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INTRODUCTION

What Is a Website?

Essentially, a website is a way to present oneself online. Your website is a place on the Internet

where  anyone  in  the  world  can  visit  whenever  they  want  to  find  out  more  about  you,  ask  you

questions, give you feedback, or even buy your products. In a realm where the Internet is thought

of as the world s biggest trade show, your website would be your booth. 

Why Use a Website?

In the past, it was trendy to have a website. Today, however, having a website is a necessity. People

are  using  the  web  for  everything,  from  researching  schoolwork  to  buying  dinner.  It  is  quick,

convenient, and you never need to leave your desk. Even people who prefer to shop off-line are

researching products on the web. Nowadays when people are trying to find you, the first place they

look is on the web   and if they don t find you, they will probably find someone else! 

Your website can be used for a large number of tasks such as: 

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Making public announcements 

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Providing support to your customers 

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Receiving feedback from your visitors 

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Sharing/distributing files and images 

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Selling your products 

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Acting as a point of presence.

With a website, you will be able to do these things for people around the world at any time of day

or night. You have the potential to become a household name 10,000 miles away. 

How a Website Works

A website is a collection of files that reside on a computer connected to the Internet. When people

visit  your  site,  they  are  actually  contacting  the  computer  that  is  hosting  your  site,  and  that

computer (called a web server) gives the visitors the files they want to see. Most normal computers

do not have the power or the software needed to respond constantly to all the requests made by

all  the  visitors  to  a  site.  Those  that  have  would  still  require  a  fast  and  solid  connection  to  the

Internet  to  keep  up  with  all  the  requests.  Most  people  and  small  companies  do  not  have  the

resources to run a web server and instead opt for virtual web hosting.

Copyright  NESIS 2002

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