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The un-Official Website of The American Community Schools of Athens, Greece

Web site hosting for as low as $200 a year for Alumni

Website Rates

I guess It's been a long way since August 1997 when I started fooling around with the web sites. I've started a new business that is a local Internet guide to the Triangle area of North Carolina(Chapel Hill, Raleigh and Durham). I've begun to work with independent contractors who are building web site systems similar to mine(see Carrboroweb.com, Asheboroweb.com, East End Community.com, Triangle Restaurants Online ) , have a server set up in the local internet headquarters and presently have over 120 domains online running off a T-1 line.

Due to the expansion I can offer inexpensive sites now that I have a large block of space reserved(think of seats on an airplane that can be stretched indefinitely-kind of). These sites will give you full access and the ability to make changes whenever you want!!. This will save you the aggravation of depending on other people to make changes to your pages tomorrow when you wanted them done yesterday.

I am building this page on a web building program which anyone can do. Anyone with a little bit of computer knowledge and a manual can handle it. I can also assist you in getting started and help you to avoid the pitfalls that I have stumbled into, hopefully preventing you from making the same mistakes I have.

To set up a website you need to register a domain site(www.WhateverYouWant.com) with a company called internic. That costs $100 for the first two years and then $50 a year after that. A domain name is no good without a server to put it on. A server is the computer that stores your information so that people can find it on the web. You can probably find some server to put your site up for free but then you end up with a funky address(www.Bill'sTortillasBold.com/ineg/Mypage). It is very difficult for someone to remember that name. On the other hand www.George'sSouvlaki.com is easily remembered.

To build your sites yourself you will need a web builder program($70-$150) or take a course on HTML. I chose the path of least resistance and bought a program. I use the web building program but have purchased a couple of HTML books so that I can look at the Html text and figure out what's wrong with my page if something isn't working on it. You can also hire someone to build a template that looks very professional and then use that template over and over again to add continuity to your site, adding information as you need to. That is how I build my Triangle sites. Just adding the new information and text to the templates as I need to. I had one template made and with some minor changes I will be using it for over 3000 pages!!

Sites do not need to have all the bells and whistles and jazz that dazzle the eyes. Yes, they look great, but they also take a long time to download, meaning people with slower machines will get bored and leave to find another site(remember this is the age of instant gratification). I put a couple of logos on my sites and add some color to the text and it works fine.

A scanner is also nice. They are coming down in price, but I went for an expensive one. It scans, copies paper, prints and works as a fax. It cost $700, but that is less than it would have cost to get a printer, fax, copier and scanner. On the other hand if you have printer and just want a fax you can get an ok one for around $100 and a pretty good one for $200. Once you have the scanner, anything in print becomes a possibility for your website and you can email your own photographs to friends around the world.

The other neat thing is that you can take anything off the web that you like by clicking on the object with your right mouse button and saving it(notice mailbox on bottom of page). These objects can then be inserted on your webpage, therefore allowing you to avoid buying a scanner.(At least temporarily, but if you are building a serious business site, it is worth the expense!)

My brother Matt is also building his site with a webbuilder. Take a look it it for possibilities. Greek Travel, Athens Guide and Lesvos Island Guides

As far as the price to set up a site I can offer space for $25 a month(or $200 per year). You would be in charge of paying for the domain(I could reserve it and have them send you the bill), setting up the website and developing it. I could also set up a web site for you as I did for alumni Rick Weldon for his prmotorsports auto business...Any questions?