"Site design must be aimed at simplicity above all else
with as few distractions as possible and with very clear
information architecture and matching navigation tools."
Patricia Franks
Simplicity and ease of use usually go hand in hand. When it come to the quality of a website, "professional" and "amateur" are meaningless words. "It's great!" and "it stinks!", however, get right to the point.
Vince Barnes
The largest cost is in the design and development. We've done jobs for as little as $99 for a one-page site to many thousands for lengthy and complex sites. Many very adequate sites come in somewhere between $500 and $1,500.
That said, please don't think you'll get an inferior job because of our low cost. We do this for love, not for money. We use the latest technologies, backward and forward compatible, which means people with somewhat older browsers as well as the new devices (web-enabled cell phones, PDA's, etc.) will be able to display your web site.
It's important to decide on a budget for this because it could become much more costly if you want graphic designs, many features, professional photography, etc. By the way, we do those jobs, too.
But please know that the single most important component of any web site is the content. All the glitz and money in the world does not necessarily produce a good web site; good content does.
Content is king.
"Content is king" is worth repeating! Only you know best your business, your non-profit, your family, your interest. The real job then is getting your knowledge from your mind onto a web page. That's where we try to excel.
So if I'm the one who has this all-important content, why don't I just do this all myself?
You can--but do you really want to? Wouldn't your free time be better spent devoted to your business, your family, your interest? Think of it this way: Sure, you can make your own breakfast. But isn't it nice to stop off at a resturant, or even a fast-food place if you're in a hurry in the morning (who isn't)?
Yes, it costs a few bucks, but (and it's a very big but) if you find the right organization to help you present your virtual face to the world, it's worth every penny.
Being a typical Yankee, demanding full value and all, occasionally I've been accused of being slow to part with a buck. But we found a great product here in our continuing battle against spam. There is a bit of a learning curve, but their online help is good. Click on the graphic to check out their free trial for yourself. Please let us know what you think of it.
This is a companion product to MailWasher Pro. It strips code with evil intentions from your email before it can get into your machine and do damage. Set it once and forget it. Click on the graphic to check out their free trial for yourself. Please let us know what you think of it.
Whenever we need a book, it's just a few mouse clicks away. Why drive to a bookstore?
We've been buying Dell for years; in our opinion, they consistently offer the best value in desktops.
We recommend HP for printing because of their phenomenal tech support.
Spam: Unsolicited "junk" e-mail sent to large numbers of people to promote products or services. Sexually explicit unsolicited e-mail is called "porn spam." Also refers to inappropriate promotional or commercial postings to discussion groups or bulletin boards.
www.getnetwise.org/glossary.php
First, never, ever buy anything from spammers--or even click on their links. Often, their extremely low-priced offers are scams to lure you into divulging your credit card number. Take it from someone who has made that costly mistake; don't do it!
Also, don't fall for the "You must reply now or your account will be deactivated" or the like scams--even if they seem legitimate with company logos and all. When in doubt, hit the delete key!
Here's a very good link to a Federal Trade Commission spam-reduction tips page. It's not too long, and after you read it, consider submitting a disposable email address when you have to display it to the public. That includes newsgroup postings, chat rooms, websites or in an online service's membership directory.
We offer both permanent and/or disposable email addresses, all with spam filters, however spam filters are not perfected yet; the accursed spammers are working to get around them as you read this .
The disposable email addresses are used to forward email to your permanent address, which can be the one you have now or a new one we provide. The disposables are used until the spammers' technology locates them, and you begin to get serious spam. Then you notify us, and we replace the disposable one--up to three times a year. Email addresses are $5 each a month. We ask that you pay this annually, but if that is a true hardship, we'll accept semi-annual or quarterly payments. You may cancel at any time, and any unused balance will be refunded rounded to the end of the cancellation month.
Click here to submit a request for new email address(es).
Another approach is to install a program like MailWasher Pro. We use it, and so far it's working great. I take great delight in watching my "blacklisted" file grow automatically. Check out their 30-day free trial if you like.
A Domain Name is a unique identifier on the internet. There can be only one YourName.com on the whole World Wide Web. It’s registered with the InterNIC
http://www.internic.net/
, the non-profit organization that is charged with registering domain names and IP addresses.
And why do I need one?
The day is rapidly approaching when every serious business that has a telephone will have a web site. A domain name is essential to a web site. If you’re a plumber named John Smith, it’s neat if you can snag JohnSmithPlumbing.com for your very own.
Now how do I get one?
You pay a yearly fee, usually around thirty dollars, to a professional
organization that does a thorough search of an immense database,
maintains contact with InterNIC, and remembers to renew the registration before expiration, an organization that keeps alert to changes in a rapidly changing field, an organization that is easy to contact and has your best interests at heart--an organization like PaxamoDesigns.com (smile).
Click here to apply for your Domain Name and begin your great adventure.
Hosting
In addition to having the domain name, space must be rented (called hosting) on a server (a computer that is used exclusively to hold files and deliver them as requested to browsers--Internet Explorer is a browser, for example). Some companies offer "free" space on their servers, but these are often fraught with problems:
Usually, the file space and bandwidth (how much and how fast one can send or receive information over the internet) is severely limited.
Advertising for others is usually added to your web site to defray the costs. (There is no free lunch.) Often, these ads are pop-ups, which everyone despises. Or they are located above the fold (the area first viewed when a page opens) stealing the prominence that your message rightfully deserves.
Technical issues occur frequently with often older, underpowered servers.
Renting highly-dependable server space (99.9% uptime) can run anywhere from $5 a month to many hundreds. Most sites come in under $30 a month, and often closer to $20, for the hosting. With us, we include minor, occasional changes to the web site in the rental cost.
