Introduction to the Internet 2

Internet Service Providers (ISP):
Finding the right ISP is an important first step in the creation of your web site. You will want to find one that has the features you need. The main thing that sets ISP's apart is the tech support that they offer. If there is a question or problem with your site, is there a real person that will talk to you or answer your e-mail promptly with an answer?

Many less expensive accounts are sold in mass quantity by an ISP that is not equipped to offer support, often leaving you in the dark. These types of accounts often require bringing in outside help which in the long run will cost you more money than if you had an appropriate ISP to begin with. Try to stay away from the huge conglomerate ISP's that take forever to talk to a real person. Companies like AOL may have features that appeal to the average home user but are sometimes difficult to work with for professional sites, and AOL in particular does not fully support domains. (Your web site and e-mail addresses will always end with "aol.com" instead of your domain name.)

While shopping for an ISP, think about what needs your web site might have. All ISP's have the ability to present web sites that consist of text, images, and even video. However, if video is an important part of your site, you may need an ISP that has a "streaming video server" (more on video here). If your web site needs e-commerce ability, then your ISP should have a "secure server". If your web site is to be updated regularly, you will want an ISP that has 24/7 tech support which means they are always there to help. A good ISP will have lots of on-line help pages on their web site. Many will offer advice on every topic that you could possibly have a question on, usually to relieve their tech support staff of having to answer frequently asked questions.

Try to talk to people that already use an ISP. Was it easy for them to start their account and set up e-mail boxes, etc.,? Do they experience any downtime? (Not being able to go online. A little is standard, regular downtime is no good) Do they experience slow connection speed? (Everything seems to take forever to load into your browser. Occasional slow download time is standard, always is no good). When they call for help, is there someone they can talk to? (if your having trouble with your e-mail, then tech support via e-mail won't work).

If you are reading this page on-line, then you obviously already have access to the internet. You usually can begin an account with an ISP right at their web site, but if you are new to the internet game, you may want to actually talk to them instead. Make sure you ask for a "business type account" that includes "multi-homing" which is different than just a personal account. It should cost about $40-50 per month and will include what you need to make your domain active. It should also include about 150mb of storage space and several e-mail boxes. If you currently have a regular account that you want to use, you will want to upgrade it to a business account. In the immediate area that Wavemaker does business there are some exceptional ISP's. Here is a link to an excellent example: Sonic - www.sonic.net