Putting documents on the web.

I.    Get a web account.   If you don’t have a web account that you have already been posting stuff to, then you need one.   Go to http://www3.austincc.edu/webdev/ and fill out the form for a DEPARTMENTAL web account, not a personal web account.  Do this right away.   You’ll need to ask for a suggested name.   I’m suggesting some names here – you don’t have to use these.  When it asks what you will post there, say “course information” or something like that.

• Arts Hum:  I suggest ahum2    Will have URL:   http://www.austincc.edu/ahum2/
• Comm:  Already has one.     http://www.austincc.edu/commdept/
• SBS:    I suggest sbs2  http://www.austincc.edu/sbs2/
• Mathsci:  Already has one.  mathsci2   http://www.austincc.edu/mathsci2/
• App Tech:   I suggest aptech2    http://www.austincc.edu/aptech2/
• Bus:  I suggest business2. http://www.austincc.edu/business2/
• Advanced Tech: Already has one.
• Health Sci:  Already has one.

Ask me  (mparker@austincc.edu/)  if you have any questions.  

Comment:  It isn’t OK to share a web directory with someone else.  It’s like sharing a file drawer, but worse.  You’ll likely write over each others’ files, erase things, and generally cause a mess.  Don’t do it!   It’s easy to get as many web accounts as your department has people working in them.

II.  Decide where on your hard drive you’ll store your web pages.   Make it a separate folder from anything else.  So you will keep a complete copy of everything you put on the web here.   And nothing else.

III.  If you’re doing syllabi for several departments, make separate subfolders for each of those departments in your main web folder. 

IV.  As the documents come in from the departments, make sure each file is labeled right (short labels, no spaces and all alphanumeric characters) and put it in the right folder. 

V.  Determine what software you’ll use to upload files to the web and get that software.  If you already have something that you like to use, that’s great.  If not, I recommend WS_FTP.       http://www.ftpplanet.com/download.htm  Choose the LE version, since it is free.    

VI. After you download it, close all programs, and then find the file that you downloaded and run it to install the program.

VII. Now you must configure the program. Instructions are provided. If you need more help than these instructions, feel free to ask.

VIII. Upload all of your files to the web (instructions on the same page as configuring the program) and check to see that all of your links work. If you used my suggestions, then you should be able to use the following links, with DEPT replaced by the name of the folder you used for the department. Be sure you check all your departments.

• Arts Hum:  http://www.austincc.edu/ahum2/syll/DEPT
• Comm:  Already has one.    
• SBS:    I suggest sbs2  http://www.austincc.edu/sbs2/syll/DEPT
• Mathsci:  Already has one.  mathsci2   http://www.austincc.edu/mathsci2/syll/DEPT
• App Tech:   I suggest aptech2    http://www.austincc.edu/aptech2/syll/DEPT
• Bus:  Still under consideration.
• Advanced Tech: http://www.austincc.edu/csat/syll/DEPT
• Health Sci:  Already has one.

IX. Send me (mparker@austincc.edu) an email message telling me that you have some syllabi posted and where they are (in case you didn't use my suggestions for naming your folders and subfolders.)

General strategy: It's a good idea to keep a complete backup of all your files somewhere else -- on a floppy disk or at least in a different place on your hard drive. It's very easy to copy stuff into the wrong place and, more quickly than you'd think, lose some files. So get in the habit of having backups somewhere so that you could always re-create your files easily.

Last updated February 4, 2003 . Mary Parker.