Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
A subdomain is a Web address that has a name, then a dot, and then a URL.
An example would be mikesmith.portfolio village.com. Subdomains are effec-
tive because they are direct Web sites that are typically easy to remember
because they are connected to an existing easy to remember Web address.
Another advantage to using a subdomain is price. Typically, subdomains cost
around $10 to $15, a one-time fee.
Where You Can Post
Your Web Portfolio
We have talked about Internet service providers and securing a domain or
subdomain. Let's cover some of the real-world options that you will be making
decisions about during the Web portfolio upload process. When it comes to
posting your Web portfolio to a server, you have choices. The choices are
based on price, flexibility, and hard disk space on the server. As hard disk
space and flexibility go up so does price. As price comes down, server space
dwindles and flexibility becomes stricter and stricter. Let's discuss a few
examples. There are many places where you can get free Web portfolio space.
Your institution may provide free space to students and faculty for the purpose
of posting a Web portfolio or the instructor's case, course materials. The server
space allowed by most institutions is typically unlimited. Obviously, there is a
limit to everything. But, most academic information technology departments do
not put stringent limits on server space for individual Web portfolio accounts.
The only problem with the free Web server space is that it resides on the school
server. The performances of academic servers are typically acceptable.
However, what becomes a bit unacceptable are the long Web addresses that
are given out to faculty and students. In the case of faculty, this is less of an issue.
Faculty members already have positions in the professional world. Students, on
the other hand, need the most effective promotional tools they can get to
compete successfully in the knowledge age and in an age where technology
rules the roost in marketable skill sets. Long addresses with ~ (tildes) and a
lengthy line of subdirectory folders make academic Web portfolio addresses
difficult to remember and less than impressive to give out in a professional
scenario. A typical academic Web address may look something like this
(www.myWeb.xyxcollege.edu/students/~jdimarco). Notice the deep
subdirectories and the less than attractive tilde. Some employers with less
