Using Birdnest

Step One - Create Account

If you have never used birdnest before, you need to create a birdnest web account. Go to www.birdnest.org and enter your Winthrop user name (for example, smithj4) and your Winthrop password.

The system processes requests for new accounts about every 4 hours, so you might have to wait up to 4 hours before you can do the next step.

After your account is created, you should be able to go to www.birdnest.org/yourid to see your homepage. Again, if you are John Smith, then the address of your birdnest page will be www.birdnest.org/smithj4. It should show up as something very simple, such as "replace this with default.htm".

Step Two - Create your new Homepage

Use any ordinary text editor to create your new homepage, saving it on your own machine or flashdrive, just like you did for the previous assignment. It is probably easiest to keep these HTML homework files in a blank folder with no other files. Be sure your page looks the way you want it to look before you copy the file to the birdnest server.

To make Step Four easier, name your file default.html

Step Three - Get an FTP program

If you are on campus, then skip this step. Filezilla is already installed on all campus Windows computers.

You will need an FTP (file transfer protocol) program to help you move files from your machine to the birdnest web server. I suggest Filezilla. You want the "client" program. The plain version is free.

Step Four - Upload your File

If you are using Filezilla, then
host : birdnest.org
username : your user name, like smithj4
password : your regular winthrop password
port : 22

Filezilla will probably ask you if it is okay to accept a secure connection to Birdnest. Click ok.

Using the navigation panes on the left, find your HTML file. Right-click the file and select "Upload". That should send the file to the server. If the file is named "default.htm", then the server will complain that you already have that file. Just tell Filezilla to replace the old copy of the file.

Step Five - Test It

Use a browser to go to your homepage - http://birdnest.org/smithj4. If you can't see your homework, then neither can I.