Yahoo for Geocities? I don't think so.
Written: Dec 15 '00
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About four years ago I built my first webpage and proudly uploaded it at this seemingly wonderful place called Geocities. I loved being part of a community and I liked the fact that I was a GeoCitizen (don’t ask me why). Over the time, I got frustrated with what Geocities was turning out to be and moved out. At this point, I would not really recommend Geocities to anyone.
So what do I get?
15MB storage space; FTP/Browser Upload; LOTS OF ADS; Short URL (geocities.com/your_username); Add-ons like guestbooks, counters, search, feedback form etc; Pre-built templates; POP3 email address.
How do I upload/build my site?
You can build your webpages offline using an HTML Editor (MS FrontPage etc.) and upload your material through FTP (File Transfer Protocol) or Geocities File Manager. The Geocities File Manager allows you to upload up to 20 files at a time and also lets you select the file types you want to view. If you like, you can type your HTML (HyperText Markup Language) using the online HTML editor and Geocities will save it as a webpage. If you are not familiar with HTML, you can also build your site through the PageWizards (add text or images step-by-step using templates) or the Page Builder (a drag-and-drop utility which allows a little more flexibility than PageWizards does).
What about those advertisements?
During my six-year sojourn of the Internet I have learnt to bear free web hosts forcing banner advertisements onto user webpages, but I still loathe the way Geocities does so: there is an advertisement everywhere you look. These ads are ugly, slow-loading and usually make your browser crash. I know many people who refuse to visit any site located on Geocities because of this.
You have two choices: An AdSquare or a GeoGuide. The AdSquare will automatically appear in the top right of the page and your visitors can choose to minimize or close it. You can also customize it to include a link to your guestbook or send you an email. As a visitor, I sometimes find the AdSquare annoying as it usually overlaps the text and blocks my view. The other option is the GeoGuide, a member banner exchange program that occasionally runs advertiser banners as well. If you add the GeoGuide to your Geocities website, AdSquares and popup ads will not show up. Visitors with older browsers will have to bear with popup ads.
GeoPlus?
GeoPlus is an enhanced version of GeoCities which features 25MB storage space, the option to integrate your site with a top-level domain name, no banner ads and lots of extra tools, all for $4.95/month.
I have heard, but I moved out before I had to experience, that Geocities deletes a high-trafficked page or two of your site, so that all the traffic is directed to their site instead.
Ever since Yahoo! took over Geocities, it has been a double disaster. There is no hope now. When Yahoo first entered the scene, its new TOS (Terms of Service) stated something like all content on member pages belong and is copyrighted to Yahoo! Geocities. So basically if you wrote a poem, an article, anything, and published it on your site as Geocities, it wasn't yours anymore, it belonged to Yahoo! Geocities (They revoked this after lots of users packed up their pages and left).
Geocities used to be a pretty good host before Yahoo touched it. Seriously, everything Yahoo touches seems to turn into graphite, not gold.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
navinthebean
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Member: Navin
Location: New York, NY
Reviews written: 61
Trusted by: 46 members
About Me:
If ignorance is bliss, why aren't there more happy people?
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