If you’re thinking about creating a presence on the internet, you’re going to need a website.  This is a brief non technical description of a website and its function, for those of us who don’t know and are curious.

A website as defined by Webster is a set of interconnected web pages, usually including a homepage, generally located on the same server or hosting account, and prepared and maintained as a collection of information by a person, group, or organization.

A website is organized similar to the way files are stored in folders on your computer.  Each website has its own identifier (file name) called a web address or url, and this url usually points to the main page (folder) on the website, also called the homepage.  Other interconnected files or sub pages within the website share the same url but have additional tags or names added to identify their location.

In order to find the main page or a sub page of a website, the url must be typed in the browser window of a web browser, such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Safari, and sent out into the World Wide Web to look for the page with that url.  Urls start with the characters http://, followed by a domain name such as “yourdomainname” and have a variety of endings, the most common being “.com.”  Together, the url looks like http://yourdomainname.com.  It can also appear as http://www.yourdomainname.com, even though most browsers no longer require the www.  A url leading to a sub page would appear like http://yourdomainname.com/subpage.  From the url that is typed into the browser window, the browser locates the web host or server for yourdomainname.com and then finds the correct page in the website and displays that page on your computer screen.

A webhost is simply a server (computer) that is always online so that people with internet access can view the files on the server.  By having yourdomainname.com hosted by a server, you and the general public can view the files on your website 24 hours a day.

Websites can be used to publicly or privately display a variety of information.  Access beyond the first page on a private website normally requires a password, which is issued by the administrator of that website.  An example of private websites are some Social websites like Facebook and Myspace which require registration before full access is granted.

There are approximately eight main types of websites, although the number varies depending on who you’re talking to.  The most common website types are commercial, personal, organizational, educational, entertainment, news, blog, and hybrid.  The names are self explanatory and hybrid is merely a website that combines two or more of the website types and their characteristics into a single website.  Social websites more often than not fall under the hybrid category, and some consider social sites a website type in itself.

So if you’re thinking about creating a presence on the world wide web, you’re going to need a website.  When choosing a domain name and a hosting company, you will have two broad choices, paid and free.  You will need to consider the purpose of your website before choosing a domain name or a hosting company.  Even though free hosting for your website is a choice and looks inviting, most free services are restrictive, and keep in mind the old adage, “You get what you pay for.”