| Creating or publishing a Web version of your presentation is only the first step in making it available to the world via the Web. The second step involves transferring your Web page files to a Web server. Then, when someone wants to view your Web page, he contacts that Web server, which "serves" your Web pages to the person so he can view them in a browser. The precise details of transferring files to a Web server are beyond the scope of this book. However, here are a few things you need to consider: You should contact your network administrator or technical support person early in the process to determine whether you have access to a Web server. If your company or school has such a server, this person can show you exactly what to do. The first couple times, getting pages to the Web server can take some time, so allow plenty of time to learn the process. After a while, you get more comfortable with the procedures and you can transfer your Web pages in a matter of seconds. If you use the typical HTML-formatted page, don't forget that you must also transfer all the supporting files, which by default are kept in a subfolder. That same file relationship (main file with subfolder of supporting files) must also be established on the Web server. If you use the MHTML or PPS formats, users must have newer browsers and also have PowerPoint installed on their computers. If they don't, they won't be able to view the files. After you transfer your files, be sure to thoroughly test the slide show to make sure everything works as you expect it to. Check to make sure that graphic images, fonts, and links are all there and working properly. If you want a wide audience to view your presentation on the Web, you need to test it using as many browsers and computers as possible. For example, besides using Internet Explorer on a PC running Windows XP at XGA resolution, you should try it using Windows 98 or SVGA resolution, or for real fun, you could give it a whirl on a Macintosh using Netscape. That way you can determine whether to leave the slide show as is or modify it so more people can view it.
The Absolute Minimum In this chapter, you learned about methods for publishing a presentation to a wider audience by using the Web. In particular, you did the following: You found out that there are good reasons for and good reasons against putting a slide show on the Web. You learned what it takes to get a slide show Web ready. You reviewed how to use hyperlinks in a slide show. You learned which slide show formats work well in a Web environment. You found that not all browsers can view Web slide shows equally well. You learned how to go about getting a slide show on a Web server.
In Chapter 19, "Adding Multimedia Elements," you'll explore the world of multimedia and find how to integrate sound and video into your presentations. |
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