WebTV Page Builder
Vs. Geocities, Tripod & Angelfire
By Beth Candy
(January 16, 2000)
Is the WebTV Page Builder the training gym to prepare for advancement to other web hosts like Geocities, Tripod or Angelfire? Why do some underestimate the Page Builder Punch? Am I a contender? All of these questions are eventually pondered by Page Builders. There are difficulties, workarounds, and many unanswered questions, but in making a personal webpage, this advanced user's opinion is that the WebTV Page Builder is the champ. Here's why:
Privacy
The WebTV Page Builder offers what no other web host does - the option to build a webpage offline. With the Page Builder, you can elect to not publish your page, or take your page offline at any time. That's how I keep my Uncle Bob Slideshow for my eyes only.
To take a published page offline:
- Go to your Page Builder Index
- Click on your page
- Click on "Un-publish page"
To make a page offline:
- Go to your Page Builder Index
- Click on create
- Choose a page style
- Click on "Add an item" to add pictures, words, links, and lists.
- Press the "Done" button
- Press the "Publish" button. The "Publish" button on the left sidebar is actually a "save" button. You are still offline at this point.
- Fill in the title and page description.
- Press the "Continue" button
- Click on to remove the checkmark from the "Include in public list" option.
- Press the "Don't Publish" button.
Your private page is now in your Page Builder Index. You can elect to publish it any time. Here's how:
- Go to your Page Builder Index
- Click on your page
- Click on "Publish page"
No Buyouts
I have had many problems with Geocities that we will never have with the Page Builder. When Geocities was bought by Yahoo, I was unable to access my editor for two weeks. When I got into my editor, the FTP didn't work. When that worked, the entrance didn't work. Our PageBuilders are owned by WebTV and would not be sold and resold. It is part of the WebTV network.
Compatibilty
WebTVers had a major problem with Geocities last spring when the new banner advertising contained Java (Java is not JavaScript). WebTV is not Java enabled. Once again, we were locked out of our Geocities pages. We were thrown off, or locked out and unable to edit our pages. This generated mass hysteria within the WebTV community. If the java banners were here to stay, we would be permanently locked out of our editors. This only lasted a few days, but the uncertainty remains. WebTV will never place incompatible banner advertisements on our editors or pages. Currently, we don't even have banner advertisements in our editors.
Guaranteed Future
Fear and uncertainty were regenerated when Yahoo bought Geocities. We knew we were locked out of the Yahoo chatrooms. Would we once again be locked out of Geocities? Geocities caters to all users throughout the world- mostly computer users. Geocities was moving ahead and offering video, java and other advanced features. Would WebTvers not fit in their future? At least we know with the WebTV PageBuilder, that we will always be compatible and it will always be accessible by our WebTVs. Our browsers will grow along with the Page Builder features. They will always work hand in hand.
Tasteful Ads
One other PageBuilder feature that I believe is superior to Geocities, Tripod, Angelfire and all the other free web hosts is our banner ads. Geocities and Tripod have huge monstrous banner ads across the top of every page. They are an ugly distraction. The PageBuilder ad is unobtrusive and on the bottom of our pages. The Barnes and Noble ad is G-rated and dignified.
Computer Friendly
If WebTvers elect to violate the Geocities TOS and not place the mandatory banner, Geocities (as well as the others) throw a popup script on the page that can only be seen by Computer users. Many computer users will not visit a Geocities page because of this. Computer users get locked in a maze of popup ads that must be clicked on to be removed and see the page. The popup advertisement comes in two's and shows up everytime the back button or link is used. Annoyed and frustrated, many experienced computer users avoid Geocities addresses.
Security
Some complain that they cannot access the Page Builder "editor" from other user accounts, or from their computers at work. That is because your site is secure. In my opinion, the benefit of being protected behind a firewall outweigh the convenience of easy access. Besides, your boss wants you to concentrate on your work : )
Well, there you have it. Privacy, compatibilty, tasteful banner advertisements, security and a guaranteed future outweigh the perceived benefits of the other web hosts, she said in closing. Page Builder wins by a knockout!
If you need help with any of the sporty terms I have used, try:
http://www.webopaedia.com
with love from,
Beth Candy
Equal Time
One of our readers offers an alternate opinion on the question of homepage hosts:
A Different Opion on PageBuilder vs Other Hosts
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