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Web Page Names Tell You A Lot

Last Updated: January 12, 2011

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If someone asked you to identify yourself, you would probably give them your first and last name, right? Well, a webpage does the same thing.

In your address bar, you probably see something similar to

Web Page Names Tell You A Lot

That is how this site identifies itself. Start by looking at the ".org," called the domain name. Since eXtension is a non-profit organization, the website has the domain name ".org."

Contents

Domain Names Are Important

Just like non-profit organizations and industry standards have .org for a domain name, other industries and institutions have domain names that help identify them. They include (After viewing each example, use your browser's BACK button to return to this page OR RIGHT CLICK your mouse on the example and tell your browser to open in a new window).

The Cream Filling

Believe it or not, a web address is a lot like an Oreo. The outside chocolate waifers are great and very important. The cream filling is just as important, though! An Oreo would not be the same if it didn't have all the parts.

The same goes for an address on the internet. The domain is very important in identifying what type of institution but the rest of the address has meaning as well. The parts before the domain identify the server (or computer) where files are located. The parts after the domain identify where on the server those files are found.

  • Consider this address: http://fcs.tamu.edu/families/aging/index.php
    • fcs identifies the area of the internet where your browser is pointed, family and consumer sciences, and tamu stands for Texas A&M University. This information identifies the server, think of it like a filing cabinet, where web page information is held. You've just identified the server's name.
    • .edu, also known as the domain name, tells us that fcs.tamu is part of an educational institution.
    • families and aging are folder names on the server where the files that make up this web page are held.
    • index.php identifies the particular file you are viewing.
      • Files do not all have .php as an extension - other extensions may include .html and .asp, among others.

Think of the server name as one waifer and the folder and file name as the other waifer. The domain name is the cream filling. Voila! There is the whole Oreo. Now all you need is a glass of milk!

What about the http:// or the www?

Well, that is a good question. Your browser takes care of the http:// part automatically. http:// stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol (you really don't need to know that). All you need to know about it is that it is the set of rules for transfering information on the internet.

www stands for World Wide Web. Sometimes you need the www, sometimes you do not. The reason some sites need them and some do not depends on how that particular institution has their system set up. If all else fails and you can't remember whether it had a www or not, try it both ways and see which one works!

Feeling Safe and Secure

Information submitted via the internet can be intercepted by "enterprising individuals." For that reason, many sites offer a secure connection with the intent that the particular institution will be the only one receiving the information you send.

Your browser tells you when a connection is secure in a couple of ways:

Screenshot of secure address bar

  • The http:// you are used to seeing changes to https:// - the "s" stands for secure.
  • A little lock will probably appear somewhere on your browser - in this case it is to the right of the address.

Your particular browser may also have a pop-up window that lets you know you are going in and out of a secure page. While this system is not perfect, it offers better protection than a regular page. Always be wary of giving personal information out over the web but you can feel a bit more confident if the site tells you it's secure and you find the two features we just learned about.

You'll have an opporunity to download this the information on this page when you get to the downloads section of this lesson.




Next: E-mail May Be A Useful Tool >>

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