Web Etiquette
There are a few conventions which
will make for a more usable, less
confusing, web. As a server administrator
you should make sure this applies
to your data. The Style Guide for
Online Hypertext gives more ideas
for all information providers. See
especially:
Your server administrator needs these
things set up once per server:
You don't have to have any particular
structure to the data you publish:
you can let it evolve as you think
best. However, it is neat to have
a document on each host which others
can use to get a quick idea (with
pointers) of what information is
available there. You should put
a "pass" line into your daemon rule
file to map the document name "/"
onto such a document. As well as
a summary of what is available at
your host, pointers to related hosts
are a good idea.
Welcome home?
The welcome page for a server is
often called (inaccurately) "home"
page because it is a good choice
for a client to use as a home (default)
page. Don't be confused by this,
though. The welcome page will be
welcoming those new to your server
who want an overview of what it contains.
It may have pointers to related
servers, but it won't have lots of
pointers to "interesting things out
there" which typify a home page.
It may have explanations about what
your server is all about which would
be a waste of space on a home page
for your local users. You may want
to make a separate home page (or
several) for local users.
An alias for your server
If you have a serious server then
it may last longer than the machine
on which it runs. Ask your internet
domain name manager to make an alias
for it so that you can refer to it,
instead of as "mysun12.dom.edu" as
"www.dom.edu". This will mean that
when you change machines, you move
the alias, and people's links to
your data will still work.
In the future [3/94] clients come
out of the box configured to look
for a local "www" machine, to use
its welcome page as "home" if no
other default is specified. This
means that anyone starting such a
client within your domain will get
a relevant place to start.
An alias for yourself
You should make a mail alias "webmaster"
on the server machine so that people
who have problems with your server
can mail you about it easily. This
is similar to the "postmaster" alias
for people who have mail problems
with your machine.
Delegating control
The server administrator (the one
with the root password) in principle
has the power to turn the thing on
or off, and control what happens.
However, it is wise to have clearly
delegated responsibility for separate
areas of documentation. Maybe the
server administrator has no responsibility
at all for the actual content of
the data, in which case he or she
should just keep the machine running
properly.
House style
The web has spread from the grass
roots, without a central authority,
and this has worked very well.
This has been due in part to the
creativity of information providers,
and the freedom they have to express
their information as directly and
vividly as they can. Readers appreciate
the variety this gives. However,
in a large web they also enjoy a
certain consistency.
If you are a person responsible for
managing the information provided
by your organization, you have to
balance the advantages of a "house
style" with the advantages of giving
each group or author free rein.
If you end up with decisions in this
area, it is as well to write them
down (not to mention put them on
the web).
Tim BL