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GeoCities FAQ Page -- Questions about what you can include on your Home Page and How to do it


This list will provide general information about what you can put on your GeoCities Home Page, and how to do it. Please read the list carefully and select the question that most closely addresses your concern.


  1. What are the restrictions regarding content on my page?
  2. Am I allowed to post a commercial page in GeoCities?
  3. Is there anything that I have to include in my Home Page?
  4. Why don't you allow us to put cgi scripts on our page?
  5. What types of forms can I use on my page?
  6. What can I do if I want to put a Guestbook on my page?
  7. Can I add images to my Home Page, even if I'm using the Home Page Editor?
  8. What file types can I include in my directory?
  9. How do I add imagemaps, colors, images, (or anything else) to my page?
  10. How do I request additional file type support?
  11. How do I add links to other pages in my directory?...or to other pages within GeoCities?
What are the restrictions regarding content on my page?
Our requirements for a free page are that it be personal in nature (i.e. not promoting a commercial product or service), that you provide a link on the page pointing back to our site, that you keep the page fresh (i.e. make changes or additions at least every month), and that you not exceed 2 MB of space. In order to promote the concept of community, we do not allow password access nor hidden pages or images.

Material that is grossly offensive to the Web community including blatant expressions of bigotry, racism, or hatred is not permitted within GeoCities. We prohibit pages that promote illegal activities or physical harm or injury against any group or individual. We also prohibit pages that contain pornographic material. We do not allow restricted or password access, hidden pages or pictures, use of the page as storage for remote loading, nor as a door or signpost to another server.

Please review our Page Content Guidelines for specific information.

Am I allowed to post a commercial page in GeoCities?
Commercial Pages are not allowed as part of the free Personal Home Page Program, but are allowed under the GeoCities Commercial Page Program. This requires a small monthly fee and provides extra visiblity for your page, extra disk space on our server, and a special icon in the neighborhood blocks identifying your unique status (soon).

Is there anything that I have to include in my Home Page?
You must have a link that refers back to your main neighborhood page. Please see the relevant section of the FTP Procedures Page.

Why don't you allow us to put cgi scripts on our page?
We don't allow you to upload scripts to our server for security reasons. Essentially, scripts are programs that run on a server and can theoretically access all areas of that server. Without the ability to control the contents of the scripts, we would risk the security and privacy of GeoCities residents. If we develop a way to control their content, then you may be allowed to post certain scripts at a later date. For now, you may use the three scripts that we provide for you: an imagemap script, a counter script, and a mailto: form script.

What types of forms can I use on my page?
Because forms are generally a type of script, you are limited in what you can use. GeoCities has developed a form that you can use on your home pages, that sends a properly formatted e-mail message to the e-mail address that we have on file for you. You can read about how to set this up (and see some examples) on our help page.

What can I do if I want to put a Guestbook on my page?
Although GeoCities will not support the script necessary for a guestbook, we have teamed up with Lpage.com to offer this service for our homesteaders. You will receive a unique URL for your guestbook, and everyone that vistis your page will be able to leave messages for you. Sign up for yours today!

Can I add images to my Home Page, even if I'm using the Home Page Editor?
Yes. Normally, the image you want to include would be somewhere on the GeoCities server, in which case you would include the following tag in your index file:
<IMG; SRC="imagename.gif;">

This would load an image called "imagename.gif" onto your page. If the image you want to include is on another server somewhere on the Internet, then your tag would look like this:
<IMG; SRC="http;:/www.company.com/imagename.gif">

Obviously, the names shown here are arbitrary, and you would need to substitue the correct domain name and file name.

What file types can I include in my directory?
We are often updating the types of files that we support, and the list is always located on our Supported Filetypes Page.

How do I add imagemaps, backgroud colors, images, (or anything else) to my page?
Our Home Page Editor allows you to use all available HTML tags to design your page the way you want it. Anything that you could create on a page at home, can also be done using our Editor. GeoCities is fortunate to have a resident that has figured out how to use every type of HTML tag on your page. Visit his page at Athens 2090 for a complete "how-to" guide on creating your GeoCities Home Page.

How do I request additional file type support?
Requests can be submitted to comments@geocities.com. Periodically, we evaluate our list and add additional file types as warranted. We will post an announcement on the Current Announcements Page when we change the list.

How do I add links to other pages in my directory?...or to other pages within GeoCities?
To add a link to your page to another document within your directory, you only need to use the filename itself. For example, if your index.html file has a link to a second page within your directory, you would link it as follows:
<a href="secondpage.html">
You don't need the begining (http:/www.geocities.com/) part at all.

Also, if you'd like to link your page to another homesteader's page, the same rule applies. For example, if you want to link to 1000 Colosseum, you would write it as follows:

<a href="/Colosseum/1000/">
Please be sure to follow this rule when you design your homepage.


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