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This page
contains answers to common questions handled by our support staff, along
with some tips, tricks and workarounds that we have found useful and presented here as
questions. For specific internet terms click on the
Internet Terminology button above.
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Q:
Sometimes I can't get connected
A:
When entering the URL (http://www.lazybayou.com) you receive "Page Can't Be
Displayed" or "Page Can't Be Found" errors. You may not be connected
to the Internet.
If you are sure you're connected and you typed
http://lazybayou.com
try adding the www as in http://www.lazybayou.com. If you
typed http://www.lazybayou.com try removing the www and type
http://lazybayou.com
Try to bring up other websites, such as google.com, yahoo.com, etc. If
one of these displays properly, hold down the Ctrl key on your
keyboard and press the F5 key. This will attempt to load the
page directly from the server. If you continue to receive one of the above
errors, you may need to restore your connection to the Internet.
Always try rebooting your modem (phone or broadband) by turning it off and back on again while
your computer is off.
If you're using Internet Explorer click on Tools
>
Internet Options then delete your temporary internet files and
browsing history. This will clear the cache and give you a fresh start.
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Q:
Can I host my own web site?
A:
Yes. When you
host your own site you control everything. Basically you
register a unique domain name then we setup your domain on the
host server and you take over from
there. Once you sign in as the Admin for your site
you
are in total
control. We no longer offer hosting
services, rather we use and recommend Concentric for all hosting service
where we do the web design for you. Concentric is one of the
largest hosting services in the world and a Microsoft partner.
Their prices are very reasonable and the support is excellent.
They have been hosting Lazy Bayou since 2001. For additional
details and information about hosting services click the image
below.
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Q:
Can I have games if I
host my own site?
A:
You can put any game
application on your site that will run from a server. Before
you install software on your site be sure to verify that it will run
from an internet location.
NOTE: Lazy
Bayou does not install or support software that is not already in the host
packages that we offer. If you install any third party software you are on
your own as far as support and technical problems.
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Q:
How long does it take to design a Web site?
A:
It depends on the number of pages you will
need in your site. Our standard business package consists of
10 pages compared to other designers who offer only 5 to 7 pages in
their standard package. Usually we can design a
standard business
package in 14 to 21 days. If you require a lot of special
effects and more pages it can take longer. A family web site
can usually be done in 10 to 14 days.
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Q:
Who maintains my Web site?
A:
If we design your site we maintain your site from servers where we
lease space. If you need changes or additions just email us
the information and we can usually get it on your site in 8 to 10
hours.
If you host your own site then
you control everything and the maintenance
(updates, additions, modifications, etc.) is left up to you.
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Q:
What about uptime for my site?
A:
We lease disk space from the largest hosting
service in the US. It guarantees 99.9% uptime for all sites we
maintain. You should not experience any
noticeable downtime during normal operations.
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Q:
Can I send and receive Email from my site?
A:
Yes. Depending on the package you
select, your site can have up to 500 separate Email accounts
that can be used by you, your family and your employees. These
are standard POP3 Email accounts that can be accessed using software like Microsoft Outlook Express, Microsoft Outlook, Novell
Mail applications, Lotus Notes and many others. You will also
have Web Mail which means you can access your Email account from any
PC using a browser like Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator,
FireFox, etc. Each Email account will have its own password
and other security measures to prevent unauthorized access.
Passwords can only be changed by the owner of his/her Email account.
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Q:
What's a Search Engine?
A:
A search engine is software used by companies
like Yahoo, Google, Ask.Com, Dogpile, Ask Jeeves, MSN, etc.
There are over 800,000 search engines on the internet now and we
submit your web site to each of them on a monthly basis. These
search engines will visit your site looking for keywords and
pages that describe the products and services you have to offer.
When a prospective customer keys in key words found in the pages of
your web site, it will be shown in the list of sites during the
search.
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The number
of requests for a product or service you offer on your sight will
determine how high on the list your web site will be.
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Web pages
designed by Lazy Bayou are optimized for search engines making it easy for
them to spider your site for key words that can be used by individuals to
locate your site.
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Q:
What if I don't want my site submitted to search
engines?
A:
We will ask you, when we have your site ready
to be uploaded to your domain, if you want it submitted to the search
engines. If you don't want it submitted we will not include it
in the nightly submission. We do not recommend the search
engine inclusion for Family web sites.
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Q:
How much disk space will I have on my site?
A:
It depends on the package you select. The
business packages will usually have from
2 to 5 Gigabytes of space for
your web pages and any files you wish to store there for backup
purposes. If you wish to store backup files on your web site
you will need to purchase software that is used to upload files
using the FTP process. The family package has
2 Gigabytes
which will hold 100s of pages and files.
To give you an example, Lazy Bayou uses about 350 megabytes on this
site and has in excess of 250 pages since we have links to
our demo sites. A normal 10 - 20 page business site will occupy
approximately 75 - 100 megs leaving about 1,900 megs free.
The smallest disk
space that we offer for hosting is 2 Gigabytes on a UNIX server running
Apache
software.
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Q:
What's the maximum length of a domain name?
A:
A domain name can have a maximum of
57
characters (letters, numbers, dashes) plus the four characters for
the extension [.com], [.net]. This allows a domain name
including the extension to be a total of 61 characters long.
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Q:
How do I get a domain name?
A:
A domain name is a unique name that is not
duplicated anywhere else in the world and will become the name of
your web site. If someone has already registered that name you
must come up with another name. A domain name is permanent and cannot be used by anyone other than the original
registrant. If someone has registered a domain name that you
would like to use you can always attempt to purchase it from the
owner however the cost is usually prohibitive. Domain names
are being registered by the thousands every day. If you are
seriously considering a web site you should register yours as soon
as possible. Don't be surprised if that name you think no one
would ever think of has already been registered. Remember that
domain names are registered worldwide so everyone has a shot at
being the first to register. Once a domain name is registered
it can't be used by anyone else in the world.
If you would like to purchase an existing domain
name click
here
for a list of domains available for sale.
If you have a name in mind
complete the
Domain Search
form.
It's free with no obligations and you can find out instantly if it's
available.
Lazy Bayou registers
domain names
with the extensions
shown below:
.com
.net
.org
.biz
The
two most common extensions are ".com" and ".net" for family and
business use. The ".org" extension is reserved for nonprofit
organizations and charities. The ".edu" is for 4 year degree
granting school use only and the ".gov" is for government agencies..
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Q:
Can I change my domain name?
A: Yes,
but there are additional charges involved and it takes time.
Once a domain name is registered it remains in effect until the
monthly or yearly fee is no longer paid and the site is abandoned.
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Q: What's the
monthly service fee for?
A:
This fee includes the charge we pay to lease
the disk space on the server where your web site is located plus
standard maintenance (updates, modifications, additions, search
engine updates, etc.).
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Q: How many pages
can my web site have?
A:
It depends on
the package you select. For a small business our standard package
consisting of 10 to 14 pages is a good place to start. Optionally we
can add as many additional pages as you require but there is a per
page cost to add additional pages. A large company may have
several hundred pages. We recommend that you start with as few
pages as possible then add pages as needed.
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Q: Can I offer products
and services for sale on my web site?
A:
Yes, on the Business and
Non-Profit plans. Provide us
the information and we will add the necessary order form pages so
your site will have its own shopping cart so your customers can
place orders and make payment quickly and easily. We recommend
PayPal® as a shopping cart and payment method for your
web site if you plan to offer less than 25 items. PayPal is
the largest global online payment system in the world. It's
free, fast and secure.
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Q:
What's the
eCommerce Module Option?
A:
The eCommerce module is a large, full featured, online
store where you can offer an unlimited number of items for sale.
It handles payment processing, inventory control, taxes,
shipping/handling, order status, various currencies and languages,
database backup, unlimited product categories, product reviews,
email verification, newsletter manager, product images, min/max
values, buy now option, add to cart option, download option,
customer control option, activity reports, special sales and
discounts.
This is a large operation and should not be taken
lightly. It requires a person in your business with technical
knowledge to maintain the
store after it is installed and setup by Lazy Bayou. It also
requires 3rd party payment modules that must be purchased
separately.
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Q:
Can I have pictures on my web site?
A:
Yes. Provide us digital photographs on a
CD or email them to us and we will include them on your site.
While photographs are a nice addition they should be kept to a
minimum as they take longer to load and can give the appearance of
making your site slow to load. The Family plan allows up to 60
individual photographs in its photo gallery. The photos are
first shown in a thumbnail size however when you click on them they
expand to normal size. Photographs provided to us must be in
the JPEG/JPG format.
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Q:
What is a JPEG/JPG format?
A:
This is the preferred file type for
photographs. File sizes are smaller and load faster than GIF
images which is the standard file type for computer generated line
art.
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Q:
What about special effects for my site?
A:
Special effects are
available however there is additional cost to add
audio, flash, etc. and it can be expensive. Bear in
mind that while special effects can enhance a web site they also
cause pages to be slow to load and require the user to have
additional software installed on their computer. We prefer to design good clean
straight-to-the-point sites with a minimum of
"flash" effects that load fast and are
easy for the visitor to use.
You don't want a prospective customer to leave your site while
waiting for the special effects to load.
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Q:
How long will it be before I can access my web site?
A:
New domain names usually take 24 to 48 hours
for the registration to propagate across the internet
(remember, your web site is available to the world). If you
transferred your existing domain to our servers it can take from 1
to 5 days.
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Q:
TourGroup Manager Information?
A:
TourGroup Manager is a software application
that's used by casinos and racinos to track player activity for tour
groups that come in on buses and air junkets. It's been used
by the gaming industry throughout the United States and Canada since
2001.
Both evaluation copies and licensed updates are
available for download from this web site.
For more details about TourGroup Manager see the
TourGroup Manager page.
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Q: How do I know when I'm on a "secure"
site?
A: You can see in the address bar that the
URL begins with "https://" where a standard site URL starts
with "http://" Another way is a small icon displaying a
common padlock, in a locked position, will appear at the end of the
address bar. Secure sites are used when sensitive information
is displayed or when making financial transactions.
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