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Step 1. Do You Have A Free Personal Website Account?

Many Louisiana institutions of higher learning provide faculty, staff, and students with a useful and valuable professional tool for eLearning and workforce development, a personal "website account” or "Internet account". If you have a higher education email account, you may have a personal website account. If so, this webguide will show you how to use your free website account using free software.

If your educational institution does provide you with a personal website account, you can use it to learn a valuable skillset, the knowledge to manage a website account; that skill is often listed in job qualifications for entry-level technology positions. Thanks to support from the Louisiana Board of Regents eLearning Task Force, you can use this open source webguide freely to manage your own website account. This webguide provides step-by-step instructions for faculty, staff, and students with institutional "website accounts" to utilize this professional resource to support any type of eLearning initiative or career goal in participating in the digital economy.

Your Own Online Portfolio ("eFolio") For Career Opportunities
Students will find a personal website account extremely useful during job interviews for exciting job opportunities by sharing and discussing an eFolio (an online portfolio) with an interviewer. Nothing can help a newly graduated job applicant more during a job interview than providing relevant online work samples that are "hosted" on the applicant's own website account.

Your Files Online
Typically, when institutions of higher learning create a personal network account for email access, the installation process usually includes the creation of a special "shared network folder", often named public_html, that serves as a personal "website account". Any file or files that you can copy into that special network folder will be on the Internet. If you go one step further, you can use free software to create files and folders that can make up an interactive "website", a collection of linked HTML files. All of this can be learned with moderate technical skills at no additonal cost. This webguide enables you to create an attractive and fuctional mobile responsive website... in one weekend.

"eLearning"
Google’s terse definition of eLearning is “learning conducted via electronic media, typically on the Internet”. While there are many ways to get your files on the Internet, there are compromises in accessibility, branding, control, security, permanence, and related issues regarding personal information and cost (either direct or hidden) due to advertising and promotional tracking. In stark contrast, a free university personal Internet account is secure and extremely useful for supporting your own professional goals.

Since 2004, the author has taught online graduate students in the University of Louisiana (ULM) Educational Technology Leadership graduate program to use their free university website accounts for course assignments, projects, and online professional electronic portfolios ("eFolios"). This webguide contains dozens of excellent work samples created by students. Over those years, students have made it clear that anyone can easily maintain a personal website account using free software. This webguide will help you to get your files on the Internet and start you creating your own personal website. You are encouraged, with dozens of tangible student-produced "exemplars" (outstanding examples), to create your own eFolio (online portfolio) that can kickstart your future career.

Your Own "eFolio" (Online Electronic Portfolio)
The best way a newly-graduated student can prepare for an all-important job interview for "that perfect career opportunity" is to share with a potential employer an online showcase of your relevant work samples. Show, don't tell, what you are capable of doing. Your personal website account makes it possible to support your long-term dreams and goals when you discuss your best online work in the form of an electronic portfolio (eFolio). What you create and upload to your personal website account is unmistakable evidence of professionalism. Yes, you can create your own website and showcase relevant and useful work samples that can be easily accessed and shared without compromise.

The ideal "credible" job interview for a highly competitive position involves describing relevant online eFolio files that reside on your own personal website account. This important strategy can take your job interview to a higher level. Why? The person who interviews you does NOT "take your word" about what you know or can do. Instead, you need to demonstrate credible competence and value. "Credible" means "believable". Why should anyone believe what you say about yourself? Talking about yourself during a job interview is meaningless unless you provide evidence. Use this step-by-step visual guide to apply your free educational institution website account, at no cost, in attaining your future career goal... by making it possible to share your own eFolio (your best work in your courses!). When you can clearly show that you also manage your own website account, it makes a potential employer break out into a smile.

Practical Examples
This webguide demonstrates to faculty and students relevant examples in using an institutional website account in a variety of ways to support any type of "eLearning" activity. While anyone can “get files on the Internet” with popular social networking applications and online storage services, there are significant advantages in using a personal website account. You can provide your own online content easily, securely, and effectively without loss of control or intellectual property ownership by using a skillset that is considered very favorably in the workplace.

NOTE: Throughout this "webguide", you will see references to the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM), a large public university in northeast Louisiana. That's understandable because the author teaches Instructional Technology courses at ULM. The "ULM examples" presented in this webguide are "extremely similar" in concept, process, and procedure to your own educational institution website account settings. So, consider the references to ULM as tangible, relevant, and practical examples only.

At Your Educational Institution
At the University of Louisiana at Monroe, anyone with a ULM email account has a ready-to-use website account. The availability of a personal website account at your educational institution depends on its network policies. Your first step in determining if your educational institution provides a free website account is to contact your educational institution's technical support center. Often, it is not common knowledge that educational institutions even provide personal website accounts. Try asking: "Do you know of anyone who has a [name of your educational institution] personal website account?" Some faculty and staff do manage website accounts for departments and programs; those accounts are different from personal website accounts. The next question to ask is: "Whom should I contact about using or getting my own personal website account?" If you get a positive response, "follow that path" to get specific information that applies to you.

Even at large established institutions of higher learning, many people perceive the management of a personal website account as "too unfamiliar, technical, or complex". Few faculty, staff, and students manage their personal website accounts. Why? It would be very difficult to provide comprehensive technical support for inexperienced users. So, when you do find a technical support person at your educational institution who can provide you with information, ask "gently"if your educational institution of higher learning does or can provide you with a personal website account. You may be told that there is little technical support. That's OK. This free online webguide is all you need to assure that the helpful (and most likely, overworked) techical support person that you can get started on your own by using the visual tutorials, examples, and links to free software found in this webguide. You will then, if you listen carefully, hear a sigh of relief.

GEEK SPEAK: During the default installation of a "user account" for an employee or student of an educational institution's "enterprise" network, it is common, by default, to create an individual's "network account" to support email and "other" online services. Each "network account" is a specific folder on a "server". A "server" is, a computer that controls a network with networking software. So, a specific "network account" for a particular individual is really a unique network folder that contains folders and files. Usually, but not always, such a "network account" includes online storage space for a "special folder" (often called "public_html") that is "publicly shared" on the Internet. That "special folder" is really your "Internet account" or "website account" because any files copied or "uploaded" to that "special folder" will be on the Internet. Consequently, a new user account on a network often includes a ready-to-use special folder, like "public_html". In other cases, that special folder requires activation. It all depends on your educational institution on how it manages its network.

If you do have access to a "network account" that includes the special public_html folder (or, something that is very similar), you are ready to use free software to copy your files into that "special folder" as your "website account". When you do use free "FTP" (file transfer) software to copy files to your "public_html" folder, your files are “on the Internet”. That means that you have immediate access to a valuable and free professional resource. You'll be able to copy any of your files to your own "website account". So, the main idea is that any files that you "upload" ("copy") to your "website account" will be on the Internet. To do that you, you need special free software.

Does your educational institution offer YOU a free personal "website account"? One of these situations will apply:

#1. Yes, your educational institution DOES offer you a personal website account. And, yes, it's ready for you to use... right now. You can use free "FTP" software to copy files into the special network folder called "public_html" to get your files on the Internet. Until you copy files into the public_html folder, your "website account" is empty.

#2. Yes, your educational institution DOES offer a personal website account. But, you'll need to go through an administrative process before your personal website account is activated. In that case, just follow the procedures. With a little more effort, you'll soon have something that is very useful and valuable. Until you copy files into the public_html folder, your "website account" is empty.

#3. No, your educational institution does not offer you a personal website account. The reasons will vary. In that case, you can still use this webguide if and when you decide to pay for a commercial hosting service using a registered domain name. You can still use this webguide because the concepts and procedures are identical for any type of website account.

If you do have access to an educational institution personal website account, your institution's technical support staff can provide you with specific basic technical information about your website account that you'll need to "connect" to your personal website account. In a weekend, you'll be able to use your website account to create a website using the same free software that was used to create the webguide website you are now viewing.

When you gain familiarity with your website account, you will be able to manage your online files easily. It's not difficult for faculty, staff, and students to develop useful and practical experience in managing a personal website account. You will be able to learn a lot and enjoy the challenge. You are a trailblazer! Blaze on!

Step 2. Account Information

Great! You determined from your educational institution that you do, indeed, have a free personal website account.
1. You need to get some basic technical information about the settings of your website account.
2. You need to know the "server name" or "host name". In every network, there's a single "server" that acts like a brain to communicate with a group of connected computers; you just need to find out what the server of your network account is named. The name of the server is the "host name".

GEEK SPEAK: Every network requires a "server". Every server that connects with other networks must have its own distinct and unique "name". On the Internet, the network of networks, every server of every network has a unique name. A "host" is just a network that allows YOU to use your account on that network to share files on the Internet through your own "special folder" (usually called "public_html"). When you hear of "hosting plans" for commercial website accounts, it means that a company is willing to sell you a network account that includes a "special shared folder" that shares your files on the Internet. You can't get "on the Internet" unless you use a network that connects your "special shared public folder" (like "public_html") to the Internet. So, when a network provides a "hosting service" for you, it is hosting your "network account" or "website account". Many educational institutions provide network accounts for faculty, staff, and students that contain a special network folder (like "public_html"); that special network folder is your free "personal website account".

Besides being free, an educational institution personal website account is reliable, private, and secure. YOU control it. None of your information is shared with marketers. At the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM), there is one server for all student accounts and a different server for all faculty and staff accounts. In examples that you will see in this guide, the name of the ULM student server is "warhawks.ulm.edu". The references to the University of Louisiana at Monroe are used as practical examples only. You can follow along with the references and examples knowing that you will adapt that information for your own educational institution's server. The process is always the SAME regardless of your institution's network or the "FTP" program you use. The process for getting files on the Internet is universal and consistent because any connected network on the Internet acts in the SAME way.

Q. Does capitalization of the server name matter?

A. Yes, it really does matter. In nearly all cases, the server name will be in "lowercase" (i.e., don't use capital letters).

It's wise to follow these simple guidelines in naming any folders or files that you will copy ("upload") to your website account:

1. Use all lowercase letters until you become proficient.

2. Avoid using spaces. You can use the hyphen character ("-") to replace a space.

3. Avoid using punctuation and other special characters.

4. Include the file extension ( .pptx .docx .png .txt .pdf). There is just one period in a file name.

Q. Why is the issue of lowercase/uppercase text important when naming folders and files that will be on the Internet?

A. When your files are online, they are controlled by the network operating system, not your computer operating system. On many networks, the names of folders and files need to exactly match the case of the text. If you name your files "improperly", you may experience unexpected error messages.

Q. Is this really important?

A. Based on extensive teaching experience, students who were learning to use a website account faced most errors that were related to naming files and folders. You can eliminate a great deal of potential frustration by naming files and folders that will be online by using these basic guidelines.

Great! Avoiding problems with improperly named files and folders will save you hours of frustration. Why? On the Internet, the "Internet address" ("URL") must be exact; if the Internet address does not exactly match an online file, you will receive an error message. In some cases, there will be inexplicable problems... caused by the improper name of an online file... that will be frustrating and difficult to figure out. You can avoid all of that by making it a habit to name online files properly.

"Uploading" and "Downloading"
Next, you will need to use "FTP" (file transfer) software to connect your computer with your network account. Imagine that your website account is "in the cloud". When you copy your file or files "up" to your website account, you are "uploading". Similarly, when online files ("in the cloud") are saved "down" to your computer, you are "downloading".

To connect your computer with your network account, you need to provide basic information about the settings of your account. Below is the information that you need for an "FTP" software application "profile" or "session". This same information applies to any FTP software applications you may use for any network accounts. In an "FTP" application, you'll need to type in these settings for your own educational institution network account profile or session.

If you use Windows, the free WinSCP "FTP" (file transfer) application is recommended. It's been used for well over a decade in many dozens of ULM university courses; students have remarked that this software was easy to use. In this version of WinSCP, you will see a screen appear below that contains the required settings to connect to a ULM student's website account. This is just an explicit example that you can adapt for your own website account.

1. When you use an "FTP" (file transfer) application, like WinSCP, you need some basic information about your own network account in order to access it. You can get the information from your educational institution's technical support service unit.

2. In this particular example, the host name ("server name") is warhawks.ulm.edu

The server name for your personal website account at another educational institution will, of course, be different.

3. You need to know the "FTP Port Number". The "FTP port" number will vary from server to server. The network administrator of your educational institution can provide you with this information.

4. Your user name ("login", "username") for your network account.

5. Your password for your own network account. Typically, the login and password will be identical to what you use to access your educational institution email account.

6. 3. It's HIGHLY likely that you need to use the encrypted "protocol" of "FTP" called "Secure FTP" or "SFTP". Most educational institutions now require that. Ask to be sure.

7. Once you set up your profile for your own institutional account, you can save your profile; that makes it easy to access your network account in the future without typing the same settings all over again. While this all seems so technical at the moment, it will all gradually make sense in the near future. Remember, you are just getting started.

Q. Are these settings also applicable for paid "hosted" websites?

A. Yes. You can use WinSCP to manage any website account, institutional or commercial. In fact, you can save multiple profiles or sessions in WinSCP for different network accounts.

Q. When I watch action movies that describe people "hacking" into a network, are they using an "FTP" application like WinSCP?

A. Yes.

Q. To be sure, when I manage my own educational institution website account, I do need to follow the policies for responsible use of my website account. Right?

A. That's absolutely right. Every educational institution has policy guidelines for responsible website usage.

Step 3. Get Free "FTP" Software

You need to use "FTP" (file transfer) software. The "FTP" software application that you will use to connect between your computer and your network account is easy to use and... free... if you are a Windows user. The highly recommended free software is called "WinSCP". It's available for download on Windows computers.
Click HERE to download and "unzip" free Windows "portable" software.

If you are a Mac user, there are free and commercial FTP software options to consider. If you do download free Mac software, make sure that you download from trusted websites. All FTP applications work, more or less, in the same general way by using the information you have identified ("server name/hosting name", "FTP port number", "login" and "password") to connect your computer with your network account. Just know that, until recently, FTP applications were considered obscure because technicians used the software for highly specialized uses. While you can use any type of FTP software to get your files on the Internet, throughout this webguide, we'll refer to the easy-to-use "FTP" application called "WinSCP".

GEEK SPEAK: The first two letters of "FTP" stand for "file transfer". The purpose of the WinSCP software application is to transfer files between your computer and your (online) network account. The FTP software application acts as a "bridge"; the "FTP" software enables you to connect with your network account from your computer.

We'll use "WinSCP" to copy or "upload" a file called "about-me.pptx" from your computer to your website account. It's much easier to show than to explain. Just remember that the process is always straightforward because it never changes. With "WinSCP", it's simply a matter of "dragging" files into the public_html folder. When you acquire expertise with "uploading" files to your online account, a typical "FTP session" lasts less than a minute. With "FTP" software, you can manage your own website account... confidently.

4. Review Key Concepts

There are many effective initiatives involving innovative "eLearning" strategies taking place in the state of Louisiana. A basic eLearning technical skill (“workforce skillset”) for many entry level jobs involves the ability to "get files on the Internet" on a network account. While it is possible to upload files to the Internet using commercial online applications, there are compromises. The best way to securely get files online is to use a website account. However, for many, the direct cost of a registered domain name and hosing service that costs approximately $100 per year is prhibitive.

A free personal website account hosted on an educational institution’s network, hoverver, is secure and easy to use with free software. A personal website account is extremely useful for supporting eLearning because it enables YOU, the owner, with direct access and control of your files on the Internet. A lack of familiarity has prevented many faculty, staff, and students to even consider using a free and powerful digital resource. Really, only a basic level of technical skill is required to get files online. “Uploading” files with open source "FTP" software to a personal website account is easy to do. It's just unfamiliar at first. The process for using a website account is consistent and straightforward. The visual steps in this webguide will show you how this all works.

GEEK SPEAK: The Internet is a network of networks. Every network connected with the Internet has a unique name. Every file on a network, just like on your computer, has a unique file address. Similarly, every file on the Internet has a unique Internet address. You can access any file on the Internet using the unique (exact!) Internet address ("URL") with any Internet-connected device. This basic familiarity is important in any technology-intensive career path. When you learn how to use your website account, you are learning a practical skillset that will never change; sharing files on connected networks is the foundation of the Internet. "Shared network files and folders" are the basic building blocks of the Internet. An Internet address is the universal way to access a file on the Internet; an Internet address works in every type of common or popular software application (e.g., email, text messages, Moodle, online forums, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, PDFs, and in all Microsoft Office applicaitons like Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and so on...)

You can directly link to any online file using its unique Internet address; that "active link" can support any educational or professional activity at no cost to you. At the same time, you maintain control of your own content. You can manage and share any of your own files on the Internet using a free, secure, reliable, and professional resource. While amazing technology applications will emerge, dazzle, excite, and fade into disuse, the value and utility of using your own personal website account is fundamental and permanent.

In a relatively short time, with free software, you will acquire a useful and professional skillset. The ability to manage your own website account is highly regarded as a relevant and professional skill; it enables you to create, publish, and manage your own online files as a digital content provider using any digital media. This practical ability is regarded quite favorably in any workplace.

Great! It's a good idea to review some common terms about your website account with these interactive cards:

5. Wait! Why Should I?

If you don't, you lose an opportunity to learn how to apply a free technical resource that you can use for the rest of your life. Using free easy-to-use software, you can design and upload your own website in one weekend with your own content and direct and active links to your own files, espcially professional samples that could help you get a job. There is great instructional and professional value in using a free personal website that is “hosted” by your educational institution. There are many ways to apply your website account. It's even fun to learn how... at no cost.

You can “upload”, describe, and provide access to any of your online files, as you like. Can this impress a future employer when discussing a desirable opportunity to participate in the digital economy? You can "show what you know"!

If you intend to apply for a competitive job in the near future, it's a VERY good idea to "showcase" your best work with online files from YOUR personal website account to a potential employer. Doing that changes the dynamics of the interview. Why? You will feel more relaxed and confident in showing and talking about creative work that you have already done for your courses. The potential employer gains confidence in you because there is real evidence of your capabilities. With a bit of preparation, your website account can help you to turn a future job interview into a professional CONVERSATION about how YOU can fit into an organization.

You can examine excellent eFolio ("electronic/online portfolo") examples created by university students in this webguide. When YOU do that during a job interview, it enhances your chances to get the job that you want. Your eFolio can serve as the best single strategy for you to be successful and confident when that ideal job opportunity arises... during an interview. How? You provide tangible proof. You show that you are comfortable not only demonstrating your best work but that you are able to provide what you know online. You show that you can do that for that institution, company, or organization, too. That's what employers want to verify; they want evidence, not claims of abilities; they want to see evidence with their own eyes. Saying "I can do that..." or typing "I can do that..." mean little in interview situations... without evidence. When you demonstrate that you can create an eFolio and manage a website account, you are putting yourself in a competitive category during a job inteview.

Yes, You Really Should...

You can not only store and retrieve online files, you can design, edit, and manage your own website on your own website account. A registered website with a commercial "hosting plan" would cost you approximately $100 per year, depending on options. An educational institution website account, on the other hand, can provide a “hosted” personal website account with reliable service, great security, and high access speed (bandwidth) at no cost to you. Within a month, you can be completely proficient. Why not get started? It's really NOT hard to do.

So, while you are engaged in academic pursuits at your educational institution, there are many ways to enhance your assignments by providing "active links" to online files and even digital online versions. There's so much to learn about digital publishing; that knowledge and skill is valued both in the marketplace and in institutions of higher learning.

So, really, should you? Your free personal website account is a professional resource that you can use to attain future goals, YOUR professional goals. With a weekend of effort, you can create a website. Within a month, this useful digital resource can shape your future opportunities.... at no cost to you. That's why.

Step 6. Upload To Your Personal Website Account

Option 1: Upload Files Manually To Your Website Account

You have determined that you have a personal website account. That's great. You have basic information about your personal website account and you have "FTP" software. That's all you need to use your personal website account!

1. Start by "uploading" a sample Powerpoint file called about-me.pptx to your personal website account.

2. In this example, create a folder in the public_html folder called "bayou".

3. Then, create a folder inside of "bayou" called "bin".

4. Then, finally, copy the file "about-me.pptx" into the "bin" folder.

5. Here is an example of an Internet address for an online file uploaded by a ULM student. Every Internet address to an online file is unique. This example describes the server name used at the University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM).

- the server name (host name) for the student server is warhawks.ulm.edu

- the "special folder" for sharing files on the Internet, in this example, is public_html

- the login is yourlogin

- the folder name is bayou

- the sub-folder name is bin

- the Powerpoint file name is named about-me.pptx

Let's assume that you are using the free "FTP" software application called "WinSCP".

A. Use "WinSCP" to connect to the ULM student's personal network account.

B. Then open the "special folder" called public_html

C. Create a folder called bayou in the public_html folder.

D. Then, create a folder called bin in the bayou folder.

E. Finally, copy the file called about-me.pptx in the bin folder.

F. Here is the "structure":

warhawks.ulm.edu [the "server name" or "host name"]

public_html ["special shared folder"]

bayou [folder]

bin [folder]

about-me.pptx [file]

The Internet address for this sample online file would be:

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/bin/about-me.pptx

(NOTE: In the future, websites will use "https" to indicate added security through encryption:

https://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/bin/about-me.pptx

Please examine these links by noticing the pattern.

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/bin/about-me.pptx
http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/bin/visual-map.docx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/bin/vocabulary-list-01.docx
http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/bin/study-guide-01.docx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/bin/iste-standards.docx
http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/bin/content-trailers.pptx
http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/bin/grammar-resources.pptx
http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/bin/jeopardy.pptx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/bin/active-worksheet-01.docx
http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/bin/active-worksheet-02.docx
http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/bin/presentation.pptx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/bin/visual-intro.docx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/bin/project-proposal.docx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/bin/project-report.docx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/bin/intro-to-video-01.pptx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/bin/intro-to-video-02.pptx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/bin/rhyming-audio-story-01.pptx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/bin/rhyming-audio-story-02.pptx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/bin/rhyming-audio-story-03.pptx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/bin/website-descriptions.pptx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/bin/visual-links-to-my-online-project-files.pptx

Every Internet address is based on a clear and unchanging pattern. Notice the pattern.

1. In this example, "http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin" represents the student's website account. That portion of the Internet address does NOT change.

2. Of course, the student needs to replace "yourlogin" with an actual login.

3. Notice that the folders and the file make up the Internet address.

4. Each Internet address is unique.

5. Based on this pattern, you can create an Internet address for any file on your website account.

So, after you upload your file to your website account, you can access that online file by using the Internet address. You can use an Internet address in any Office application (Powerpoint, Excel, Word...) and from any email, PDF, tweet, text message, Moodle forum message, and other applications. The use of an Internet address to link to an online file is the single best way to always be able to access and share files. This makes providing information in an institution of higher learning easy to do.

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/bin/about-me.pptx
[https://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/bin/about-me.pptx]

Replace "warhawks.ulm.edu" with the server name of your own educational institution.
Replace "yourlogin" with your own login or user name.

Option 2: Using "Mobirise" To Build Your Webpage/Website (Recommended)

You can use the free "Mobirise" application to build a webpage/website. "Mobirise" adds folders named "assets" and "files" when a webpage or website is "published". In this example, the following URLs or Internet addresses would provide direct links to online files when the "published website folder" created by Mobirise is upoaded in a folder called "bayou". In that case, these would be the direct links to online files for a student website account at the University of Louisiana at Monroe:

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/assets/files/about-me.pptx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/assets/files/visual-map.docx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/assets/files/vocabulary-list-01.docx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/assets/files/study-guide-01.docx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/assets/files/iste-standards.docx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/assets/files/content-trailers.pptx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/assets/files/grammar-resources.pptx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/assets/files/jeopardy.pptx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/assets/files/active-worksheet-01.docx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/assets/files/active-worksheet-02.docx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/assets/files/presentation.pptx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/assets/files/visual-intro.docx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/assets/files/project-proposal.docx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/assets/files/project-report.docx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/assets/files/intro-to-video-01.pptx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/assets/files/intro-to-video-02.pptx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/assets/files/rhyming-audio-story-01.pptx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/assets/files/rhyming-audio-story-02.pptx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/assets/files/rhyming-audio-story-03.pptx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/assets/files/website-descriptions.pptx

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/bayou/assets/files/visual-links-to-my-online-project-files.pptx

Notice the pattern.

Step 7. Where's My Online File?

You can always access your online file with the Internet address. Every online file has a unique Internet address or "URL" (URL = "uniform resource locator"). Internet addresses start with "http" or "https". Educational institutions are in a planned process to upgrade network accounts from "http" to "https" to add security. In the near future, educational institution website accounts will start with "https".

Examples
As examples, let's consider two Internet addresses ("URL's) for two online files. Even if the terms of "account folder", "folder location", "subfolder location", and "file name" may seem unfamiliar, just notice the pattern of what an Internet address represents. When you recognize that pattern, you will know the Internet address for any of your online files.

Every Internet address is based on a specific and unchanging pattern. Let's examine the image shown below. It represents a ULM student's website account. Of course, your educational institution will have a different Internet address using a different server name. Still, the general pattern for naming online files never changes.

The "special shared folder" named public_html could be regarded as a "website account". The two online files follow a distinct pattern for files and folders that are in the public_html folder. As shown below, the pattern never changes. When you know the the Internet address, you can access any file on the Internet.

As shown above, the relationship of files and folders located in the public_html folder makes up the Internet address. The public_html folder in your network account represents your "website account" because any files that you copy into that "special folder" are shared on the Internet. So, whenever you copy a file into the public_html folder, that file is online and accessible on the Internet. To access that online file, you need the unique Internet address.

GEEK SPEAK: The public_html folder is a publicly shared network folder of your network account. Your network acount is "hosted" on a "server". Every network is controlled by a server. The public_html folder is also the "web root", "root directory", or "home folder" of your website account. All folders and subfolders "branch off" from this special folder. (For commercially hosted website plans, the "special folder", or "website account", represents your registered "domain"; your "domain" is "hosted" on a company's network.)
NOTE: On some server configurations, the "public_html" folder may have a different name; but, it will serve in the same way as your "website account".

In the image above, the "root" of the ULM student website account is "public_html" and it is represented as: http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin

Each additional forward slash ("/") represents a folder "branching off" of the "root". So, in this case, the Internet address is:
http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/4567/bin/introduction.docx

This Internet address represents a file called "introduction.docx".

Please notice this pattern:

1. There is a "special folder" called public_html

2. In this example, create a folder "inside" of public_html called 4567.

3. Create a folder inside of 4567 called bin.

4. Copy the introduction.docx file into the bin folder.

5. The end result is that anything you copy into the public_html folder is "on the Internet".

So, the file introduction.docx is "inside" of a folder... that is "inside" of a folder... that is "inside" of the "special folder" called public_html. To represent each folder, use a forward slash ("/") character.

Why is this all important? The Internet address is "built up", folder by folder:

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin [public_html "root"]

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/4567 [4567 folder]

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/4567/bin [bin folder]

http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/4567/bin/introduction.docx [file in the bin folder]

Note how each "part" makes up the Internet address. Combined, they form a unique Internet address. Note that the "first part" of the Internet address represents the "root" of the website account; it does NOT change.

Similarly, if a file called proposal.docx is copied into the "bin" folder, the Internet address would be: http://warhawks.ulm.edu/~yourlogin/4567/bin/proposal.docx

Do you see the pattern?

Every online file has its own unique Internet address. It's how the Internet works. Every Internet address is based on a pattern that never changes. Every Internet address is based on a unique representation of the server name ("the root" or "domain") and the folders and files that "branch off" from it. If you want to think that the Internet address is based on a "root" with a combination of hyphen(s), folder(s), and a complete file name, you would not be wrong.

So, each of your online files will have its own unique Internet address. If you want to link to an online file, you need to know the exact Internet address. If you named your online files properly, you won't have any problems.

Step 8. Avoid Frustration

You did name your files and folders properly, right? The great majority of errors involving the use of a website account are caused by improperly named online files. You can avoid unexpected errors by following these rules for naming your files and folders:

1. Name any files and folders that will be uploaded to your website account with lowercase letters, numbers, and the"hyphen" ("-") character until you are proficient.

2. Avoid using special characters like punctuation marks and other symbols in a file or folder name.

3. There should be only one period (".") character between the file name and the file extension. (TIP: Adjust the settings of your computer to display the full file name so that you can easily check the file name and its extension. )

4. Avoid using spaces. Instead, use the "hyphen" character ("-").

Online files do not "work the same way" as you would expect on your computer because they are not controlled by the "operating system" on your computer. On a network, online files are controlled by a network operating system. Many networks require that the Internet address must match the case of an online file name exactly; so, using "mixed case" (uppercase and lowercase) can cause errors.

Step 9. Create Your Own Website

This webpage was created with the free "Mobirise Website Builder" software application. "Mobirise" enables you to reduce development time dramatically in creating a webpage or website. The flexible Mobirise website editor uses a "drag and drop interface" that lets you use your mouse to "drag" modular "blocks" into a page; editing the "parameters" (settings) of each individual block is straightforward.

Mobirise Website Builder makes it possible for you to create a responsive, mobile-friendly website in a weekend. Making revisions of webpages is equally easy; when you need to make a minor revision of an existing webpage, it can be done, from start to finish, in less than a minute. In this webguide, it's recommended that you use the free WinSCP "FTP" application to upload files created by Mobirise to your website account. Why? The "built-in Mobirise FTP application" may not be able to penetrate the "firewalls" of many higher education networks. The visual tutorials will show this clearly.

Click HERE to download free software.

The examples and visual tutorials in this webguide will demystify the creation and maintenance of a personal website. You will soon realize that it's not as difficult as you might have imagined. In fact, you may likely enjoy the experience!

Checklist

1. You have access to a free personal website account from your educational institution. Congratulations!

2. You know the "host name" ("server name"), "FTP access port number", your "login" ("username") and password, and the "recommended protocol" (most likely "SFTP") for the settings of your personal website account.

3. You downloaded a free "FTP" software application, like "WinSCP", ready to use on your computer, if you use a Windows computer. Or, you downloaded and installed a Mac-based FTP application on your Mac computer.

4. You downloaded and installed the free Mobirise Website Builder software application, Windows or Mac, on your computer.

You are ready to use your free educational institution personal website account. Use the menu links at the top of this webpage to view visual step-by-step tutorials, outstanding examples of student eFolios, and professional tips of best practices for educators.

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This online "webguide" is an open educational resource (OER") funded by the Louisiana Board of Regents eLearning Task Force (Grant NSU-BOR-EIG-2018-005) to disseminate practical information for faculty, staff, and students of Louisiana institutions of higher education to fully utilize their personal website accounts as an eLearning and workforce development tool. This open source resource is maintained by the University of Louisiana at Monroe graduate program of "Educational Technology Leadership". All source files will be provided to Louisiana Board of Regents institutions upon request; educational institutions may freely modify, customize, and host this "webguide" on their own networks.

No costs are involved. Use this guide freely!

Steps

Using Your Louisiana Higher Education
Institution Personal Website Account
Updated: December 18, 2020

1

Do You Have A Free Personal Website Account?

2

Ask For Basic Information

3

Get Free "FTP" Software

4

Review Key Concepts

5

Wait! Why Should I?

6

Upload To Your Personal Website Account

7

Where's My Online File?

8

Avoid Frustration

9

Create Your Own Website

Step 1. Do You Have A Free Personal Website Account?

Step 2. Account Information

Step 3. Get Free "FTP" Software

4. Review Key Concepts

5. Wait! Why Should I?

Step 6. Upload To Your Personal Website Account

Step 7. Where's My Online File?

Step 8. Avoid Frustration

Step 9. Create Your Own Website

Steps

Using Your Louisiana Higher Education Institution Personal Website Account Updated: December 18, 2020

Do You Have A Free Personal Website Account?

Ask For Basic Information

Get Free "FTP" Software

Review Key Concepts

Wait! Why Should I?

Upload To Your Personal Website Account

Where's My Online File?

Avoid Frustration

Create Your Own Website

Step 1. Do You Have A Free Personal Website Account?

Step 2. Account Information

Step 3. Get Free "FTP" Software

4. Review Key Concepts

5. Wait! Why Should I?

Step 6. Upload To Your Personal Website Account

Step 7. Where's My Online File?

Step 8. Avoid Frustration

Step 9. Create Your Own Website

Using Your Louisiana Higher Education
Institution Personal Website Account
Updated: December 18, 2020