Surf's Up! Your Business Needs to Catch the Wave
WWWiz Magazine
By Maryan Pelland
"The Internet put $80,000 in my pocket," a client told me. She attributes her newfound success to her web site. Ten years ago, the Internet was a place for military teams and universities to communicate in boring text. Now, you would be hard pressed to find a second grader who hasn't met full-color, animated singing Mickey Mice online.
In 1997, trade names like Netscape and Internet Explorer are household words. There are 30 million internet users in the U.S. and that number increases daily.
Your customers and prospects are among these users, but maybe you quake a bit when you consider jumping in the high-tech surf. The first challenge is to find a company to hook you into the Web--an ISP, or internet service provider.
With a new provider on every street corner, all doing the same thing, at different rates, you need to look closely for good value.
Ask this first, "Do you offer 24 hour live technical support?" That means a hot line you can call when you are hopelessly mired in techno-trouble. Every dedicated surfer has used that help line.
"Do you have a dial-up in my city?" That's what gets your computer connected to your provider. If the number is not local, your phone bill will pop your eyes out of your head the first month you hop on that virtual surf board.
Rates run from $10.00/month to $30.00, for basic service. Some providers promise unlimited use, but ding you with additional charges, as high as hundreds of dollars, if you are a heavy user. Ask, "What does unlimited mean?" If it doesn't mean unlimited on-line hours for a flat rate, find another provider.
Is the staff friendly and responsive? You will spend more time with them while you get your cyber feet wet than you spend with your significant other.
And the provider should offer an email account at no extra charge, as well as software to set up your account, if necessary.
When you hire a provider, you should be online within a couple of hours. Then you're ready to take control of a powerful tool that can put your business in touch with your neighborhood, your city or the entire world. Your next important step is to shop for a professional web site developer to give you a sharp advantage over your competition, and put more profits in your pocket, too.
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