Q: What happened to my email link?
A:
If your email used to be hosted directly by Optical Fuel...
the email server settings are now changed
due to a server change.
Settings for your new
email are:
incoming:
pop.secureserver.net
outgoing:
smtpout.secureserver.net
Username is now your
WHOLE email address.
example:
Old:
info
New:
info@yourdomain.com
Use: [x] my server
requires SMTP authentication
NOTE: (not
secure password authentication... this is
not used)
Other resources:
http://products.secureserver.net/email/email_outlook.htm
http://products.secureserver.net/email/email_outlookexpress.htm
Please email me
directly if you need your email setup:
info@opticalfuel.com
Q: What if my Web
email isn't accessed at
Optical Fuel? I need to know how to
login to it! Where do I
go?
A: If you're email is hosted at
Godaddy.com (99%
of email accounts set up by Optical Fuel
are ...)
You would type into your browser:
http://email.
(+ add your domain.com)
Example:
http://email.folsomlakemortgage.com/
... Then login using
your email username) and your password. This is
usually the part that goes BEFORE the
'@' Symbol on your email.
Other help from
Godaddy:
Please
note: Optical Fuel is only supplying
the link, but not the content of this
link.
http://products.secureserver.net/email/email_outlook.htm
http://products.secureserver.net/email/email_outlookexpress.htm
(Don't
forget to bookmark it)
Other Questions:
Q:
What’s the first
step to creating a Web site?
Q:
Domain name? What
is a domain name and who need them?
Q:
So what does it
cost?
Q:
Wait! I thought it
was supposed to take only 10 to 20
hours?
Why do you need three weeks?
Q:
OK, so how do I
begin the process?
Q:
How do I know a
good Web site designer when I see one?
Q:
What’s the first step to creating a Web
site?
A:
First of all, familiarize yourself with
what makes up a Web site. A Web
site is comprised of the following two
main components:
-
A Host Server
or PC (server) that can respond to
requests made by users over the
Internet and deliver Web pages to a
requesting PC.
-
A group of Web
pages that are designed and written
in HTML (Hyper Text Markup
Language). A special program called
an Internet browser, which is
running on a PC, reads these pages.
The browser can then create a visual
result that communicates a message
or some information to the user who
requested it.
TOP
Q:
Domain name? What is a domain name and
who need them?
A:
Domain names simplify the process of
finding a particular place on the
Internet. Typically, your domain
name is the same name as your company.
However, it doesn’t necessarily need to
be the exact name of your company.
For example, let’s
say your company name is Johnny's Rare
Comic Books. You have several options in
determining your domain name:
·
A
straightforward domain name:
www.johnnyscomics.com
·
A simpler
domain name: www.jscomics.com
· A
more specific domain name:
www.johnnysrarecomicbooks.com
However, always
remember: shorter is better, and your
business name does not need to match.
Sometimes it is more important that a
visitor can remember it, and get the
spelling correct. Let us help you discover
the perfect name for your domain. It is
sometimes a creative process, and we have
special tools to come up with something
unique and perfect for your needs.
The choice is
yours.
TOP
Q:
So what does it cost?
A:
The answer depends on several factors.
Our basic rate is $85 per hour. However,
since every job is different, we quote
jobs based on the time we estimate it
will take to create your logo, develop
your Web site structure and design, or
redesign your existing site. Below is an
example of what you might expect.
Bright Pools, a
pool cleaning company wants a Web site
to do the following:
·
Communicate
with existing customers and attract new
customers
·
Inform
existing customers about the latest pool
care methods
·
Allow
customers to set and cancel appointments
This is a basic Web
site. Most Web sites of this size have
between 6 and 10 pages, which typically
requires 10 to 20 hours of design time.
This example requires about 17.5 hours
to produce, so the total invoice would
be $1,875 at the most.
If Bright Pools
wanted to make content changes or
additions in the future, they can do it
themselves or have Optical Fuel take
care of it at a discounted rate. We
perform updates at our standard hourly
rate, but we also offer maintenance
contracts. A predefined contract can
save you money if you know you will have
a lot of updates.
As for Web site
hosting, Bright Pools has the option of
hosting their site with Optical Fuel,
under a custom domain name. The owner of
a site like this might choose the 20/20
hosting plan -- $20 a month, plus a $125
setup fee for the domain.
When you choose
to have your site built and hosted with
us, your first month's hosting is always
free of charge!
This is nice for
the small business that needs to watch
every penny until they get established.
Note: Our hosting
plans range from simple ($20-30/mo) all the
way up to $500-1000/mo (retainer style) -
depending on what level of maintenance is
needed.
Minimum hosting for
a site located on Optical Fuel's servers:
$10/mo.
All said and done,
Bright Pools would have a completely
designed and developed Web site in less
than three weeks, with the grand total
expense of about $1,725.
TOP
Q: Wait! I thought it was supposed to
take only 10 to 20 hours? Why do you
need three weeks?
A:
Content. Content is the most
time-consuming portion of any project.
We go into the importance of this and
how to prepare ahead of time in our next
question.
TOP
Q:
OK, so how do I begin the process?
A:
The most important thing to do as you
begin your Web site is get your content
together as much as you possibly can.
This is typically
the most time consuming and difficult
part of the process. Think about these
things:
· Who
am I trying to reach? Who is my
customer?
· What
are the most important things I need to
tell them?
· What
is the most logical and organized way to
present the information?
From there, your
Web designer can help you put the pieces
together into a creative, interesting,
and usable Web site.
TOP
Q:
How do I know a good Web site designer
when I see one?
A:
Look for someone who listens to your
ideas and accurately evaluates your
needs.
Your Web site
designer should be able to offer
creative advice without limiting your
ability to direct the outcome of the
design. A clever designer allows you
lots of room to explore possibilities
while providing a solution that follows
good design guidelines. And finally, a
good designer should work efficiently
and effectively, incorporating the
functionality required to make your site
useful.
Optical Fuel is a
company where your ideas are respected.
We give you the personal attention you
need to get started and all the room you
need to directly influence the outcome
of your Web project.
Some
of these sites are integrated with a Flash-based component named:
PhotoFlow.
It showcases a series of photos (in this case a cast of a symposium)
that can link to some other information or website or just a larger
version of the image. You may remember seeing it on the iTunes
interface. If you want this integrated on your Website - just call
and ask for it.
DEMO SITE
RACE CAR PARTS
These
sites are integrated with a very powerful software that allows the
site administrator or owner username and password login access to
modify and control a wide range of visual, audio and data elements
of the site. Setup and management are simple and effective. MP3 and
Flash Streaming are built in.
The
sites you see to the right here are all examples of a custom site
front end designs that is integrated with a PHP / MySQL based
shopping cart. It allows the site owner to create an unlimited
number of products complete with prices, descriptions and visual
info.
Flash
is used in these site to give them animation and visual appeal. Each
of them are built with the latest Flash technology. The examples
here give you a good idea of our creative ability and show a good
range of animation style.
Database
solutions are required or recommended when you need to manage
customer data, products, or lists of information that change often.
We can custom design a solution that meets your business functions
to a tee. Please contact us to find out more about this special type
of project.
If
you budget is somewhat slim you can still have a site that is unique
and makes a great first impression. Any site that Optical Fuel
builds is a site that you'll be proud of. We treat every site build
as an opportunity to show our special talent and create something of
quality that meets the budget we're given.
Roseville
