QUESTION: What is the WORLD WIDE WEB?

ANSWER: A seamlessly interconnected set of several thousand sites that all share a common format. The Web, which is growing at 15 percent per month. It is the hottest frontier on the Internet because it's extremely powerful, flexible and easy to use. The beauty of the Web lies in the way documents (which can be sounds, photos or text ) are directly linked to each other. A presence on the Web is referred to as a "Home Page".

QUESTION:ÊÊ How fast is the WORLD WIDE WEB growing?

ANSWER:ÊÊ Wired magazine's Internet Index reports that the World Wide Web grew 2,713 percent in 1997. It also reports the number of countries connected toÊ the Internet grew from 137 in 1993 to 190 in 1997.

QUESTION: What are the benefits of being on the WEB?

ANSWER:

1. You can deliver your marketing message to a worldwide audience of millions. Everyone withÊ access to the Internet (the current estimate is over 85 million people) can see your message at any time day or night.Ê A potential customer can view your promotional material from the comfort of their own home or the convenience of their own office. The Internet canÊ make vast amounts of information accessible to anyone with a computer.Ê With personal computers currently outselling televisions -- and 70 percent of those PC's being purchased for home use - you are tapping into a medium that has endless possibilities.

2. You can communicate directly with your clients/customers. Through the use of e-mail, customersÊÊÊÊ can send requests or receive information quicklyÊ and inexpensively. You can, for instance,ÊÊÊ provide information on specialÊ sales, last minute promotions or upcoming events to millions ofÊÊÊ people all over the world without print or postage costs. By the same token, yourÊ customers canÊÊÊÊ send you requests for promotional material or provide you with valuable feedback.

3. Create a new channel for sales. New and secure encryption softwareÊ now allows you to sellÊÊÊ products and services directly over the Internet. This new technology allows customers to placeÊÊÊ orders by credit card without theÊ fear of having their card numbers stolen.

4. Position yourself for the future and stay ahead of the competition.Ê In the near future, almostÊÊÊ every business will be online because this technology will continue to improve and expand. YouÊÊ don't want to be left behind. The key is to stay ahead of your competition by using thisÊÊÊÊ technology to your advantage. As of March 1998, there were over 40,000,000 Web sites of whichÊ 27,000,000 were commercial.

5. Create a profit center by selling advertising space to third parties. YourÊ Internet site can be aÊÊ source of new revenue by selling ad space to third parties. In the case of the Travel Industry, thisÊÊ could mean: tour operators,Ê car rental companies, hotels, cruise lines, etc.

QUESTION: How often should I update the site?

ANSWER: One of the biggest things that turns potential customers off a website is old information. It is imperative that you maintain an up-to-date site. Depending on your site's purpose you should generally update stock changes, a new product launch, latestÊ news, upcoming events or anything that would interest visitors. We offer a comprehensive maintenance service where we can look after your site to make sure it is in tip-top shape.

QUESTION: What is Flash?

ANSWER: Flash is a format developed by Macromedia that enables websites to include animation & sound that will stream over the net. Streaming lets the animation start while the rest of the information downloads in the background. Flash sites are generally extremely small and thus download very quickly. Check out our Flash introduction to our web site (Ê click here ).

QUESTION: Can I install my own cgi scripts?

ANSWER: Yes, each domain has its own cgi-bin. We only monitor for poorly written scripts that may become resource hogs.

QUESTION: Can you handle domains with foreign extensions?

ANSWER: Yes.Ê For none internic domains you will need to file the registration with your local NIC services.

QUESTION: How do I get started?

ANSWER: Determine what you want to accomplish with your site. Is your goal to reach new customers? Do you want to service existing customers? Do you simply want a Web Site? Outline the proposed contents of your site:

• Gather materials that might be relevant: logos, pictures, graphics, text, brochures, etc

• Research other web sites in your area of interest.

• Contact us for a free quote.

QUESTION: How much is this going to cost?

ANSWER: Sites come in all sizes and shapes and the prices vary accordingly. Obviously, some sites are more involved than others. We will work with you to develop a site that is within your budget. One way to reduce the cost of your site is to provide as much of the text and graphics as possible for us to work with. We will help you decide which components willÊ work together.

QUESTION: When can I expect to see results?

ANSWER: A great deal of time and effort goes into market positioning. How quickly results will be seen depends greatly on the marketing methods employed. In addition to successful techniques of BusinessPower.com, there are also other marketing approaches for making web sites productive.

QUESTION: Are you up-to-date on all Web enhancements?

ANSWER: Yes, we can provide all the latest technology for your site! However, we often choose not to use all the "bells and whistles". The key to success for your site is ease of use, speed of access, and content! Because of varying computerÊ and browser capabilities, not every feature can be accessed by everyone. For that reason, we generally add newÊ technology only after it has been in the public domain for a while. Also, complex graphics can be painfully slow to download for the average user. We generally design for the middle ground. Our goal is for your site to be seen and used by the largest number of people!


QUESTION: After my site is up, what's the next step?

ANSWER: For sites with no client interactivity, very little maintenance will be required. If your site has product listings, prices, forums, specials, newsletters or anything that must be changed on a regular basis, you will need regular maintenance.Ê You may have editing changes or wish to add a page. These are all generally done on an hourly basis. You may desire additional design features to keep pace with technology such as Java Scripts, animated graphics, etc If your site growsÊ to a size that is quite large and has numerous complex features, it may be time to consider Web Site Management.


QUESTION: How can I get started?

ANSWER: Designing a Web Site is a team effort. In order to develop a concept of your web site, we'll need to gather someÊ information about your organization or business. Our response form will ask questions that will help us design a custom site for your business. We ask that you provide information, such as a company profile, information about key personnel, etc. depending upon the content that you wish to include. Once we have the necessary information, development begins.


QUESTION: Can I transfer my domain name to BusinessPower.com?

ANSWER: Yes. When you place an order with BusinessPower.com, you will specify whether it is a new domain name or a transfer of an existing domain name. You should keep the service at the present site while waiting for InterNIC to complete the transfer. When InterNIC announces the completion of the transferÊ there is a 72 hour period where visitors could go to either site. InterNIC will send an e-mail to your previous host informing them of theÊ change. Your previous host will authorize and e-mail back to InterNIC. Sometimes it may be necessary to contact your old host and/or InterNIC by phone.


QUESTION: Can I still have a web site If I do not have e-mail?

ANSWER: Yes, Your Web site has nothing to do with Email, all though it does help to communicate with your clients online. Many companies offer FREE e-mail accounts like "Ya-hoo!" and "Hot-mail" . We recommend visiting these sites and setting up your own email account.


QUESTION: Why am I billed for the monthlyÊ "hosting" of the Web Site?

ANSWER: When a Web site is designed it's pages need to be located on a computer with a constant connection to the internet. When someone types in your Web site address this is how they are able to look at your Website'sÊ information. Think of this like your Web site's phone bill for always being connected to the entire world! Ê


QUESTION: What if I want to make changes to my Web Site?

ANSWER: We can make your Web site changes for you, billed hourly or you can make your changes yourself at any time. Ê


QUESTION: What is a search Engine?

ANSWER: A search engine is a Web site like "Yahoo!" or "Alta vista" that are like the librarians of the Internet. If you were looking for a Web site regarding a specific subject, the search engine will show you a list of all the sites that have registered with it regardingÊ the subject of your search. If you do notÊ tell the search engine that you exist than your site will not come up in their data base. There for your site will not receive any visitors. This is why it is so important to register your Web site with the search engines. There are over 500+ search engines on the Internet and for only a one time fee weÊ will submit your site to all of them.


QUESTION: Can I submit my site to the search engines more than once?

ANSWER: Yes, Some people submit their Web sites every month. Every so often a search engine will refresh their data base and this will guarantee that the search engine will not "Drop" your site.


QUESTION: What If I donât own a computer?

ANSWER: You do NOT need a computer in order to have a Web site. You do not even need Internet access. You only need the ability to answer your phone from the calls or orders that will come in from your sites exposure. We recomend printing your new Web site's address on all of your companyÊ literature.