What
is a web site?
A web site is a collection of files made accessible to
users of the World Wide Web. A site includes, at
least, a page or pages of text, which can be viewed and
downloaded by visitors, and may include photographs, forms
for entering information, forms for ordering products,
audio or video files that can be enjoyed by the visitor,
and many other things that have been made available by new
technology. You are now visiting the MMS
web site!
Each web site has a unique web address, such as http://www.martinmediasolutions.com
that allows it to be called up using a piece of software
known as a web browser.
Who
needs a web site?
Anyone who has a product or service to sell,
information to deliver, or who has personal interests he
or she would like to share with others could find having
their own web site provides the perfect avenue to get the
word out! Millions of individuals and businesses all
over the world are browsing the Internet at any given
time--why not put your message in front of them?
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How
do I get a web site?
You can take the time to learn how to write your own in
HTML code, you can use an on-line service that provides
easy-to-use templates for the "cookie cutter"
approach, or you can hire a professional company who has
the knowledge and experience to create a site for you. Writing
your own in code is the most lengthy approach. You
must know at least the basics of HTML, XML, CSS, PHP,
JavaScript, CGI, FTP, HTTP, and several other separate
diskiplines, or have time to learn them. If you want
e-commerce, you must know how to write and use a database,
or know how the terminology so you can hire someone to do
that part for you. You also need some basic software
on your computer that will allow you to "write"
and view your site--a simple text editor and a web browser
will do, but you need the ability to view your site in all
the major web browsers to make sure it works in all of
them. There is also the issue of writing creatively,
yet concisely. If you want pictures on your site,
you need graphics software and the ability to modify
graphics for presentation on the Web.
This
can all be done, and this approach was the seed of many a
webmaster's career, but be prepared for the long road. There
are a few WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) programs
that provide some shortcuts to writing in raw HTML code,
and even many professional web designers use them-- MMS
favors MS FrontPage. There is a limit, however, to
how far these programs can take you before you need to
dive in and start writing code. While MMS
uses MS FrontPage to shorten some tasks, the majority of
the design time is spent editing in code and some sites
would be written entirely in HTML.
Some
of the major on-line service providers offer software that
helps their users create their own web sites. The
software provides ready-made templates, in which you
simply type in your information and the software does the
rest, eliminating the need for you to learn code.
This approach is totally satisfactory for many people, and
can be quite rewarding when you see your new web site
"published" for the first time. The main
disadvantage to this method is loss of control--you
usually have limited choices of how your finished site
will look, and many of the users' sites come out looking
the same. If you want a unique site, this is not the way
to go. There are some services that allow you to purchase
more expensive plans, which do allow you more control, but
you are then required to write code to make the site do
what you want it to do.
If
you need a web presence, but do not have the time or
desire to learn to write and manage your own web site, you
need to hire a professional web designer. There are
large web shops and small web shops. The larger
shops have the advantage of having web designers, database
designers, graphic artists, script programmers, and office
administration on staff full time and available to
contribute their specific expertise to any project under
development. The disadvantage is, when you employ
them to design your site, you are paying for an entire
staff of experts when your project may only require one or
two. MMS
is able to
singly handle all of your web site needs, including site
design and management, JavaScripting, CGI, e-commerce
integration, graphics presentation, and basic art design.
With MMS,
you don't pay for what you don't need, and 90% of all work
is done in-house.
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What
is a webmaster?
A webmaster is a person skilled in the design and
management of web sites, and who is employed or contracted
by others to do so.
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What
is an ISP?
ISP stands for Internet Service Provider. An ISP
provides access to the Internet through dial-up accounts
or, in some cases, dedicated lines between their office
and their clients' computers. You must sign up with
an ISP before you can access the Internet. Some ISPs
offer only dial-up access with e-mail, while others offer
varying degrees of services, including web site design and
hosting.
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What
EXACTLY is the Internet and WWW?
The Internet and WWW are not the same thing, though the
terms are often used interchangeably, these days.
The Internet was originally designed in the 60's as a
communications network to allow universities and military
installations to share computer information. The
Internet was set up in such as way as to allow the network
to still function if a part of it was damaged, as through
a regional nuclear attack! The development of the
World Wide Web (www) allows anyone to use the Internet to
easily exchange information in a standardized way.
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) allows web pages to be
written that can be viewed with just about any pc, and
allows the user to quickly "link" to a new page
or a new site. In less than a second, you can click
on a link and connect to a web site hosted on a computer
on the other side of the globe! Or, YOUR web site
can be viewed by people around the world.
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What
is e-commerce?
E-commerce is the buying and selling of products and
services over the Internet. Only a few years ago,
businesses had only traditional media available as an
avenue to advertise and sell their products and services:
television and radio ads, newspapers, magazines,
billboards, and telemarketing. These media still
hold a place in the marketing strategy of many businesses,
but, today, there is a much more versatile vehicle for
marketing--the Internet. Traditional media serve a
comparatively limited audience.
The
Internet makes it possible for even a small one-person
business to tell the world about their products, putting
it one the same level as the largest multi-national
corporation. With traditional media, there is a
direct correlation between advertising dollars spent and
the number of people who will see or hear the ad.
With the Internet, more money spent does not necessarily
mean more visitors to a website. A small, well-written
site with modest promotion can do more business than a
huge site that is difficult for visitors to navigate or to
use.
E-commerce
sites generally provide a company overview, very
thorough descriptions of its products or services, and
usually a set of on-line forms visitors use to place
orders using credit cards or checking account numbers.
The page(s) provided for visitors to enter confidential
payment information are almost always hosted on a
"secure server." A secure server provides
for the encryption of confidential information as it is
transmitted from your computer to the hosting company.
Encryption makes it virtually impossible for someone to
eavesdrop on your website visit and to steal your credit
card numbers or other information. Even if someone
were to intercept your data, all they would see is
gibberish. Software on the secure server decodes the
information processes it so that your order is filled.
Many
sites owners allow a separate e-commerce provider to
process the orders on their site. The e-commerce
provider maintains secure servers and has secure network
connections to financial institutions so that it is able
to instantly verify credit card and checking account
numbers. They also verify funds availability before
processing the order. All this happens in a matter
of seconds so web visitors can make product selections,
place an order, and receive a receipt and order
verification in a matter of moments. The e-commerce
provider then provides the customer order and shipping
address to the on-line merchant. In most cases, your
credit card number is never even made available to the
company from which you are purchasing your products--which
makes Internet buying MORE safe than using your credit
card at a local store, where any number of people may have
access to your information!
MMS
is able to provide you with a business presence on the
Internet with safe, secure e-commerce capability using a
full-featured shopping cart. And, unlike traditional
media, you can offer new products or services on your
website or make changes to existing advertised items in a
matter of hours, or minutes, not days or weeks.
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How can I sell a product or service over the Internet?
MMS
can help you add e-commerce capability to your existing
web site, or can design an e-commerce based site for you.
MMS
offers a unique, full-featured shopping cart, complete
with product descriptions, product photos, search
capability, sales reports, and more. MMS
will gladly consult with you to determine how to best
provide your business with an effective Internet presence.
Contact
MMS
today for a free, no obligation consultation.
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How
many pages do I need for my web site?
That depends on how much you have to say, how much you
have to sell, or how much you have to show. A
typical personal web site can be developed very nicely
using three pages, which provides room for text and some
small photographs. A typical small business can
often get by with a five-page site, which allows them
enough room for a company overview, a list of products
with descriptions and a few photographs, and room for
e-commerce ordering forms. Some large corporate
sites have thousands of pages!
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How
easy is it to make changes to a web site?
The webmaster--or you, if you do your own
site--would first open your web site files on a computer
and make the necessary changes. Changes could
include adding or removing information, pictures, or
entire pages. The changes are then saved and the
webmaster would dial into the server on which your site is
hosted. Special software is then used to allow the
updated files to be "uploaded" to the server and
obsolete files removed. Permissions for public
access to each file also have to be set at this time.
Finally, the site is tested to make sure the changes work
as intended. When you allow MMS
to design and manage your site for you, changes are as
simple as a phone call or e-mail. Want to change the
price of a product, or delete some inventory, or add new
pictures of your girlfriend to your personal site?
Simply contact MMS
and your changes are made quickly, sometimes while your
are still on the phone!
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What
is a search engine?
A search engine is an on-line utility that allows you to
easily find websites that relate to matters of interest to
you...sort of like a yellow pages directory for the
Internet. Search engines work by allowing you to
enter one or more words or phrases and then providing you
with a list of websites that may talk about those topics.
If you are interested in reading about antique cars, for
example, you could enter "classic automobiles"
or "antique cars" or something similar, and be
presented with a list of possibly thousands of web sites
that discuss, display, buy or sell antique automobiles.
Google is the most
popular search engine, but several are available. Yahoo!,
while technically not a true search engine, also provides
massive web-search capabilities. Altavista,
though not as popular as Google, remains the favorite
search engine of many.
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How much does it cost to have a web site?
For as little as $100, MMS
can design a web site for you, complete with photographs,
text, and links. MMS
will also upload and test your new site at no additional
charge. Hosting, with MMS,
cost as little as $12.95 per month. If you choose to
host your web site with another company, you will be
subject to whatever fees they charge, plus long distance
fees if the provider does not allow FTP access.
Click here for the complete MMS
website price list of services, or here
for web design prices only.
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What
is a domain name?
A domain name is the Internet address of a web site.
MARTINMEDIASOLUTIONS.COM
is the domain name of this web site. The http://www
is not part of the domain name. There are two types
of domain names: "upper level" and "lower
level." If you do not register your domain
name, your site address will appear at the end of your
Internet service provider's address as a lower level
domain.
For
example, if you sign up with the xyz.com web hosting
company and do not register your domain name, your site
address may appear as http://www.xyz.com/users/mysite.html.
You can see that, by registering your domain name, your
visitors have a shorter path to your site. Also,
search engine are more likely to find your site if it's
address is not buried behind that of your service
provider.
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What
is hosting?
In order for a web site to be available for viewing on the
Internet, the files that make up the web site must be
stored on a specially-configured computer called a web
server. "Servers" are permanently
connected to the Internet and send web pages to
"clients" when requested. Every time you
access a web site, your computer, the client, requests to
receive the web page form the server it is stored on.
The process of storing web page files on a server for
viewing on the Internet is called hosting. There are
thousands of companies, large and small, that offer
hosting services. These companies are also called host
providers, or ISPs (Internet Service Providers).
ISP's generally offer services in addition to hosting,
such as web site design and related services. MMS
can host your web site for a flat rate of 1-$12.95
per month, one month minimum with no long term contract!
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What
are keywords?
Every time you use a search engine to look up a list of
web sites, you use keywords. If you are interesting
in finding sites that provide information on, say,
fishing, then "fishing" is your keyword.
When you begin your search, the search engine searches its
"index" of sites to provide you with a list of
some sites that discuss fishing. Most web sites have
lists of keywords written into the programming code to let
search engines know what the site is about--this is how
search engines know which sites contain discussions on
fishing, for example.
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How
can I add photos to my web site?
Photographs have to first be scanned at the proper
resolution and saved into an image format suitable for use
on a web site. The image file locations are then
placed in the code of the site so that the images appear
in the location and with the size intended. MMS
can take your photographs and do all the work necessary to
add them to your web site. Of course, you get the
photographs back!
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Is
e-commerce safe?
Safety is a
relative term. Experts would agree, with little
debate, that credit card purchases made on secure web
sites is MUCH safer than using your card at a local retail
store, but probably not quite as safe as your bank ATM
machine. Secure e-commerce sites provide 128-bit
encryption, of a format that has yet to be broken by even
the world's best hackers; it is not impossible that your
information could be stolen, but it is about as likely
that you would be struck by lightning on your way to pick
up your lottery winnings. The danger is not in the
transfer of data, but in the handling of that information
once it is at the on-line merchant's offices. Most
e-commerce providers do not make credit card numbers
available to the merchants who use their services.
Before
using a credit card or checking account number to make any
on-line purchase, you should make certain the order form
is provided on a secure server or that the transaction is
being handled by a reputable e-commerce provider, such as PayPal.
MMS
uses PayPal to
allow clients to make on-line payments for services, but
client credit card numbers are never made available to
MMS.
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Does
a web site take a lot of time to maintain?
Depending on
the purpose of site and how often changes need to be made
to keep the information presented on the site current,
site management may range from once per month to several
updates per day. Some personal web sites have
remained on the Net for years without being updated,
though one might consider such sites abandoned. It
is best to make changes to even the least-active sites at
least once per month to keep the site fresh and
interesting. No one likes to visit old, static web
sites where there is never anything new to diskover.
MMS
can make updates to your site on an as-needed basis, or on
a regular schedule to meet your individual needs.
MMS has several options that can be added to your site to
keep things interesting!
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How
can MMS
help me get my own web site?
MMS offers
complete site design, low-cost hosting, and on-going
maintenance. Click here to
learn more about how MMS
can help you get on-line soon!
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Does
MMS
offer email
accounts?
MMS does
not offer email accounts as part of its services at this
time, but does assist clients with choosing an email
provider.
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