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This Page isn't meant to tell you
everything about Geocities. It is meant as a
"getting started" page for AOL users who want
to create a homepage on Geocities., To let you know how
easy it is!! As an AOL user myself, I know that there is
a great deal of confusion about whether we can use
Geocities at all. Some people say that you can only have
a web page on AOL. But..plenty of AOL users do have pages
on Geocities.!! But you may have heard that they all have
separate ISP's as well. That may or may not be the case,
but you can have a Web page on Geocities even if
you have AOL and only AOL as your connection to the
Internet. The reason I am writing this page is because I
heard all of these things, and had all of this confusion,
but I couldn't find any place to turn for the
answers.(and now, I get alot of email from aol users
asking these questions! so I can just direct
them here! ) I am going to address the most basic issues
and questions, and I hope you will feel free to submit
more questions, so that I can turn this page into an
actual FAQ page in the future. |
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- The first thing you need to do
is download Netscape Navigator. You will not be
able to upload your page to geocities with AOL's
Browser.
- (don't be intimidated by
this!!! I was, but there is nothing to it! and if
you have problems I promise I'll be there to help
you!)
- Go to http://www.netscape.com and choose the download option. it
is best to download from a mirror site, and
during hours of light usage on AOL.
- Be sure that you are
downloading the correct version of Netscape for
your AOL software. Unless you have the AOL 30 for
Win95 32 bit version, you need to download the 16
bit version of Netscape. Only download the 32 bit
version if you have AOL for WIn95. If you have
any doubt or question, email me.
After you have
downloaded and installed Netscape, Sign on to
AOL, and then start Netscape. Do NOT
minimize AOL because of the 46 minute timer
screens, just make the window small, and start
Netscape over it, this way the timer will come to
the front and you wont get signed off.
Finding
your new Home on Geocities
- Go to http://www.oocities.org/members/join/freehp.html and read about the homestead
program, and read the rules and page content guidelines before you start..
- Go to the Free homestead page, and follow the instructions for
finding a homestead. First you will decide what
your page is about and choose a Neighborhood.
Then, you will go to that Neighborhood and browse
for vacancies. When you find a vacant spot in the
Neighborhood you need, you will apply for that
address. (don't worry about remembering all this,
The directions are very clear, I am just telling
you what to expect here so you can be prepared.)
- Be ready to fill out the
needed information when you apply for your
homestead. You will need to choose a membername
that is 14 characters all lowercase and no
spaces. It is best to have something in mind so
you don't end up with something you hate. Try and
fit it to the theme of your page if possible..
- You will also need to give a
short description of your page, and other
information such as your name address and email
address. Be sure to give the correct email
address or you wont receive your password.
- If you do all that correctly,
you will receive an email confirmation welcoming
you to Geocities and informing you of your
password..That's all you need to get
started...now, Here's HOW you do it!
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- Believe me, it's all downhill
from here! If you have ever put a homepage on
AOL, you will see just how simple it is to Upload
and maintain your page on Geocities! so ..ready?
- Have your member name and
password ready, and locate the Geocities
File manager. This
is a neat little place where you can do all kinds
of things, like change your password, check your
remaining file space, change your member profile,
and Upload files.
- If you have downloaded
Netscape as I instructed, then you don't have to
worry about FTP, or any of that other stuff,
because you can use the EZ file upload utility! I
love it, and so will you...you don't have to type
in the filenames , and you can upload 5 files at
once, but this will increase to 20!
- When you get to the Geocities File Manager, It will ask you for your
membername and password, and when you type them
in, you are in you own directory...that simple.
- Be sure and bookmark this
page, you are going to come here often.
- The one thing I may need to
mention here, is the first file you upload needs
to be Index html. not htm, but html. So if your
PC or html editor saves files with htm extension,
you can set the ez upload utility to change it
automatically, or do it yourself
- My own personal tip
here...don't apply for your homestead until you
at least have the index.html file ready or about
ready to upload.ANd if you need help with html ,
then you will need to go to a page like Create it 101, html for beginners. .Geocities
does ask that you move in within a reasonable
amount of time..somewhere I read a week, my
letter said two weeks, but if you have it ready,
then you wont be rushing to meet the deadline!
- So, now that you have done all
of this, bookmarked the File Manager Page, etc,
spend some time looking around Geocities. They
have all kinds of suggestions and links to pages
to help
you with any problem you may encounter. Get
familiar with it.
- So your page is ready, and you
are there at the Geocities file Manager..There,you will see 2 choices,
either list all files with the following
extensions, or enter filenames manually. Since
you are uploading your Index .html file, you
don't have any files to list, so you can just
leave it as it is. (I believe the default is to
list all files).now all you have to do is type in
your membername and password (that was sent to
you by Geocities with your welcome letter) then
push submit.
- When the next screen comes up,
you are in your own directory. You should see
your membername and address at the top of the
page. There are several buttons there, edit,
view, delete, etc, things you can do with your
files which you will use in the future, but for
now ignore them. there are 3 links, Disk usage,
EZ upload, and other Utilities. Click on the EZ
upload link. (or, since there is nothing in your
directory, you could just scroll down a little
and you will see it, but when you have a bunch of
files, you'll need the link, so use it anyway)
- You will see five blank boxes
with Browse next to them...Don't type anything
in! you don't have to..(I did at first because on
AOL you DO have to!) just click browse next to
the first box. browse to your Index html file and
select it. Click open. Now, the name and path
(which doesn't matter) of your index. html file
will appear in the first box. If you have more
files to upload do the same thing for each of
them.
At the
bottom of those boxes there is a button that says
upload files. Click on it, and wait. In a few
minutes the screen will change, and it will
inform you that index.html, and whatever else you
put in there, have been uploaded! Now, wasn't
that about as easy as it gets!!!
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