WWWDS Inc.
414 Third Street, Steilacoom, WA 98388-1010
Phone (253) 584-1182
Sales@WWWDS.Com

Q: What is a domain name?

A: A domain name is a name used to identify a computer on the Internet. Name Servers (computers) are used to translate the domain name of a computer to an IP number (Internet Protocol). The IP Number is unique to a particular computer.

Q: What is the Internet?

A: The Internet is a group of computers and communication networks that have been connected together all over the world. Network Access Providers such as MCI, Sprintlink, and UUNet provide the Backbone to the Internet. University networks, Government networks and private company networks are also tie into this "Huge" network. Individuals and small companies connect to the Internet through Local Access Providers who then connect to the Network Access Providers.

Q: Who pays for the Internet?

A: Everybody that uses it. All the major Backbone Providers on the Internet (MCI, Sprintlink, UUNet, etc) charge a fee to companies and Local Access Providers (LAPs). The LAPs and companies then charge a fee to their customers for dial up, Local Area Network (LAN) and Wide Area Network (WAN)access.

Q: Can I get email?

A: Yes. You will need to have an account with a Local Access Provider to get on the Internet, then you can to setup your mail client (such as Eudora) to read mail off our mail server.

Q: Does WWWDS provide me access to the Internet?

A: No. You will need to get a Local Access Provider to get on the Internet. We can assist you in finding a Local Access Provider.

Q: Will WWWDS make my web site?

A: WWWDS can build the web pages for your web site. You can also hire someone else to build your web pages and publish them from our web server, or you can build the web pages yourself.

Q: What is FTP?

A: FTP is an acronym that stands for File Transfer Protocol. FTP is a set of client and server software programs that transfer files from one computer to another on a Local Area Network (LAN) or on the Internet. WWWDS provides FTP access to your web site account using your account name and password. WWWDS does not allow anonymous FTP at this time.

Q: How do I get a domain name?

A: You can call us at WWWDS and we can check the Network Solutions database to see if the domain name is already taken. If you have access to the Internet and a web browser you can check the domain names yourself. The web page for Network Solutions database queries is: http://www.networksolutions.com/cgi-bin/whois/whois

Q: Do I have to have a computer to get a domain name?

A: No. WWWDS has a computer connected to the Internet continuously that serves your domain name and web pages. If you can get access to someone else’s computer it is possible to gain access to our mail server to read your mail and use FTP to modify your pages.

Q: What is a Web Site:

A: A web site is one or more web pages that are linked to one another.

Q: What is HTML?

A: HTML is an acronym for Hyper Text Markup Language. This is the language that web pages are written in. It is a subset of another language known as Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML).

Q: Can WWWDS scan my pictures so they can be seen on my web pages?

A: Yes. WWWDS has access to scanning services.

Q: Can WWWDS create specialty graphics and icons for my web pages?

A: Yes. WWWDS has access to graphics artists that develop specialty web page graphics. The best way to get accurate bids is to have the graphics well defined.

Q: Can I move my domain name to another server in the future?

A: Yes. Please let us know as soon as possible if you want to move your domain name. We will bill you for the remainder of the month that notify us in and the next month. At that point we will cut off your service. You should back-up your web pages to your own PC or other medium.

Q: What is the internet registration fee for.

A: This fee is paid directly to Network Solutions for each year a domain name is registered. Network Solutions is responsible for all the root name servers on the Internet. These are the name servers that hold the database of all domain names on the Internet. The moneys are used to pay the people that maintain the database, process new domain name registrations and keep the root servers operational.

Q: Can I get a domain name for email only?

A: Yes. We can provide a domain name and mail services only. This service will cost $5/month.

Q: Can WWWDS connect our LAN to the Internet?

A: Yes. WWWDS can act as your agent to get you connected to the Internet.

Q: How will WWWDS guarantee that my web pages are available on the net 24 hours/day 365 days per year.

A: WWWDS does not guarantee 24 hours/day, 365 day/year service. We have a dedicated link to the Internet. We have Uninteruptible Power Supplies (UPSs) on all our servers. We backup our servers on a regular basis and our Network Access Provider has multiple point access to the Internet. We feel all of these features provide adequate service for your domain name for the price.

Q: Why should I use WWWDS?

A: We provide a cost-effective way to get a presence on the Internet. At $8/month you will have the same presence on the net as CNN or Microsoft.

Q: How long has WWWDS been in business?

A: WWWDS has been in business since July 1995 serving web pages for people and small businesses on the Internet.

Q: How many web pages can we have on our web site?

A: As many as you want. Your initial Hard Disk space limit is 10 Megabytes. Beyond that you would have to pay $2 for each additional 10 Megabytes. Most web pages take anywhere from 25,000 bytes to 50,000 bytes per page depending on graphics. That works out to 100 - 200 pages without graphics.

Q: How big is the Internet?

A: The Internet encompasses the entire world. If someone has a phone, they can access the Internet.

Q: Can I see who is looking at my web pages?

A: Sort of. You can see what Local Access Provider or company they are logging from into but you will not know the individual that is browsing your pages.

Q: Can I get web hit statistics for my web site?

A: Yes. You will have a log file of all the web page accesses in your account. A script will be built to allow you to view the last 100 web accesses to your web site. We can also provide software for you to show the web statistics on your web site

Q: Can I sell things on my web site?

A: Yes. You can provide an order form that people can fill out then FAX or mail in. We also have a secure server so that you can have secure web pages for people to enter their credit card number.

Q: What type of server does WWWDS use?

A: WWWDS shares space on a Windows 2000 server in a first class data center.

Q: Is there a limit to the number of Hits we can have on our web site?

A: Yes. TBD

Q: What type of Software does WWWDS use to develop web pages?

A: We use whatever software we need to get the best quality/price for our customer. We are currently using MS Wordpad for minor editing, and Adobe Pagemill for major edits.

Q: Does WWWDS offer Microsoft Front Page Accounts?

A: Yes but there is a $15 setup fee which we pay to our wholesale supplier.

Q: Does WWWDS have Database capability?

A: Yes we do.

Q: How much does a web page cost?

A: Typical web pages will take 2-3 hours to develop and may require image scanning and some specialty graphics.  A good range is $130 to $195/page. With fewer graphics, the numbers go down; with more graphics, the number go up.

Q: How will people find my domain name and web pages on the Internet?

A: WWWDS will submit your domain name to the top eight search engines on the Internet. These include:

Alta Vista, Yahoo, Excite, Infoseek, WebCrawler, Lycos, Magellan, HotBot.

Q: Why does WWWDS only use Visa and MC?

A: We have found that using credit cards ensures timely payment, which reduces our costs, and also gives the customer peace of mind that we are an established business.

Q: Can WWWDS create on-line forms?

A: Yes. We have the capability to create and run on-line forms?

Q: Does WWWDS have JAVA?

A: WWWDS has Java server and can create Java code, Java classes and Java scripts on request.

Q: Where is WWWDS located?

A: We are located in Steilacoom Washington just south of Tacoma.

Q: Who owns WWWDS Inc.?

A: Frances Postma owns WWWDS.

Q: How much experience does WWWDS have?

A: WWWDS has been creating and hosting web pages for customers on the Internet since July 1995. The web went commercial in September of 1994. The deceased founder, Robert Huff, created web pages on the Internet since February 1994, i.e. prior to it going commercial.

Q: Will WWWDS show me how to write Web Pages?

A: TBD