What is a homepage?
What is a webpage?
Does paradise.net provide homepages?
How do I get my homepage space?
What will the address of my homepage be?
Are there any traffic limitations?
What do I use to make my homepage?
What is HTML?
Where can I get an HTML authoring program?
How do I publish my homepage?
What is FTP?
Where can I get an FTP program?
What is the default document on the paradise.net webservers?
I know how to log on using FTP, but what now?
I uploaded my page but nothing shows up - why?
Why do some of my images / pages not appear?
I changed my dial-in password - does this change my FTP password?
Does paradise.net support FrontPage Extensions?
Can I use scripting like CGI on my homepage?
Can I use Macromedia Flash content?
Do paradise.net support Server Side Scripting?
Can I get a domain name pointed at my homepage space?
How do I get a domain name?
How do I transfer an existing domain name from another ISP?
What are the benefits of a domain name?
What Types of Second Level Domains are there?
How do I promote my website?
Hints & Tips

What is a homepage?
A homepage is your virtual "home" in cyberspace. You create a webpage on whatever topic you like, then post it for the world to see. Common examples include CVs for prospective employers to look at, pages about your favorite games or hobbies, even pages for your sports or community group - the options are endless!

What is a webpage?
A webpage (like what you are viewing right now) is a collection of information and/or images grouped together as a virtual "page" accessible on the internet. These pages are joined together into a "web" by having links to each other.

Does paradise.net provide homepages?
Yes, all Cable, Paradise ADSL, Jetstart, Paradise 150 and Paradise 250 account holders have 10MB of space available for their use. This can be used for creating any number of pages on any number of topics provided that content does not violate our Terms and Conditions and you don't breach your space or traffic limitations. Have fun!

How do I get my homepage space?
You will need to email webmaster@paradise.net.nz to get your space activated.

What will be the address of my homepage?
Your homepage address will be http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/username where username is replaced with a shortened version of your first paradise.net email address. The maximum length for this is 8 characters.
For example, if your email address is "omarthemagnificent@paradise.net.nz", your homepage address will be http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/omarthem.
You will be notified of the address of your homepage and the FTP username to use when uploading files to it. If you would like a different address (such as your full email address), please email webmaster@paradise.net.nz with your request.

Are there any traffic limitations?
Yes - traffic to your homepage space should not become excessive (more than 200MB per 28 days). If it does, you will need to consider upgrading to a paid webhosting plan.

What do I use to make my homepage?
There are many ways of making a homepage, from the "hardcore" option of writing all your code in a text editor to the much more user friendly option of using an HTML editor to create the page. This latter kind of editor comes in many different variations. Some popular examples include Microsoft's Frontpage (clunky but good for beginners) and Macromedia's Dreamweaver (generates very clean code, aimed at the professional). Some good places to start are Tucows or Webmonkey.

What is HTML?
HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language - it is the "language" of the World Wide Web (WWW). Your web browser interprets this language, translating it into something it can display on your screen.

Where can I get an HTML authoring program?
Try Download.com for an excellent selection of the more popular editors out there.

How do I publish my homepage?
You will need to use the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) to connect to homepages.paradise.net.nz using the FTP username and password given to you when your homepage was activated. Note that we do not allow FTP connections to homepages.paradise.net.nz from non-paradise.net connections.

What is FTP?
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. FTP is used to transfer files over the internet. You will need to log on to our homepages server (homepages.paradise.net.nz) using an FTP client of some description so you can transfer your homepage from your computer to our server.

Where can I get an FTP program?
Try Tucows or Winfiles - both have a large selection of different programs available.

What is the default document on the paradise.net webservers?
The default document is index.html - this is the name your first page will need to be called for easy access by your visitors.

I know how to log on using FTP, but what now?
Once you are connected to the FTP server (homepages.paradise.net.nz) you can upload, delete or otherwise alter the files in your homepages space. If you are uploading your site for the first time, place at least the index.html file in the root (/) directory.

I uploaded my page but nothing shows up - why?
You must name your first page index.html. All lower case, .html as the file extension (not .htm). Without this, visitors to your site will receive an error message.

Why do some of my images / pages not appear?
Remember that the internet and most of the programs / protocols used on the internet are case sensitive. This means that a file called games.gif is different from a file called Games.gif. If you referred to a file called games.gif inside your HTML document when the file present on the server is called Games.gif then chances are, the visitor will see a broken image on the page. Remember, if your first page is called Index.html and not index.html, nothing will be displayed.

I changed my dial-in password - does this affect my FTP password?
No - your FTP password will remain the same as it was when you first activated your webspace. If you would like to change your password, please email webmaster@paradise.net.nz who will change your password to what you request.

Does paradise.net support FrontPage Extensions?
No.

Can I use scripting like CGI on my homepage?
You can use our mailto (available here) and counter (available here) scripts. If you require custom Perl scripting, PHP, SQL database access or SSL, you will need to consider one of our commercial webhosting plans.

Can I use Macromedia Flash content?
Yes - Flash content is supported on your homepage space. Simply follow the instructions which come with Flash and you will be up and running. If you would like a demo version of Flash, go here.

Does paradise.net support Server Side Scripting?
Server side scripting and other advanced options may be available on our commercial webhosting plans - please contact webmaster@paradise.net.nz for more information.

Can I get a domain name pointed at my homepage space?
Yes - you can have a domain name (e.g., www.mydomain.co.nz) including non-New Zealand domains (e.g., www.mydomain.com) pointed at your homepages webspace. This involves upgrading your webhosting plan to at least the Basic Hosting plan ($10 per 28 days) and emailing webmaster@paradise.net.nz with the domain details.

How do I get a domain name?
Where you go depends on what kind of domain name you require.
Paradise can register your .nz domain name for you!
To register a .nz domain, send an email to webmaster@paradise.net.nz with the following details:

• The domain name you want
• A Registrant name (this can be an organisation or a person)
• Contact name
• Contact email address
• Contact physical address, phone number and fax (optional)
• Written confirmation that you have read and agreed to our Terms and Conditions.

Register.com is one of many US companies allowing you to register .com, .net and .org domains. If you require a .com, .net or .org domain, email webmaster@paradise.net.nz and we will send you an email advising you how to do this.

How do I transfer an existing domain name from another ISP?
Paradise can transfer an existing .nz domain for you! Send an email to webmaster@paradise.net.nz with the following details:

• A Registrant name (this can be an organisation or a person>
• Contact Name
• Contact email address
• Contact physical address, phone number and fax (optional)
• The Doman name UDAI
• Written confirmation that you have read and agreed to our Terms and Conditions.

The .nz space currently contains twelve Second Level Domains, of which eight are open and four (.cri .govt, .iwi and .mil) are closed/moderated. Their communities of interest are as follows:

2nd LD	Community of interest
.ac	Tertiary educational institutions and related organisations
.co	Organisations pursuing commercial aims and purposes
.cri	Crown Research Institutes
.geek	For people who are concentrative, technically skilled and imaginative who are generally adept with computers
.gen	Individuals and other organisations not covered elsewhere
.govt	National, regional and local government organisations operating with statutory powers
.iwi	Traditional Maori Iwi, Hapu or taura here Iwi group operating with the permission of the main Iwi
.maori	Maori people, groups and organisations
.mil	Military organisations of the NZ Government
.net	Organisations and service providers directly related to the NZ Internet
.org	Not-for-profit organisations
.school	Primary, secondary and pre-schools and related organisations

How do I promote my website?
This depends on a number of factors: What kind of website is it? Who is your target audience? Some people will just want to email a small group of friends or colleagues to let them knowwhat the address is. Others may want to get their pages registered on various search engines. For more information on how to promote your site, see Webmonkey.

Hints & Tips

- Try to maintain a clean directory structure within your homepage space - this will help you once the site gets bigger and make it easier to see what is going on.

- Try to keep your pages and images small. Although broadband access is becoming widespread, many visitors are still using modems. A site which is slow will get fewer visitors and use up your traffic more quickly.

- If you are including Javascript, DHTML or any other form of scripting, it is often a good idea to test them in at least Netscape & Internet Explorer to make sure they both display your page correctly.

- Remember that on the internet, if you spell something out in capital letters (e.g., HELLO PARADISE USERS) it is considered the equivalent of shouting and is not very polite. Avoid unless intended.

- You can get free redirection URLs (virtual domain names) from places like cjb.net and come.to - these point back to your homepage and can make it easier for people to remember your address.

- There are many sites out there that can help you to build a website covering everything from building your first homepage through to adding E-commerce and building a better web presence. Some of our favorites include WebMonkey, Builder, Tucows, IRT.org, Developer.com and WebReference.com.