The internet is as inevitable as the television. So embrace it.

And when you are on the internet you see site after site after site. How do you stand out?

You need a WOW FACTOR.

Rich Media adds the WOW Factor to your site.

Rich Media simply means the page contains video or animation or sound. And as far as a WOW factor goes? Rich Media works.

   Web Site Questions

1. What is Web Hosting?
   This is the way you place documents, images, video, sound and music and a long list of other content on the internet and have that content viewable by the public. In other words, a host provider connects your website to the Internet. They may also manage your email accounts.

2. What is a website?
   This is the collection of above mentioned documents, images, video and other content that you choose to make visible on the World Wide Web. A website can be freely available or restricted as in paid sites.

3. What is a server?
   A web server is connected to the Internet and is responsible for your website being available on the World Wide Web.

4. What is an ISP? Internet Service Provider
   An ISP is a company that offers users access to the Internet. These connections are usually one to two types: dialup and broadband.

5. Can I use a free website hosting service?
   Yes, but remember that you pay for what you get. Just about all the free hosting services are very limited as to what you can do and most of the time they will pepper your site with ads.
   
   Using a free host can also cost you more from your website designer. Often the free hosts are on shared servers with thousands of other sites. And this can become so complex that many times the standard and traditional ways of loading your website onto these servers will not be available. Instead you might have to use some sort of proprietary software application from the host. Your designer may charge you extra to figure out how your particular host works.

6. What information am I responsible for providing the website designer if I find my own domain name and host.
   Username and password, IP address, FTP address, FTP username, FTP password.

7. What is a domain name?
   The name of your website. i.e. www.cgi-group.com.

8. What is an IP Address?
   The numerical value of the name that represents your website i.e. 205.196.223.87. There are two different types of addresses, static address and dynamic address. Because there are so many sites wanting addresses, obtaining a static IP (one that never changes) is harder to get and is more expensive as a result. So, most host providers are sharing one IP address with hundreds or perhaps thousands of web sites.

9. How does shared hosting work?
   The hosting server has a dedicated IP address. The web site request is sent to the hosting server which has instructions to look for the header information - such as the exact web site name and other items in your configuration file. When it finds that information, it will load the appropriate site. The web server software assigns a dynamic or temporary IP address to your site, and from time to time, the web server may opt to change it (reorganizing). Therefore it remains dynamic.
   
   One disadvantage to shared hosting is your site is placed on the server with hundreds of other sites. If there is a problem with one of those sites it is possible for that site to bring the server down. And as a result you will be down. And because it is shared hosting, you will be facing certain restrictions.
   
   But for the most part and the majority of web sites, shared hosting is just fine.

10. Is there an advantage to a static IP? Why would I need one?
    The most misunderstood thought is that static IPs mean faster speeds. But that is not true, there is no speed increase over a shared host. Well, let me rephrase that. There is no speed increase over a shared host that charges and therefore and only puts the number of websites on a server that the server can handle effectively.
    
    The main reason you may want to obtain a static IP address would be if you are using a secure server. In that case you need end-to-end encrypted connections from the web browser to the servers.
    

11. Can you use the IP address to find a web site?
    Yes, if the IP address is a static address. You can use dynamic ones as well, but when they change, you will have no way of knowing what the new one is and the old address will fail.