Why would I want my own domain? ...

• A URL with your name or the name of your company is easy to find, and if short, easy to verbally communicate to potential clients, students, tradespeople, etc.
  • Search for your domain now.... without leaving this website.
• If it is your name, it is easy to remember as it is more likely people will associate it with you. Your name, or the name of your company is much easier to remember than a long, complicated address of a free server. If you are a teacher or business, using your domain name is a unique form of advertising, making it easily recognizable in catalogs and at conventions.

• It is easier to switch to another server if you are dissatisfied or have outgrown your space. No changing your letterheads, business cards, etc.

• Search engine listings will not change if you relocate your site. Links from other sites will not change.

• Your email address remains constant if you should switch hosting companies.

• Registration fees have been drastically reduced in recent years. Domain registration can be as little as $10+ per year.

• We suggest Namesecure.com. We have found them quite user friendly, and fees are reasonable.

• PaintWebs does not support hosting accounts at GoDaddy, AOL, or Earthlink

 

Based on Frequently Asked Questions...

Domain Name

• is the address of a particular website. Domain names must be unique and must be registered with an accredited internet agency. We use Name Secure.
• For example ....yourname.com....

eCommerce

• buying and selling products on the internet often using a shopping cart system.
• While we can provide you with eCommerce ability on your site, (a shopping cart) you will have to market yourself and your website products in an active and enthusiastic manner. (see Marketing).

Encryption

• a method of converting data into a code that cannot be easily understood by unauthorized people.
• We use this method in our shopping cart ( a custom site option) but only on the final checkout form which is where you would enter sensitive information.. We feel that using a security system on the product pages is unnecessary and slows the page loading time down. As a further security measure, no personal information of any kind is stored on our server.

Host/Hosting

• The computer/server where your website resides.

Marketing

• A method of promoting yourself, your ideas and your products. Make sure your website address is on every piece of stationery that leaves your place of business. Get people used to ordering online from you.

Pop 3 Mailbox

• Post Office Protocol - used to retrieve messages from a server. Can be a complex procedure for some users.
• An alternative is to have mail from your website forwarded to your current email address.
• Aol accounts are not Pop 3 capable. However, Outlook Express can be configured to work with your AOL connection, or you may use a forwarder.

Reciprocal Links

• refers to links between websites whose owners have agree to provide a link to each other's sites. Has gained popularity due to ratings by search engines and directories, however, over-linking can lead to being banned from search engines.

Search Engine

• card catalogs for the internet. It is becoming increasingly difficult for a small business website owner to be listed. Most search engines have now been programmed to ignore websites listed on free hosts.

Site testing

• refers to the short period of time before publishing or going public with the website. This is the time for you to check your site to ensure it says what you want it to say.

Security

• a system using SSL (Secure Socket Layer) to manage message transmission on the internet. Transmission of forms will be encrypted. We use this method only on our final submission form and not on the product pages in our shopping cart.

Web Designer/Developer

• The Designer provides the overall appearence and navigational elements of your website, however a designer MUST work simultaneously with the developer to ensure that the design will work when converted to html.
• The Developer provides the programming and architecture of the website.

Webkeeper/Webmaster

• This is the individual who maintains the content of your website, providing updates and fixing problems that may occur. Billing will be mailed by your webkeeper. From time to time a server will "go down" - there is nothing we can do except notify the technicians who maintain the servers. However, please notify us so that we may notify the engineers as quickly as possible.

Email Setting and Blog Tutorial...

Most questions are asked about email setups.

I have provided some links for you - one which explains our general mail service and it's options, and a link to specifically configure Outlook Express to work with your domain name. As versions of Outlook Express vary, your setup might be slightly different. If this is the case, please consult Outlook Express Help for specific instructions.

Help files will open in a new window. Close window to return to this page.

• Email Services (overall view and explanations. Some screen shots)
• Outlook Express configuration. Screen captures have been added to this page to aid you in setting up your account. Please be patient while the graphics load.
• Outlook setup -basically the same as Outlook Express but your settings may not take efffect until Outlook is closed and re-opened.(note: your edition may vary. Please use the help file in Outlook)
• Mac Setup email. Screen captures have been added to this page to aid you in setting up your account. Please be patient while the graphics load. 

•   Wordpress Tutorial - coming soon

Spam Help...

Spam is so prevalent on the Internet now. However, there are some things you can do to help yourself. One of them is to use Spam Assassin which you will find in your cpanel...

All top level domains hosted at paintwebs have this feature available to them.

Here are two help pages for you.

• Spam Assassin (the program - explanation)
• How to enable/disable the program

I suggest you start slowly - try it, see if you encounter any problems. Learn to enable and disable the program. Add your content slowly, see if you encounter problems. If not, continue to add words. You MUST remember to check your Spam folder on the server daily to see if "real" mail is being filtered accidentally into it.