FAQS:


The Internet is an extremely advanced but easy to use network. Some of you have a school, office or home computer network, where all of the computers on the network are linked together. The Internet is a network where you can voluntarily place your computer on this global network to share information with others. It does NOT necessarily mean that people can see your files, get your name or your credit card information. Normally, people can only see what you let them see. Most ISP's protect you, by putting up "Firewalls" - security devices - that keep people from peering in to you an your system. In the end, this means you can surf the web and check email without much risk.

The Web The World Wide Web (WWW) is different than the "Internet". The "Internet" is the network. Many things work on the Internet... one of them is the Web. When you "surf the web" what you are really doing is downloading images, pictures, text, video, sound and programs from someone else's web site. That web site is hosted by a Web Hosting Server, usually run by a web hosting company. Right now you are looking at a web page through a browser (very likely Internet Explorer or Netscape). Thus, you are "using the world wide web" while you are "connected to the Internet".

ISP's are NOT web hosting companies. To have a web site on the internet, you need to have it hosted. For now, we want you to keep in mind that there is a distinction. When you have a domain name and a web site, you will still need an ISP to connect to the Internet see the site, send e-mail, etc. Your ISP is the connection to the Internet, just like the phone line coming into your house is your connection to every other phone in the world! The host is where your web site resides. Your ISP normally wouldn't host your web site. Look at them as the phone connection, and your host as the call center. Therefore anyone can access your web site through ANY ISP in the world at ANY time of the day!

The Internet uses addresses, called "IP Addresses" to find things. But IP addresses are confusing. Would you remember an address like 204.71.200.245 ? Would it help if we told you that was www.Yahoo.com? Domain names are very, very important to the success of the Internet. There are billions of IP addresses! The only way to keep things straight is to use a domain name. What is The Registry? There is a "master database" called "The Registry". The registry contains all of the domain names for .com .net and .org. all over the world. Whenever someone gets a new name, it is added to the registry. This registry is available to all ISP's so that they can look up domain names for their customers who are surfing the web. This way, when you type "Yahoo.com", your ISP looks up the domain name, finds the IP address and knows where to send you. Pretend your phone had no buttons and you didn't know anyone's phone number. You would have to pick up the phone and tell the operator who you want to speak to. They would then connect you. This is kind of how the Internet works. You give the domain name, the ISP looks up the number and connects you, automatically, in milliseconds! "The Registry" is maintained by "Network Solutions" who used to be known as "Internic". If you hear people talk about "Internic" or "Network Solutions", this is what they are talking about. Now, it used to be that they had a monopoly on the whole domain system over the whole .com .net and .org system. Their monopoly was broken up. Now, they still run the central registry (someone has to do it), but there are now many competing "Registrars" who can issue your domain name.There are now many "ICann Accredited Registrars" authorized to register your domain name into the registry. Many people are under the mistaken impression that they have to register their name directly with Interic. This is FALSE. We do it through an authorized registrar. We charge nothing for the application, but they charge approximately $30 per year (at the present time) for registration and there is usually a two year minimum.

E-mail is another program that runs on the Internet. It allows you to send messages to other people. When you send email, a message is sent through your machine, across the Internet, to a "mail server". That mail server acts like a post office. It sorts all incoming mail and puts it in an "IN" box for the owner of the box. When you log in and check your email, you are actually asking your ISP's mail server to give you any mail it is holding for you. If you host your website with us, we will act as your mail server. This means in addition to having email such as john129338@aol.com you can also have email with, for example, info@your-new-domain.com or sales@your-new-domain.com. You will have a minimum of five new e-mail address available to you. Also the e-mail can be forwarded to any existing e-mail account.