Are You Being Scammed By Your Web Design Company?

This is a growing concern amongst many business owners. Does your web design company own you? This may be possible if you've allowed them to host your web site for you and also register your domain name for your company.

Web design companies have a lot of control over their clients. I refer to this as "False Power". The sad reality is that most of their clients don't even know they are stuck in this potentially painful predicament. This power is usually exercised when a client of a web design company finds a better deal on hosting for their web site and they simply want to switch their hosting provider, or when the "client" wants to upgrade their web site for a better rate than their current web development provider is offering.

Here's what usually happens to so called "traitor clients":

• Current web design company sends their client a hefty bill for switching
• The web design company cancels their client’s account
• They may point the domain name to another place
• They sometimes take down the entire website until further notice

You get the point! Too much power is given to the web design company. I truly believe that it is your right to shop for better prices and it is your right to own your domain name even if you didn't have a hand in registering your domain name.

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Are Free Webhosting Accounts Really Free? - 5 Critical Things to Consider Before Choosing a Free Website Host

Many free web hosting accounts are free to use, however they will cost you a lot of money, time, and customers as well if you have a site that is meant for business purposes and is more than the simplest site imaginable. Consider the following items as to why free web hosting might cost you more than you had bargained for when you signed up.

Consideration #1 Bandwidth

Frequently, free web hosting providers offer you little bandwidth which means it will take longer for your page to load. When your page takes more than 10 seconds to load you will lose visitors because they will simply move on. Because of this, you might lose a lot of customers and sales from your free web host.

Consideration #2 Advertising

Many free web hosting companies are "free" to you, however, you will have advertising posted on your website as well as pop up ads. Most people do not like this and will not visit your site because of it. Be careful about signing up with a free web hosting company that uses advertising. It might not bother you, but it will probably affect your traffic and sales.

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Anyone Can Build a Web Site!

by Robin Sopko

There are many levels of computer "savvy".

I'd like to think I am quite experienced, but actually, considering the vast knowledge that I have never been trained in, I'd have to�consider myself to be just above the beginner level. I know how to navigate, but I am untrained on the�technical�science of the World Wide Web.�Although I have spent thousands of hours in front of my keyboard and monitor, searching, absorbing and creating, I still have no scholarly knowledge of HTML (hyper text markup language), or things like CGI, Perl, Java script, or other computer programming languages. All I know is that I love to build and design websites, and I love the idea of all of this�vast knowledge, available at my fingertips.

My father is curious about computing, but feels utterly overcome by the thought of owning a� personal computer. Being one who only types with three fingers, he is convinced that he would become frustrated by the availability of virtually "everything" and his inability to obtain it fast enough. He thinks he is too old to learn "shorthand" for the keyboard.

One friend of mine can turn on the computer, get online, get to her email, read and delete it, then becomes instantly lost. If she types anything into her browser window, she has no idea how she got to where she ended up or how to get out of it.

Another example is�my daughter, thirty years younger than I am, experienced enough to know technical computer terminology,�and so fast with the mouse that the computer freezes up within minutes of her signing on. Just when I think I know something that she doesn't, she snickers with delight, and lets out a "Gees Mom, Duh!" that embarrasses me the rest of the day.

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