac) or Pico (UNIX)
   
   
3. Format and save your files as HTML documents, using the .html file extension on the end of the file name.
4. Preview your files locally in a Web browser.
   • Save the files on your hard drive
   • Start your Web browser (Netscape, IE, etc.)
   • Open the HTML files from your hard drive
   • Preview for problems
   
   
5. Upload your files to your space on the Web server.
   • Obtain and install an FTP program. Members of the BU community can download AbsoluteFTP free. It is also available on the Office of Technology Internet CD for Windows. Mac users can download a free version of Fetch.
   • Configure your FTP software with the server address and your username and password. See the Uploading Files page in WebCentral for further help and instructions.
   • Select the files from your hard drive and place them on the server
   
   
6. Review your files online. Access your pages through the Web and review your files. Keep in mind some platforms and some browser treat some HTML elements differently. Try to review your pages on Windows, Mac and UNIX using both Netscape and Internet Explorer.