Web Development

Finding a web hosting company is very easy. But finding a reliable web hosting company is tough. If the offer is too good to be true, then most likely it really is. From this article, you are sure fire way to have some advantage when you are looking for a web hosting company. Whether it is shared web hosting, VPS, Reseller or a Dedicated Server. I assume you know what different types of web hosting mean, so I won’t go into the definitions.

If you are new in web hosting, I recommend, check the following article in “Wikipedia”, on ‘Web Hosting’ before you start your journey.

URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_hosting

Some of the things you need to be aware of

The points below are very serious, and you must not fall for them.

- Sign-up/Payment Page is not secure. (e.g. no SSL, takes you through an un trusted payment gateway)- Unlimited Resources*- There’s no other way to contact a web host besides email.**- Web Host protects it’s domain with private registration.- Asks for SSN or other confidential data.- Asks for payment information on the web page (e.g. PayPal User id and Password).

*Unlimited ResourcesIf the price sounds too good to be true for the amount of resources you are getting, then probably it is. In the web hosting industry it’s a popular marketing gimmick. Do not pay much attention to the quantity than you really need. But focus on reliability, support and server up time. Request a network uptime report if you have to. If you see this kind of offer on an unknown company, then avoid it. But if you know a company who provide good support and are reliable, then you are good to go.

**Web Hosting SupportWhether a web hosting company is run by an individual or a team. You must have more than one way to contact the company. For example, in an emergency if you have to call the company owner’s home, then you should.

Running a Background Check

If you spend just 10 minutes of your time, you will be able to avoid a lot of hassle that might pile up later. My recommended methods are:

- Check how long the web host has been online. (added by maccrazy of SitePoint Forums- Reverse IP Check

Check how long the web host has been online

You can easily do this by performing a simple domain name whois check.

- Go to http://www.google.com/- Search for “free domain whois”- Click on a result.- WHOIS the company domain name.- In the WHOIS information page, you will see the date when the domain was registered, along with its contact information.

If the contact information are private or goes to a PO.BOX, it’s best to avoid them. There are tons of good hosts to choose from.

Reverse IP Check

This trick is very useful and it can help you find a more trusted company.

- Go to ‘http://www.yougetsignal.com/tools/web-sites-on-web-server/’- Enter the domain name of the web hosting company.- It will list most of the web sites hosted in that server.

- If you see any other web hosting company in the same server, then it is a reseller web host.- If you see just the company domain name, then most likely they have a Dedicated IP Address, a VPS or a Dedicated Server.- Read the web host’s testimonial page and reverse ip check their client’s domain name as well.

More information you gather about a company, better it is for you.

Should you choose web hosting from a reseller web host?

It’s a common question everyone ask. The answer to this question is quite simple too. Yes you should. Here are some good reasons why:

- Resellers get special deals. So, you will actually get better features than the parent company for lower costs.- If the parent company is reputable, then you can trust their data center, server up time, location and technical support.- In most cases Reseller company’s support staff are faster to resolve a customer’s issue. For example, if you submit a ticket to a big company, it might take few minutes to days. But a reseller company is small in customer base, so it takes less time to solve a problem.

Ask the web hosting company if they are a reseller and how they are different from the parent company. I believe that, there’s no shame for a company to admit that they are resellers.

How to test a web host?It is very wise to try out any thing before you buy. For example, you wouldn’t necessarily order your birthday cake from a bakery without trying a piece first. Similarly, look for web hosting companies with Unconditional money back guarantee. There are lots of web hosts, who might have clauses on how or when you can get money back. Most common one is:

- Money Back only when the company is at fault.

Basically the above statement means, if you leave the web hosting company in your own terms, they will not issue a refund. It’s a trick to rip you off. But an unconditional guarantee is, you get full refund for leaving a web host within a fixed amount of time (e.g. 30 Days).

Here are some ways to test a web host.

- Ask them questions.- Confirm their money back guarantee.- Ask questions on how they offer such good deals.- Ask for network uptime report.- chapter from SitePoint Forums suggested:– ask about their Internet network connection providers and whether or not they choose fastest path or cheapest path.– ask whether or not they have any certifications like SAS 70 Type II for the data center.– ask what (if any) bandwidth shaping and restrictions they will place on your service.– review their MSA and SLA. Will they stand behind what they sell.– carefully compare their service with others - little differences can make a big difference in performance, reliability and security.

Some other tricks and advice- Ask if there are any coupons. Do not sign up for the offer listed on the web site. Few minutes can save you a lot of money on web hosting.- DO NOT SIGN UP with a web host without reading their Terms of Service and Acceptable Usage Policy ever.- Don’t fall for the marketing gimmicks. Worry about what you need, and what you are getting. Remember reliability, support and up time comes first.

Should you rely on a web hosting review site?

From my experience, you shouldn’t. Because these review sites basically charge the web hosting companies to list them on the top. So, there’s no guarantee if the reviews are even genuine. It’s best to Google Search a web hosting company or ask around in the community forums. I highly recommend SitePoint Marketplace and SitePoint Forums for user reviews on web host.

If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to find me at Sitepoint Forums.

I hope you enjoyed this article, and I wish you all the best.

Source Citation

Discussion Thread: http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/showthread.php?t=576432maccrazy: http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/member.php?u=24975chapter: http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/member.php?u=291931SitePoint MarketPlace: http://marketplace.sitepoint.com/SitePoint Forums: http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/

About the Author

You can be pleased with my honest experience. I am Roosevelt Purification, the founder of http://www.puphost.com/. I am very fond of the web, and the web hosting industry in general. Check out PupHost now for the best web hosting experience.

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When it come to getting ranked well in the search engines most people think in terms of their website as a whole. Where does my website rank in Google? Where do I rank in Yahoo? These are the questions search engine optimization companies get asked all the time.

The first thing we must know is the term being searched for. The website owner may be searching for their site under the term “architectural hardware” and not be showing up at all in Google or Yahoo for that term. But if they searched for “architectural products” they could be on the first page of both the major search engines.

Next we have to think of a website site not only as a single entity but as a collection of pages brought together to make up that logical and actual whole. Much like a non-fiction book a website is usually about a single subject. In the case of a business that subject is the business itself.

Of course the most important page of your site is the home page. This is the one that most visitors will see first when entering your site. It should attract and interest your visitors enough so they don’t just click away looking for something ”better”. But, depending on the size of your site, you could have several or even hundreds of other pages each of which has the potential of ranking in the search engines and attracting and interesting visitors as well.

A larger site has distinct advantages in a highly market. With more pages there is more for your visitor to see, learn and do. So he or she stays longer. The longer the visitor stays on your site the better your chance they will save one of your pages as a “favorite place”, buy your product or use your services. Another advantage is the more pages the better your odds of getting indexed and ranked well by the search engines. Additionally each page can be optimized for a specific search phrase. This increases even more the opportunity for Yahoo or Google to rank your site well within their search results.

Those inside pages are an inside track from the search engines onto your site. Once the visitor enters your website you have a chance of turning them into a client or customer no matter what page they entered on.

Type any term into Google or Yahoo and you will get an idea of how important the inside pages are to a website’s search engine ranking. Let’s take a couple of terms at random. I just typed “computer monitor” into Yahoo. All but one of the pages that came up in the natural listings were pages within a site. That’s nine out of ten. I typed “lap dog” into Google and it came up fifty-fifty. Five had “lap dog” in the domain name. Five were domains with pages that had “lap dog” in the name.

Moral of the story is treat each page of your site as an individual part of the greater whole and optimize it separately and well.

Sometimes the best way into the search results is by the Inside Passage.

About the Author

Meridith Berk is one of the founders of UltimateSitePromotion.com one of the oldest and most respected Search Engine Optimizing and Pay Per Click Management firms on the Internet. To find out more about how to optimize your site you can visit her site at http://ultimatesitepromotion.com

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It’s the old switch trick. You list something in an Ebay auction, someone wins the auction, and you send them the items safely packaged. That’s step one. You did everything right.

Step two. The person complains to Paypal that what you sent them is broken or they say it’s not exactly what you claimed it was in your Ebay auction. Paypal immediately freezes the money in your account equal to the amount of the auction in question. Then they tell the person to send your item back to you, with tracking. Once the item is delivered to you, the money is unfrozen, only to be taken from your account and given back to the buyer.

No big deal. Just sell the item to someone else. Wrong! If you were selling some kind of authentic designer item like a Coach purse, you get back a cheap fake. Or you get back a smashed up broken replica of what you sent.

This happened to me recently with a Bose stereo system in excellent condition that I rarely used. I paid $2,600 for it, and sold it to a guy for $1,000. He complained to Paypal that it was broken, and sent me back an empty envelope with a tracking code. He was supposed to send me back the stereo. When Paypal’s system saw that the Bose stereo (really an empty envelope) was delivered back to me, they gave him his $1,000 that he paid for my stereo. What a way to make a living. This guy is still in business scamming people. Hundreds of buys and sells and eBay and Paypal will do nothing about him. Why should they? They make a lot of money on scam buyers. Screw the sellers.

There are many variations of this scam, but the results are always the same. The seller loses everything.

I have no solution for this either. You can’t go exclusively by Ebay buyer ratings to weed out the scammers because the guy who scammed me had over 300 positives and 3 negatives. Who cares that he’s 99% positive, all I know is I lost $1,000 dealing with this guy. That’s all that matters to me.

The only thing you can do, at the very least, is to make sure your paypal account is always empty, or close to it. As soon as the person puts the claim in, paypal freezes the amount their trying to scam you out of. If your account is $0, it will then be minus the amount. I cancelled the credit card and bank account associated with the paypal account. It was a big hassle, but it was either that or just let someone steal $1,000 from me. I wasn’t letting that happen.

Be on the lookout when dealing with Ebay & Paypal.

UPDATE: Months later, I sold a bin rack to someone. It came with 8 middle rails, two side rails, two base plates, etc. The guy got the package and said the box was in perfect condition, but inside the box one side rail was missing, 2 middle rails were missing, one base plate was missing, you get the picture. “Where did they go? Who knows, who cares, send me a new rack.” Long story short, the guy files a complaint then sends me back a letter with a tracking code that prompts Paypal to refund his $100. I lose the rack and the guy gets his $100 back. Scammed again….

Out of thousands of eBay sales, I’ve gotten scammed about 1 out of every 15 sales. That’s almost a 7% rate. Consider this just an extra cost of doing business if you want to deal with eBay. And just hope that 1 scam out of the 15 isn’t a high priced item.

Update: The more and more I work with Ebay and Paypal, the worse it gets. Why, you might ask, do I even mess with them? They do have a good VERY broad customer base. Basically, you can sell ANYTHING on Ebay.

One tip I will give you is never send anyone an item using just stamps on the box or envelope. They’ll steal the item every time, saying they never got it. You have to pay for tracking.

About the Author

John J Rogers is one of the foremost money making experts on the Internet. Visit his websites for his free articles and home business opportunities, free christian music, and silver & gold cross pendants.

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Affiliate Marketing for Beginners

How to Ad Free eCourses to Your Affiliate Marketing Program

Your primary goal as an affiliate marketer is to give your visitors and customers the greatest value possible. You want customer loyalty not customer service to be the driving force behind your business. One way to do this is to offer giveaways. More specifically, you want to offer information that can help them solve a problem or get them where they want to go. An eCourse is a great way to do just that for your customers and prospects.

Free eCourse

A great thing about an eCourse is that it is something you build over a period of time. For example, you can offer a 3, 5, 7 day course on dog training, or whatever your product or service area might be. This information would be emailed over the period of time on a daily basis and give your customers just enough information to satisfy their need with just enough left out to have them wanting more. On the footer of your eCourse you would include your signature line with a link to your Blog or Web site. That is where you would have products and services to offer and create an income stream for your internet marketing program.

Key Benefit

One very good benefit to offering an eCourse is that you will build a mailing list. The best way to do this is to have a sign up form on your eCourse Offer Page on the Web on which your prospects enter their name and email address. When they sign up, you can follow up with an email that has them confirm their sign up. This is called an opt-in system. It accomplishes two things. It confirms that the emails being entered are valid emails so you have a solid reliable name to add to your list. And secondly, it avoids any indication that you are spamming because the prospect has confirmed the request for information. Spamming can get you into lots of trouble so double opt in is a great way to go.

Where Can You Find An eCourse?

One source of eCourse material is the merchant with whom you sign up as an affiliate. Very often that merchant will offer eCourse information to his or her affiliates. If that isn’t the case then you can do your own research and put information together yourself. What is important is that you want to offer information related to the product or service you are selling. You don’t want the course to be a pitch for a specific product. People don’t want to be sold. They want to make their own decision to buy. Your job is to motivate them to buy and to buy from you.

If you were to offer a course on how to write an article marketing campaign, you could start out by telling them how to do the initial research. What are the best resources on where to find information? You could tell them how to get the information and in what form to extract it for later use. A third lesson would show how to create an outline for each lesson. Another would demonstrate how to start the writing of introductory headers and a subsequent email would show how to write the content. The sixth installment would cover copywriting and disclaimer information and the final installment would cover distribution.

Conclusion

As mentioned earlier, all throughout the eCourse you will include your signature with a link to your Web site or Blog. A typical signature might sound like –“For more information and Tips visit http://Affiliatemarketingfor beginnersblog.com.

With the course distributed through your autoresponder service, you will be able to follow up with you weekly newsletter and any offerings you come up with over time. By then you will have a list of dedicated customers who will be willing to listen to what you have to offer. Remember to keep a good balance between free solid advice and the marketing of products and services. Your goal is customer loyalty. That is the best way to long term success with your internet marketing program.

May Your Travels Be Prosperous.

About the Author

Over the past 20 years Claude Pelanne has worked in a series of startup ventures including some of the first commercial webcasts. He is an internet marketer and serial entrepreneur. Feel free to distribute this article in any form as long as you include the resource box. For tips and resources to get into internet marketing visit cpelanne or claudepelanne

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I have been very open when sharing my views of paid surveys and paid email opportunities. I signed up over four months ago to amass as much wealth as possible by focusing on two specific opportunities.

My criteria for participation was that I would only accept offers that paid cash and I would not accept an offer (even a limited free membership) if the offer would demand a payment from me at some point. After all, if I am supposed to be paid than I should have to return the favor simply for the privilege of working, right?

In four months of reading three or more emails a day, taking advantage of all free offers and participating in every survey I was sent and qualified for with the first company I have made $14.94. The first five dollars was a bonus so that means I have made a total of about $2.50 per month for my participation.

In the second scenario I was offered a few more surveys and have accumulated $18.66 in four months. This too had a $5.00 sign up bonus.

Between the two I have made over $5 a month, but I haven’t actually seen a dime of it. You see, in order to request payment I will need to have a minimum of $30 in the individual accounts. At the present rate of return it will take me more than a year to earn $60.

You need to know that I have not simply followed through when I felt like it. I have opened hundred of paid emails and I have worked through dozens of surveys. My guess is that I have made about thirty cents per hour to date.

Why do I do this? Because I want to prove that what I have been saying is true. Even the best-paid survey companies will not be able to provide a positive income from participation.

Something else you should know is that the two companies I chose to participate with have a positive rating with the Better Business Bureau. I did not choose companies with a bad reputation. I chose two of those considered best.

Now to discuss the flip side of the coin. I could make a significant amount of money from both sites if I wanted. What I mean by that is I would need to relax my standards. I would need to be willing to spend money to make money. I would need to pay to play games in order to receive money in return. I would need to pay for memberships or products to receive a monetary bonus.

It is possible to gain enough residuals to request $30 every few days, but logically you will spend much more than that when paying for the items you will receive. Some say it’s a fair trade, but the point is you may be tempted to accept offers for the cash when you don’t really need what’s being offered.

Yes, that is good marketing, but it is also a time and wealth consuming way to try to make a little money. Not to mention an incredible flood of emails that will inevitably invade your inbox.

About the Author

Make A Website or Make Your Own Website at HighPowerSites.com. Start a HOME BUSINESS and Sell Ebooks at BooksWealth.com.

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We’ve all seen those rewards based credit cards. You know, the kind where you spend a dollar and you get a free airline mile or you get cash back whenever you use the credit card. Some even offer points redeemable for actual merchandise.

Did you know that the individuals who gravitate toward reward-based credit cards might be the same individuals who develop their own online business?

When it comes to ecommerce there is a strong desire to access personal rewards.

Think about it this way – in a typical 9 to 5 job there is very little personal reward for exceptional work ethics and there’s very little penalty for weak work ethics. In most cases even those who try to do their best often feel forgotten when there is little reward for an amazing effort or result.

Some will even say they have gotten little more than an ‘atta-boy’ or ‘atta-girl’ for developing something that either saved the company significant money or brought in more work.

You see, while the world around you becomes more attuned to rewarding effort or loyalty it becomes harder to live within a framework where it seems inequity breeds inequity.

When a burgeoning entrepreneur begins to unfold the prevailing ideas surrounding a personal business they often see it filled with the potential for rewards. Yes, there are multiple risks involved, but for many the real risk may be in simply surviving in a job where they feel as if they will never experience the thrill of reward.

I do think traditional business is trying to involve their employees in the reward process, but many have been slow to develop meaningful rewards for employees.

Interestingly there are many online businesses that are a sideline for an otherwise full time employee. These forays into online business may provide enough reward to allow the individual to remain employed outside his or her online business pursuits. It could also be the catalyst to move that individual into full time online business.

Individuals are exploring options and opportunities to push forward with their dreams. The motivation is rewards – not just a paycheck, not just job stability, but rewards for a job well done and for goal advancement.

It could be that by exceeding personal online sales goals you might be able to reward yourself with a new purchase or a short trip away. It’s possible a reward could be as simple as music downloads you’ve been wanting or a new grownup toy.

It is amazing how motivational the idea of rewards can be to an individual who may be languishing in the subtle inference that they should just be happy they have a job. Business owners may not phrase it that way, but many employees don’t really feel that they are valued. Perhaps you can understand why. A credit card company will reward them for making a purchase and a business owner usually won’t extend a meaningful reward for positive contributions to the success of the company.

Online business continues to be the place where dissatisfied employees are discovering some of life’s best rewards.

About the Author

Make A Website and Make Your Own Website that will rival the big boys at HighPowerSites.com. Start a HOME BUSINESS and Sell Ebooks at BooksWealth.com.

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What exactly is web hosting? Is it expensive to get it? These are some of the questions that many people ask especially if they are planning to venture into web business. Web hosting is a service that offers online systems to different users. It is a tool for storing any kind of data and information like video, images, audio and more. Web hosting service is the thing responsible for keeping a web site’s html files, graphics and many more. The place where it is stored is called the web server. If you are concern about the price and thinking that it is expensive, then you don’t need to worry because there are different packages of web hosting services that can able to suit your budget and needs. It is easy to find a low cost web hosting services in the internet with a quality performance. All you have to do is to search and to look around for a web hosting company that can match your requirements.

A suggestion is to do a comparison of different companies offering web hosting services that could found in the internet. It will be best if you do a careful research on this matter and you will be able to find cheap and affordable web hosting that can satisfy your requirements. Search further and you can able to find the best deals that can give you a great low cost rate. Remember the factors that define quality hosting are usually determined by customer service and of course the performance of web hosting services. Some budget web hosting offer inferior services at low cost rates. Some offer discount web hosting that doesn’t affect the features that a hosting provider can give. It is still up to you which kind of services would you like to have. One kind of web hosting service that you should be carefully looking into is a free web hosting. It doesn’t give a lot of features and it may not even pass your business requirement. Be sure to call the budget web hosting company that you are interested in and have carefully selected. The company that makes the assurance of reliable support is the one that you have to consider. Some of these companies offer great service but got a high price tag however, the customer support may not be that good or yet it is expensive. It is best to find a hosting company that has unparalleled reliability when it comes to your web site online presence. If you need sudden help with an offset and potential problems that sometimes arise, they must be there and ready to give reliable and trustworthy solutions. They must include satisfaction guaranteed in the services they offer. This is how reliability is achieved.

The web hosting company should offer special features for users and customers. They should include free applications that are easy to use and launch from a control panel. They should include forums, blogs, shopping carts and more depending on the products and service that you require for your site. This can help you in getting more of your hosting requirements. You won’t need to pay third party vendors to do this kind of job.For bigger companies, you should expect to have a lot of traffic in your server. You should purchase a more dedicated server or virtual private server to help you with the performance during the times of peak visitor traffic. Make sure that you focus on a managed solution especially if you are not that experienced when it comes to technical aspect. This solution will save you a lot headaches and stress. However if you are just starting from scratch, you can be safe by selecting a web site hosting plan.

About the Author

James Zimmerman loves to save money, especially when it comes to low cost hosting. Visit his site lowcostwebhosting.org to learn more tips on saving money with hosting.

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Hiring the right web designer is a must if you plan on creating a professional website. The question is how do you choose that web designer. This is the first part of a two part series that will help you make the right choice.

1. Ask around for referrals

You need to first find some options. You could look for web designers in your local phone book or search for web sites on the Internet, but the truth is that the best way to find a web designer who is going to do a good job is to talk to people who’ve used web designers. Talk to others in your field. Talk to other people you’ve worked with, such as copywriters. Ask around, and you’ll be likely to hear some good things about a couple of web designers, at least.

2. Get 3 quotes

Since price is going to be a factor in which web designer you choose and since prices vary a great deal, you should always get a minimum of three quotes from three different web designers. But comparison isn’t the only reason to get these quotes. You’ll also learn something about the web designers’ customer service: if they don’t respond quickly before you’re a client, imagine how they’ll respond after they’ve already got your business.

3. Look for experience

You don’t want to work with a web designer who’s just starting out if you want a professional quality site. So you should ask about their experience. That doesn’t just mean how many years have they been working in this field but also how many sites have they created during that time and how many different clients they’ve worked with. The more experience your web designer has the better but also greater experience means greater cost.

4. Meet your needs

You also need to make sure your web designer can meet your needs. If you want interactive elements in your site or if you want some Flash demos, then you’ve got to make sure your web designer can provide these features. Don’t rely on a web designer who has no experience in these areas.

5. View portfolio

Web designers usually include links to samples of their work on their web sites. If not, you should inquire about viewing their portfolio. You need to see for yourself what these web designers are capable of doing before you sign on the dotted line.

6. Communicate clearly

An often overlooked issue when choosing a web designer is how easy it will be for the two of you to communicate. For example, will you be able to talk over the phone or only email? Are you in similar time zones so communication can be fast? Additionally, you should choose a web designer you can understand – that doesn’t mean just someone who speaks your same language but also someone who doesn’t rely on techno-jargon to explain things.

7. Read testimonials

While looking at a web designer’s work is important, you should also make it a point to check out the testimonials their clients have left them. Sometimes these are also listed on the web designer’s site. If not, you might want to ask if you can contact their past clients so you can get a feel for their abilities.

8. Ask about support

With some web designers, the moment your site is finished, your relationship is finished. That’s probably not what you want. Hopefully, you choose a web designer who provides ongoing support, meaning they’ll be happy to answer questions you have about your site even after it’s been up for months.

9. Share vision

One important element of choosing a web designer is that they share your vision for your site. If they don’t, then you’ll find the entire process frustrating, time-consuming, and disappointing. At the end, you’ll end up with a web site you’re not happy with. Explain to potential web designers what you are looking for and be open to their ideas but remember that the site and final decisions about the site should be yours.

10. Sign a contract

With any web designer, you should sign a written contract that outlines your entire agreement. If a web designer doesn’t use written contracts, you should look elsewhere. If there’s a dispute over your agreement, both of you will benefit from having the terms in writing.

About the Author

Roger Cochran writes for NetDogz, a web designer that has been in business since 1999.

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You have a web site, but you also have a busy work schedule and persona life. When are you going to find the time to do the tedious chore of updating that site?

You know that you must do updates. Visitors quickly get bored of going to sites where nothing has changed for weeks. If you don’t want to lose that valuable web traffic you’ve worked so hard to attract you’ve got to find ways to make updating easier, right?

The good news is that there is a solution. Content Management Systems (CMS), also known as Web Content Management Systems, can simplify the whole process. Basically, a CMS is a type of software that runs on your site’s server and makes it easy for you to organize documents and even multimedia items, such as images or sound clips.

With CMS, you can create standardized templates so all of your materials will have a consistent look. You won’t have to do any additional coding; you just have to cut and past the information into the software. Plus, if you have copywriters or contributors who supply the content for your site, you can provide them access to the CMS so that they can enter the information directly into the template. Although you’ll still have to publish it to the site, at least part of your job will be taken care of.

The nicest part of CMS for many site owners is that they don’t have to pay a web designer just to do the updates for the site. Because the CMS requires little to no technical knowledge, almost any user can effectively make these changes and create a professional-looking, up-to-date web site easily.

Some examples of Content Management Systems are:

Macromedia Contribute (now owned by Adobe). The nice thing about Contribute is that it allows a novice to maintain their own site. It is very cost effective (around $100-200) and once installed it allows you to make changes to your site through a web browser. It is geared to the complete novice and is mainly used to update your site’s content. If you want to just update your site’s text and photos this is the site for you. It is even easier to use than Frontpage, which is often considered the easiest wysiwyg tool out there. WYSIWYG stands for What You See is What You Get. That means that the software tool that you are using to design your site shows you what you are working on is pretty much what you are going to get when you publish or upload your website’s files.

As always, when working on your site you should make sure that you make backup copies just in case something happens when you are making changes to it. Don’t always rely on your web hosting provider for backup copies. They might not always have the most recent version of your site plus it is a hassle to get these files from them sometimes.

There are a large number of these systems available. You can talk to your web designer about which programs he or she might suggest or you can do some research on the Internet. Either way, you should be able to find a CMS that will fit your site’s needs and that will free up your time and money for other important parts of your life.

About the Author

NetDogz is a connecticut web design firm that has been in business since 1999.

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[Via Internet Articles At Isnare.com]

The phrase uploading photos can paralyze people with fear. For novice digital photographers, it sounds like a daunting technical exercise better left to computer geeks and teenagers. Even seasoned computer users are unsure how to feel about it. The truth is; uploading photos is as easy as checking your e-mail. In fact, easier in most cases. And, learning how to upload your photos can open a whole new world in terms of sharing and storing your memories.

There are many different reasons to upload photos. Your digital memories can be uploaded to personal and business websites such as; company directories, or networking sites. These type of uploads allow you to put a face to your name, or share events and memories with co-workers, friends, or future romantic interests. A picture’s worth a thousand words, right? The beautiful thing is you can change the images at will; should you decide to change your hair color, show off a new piercing, or just share your last trip to the zoo. Just upload the new pics and away you go.

Uploading photos for these sites can be fun and rewarding.

You can also create online photo albums, calendars, cards and more. This is a great activity that many people enjoy since it allows them to “self-publish” their photos. They can also share them with friends and family members in a unique way.

You can also store your digital images on online photo storage sites. In fact, these two services can be of paramount importance in that they allow you to organize, personalize, and protect your precious memories without worry of physical damage, or loss to your digital photos. This allows you to keep your computer, phone, or PDA clean and quick in terms of not chewing up a lot of ram having the pictures physically on your device.

For instance, cell phone photo gallery full, yet you absolutely have to take a picture of that cute guy to send to your girlfriend? Uploading photos onto an online photo storage site will free up space, so then you can upload photos of the guy straight to your online photo album, and text the link to your friend. It’s a fun and unique way to enjoy your photos. And photos are so much more personal and easier to view than video. Uploading photos takes less time, less computer memory and they’re overall just a lot easier to share.

Don’t worry you won’t need any special technical skills, or have to learn any new tricks to uploading photos. All you’ll need is your camera and a USB cord. Some cameras now come with chips that allow you to upload your photos wirelessly.

Most of the venues you will be uploading to have step by step instructions on how to upload your photos, whether they are being uploaded from your PC, or digital photo device. So, lose the fear and start uploading those memories. You’ll be glad you did.

About the Author

CJ Thomas writes for a variety of websites, including Hoorray, a photo sharing site that offers the quickest and easiest way to build a free online photo album, as well as free online photo storage.

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• The Joy of Watching Classic Movies
• Movie Ratings in Today’s Society
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• Words of Wisdom For New Parents - The Art and Science of Raising a Child

[Via Internet Articles At Isnare.com]