If you are new to Web Site Design, please read this. There are three basic parts to a website. 

1. The domain name.  This is the actual name of your website.   examples:  www.jarthurs.com, www.cgi-group.com, www.yourwebsitename.com   The name you choose can be obtained through a number of sources.  One online source is  www.networksolutions.com  When you visit this site you will see a designated area to search for available names and then have a way to purchase them.   (You don’t actually purchase the name, you sort of rent it.)  You buy the use of that name for a number of years.  The cost is usually around $20.00-$35.00 for a one year purchase.  The cost goes down for each year you extend it.  Local hosting companies and some web site designers may assist you with this as well. And some hosting companies will wave the domain name registration fee if you host with them.
   
   We believe that this is the most important piece of information you can learn from us. Do you own your domain name? We have a shocking number of people that come into our office, say they want to change web site designers or hosting companies but can't. Why? Because someone they went to in the past to obtain a domain name on their behalf turns up to be the actual domain owner and he/she says... no.... We call it, "holding your domain name hostage". IT DOES NOT MATTER if they only got the name because you asked them to. If the name Joe does web sites is on the registration, the domain name registration companies like NetworkSolutions.com will probably say the name belongs to Joe does web sites. There is nothing we can do to help you, and getting your name back will require a lot of work.
   
   Now having said that, there are also companies out there that will give you your domain back when you ask for it. They are the ones that put it in their name so it will be renewed on time and pointers are right and so forth. So they're not all bad. But we can't say this enough, we want you to understand that when you start to look into web site design and all that goes with it, please take the time to learn a bit and protect yourself. We believe the domain name should be registered in your personal name or your company name with the owner of the company as the contact. You will have to go through the steps to buy it and as a result you will have to keep up with it and when the name expires and will have to renew it. (or you will loose it.) But the name is yours. And when you do this, keep the username and password and every piece of email or paper they give you where you keep all of your other important documentation. This is the part of a web site that matters the most.
   

2. The Host for your website.  This is the company that will place your website on a server that is connected to the world wide web making it available to the public. The host will also help you define email addresses, obtain statistical information as to how and who is looking at your website. 
   
   Questions you may ask: What statistical information will be available for me? Would I know how many people visit my site? Will I be able to tell if I am getting search engine traffic? Will I be able to tell which pages are the most popular?
   
   Will you also help me set up my email accounts so I can have an email address like: myname@mywebsite.com?
   Do you have webmail? (A way for you to check your email when you are away from your own computer.)
   
   The cost for this service varies and there are many local and national companies from which to choose.  When you speak with them however, make sure they can meet the needs of the type of site you wish to have.   And make sure they can support the amount of space you will need, bandwidth and other considerations, specifically if you want to add video and music to your website. (But this is information you can get from your web site designer.) Again, when you set this up with a host, they will give you a username and a password. This is the information needed to FTP (transfer the files to your server space.) This is another piece of information you need to understand and keep in a safe and available place.

3. The web site design itself.  That is where CGI comes in.  The design is a joint effort between our clients and our design staff.  The web site will consist of a number of program files that can be read by Browsers (Internet Explorer, Netscape, and Firefox to name a few.)  This is what you see when you look at a website.  And the design will also include what you don’t see that makes the site work. 
   
   Please take some time to browse other websites on the Internet, find ones you like and use those as examples when you talk to your website designers. Ask yourself if you want to control and maintain the site totally on your own, or if you want the website company to maintain it. And what happens if you change your mind down the road.
   
   CGI Group would also like to caution you about some designers. Will they allow you to host with any service? When they are finished designing your site, who owns the copyright to the site? Are you getting a turn-key finished project or are there strings attached? Will they give you a copy of your site on CD for backup?
   
   Every designer will probably use what is considered proprietary software at some point when they design a site for you. Proprietary code is code which the designer licenses you to use, or another developer or company has licensed the designer to use in the creation of websites. You are still free to use the site, change it, move it, or delete certain aspects at will. For all intents and purposes, any site the CGI Group designs is yours to do with as you please for your own use.
   
   However, the use of proprietary applications means that you are not free to distribute certain aspects of your site for payment or for free. You may not transfer any part of the code or images, etc. to any third party. Think of it as buying a copy of Microsoft Office®, you may use it to produce any number of things, but even though you paid for it, you cannot sell or give away copies of the software. Some designers will hold onto your site and keep the copyright to the site because of this. This could result in having a website with a lot of limitations and little control.

There are many questions to website design. And it can and does get confusing, but the more you learn the more protected you will be in the future. A website represents your company and your image. It's worth the effort to understand.

Please note that your email address: i.e.  yourname@yourwebsite.com has its own username and password. These are in addition to and different from the usernames and passwords above.  They all serve different functions and they all have different security configurations. And yes, you need to keep up with them all.