faq.htm

A2. What is an "Internet Service Provider"?

An "Internet Service Provider" is a company which provides you access to this group of interconnected computers. By using your existing telephone line, they help you "connect" your computer to this larger group of computers. When you "dial-in" to the Internet from your computer, you actually become part of this interconnection of computers. Examples of Internet Service Providers include America On-Line, IBM, AT&T, MCI and Sprint, and most charge around $19.95/month for Internet service. The most common services offered by Internet Service Providers are access to the World Wide Web and e-mail.

A3. What is the "World Wide Web"?

The "World Wide Web" (or just "Web") is one of many components of the Internet...it is a sub-component of the Internet. Remembering that the Internet is just the physical connection of all the computers, there must be a common way for these computers to be able to give and receive information. The World Wide Web, in its simplest form, is that part of the Internet that helps us exchange information. Another sub-component of the Internet, which we will explain below, is e-mail (electronic mail).

A4. What is a Web site?

A Web site is a collection of information on any particular subject, company or product, organized and presented in electronic format on the World Wide Web. Web sites (sometimes referred to as "homepages") can be as simple as a one page text about a person's favorite subject to a large, commerce based site where a company can conduct business. There is no limitation to the size of a Web site, which is why it can be the most cost effective way for company to communicate information to its clients about its services and products.

A5. What is a Web address (also called a "URL")?

A Web site must be assigned a unique "address" so that people can locate the Web site (much like an individual has a unique telephone number so that people can locate them over the phone). Every Web site will have its own address, and the easiest way to recognize a web address is by looking for the "http://" or "www." which is part of the address. For example, a common Web address is "http://www.mycompany.com", but today, many web "browsers" (the software which helps you browse World Wide Web sites) will allow you to simply type in "www.mycompany.com" address (and it knows to automatically add the " http://" before the address).

A6. What if I want my web site address to have my company's name in it?

If you want a Web site address which has your company's name in it (such as www.mycompany.com), then you must have your own web "domain". A domain usually begins with "www.", then contains your company's name choice "mycompany", then ends with a 3-digit extension which lets people know if it is a commercial site (.com), an educational institute (.edu), an organization (.org), a government site (.gov), a military site (.mil), etc.

A7. How do I register a domain name?

First, you must see if the name you would like to register is available. You can send us a list of several names that would work for your company, and we will search the database and report back to you. Secondly, once you choose the domain name you would like to use, Early-Designs, LLC will register your domain for a small one time fee. As long as you pay this fee, you will always own this domain name.

A8. How do I get access to Web sites?

The purpose of an Internet Service Provider is to help you to connect to the Internet so that you can "browse" World Wide Web sites. Once you know the Web address of the company or site you are looking for, you simply type this address into your browser's "look-up" field and you will be taken to that site within seconds.

A9. How does a Web site get "published" on the Web?

When we "publish" a Web site, we put it up on the World Wide Web so that anyone connected to the Internet is capable of "browsing" the Web site. Certain computers, which have all the necessary software and hardware connections to the "backbone" of the Internet, are capable of "publishing" World Wide Web sites. In fact, if you were to buy all the proper materials, you could "publish" a web site from a simple home computer. However, this can be very costly and time consuming, which is why most companies and individuals use a web "hosting" company: Such as Early-Designs, LLC who has all the necessary components to publish your Web site.

A10. What is Web "hosting"?

Once your world Wide Web site has been created, it must be published to the World Wide Web. A company (Early-Designs, LLC) who has the necessary connections to the Internet can "host" your site on their larger computers (which are called computer "servers").

A11. Must I have an Internet Service Provider in order to have a Web site?

No, an Internet Service Provider is needed in order for you to "browse" World Wide Web sites. You can have a Web site created and hosted for you, without you having a personal connection to the Internet. However, if you are unable to access the World Wide Web, you will be unable to access your web site to look at it. Therefore, the only way you will be able to see your Web site is to have it printed and sent to you via mail or fax.

B1. What is e-mail?

E-mail (or electronic mail) is a sub-component of the Internet, and one of the most used. E-mail is text messaging which can be sent anywhere in the world in a matter of seconds. And, there are no additional charges for using e-mail (except for your regular monthly charge to your Internet Service Provider). The pros of using e-mail (versus telephone, fax or regular postal mail) is that it is free, easy to use, convenient and messages are usually delivered within seconds to anywhere in the world!

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B2. Who provides my e-mail service?

When you sign-up with a new Internet Service Provider, one of the first things they will give you is a unique e-mail address. You can distinguish an e-mail address by looking for the "@" symbol which is always part of the address. A typical e-mail address will look like "myname@mycompany.com". If, for example, your Internet Service Provider is America On-Line, your e-mail address will be something like "myname@aol.com".

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B3. Will my e-mail address be the same as my domain name?

When we create a Web page which has a "Contact Us" button, we can have that button point to any e-mail address. Therefore, if your personal e-mail address (which was given to you by your Internet Service Provider) is "mycompany@aol.com", we can make it so that the button automatically sends the message to your personal address.

However, what if you want an e-mail address which has your domain name in it? In order to keep it simple for our customers, Early-Designs, LLC uses "e-mail" aliasing, which is a form of "e-mail forwarding". Let us explain how this works. Let's assume your personal e-mail address is "mycompany@aol.com". Afterwards, you decide to have your own Web site, and you choose the domain name of "www.mycompany.com". You decide that you would like an e-mail address such as "myname@mycompany.com". We will create this new e-mail box, but we will have it forward automatically to your existing e-mail address, so that anything sent to "myname@mycompany.com" automatically forwards to "mycompany@aol.com". Therefore, you have only one mailbox to open!

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C1. How do I choose which Web site design I would like?

Our company specializes in custom design...it is our goal to make sure that your site is unique and reflects your personal taste or corporate identity. However, as a starting point, we show examples of some sites which we have designed for other customers.

C2. Once I choose a design, how long will it take to create it?

That depends on how large a site is, and how many changes are requested during the design phase. It normally takes 2-3 weeks to create the site and publish it to the Web. However, it usually takes another week or two for the customer to check it and make any changes or updates to the site they feel necessary. The better we understand your needs at the beginning of the design phase, the quicker we will have your Web site up for the world to see!

C3. What is the best way for me to reduce the cost of my Web site?

(1) By deciding on your needs beforehand. Before asking a company to create a Web site, do your homework and check other web sites (especially your competitions) to see what they have on their site. Take out a sheet of paper and write down everything you like and dislike about these web sites. Next, layout your web site the way you would like customers to navigate through it.

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(2) By typing all the text for your site. Yes, you can provide us pre-printed brochures and documents and we can have this text typed in-house. If you have access to a computer, and a text proccessing program, then type the text yourself. That way, you can proof-read it and make sure the text flows the way you want it to. Most companies already have this text typed out, and it is simply a matter of copying the text to a diskette and sending it to us (or e-mailing it via the Internet)!

C4. Once my site is created, how do I update it at a later date?

There are different ways to update your site periodically once it finished:

You update it-
We can provide you, free of charge, an FTP access to your site so that you can update your web pages as often as you like.

We update it (minor changes)-
(1) If you have very minor updates (need to add a new name to the site, change an address, etc), you can e-mail us your update, and we will charge an hourly fee. If these updates are limited (every 6 months or so) and require little work on our part, we will usually do it free of charge.

(2) If you have very minor updates, but need them monthly (updated job listings, etc.) or if you have a medium update (new picture added to your site) then we will charge you a fees of:
Business Fees - $50 per hour (1hr/mo/12mo @ $500)
Personal Fees - $30 Per Hour – (1hr/mo/12mo @ $300)

We update it (extensive changes)-
If you have extensive changes to your site (need to add a new section, change graphics or company image, etc.), then we will price out these additions and give you a quote.

C5. Do you accept customers from outside the United States?

Not at this time.

C6. How will people find my Web site?

We recommend that you print your Web site address on your business cards, letterheads, etc. Also, get your site listed in as many directories as possible. For a small fee, we can submit your Web site to the major search engines and directories, but there are no guarantees how high up your site will appear in a search engine. Be aware that large corporations can pay thousands of dollars to have their products/brands listed on top of some of the search engines. Promoting a Web site is a full time job and it has to be taken seriously if you want to see results.

C7. What if I want special pictures or graphics on my web site?

Our Web site plans include basic pictures and graphics.

C8. What if I want a Web form (input form)?

Our basic Web site plans do not include web (input) forms. Web forms will be priced individually, depending of the complexity of the form.

C9. Should I spend a little more and get all the "bells & whistles" for my site?

We strongly recommend that you start out with a basic web site, and add all the "bells & whistles" as your web site grows!