International Perspectives - Internet Services

Where to start?

The very first step is the most obvious one: you need a computer and a modem, or a Web TV unit.

Next, you will open an account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP) or an on-line service (AOL, Compuserve). ISPs are found almost everywhere and they charge usually a flat fee of about US $20.00 per month (at least in the USA; wherever you are, if you can't locate one easily, send us an e-mail message and we will help you find one).

With your account open and your connection established, you will be able to use all the tools available on the Internet, especially e-mail and the World Wide Web (WWW).

What next?

Now you will need to decide which information you want to put on your own web site. A good idea is to start with your existing printed material, and as you become more comfortable with the versatility of the WWW, you will progressively adjust the content to better meet your needs.

At this point it is important to emphasize that this is a process that you can go through yourself if you have the patience to learn how to do it. If you would rather not or if you don't have the time, you will need to turn to a webmaster: he/she will take the (relative) difficulty of coding your information and the sometimes tedious process of building web pages away from you, and will give you back a professional, finished product.

Some customers don't really follow closely the development of their web site, and that's their privilege. We prefer to have a lot of interaction with our clients, which is usually done by e-mail. Web sites are living things. The flexibility of the medium is such that changes and improvements can be added all the time, and we value the feedback we receive from our customers.

One question that we hear often is: how long will it take before my site is ready? Of course the answer is: it depends on the amount of information you want to put on it and the number of features you want on your site. A simple web page with a few basic features will be up in less than a week. A full catalogue with secure page and shopping cart will take months.

That's it?

Well, pretty much. It's not easy to be more specific without some knowledge of the nature of your project. Web sites owners are like car buyers. Some know early on what model they want, some only know they need a car. Similarly, if some people have a clear idea of what their site will be like, many only know that a web site would be useful for their business or their cause, but little else. That's where the consultation phase comes into play. You can ask us all the questions you would like at no cost. If you like what you hear (or read), we will then go into phase 2 (for more details on this procedure, see our price list page).

If you would prefer to receive a more impersonal estimate of the amount of work and money required to build your web site, visit our estimate page and fill out the interactive form with as much information as you can at this time. We will get back to you very shortly with figures both in terms of time and funds.

Any question?

Take your time to visit some of the sites we have already built and take note of what you like in them. Then e-mail us at your convenience with any question you may still have. We look forward to hearing from you.

International Perspectives
Address: 1106 2nd Street #131, Encinitas, CA 92024-5008, USA.
Telephone: (760) 753-2121	Fax: (760) 753-5647
E-mail: webservices@interspecs.com	WWW: http://www.interspecs.com