.jpg, .png, .txt, .pdf, .tiff, .doc, .ppt, .mp3, .wav, .wma, .avi, .swf, .xls.
Looking at a list like this sure can make your head swim! But trying to figure out which of these extensions go to which type of file and what files work on your website can be even more confusing!
We can put 4 basic types of files up on our websites: pictures, documents, audio and video. All of these files can be extremely helpful to have on your website and we like to see people utilizing these files to enhance their websites! But it can get a little tricky trying to figure out what type of file can be upload into the file manager. Let’s break this down into simple chunks.
Image Files
Let’s say you have a picture of your company’s summer picnic or a picture of your beautiful/manly/functional/essential products that you want all of your customers to see. Let’s get that baby up on the site! When it comes to pictures we need to be using the files extensions .jpg, .gif or .png. If your picture is not in one of these formats then you can export it and make it into the correct file (that’s for another blog post).
* Free Tip: Make sure you’re putting them in as the right size as well! If it is a picture for a page it should be less than 500 pixels. If it is for a slideshow you will find the pixel dimensions in your CMS.
Document Files
Now let’s say you have a document inviting your customers to this summer picnic or you want to put a blank job application up on your site. We definitely want to get those up on the website! No one wants to miss an opportunity for a picnic or a job! Any document that you want to put up on your website needs to be in one of the following formats: .pdf, .doc, .docx, .ppt, .pptx, .xls, or .xlsx. I personally think PDF’s are the best option and it’s pretty darn easy to export files into PDF form (again, we’ll get to this is another blog post).
Audio Files
For some companies and churches it’s is very beneficial to put audio or video files on your website. This is especially true for churches and other ministry related websites. Now for audio files the only file type that we support on our website is .mp3.
Video Files
Last but not least, video files. For video files we support: .flv, .mov, and .swf. You can insert .flv files on your site and give the capability to download the .mov and the .swf files. You will have to use a video convertor for this if you are making the videos yourself.
So now when you see a bunch of different file types being thrown at you, instead of feeling your head start to swim you should be able to explain what type of file they belong to like a pro.
Remember, if you have any questions about what files go with what and how to upload them you can always refer back to this blog post, refer to our CMS manual or give us a call!