Home Page Basics
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$100.00 Initial Startup Package includes:
site design consultation
one Base Text Page
one Logo Image
one stock information request form (forwards to your existing email address)
use of one stock or public domain tiled background image
use of stock or public domain icons
one link to your page from web server's main page
one return link from your page to web server's main page
site description in web server's main page
data uploading to destination site
$ 50.00 for Custom Background or Title Graphics creation
$ 50.00 for Announcing your pages to 10 popular web indexing tools
Home Page Extras
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$ 50.00 for each additional Base Text Page or 25 field Interactive Form
(includes 1 link to and 1 link from each page)
$ 25.00 for each additional Digital Graphics Image you provide
(includes editing, croping, resizing, color correcting, etc...)
$ 50.00 for each additional Image Scanned from your art or photograph
(includes editing, croping, resizing, color correcting, etc...)
$ 10.00 for each additional Page Link
$ 10.00 for each "visitors" counter setup
$ 10.00 for each formmail setup
$ 50.00 for Domain Registration and Virtual Hosting setup
$ 10.00 for Domain Mail setup
Monthly Charges
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FREE Web Space is often included with your login account (ask your provider)
$ 20.00 per month for 2 megabytes of web data space
(includes listing on web server's business page,
virtual hosting of your existing domain name &
use of cgi scripts such as formmail, "visitors" counters, etc.)
$ 10.00 per month for domain mail
$ 5.00 per month for each standard email address
Effective December 1, 1996 -- All prices subject to change without notice
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The package includes the items that are absolutely essential to a professional looking web page for a very reasonable price.
Note: Whenever possible, the text data should be provided to Dewpoint in ASCII format and limited to 1000 words, and the logo image should be provided in GIF format scaled to the desired size. Thank you.
Each page of a web document starts as a Base Text Page consisting of up to 50 lines of typed text. I can accept your text data files in any of the common word processor formats but prefer straight ASCII. If you don't have access to a computer to provide the data on disk, send your typed or hand written text and I will enter it into the computer for you.
Base Text Pages
Web pages layout differently than traditional printed pages. So, unless you are familiar with the HTML display language, don't spend too much time arranging your text for output. Formatting the text for HTML is included in the base text page pricing. In general, HTML text may include numbered lists, bullet point lists, headings, titles, sub-titles, italicized and emphasized words and phrases.
The Web does not restrict your flexibility like traditional advertising. Once your pages are installed, they can be updated or even completely revamped at any time. I may need to charge for major reworking of a page, but minor changes and changes required due to my error are never an extra charge.
Base Text Page pricing also includes one link to each page and one return link from each page.
Graphics can be used to dramatically improve the look of your pages. These days, your company logo and a nice background image are essential for a professional looking page. There are many existing tiled image, icon, and clip art libraries that can be used at no charge by crediting the original artist. I can also take your existing logo or letterhead and use it to create some very interesting custom backgrounds and title graphics.
Images, Icons, Logos, and Backgrounds
The standard web image display formats are GIF for flat color images and JPEG for full color images. For obvious reasons, I prefer to receive your images in either of these formats. I can also convert images from many other formats including bmp, ico, iff, pcx, pict, tga, tiff, and many others. Image files are also more convenient because they can be emailed.
If you don't possess the time, equipment, and/or expertise to provide images on disk, I can scan your camera ready art or photographs into the computer and make any necessary adjustments (editing, croping, resizing, color correcting, etc...) using professional graphics software.
Please note: I will never charge you for artwork that I do not create myself. Any cost to you associated with these images reflect the labor cost of making the graphics accessible from within your documents and should in no way imply that you are purchasing ownership
of the original artwork.
One of the more powerful features of the Web allows users to interact with your web pages. The most commonly used is Interactive Form Mail. Interested viewers fill out a form on your page and submit it to the web site. Software at the web site extracts the information from the form and e-mails it to you. (Note: some web servers charge extra for the extracting/emailing service)
Interactive Services
Other web server software allows users to do things like display "visitors" counters, fill out questionnaires, and even take orders for your product right from the screen! Each different type of interaction requires a special program to be running on the web server. Dewpoint offers Custom Server Software (often called cgi scripting) tailored to provide you with the information you need. While it can get quite pricy, I can even create your own online catalog featuring your whole product line.
Base Text Page pricing includes one link to each page and one return link from each page. But there are times when additional links are convenient and even necessary.
Page Links
External Page Links reference pages within other web documents. When properly linked, words and images selected by the user can reference other base pages within other web documents virtually anywhere in the world. Although often quite desirable, you have no control over external links. They could be changed at any time by their rightful owners. Extra validation is required when referencing external links. And, over time, extra maintenance is required to ensure that your links continue to reference valid documents.
Internal Page Links reference pages within your web document. Internal links are easier to maintain because you own and control all the pages in question. Internal Return Links allow viewers to easily jump back to logical starting points within your pages. Internal links can be used to create mini menus which typically appear towards the top of longer pages giving the viewer the opportunity to quickly jump down through the page.
Email Links give viewers the opportunity to send you email without first having to copy & paste your email address into their email program.
Note: if any link within your web pages suddenly starts generating any kind of error, please contact Dewpoint immediately!
Various sites around the world maintain different kinds of search tools like What's New Lists, Web Indexes, and Newsgroups that viewers use to locate information. Once your pages are created and placed on a web server, you must tell the tools about your pages. Unfortunately, there are hundreds of these tools out there! If you are a seasoned web user, you might already know enough to do this yourself or Dewpoint can do this for you. Unless you have a very limited niche product or service, placing your information in the 10 or so most popular search tools usually covers over 99% of the web surfers. Knowing which ones those are is something that I track.
Announcing Your Pages
The time lag between announcing and having your information actually appear in the indexes can be anywhere from minutes to weeks depending on how automated each tool is and whether or not they verify that your pages are something they want in their index.
For best results, your web pages need to be accessible to the rest of the world 24 hours a day. Web servers exist expressly for this purpose. Typically, you must rent disk space for your data stored at the web site from a web provider. The prices listed (at the top) are for the main provider I work with and are very, very competitive. If you have an existing Internet account, you may already be paying for some web space. Most providers have restrictions about advertising commercial business on personal web pages, so be sure to check with your provider.
Renting Web Server Space
I can upload your pages to any web server site you desire. Once transferred to the web server, I wlll verify that all the pages are working properly. Or, if you prefer to handle this yourself, I can download your pages to you via email.
Most companies prefer to have their own custom www address. This requires first selecting and registering a domain name with InterNIC (official Internet registration). Rental of the domain name with InterNIC typically costs less than $20 per year.
Domain Name Registration and Virtual Hosting
Once you have a domain name, that name can be used to point directly at your pages through a technique called virtual hosting. Basically instead of having to buy a computer, put it at your provider's office, and name it "www.yourname.com", virtual hosting allows a directory on an existing computer to appear to the world as an individual computer. Here's an example of how web addresses look using the various options available:
InterNIC Virtual
Web Address Of Your Home Page Registration Hosting
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www.yourprovider.net/yourname/ NO NO
www.yourname.yourprovider.net/ NO YES
www.yourname.com/yourname/ YES NO
www.yourname.com/ YES YES
Registering a domain name with InterNIC also gives you the advantage of receiving email directed to "anyone"@yourname.com via domain mail. This incoming email can be redirected to any single email address you wish.
Copyright ©1997 Dewpoint Web Services. This document can be freely distributed provided this copyright notice remains.
January 20, 2001