Change of Address

Home Office Computing, Dec, 1998 by Karen L. Miller

After you've captured and saved your elements, check to make sure that your URL is live at your new host, and that you've received the necessary information to access your site. This includes your site's IP number, your user ID, and a password. To upload your files to your new space, launch FTP and highlight the files you want to transfer to your new site's FTP directory.

Author! Author! After the transfer, visually analyze the results and test all links. First, check to see if your new host includes publishing software in your hosting package. You can also download free, easy-to-learn programs such as Netscape Communicator's built-in Composer (home.netscape.com) and AOLpress (www.aolpress.com). If you're looking for more advanced page-enhancing software, take advantage of increasingly available try-before-you-buy downloadable applications.

Microsoft FrontPage 98 (www.microsoft.com/frontpage; $149) is consistently ranked among the best Web authoring tools. However, if you want to use FrontPage, your hosting company must have FrontPage server extensions installed. You can look into this at your host's Frequently Asked Questions page, or by contacting tech support. But don't feel obliged to stick with FrontPage just because Microsoft makes it. There are plenty of strong programs available today that will make your site sing, and shopping for the best product that fits your needs will help dictate the success of your newly refurbished Web home.

KAREN L. MILLER writes about the Web for SMALL BUSNESS COMPUTING & COMMUNICATIONS, CyberTimes, Time Out New York, and Hearst New Media.