Thread: A few questions before I join

Hi, I read through a fair number of the threads so that I could minimise the questions I would have to ask - so apologies in advance if I am repeating some of the questions. (Absolutely, no HTML so I have been playing around with the sitebuilder which is phenomenal!

1. I need both a .com, a .eu & .ws extension for my website, if I register the .eu with another provider can I then transfer to you for hosting? If not is there a solution?

2. I want to sell products (not a huge amount, about 10 to start) do I understand correctly that I should not use blue voda but rather soholaunch for this? Can blue voda accept credit cards? Is the sitebuilder with soholaunch as easy to use as BV?

3. I want my .eu site to be available in the primary languages in Europe, is there a way of doing this on my site?

4. Am I allowed to use an 'opt in' newsletter on my site?

5. I cannot find the 'logo maker' button even though it's ticked in the menu.

I really appreciate you help....in advance.

Michele

1. You can always point the nameservers to your account here - no matter where you register the domains (unless there are any restrictions from the country of registry).

2. I use BV for my stores - I prefer it to Soho - but you can use either. If you use BV, you have to decide how you want the shopping cart to work. How are you planning to charge your customers? That decision actually has to be made before you can select which of those (if either) to use.

3. Someone else will have to answer this one :)

4. Yes.

5. Look at the icons lined up on the left - I believe the logo one is the next to last.

Good luck and hope to have you with us soon.

Beth,

Thank you so much for your help.

I found the logo maker....I hadn't downloaded the 9.1 version !

I think I will initially just use paypal to launch and test, I haven't set up a merchant account yet but I definitely want to be able to take credit cards. I just checked your Child's Palace site so I see that you can accept cc's on that, so I think I will stick with BV. (Your site is great by the way, future customer here, since my daughter is only 3!)

Now as regards 'Nameservers' I'm probably going to ask a really stupid question.....

So I register my .com with VH so that all set.
If I register my .eu with Go Daddy, does that mean that I do a url forwarding from GD to my site of VH? If so what site does it forward to, as I will be catering for both the US & the EU market and I want to keep both sites separate and deal with market specific areas. Also with an .eu registered with another provider, can I still use BV to build the site?

Sorry for all the questions?

thanks for your input.

Michele

Are you planning to build one site - and have one of the url's simply directed to the other? If so, and that's the one at GoDaddy - then, yes, you need to do a redirect to the one that you build. For example, when I built Moxie Enterprises, I couldn't get the url moxieenterprises.com - and I purchased moxie-enter-prises.com. Since then, I've been able to purchase the first - and it is simply redirected so if anyone types it without the -'s in it - they go to my site. And if I want, I can use that url - which is easier for people to remember.

Thanks for the compliments! I'm using Blue Voda and I use CartManager for my shopping carts. For only 10 or so products, you'll probably be fine with the Paypal buttons that BV makes available to you. But if you ever need more - feel free to take a look: www.moxie-enter-prises.com/cartmanager.html

Don't be sorry about the questions. NOW is the right time to be asking - before you get too far along and have to do it all over again. Planning correctly is really the best thing to do.

Hi Bethers,
I don't know if I'm posting on the right place, but I've read you mentioning about having a domain and "redirecting" it to your main site.
My main 'problem' is to atract more trafic to my site and after all I've read so far, I believe that a good domain is very important. (and I also would like to ask for your opinion on that). My site is: www.nzbrtours.com and the main tour here in Auckland is to Rotorua (it's all about Rotorua!). Therefore I would like to have a domain like: www.newzealandtourstorotorua.com (or if you have a better idea...), which mentions the name 'Rotorua'.
My question: Shall a build a new site(and be very specific on it about Rotorua) with this new name or simply buy the new domain name and redirect it to my existing one? So when people go in google and type: tours to Rotorua in New Zealand for example, the new domain I wrote above, for example, would show these 3 very important key words and would come up in a good position.

Many Thanks in advance,

Usually SE do NOT follow links to other sites. Under this point of view, making the new domain redirected to your existing site, will not help you. You would need to create an entire site about Rotorua and eventually link it to your existing site for some of the features (just to avoid building all the necessary pages). However, since contant is one of the most important aspects as long as SE are concerned, i would build an entire site for Rotorua.

Just my opinion though. Beth is far more knowledgable about SE than i am.

Thanks navaldesign,

If I do build a new site. How do I do it? I have BV in my computer with al the pages and info regarding my actual site. Do I have to download BV again? need a new account? I would a new domain and then..?

1. You need a new domain name. You can register one at http://vodahostdomains.com/

2. You don't need a new account, you can use your existing one, and add the new domain as addon.
3. You do not need to download BV again, the one you have is ok.

4. You create a folder, INSIDE your existing BV folder in your computer. The pages that you create for the new site must be saved in this folder, so they will not get mixed up with the original site pages.

5. When you add the new domain as addon, a new folder will be automatically created in your public_html. This new folder, by default, is named after the addon domain. If your new domain is, i.e., www.newzealandtourstorotorua.com a new folder, named "newzealandtourstorotorua" will be automatically created.

6. You publish the new site pages in " public_html/newzealandtourstorotorua "

That's all.

Great! Thanks. Looks easy.

Any idea about a good domain name I could go for? Or maybe I should ask Bethers? You said that she knows a lot about SE's.
Because, as I said, my main concern are the SE's. Here in NZ the competition in the tourism industry is fierce and I would like to get it right.

Cheers,

Chose a domain name as short as possible, with the Rotorua term in it, like

rotoruatours, rotoruatouring, or something similar, if they are not already registered.

Sorry about all this questions....

What are my costs of seting up this entirely new site with the new domain name?

click the below....

www.vodahost.com/order.htm

yah lah , that's right lah,


click the below....

www.vodahost.com/order.htm

Plus sign up lah...

take action then you automatically got no more question lah .....

fox guarantee you worth it one lah ...

regretted not knowing this land earlier
that wasted fox much time and dollars unncessary ...
now then know how to use dash "-" . ... ...
still not too late ... geeee

by the way, curious to find out what is " .ws " ?
i have seen it quite a few round ...


flying off loh ~~~~

uh ! what day is to day ... so many .....

Hi Bethers,

Thank you for your reply.

Yes I am going to be building two different sites, even though the primary product will be the same there will be a major difference in an add on product. This change in itself requires me to become very market specific within Europe and facilitate the website to be viewed in different European languages. (I know you said you can't help me with the ability to put different languages on my site, .....maybe someone else in this forum could.

Not sure yet, but there may also be different pricing structures. Europeans are funny sometimes when it comes to their perception of how 'localised' a product is...(Ha! I'm one of them...I just moved over to the US from Ireland last year)

Anyway perhaps I will concentrate on the .com first and take it from there as I have plenty to do anyway.

One last question, for the forum, how come VH doesn't sell the .eu domain, since they are already in the UK?

Ok so the restrictions on this extension are that you have to be either:

An EU citizen
An EU company
An EU organisation within the 27 States.

So to put on my market research hat, there are 809,634,686 citizens in Europe, 314,792,225 people on the internet (38.9% penetration) with a growth of nearly 200% between 2006-2007.

So even though it may not be viable for your US or Rest of World users, it could be very viable for penetration into the European Market. Hmm!

thanks,

Michele

To Answer the Languages question, theres a program called BABEL FISH, that allows for MOST translation on a site. I havent used it but there are those who do.

http://www.altavista.com/help/free/f...archbox_transl

This might work for you.

Karen

Silver Fox,

The .ws means 'website' they are doing it as a viable alternative to the .com. Pretty much any name you want is available, the company bought the rights to .ws from Western Samoa.

Basically it's domain reg, hosting site builder etc etc. but instead of an affilliate programme, they operate a network marketing system whereby you get paid a residual income on anyone that you recommend to join their service...and they subsequently join. (85% retention rate) 7 day free trial etc......

I am a member but I haven't really done anything but point my domain name to their company site, but I do plan to build a separate site. I was involved in Network Marketing years ago and was pretty successful with it, so it depends whether you are into that sort of thing.

I consider it a slow burner though (for me anyway) my plan is create an income over 2 years. (power of numbers and all that)

A few things about though:

You can buy a .ws domain from Go Daddy at $9 or $10 for the year but you won't be able to earn residuals.

To be in the income programme your domain reg, hosting blah, blah is $10.00 per month.

I think it may be fine for someone who has html ( you don't need it but, I do not like their sitebuilder!!)....some people love it & find it really easy to use, I don't, but I do like their business model which is why I am with them.

Not really a good advertisement for them am I ............ha!

Anyway I'm not posting my link here as I'm not touting for business, but I hope this info was of use to you. Let me know if you need to know more.

regards,

Michele

Karen,

Thank you very much,

I think I have checked them out already, as far as I remember though, I can't choose the languages specifically...but I will go back and have a look. I think I may have to end up paying for specific languages which is no big deal so long as it is not ridiculous money.

Michele

Originally Posted by Karen Mac

To Answer the Languages question, theres a program called BABEL FISH, that allows for MOST translation on a site. I havent used it but there are those who do.

http://www.altavista.com/help/free/f...archbox_transl

This might work for you.

Karen

I have tried it. Good if you want to understand a page writen in a language you don't understand, very poor as translation, sometimes with funny results, certainly not suitable for a pro site.

Thanks Naval Design,

Any ideas on a pro-solution, that won't cost the earth?

Michele

I have tried many, both online and offline translators. None was acurate enough. I can only suggest that you use some internet bases translation services bureau (by human translators). They are, in our days, resonably priced. Google it.

Originally Posted by navaldesign

I have tried it. Good if you want to understand a page writen in a language you don't understand, very poor as translation, sometimes with funny results, certainly not suitable for a pro site.

Did you have to use it to read any of my links Naval? Inquiring minds want to know

Thanks again Navaldesign.

Michele

Correct. For each annual account signup you get a $70 commission. For 3-annual is the same. Not applicable for monthly payments. Min payout $150. Payment usually by PayPal account.

Thanks again

Michele