Information for WebTV Users

WebTV users, your numbers are growing! Because I have received e-mail from so many WebTV users recently, I have learned that many of you are new to the Web and understandably unaware of some long-standing customs and rules of Netiquette. I have added this page to fill you in on some information that will help you better understand the ways of the Web. Near the bottom of the page, I have provided some links to sites that have more information and services specifically for WebTV users.

Setting up your first Web page

As a WebTV user, you may want to have your own Web page. This is certainly possible, even though your WebTV has no hard drive to which you could download and save graphics for your page. Many WebTV users get around the lack of a hard drive by simply linking to graphics on other people's sites. Don't do this! Unless you are linking to graphics on a site specifically set up for WebTV users, or you have written to the site owner, asked for permission to link and received it, you will be breaking an unwritten rule observed by all responsible website builders.

You may be wondering why you should not link to graphics on someone else's site, so I'll explain. Many site owners pay for their web space. Along with paid server space comes a bandwidth allotment, which means a limit on how many hits the site can receive before the site owner will be assessed with extra charges for excess bandwidth use. Hits are counted for each HTML page and each graphic viewed-- even if a graphic is viewed via a link from another site. Thus, linking to graphics on someone else's site can result in that site owner having to pay extra charges.

Another reason not to link to graphics: a site owner can move or rename graphics at any time, leaving you with a broken graphic icon on your site. Instead of linking, learn how to use one of the new transloading services that have been set up to help WebTV users. (See links below.)

Using graphics in your e-mail

One of the features WebTV users enjoy most is decorating their e-mail with graphics they find on the Web. Even more often than with Web pages, WebTV users typically do this by linking to a graphic they like on a site that belongs to someone else. For the same reasons explained above, you should never do this unless you are linking to a site specifically set up for WebTV users or have requested and received permission from the owner of the site to link to his or her graphics. Be prepared for the fact that very few site owners will grant you permission to link.

If you find a graphic you want to use in your e-mail, and it's not on a WebTV site, you should use one of the transloading services (see links) to copy the graphic to your own Web server space. As a courtesy, it is a good idea to write to the person whose graphics you will be using, whether on a Web page or in e-mail, to let them know you are using them. Another courtesy: always provide a credit to the graphic artist on your Web page or in your e-mail.

Note: if you have no Web server space because you do not have a Web page, you should limit yourself to choosing graphics for e-mail from the WebTV graphics sites.

Helpful Links for WebTV Users

Helpful Hints for WebTV Users is just what the title says!

Star Boulevard Transload Service allows you to transfer copies of files via the Internet to many of the popular Web space providers.

Developer Tools at webtv.net has many articles about designing Web sites that work well for WebTV users.

This WebTV information was provided by Celeste's Holiday Graphics, reposted with permission - thanks Celeste!

You can find out about making a free web page here!

You can get basic information for how to save our clip art here

You can find out all about our 'adoptions' here

Thank you for your time, and have a lot of fun - that's why we do this!

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