|
by Michael Garringer, NMC
Resource Specialist
:: Building the Site I talk with people all the time about what's keeping them from having a site. The common excuses fall into three main categories-- We can't afford it. We don't have the skills to build it. We don't need one... --all of which are either grounded in some common fallacies or are issues that are easy to solve. Picking an ISP An ISP (Internet Services Provider) is one of the factors in having a site that will cost some money. But not always. If your program is part of a school or government agency, then chances are you already have access to a place on the web for your site. This may even be true for community-based organizations that partner with schools or government agencies. See if you can grab space for free before you start looking into commercial ISPs. If you need to go the commercial ISP route, keep in mind that many offer special discounts, reduced fees, or even free service for non-profits organizations in the community. If your organization has an email system, then you might already have some Web space reserved on the ISP's servers as a part of your email package. Take some time to look at what your current or potential ISP can offer your organization in the way of discounts (or even an in-kind donation). The Web packages available from service providers vary greatly. They range from small personal ones to huge sites geared towards online retailers and other large companies. There is a wide variety in the amount of storage space you get for the content of your site, how many "hits" your site can get over periods of time, and an infinite number of options regarding integrated email and other bells and whistles. Most programs will typically need no more than 5 megabytes of storage space and a few email addresses thrown in, a typical "small-business" type of package. These usually run for about $30-60/month, so it's not a terrible financial burden. Many ISPs will register your site's domain name (www. your-program-name.org, for example) if you buy a web package from them, saving you time and money. The key is to look around for the package that gives you the most services and convenience for the money. Another option for an ISP is to check with any corporate sponsors/partners that you may have. If they have a site, would they perhaps be willing to offer some server space for your site as an in-kind donation? Some of your mentors may even have Web space that they would be willing to share to help promote the program. Almost all of the cost of a site over time is incurred by simply having somewhere to put it, so really do all you can to minimize cost in this area. 
|
|
