Here are some of the most common questions we receive regarding web hosting. Virtually every business these days can benefit from a website. We try to keep it simple and therefore, our hosting package is designed to meet most clients needs without worrying about having to pay for extra hidden charges. Below you will find some very basic information about our hosting. If you do not see the information you require, please ask!


Q. What is web hosting?

A. When you publish your website to the world, you do not have to have your computer serving files 24 hours a day. In fact, you don't even need a computer! We run your website from among the fastest, most reliable servers available from our Toronto data center. When someone types in your website address (URL), the files are downloaded from a our web server dedicated to serving internet files. Here are a few basic terms:

Web site: Comprised of a combination of image, html pages and other files.
Web host: A company that stores and serves websites to the internet.
Web server: A computer connected to the internet serving webpages, email and other files.
Domain: A website name (i.e. thenetnow.com) It must be renewed on an annual basis.

Q. I have no idea where to start....what do I need to get a web site?

A. A typical client will need to purchase a domain name, and arrange for hosting of their website. In addition, they will need to create the html and image files that are to be put on their website, or have a web designer do this for them. The Net Now can help you with all of your website needs. We have been designing and hosting websites since 1998. We also work with a number of web designers and marketing companies who host their clients sites with us. We are authorized resellers of domain names and this is usually a first step when thinking of putting up a website.

Q. What kind of access do I have to my website?

A. You can access your website at any time to make changes. You can view your website with or without the 'www'. We have some web-based tools to assist you managing your website. The web-based control panel allows you to add/modify email accounts and manage a variety of other tools. We can set your hosting up usually the same day.

Q. How reliable and how fast is your service?

A. These are likely the most important factors in selecting a web host company. Please see our money back guarantee. We know how important it is that your site and email be up and running. Our network operations data center is located in the downtown Toronto's telecommunications and financial district. The building housing the data center is well secured against unauthorized access and is equipped with backup UPS & dedicated emergency generator, hardware-friendly fire suppression system and climate control system. We only use reliable Dell servers connected on one of the fastest internet backbones. Our connectivity to the internet is outstanding! The peering network is connected to the major internet exchanges throughout North America. Even during the August 2003 blackout, our web servers continued serving files to our clients all over the world without interruption.

Q. Can I connect to the internet with The Net Now?

A. You will still require a high speed or dial-up account at a local ISP to connect to the internet in order to check your email or browse the web. What we offer with our hosting is the best way for the WORLD to be able to visit your website.

Q. Should I use the web space that comes with my internet access?

A. You may certainly use whatever web space is available to you through your ISP. If you want us to maintain your site, we can do so on either your web space or ours. If you require any custom programming or features such as domain registration, email accounts, formmail etc., we may only be able to provide this on our server space. This is because we have full control over our server and can add additional features instantly. You should also be aware that many of the features we offer included in our monthly rate may not even be available to you at your ISP's hosting and if they are available, they are usually an expensive extra fee. Please talk to us before signing up for 'extra' options at your ISP. You might be surprised at how much we can save you!

Q. What about all these free websites I see on the internet? Why don't I just use one of those?

A. These sites are perfectly fine for a personal webpage, but very unprofessional for your company website. Most importantly, they tend to be very slow. You likely won't get such things as the ability to create sub-directories, use CGI, or access to log files (for stats). They generate their profits by forcing you to display annoying advertising on your site so not only are your visitors forced to see pop up ads for them, you also won't likely be allowed to put your own advertising on site. You usually have an extremely long address which is very difficult to remember and does not project a good image for your company. Because of the nature of free websites (most come and go quickly and their users tend to spam), the major search engines may not even list your website. If you are still interested in a free site first, this site seems to have a huge list of them.

Q. How much will hosting cost me?

A. We want to make it simple and affordable for you to have a quality internet presence! There are no setup fees, and you are never locked in for any long-term contract. You can pay monthly, semi-annually, or annually. If you ever decide you need to cancel your hosting (for ANY reason) we will refund your unused months of hosting. Please see our money back guarantee. You owe it to yourself to check around and see how much other companies are charging for web space. Many are offering the same services for a much higher fee. And of course, there are always companies who offer extraordinarily low prices (beware of their service levels or reliability). We offer quality service at affordable prices!

Q. Do I get any email?

A. Our regular accounts come with 100 MB of space to use for your website and your email. A typical website uses less than 5-15 MB of space so there would be ample room available for several email accounts. You are not limited to the number of email accounts you may create, other than your disk usage is limited to the amount of space you have purchased. You can also create email aliases which forward mail to other email addresses. These do not consume any of your disk allowance. There is a web-based email program (webmail) which is handy if you are not able to access mail using your regular computer (i.e. when traveling). As well, if you have a number of employees using email, each of them can manage their own email.

Q. What do I do next to sign up for hosting?

A. It's quite simple, we just need you to select what the services you need using our online store which gives us all of the basic information about you and what your needs are so we can process your order promptly. It also asks that you review our Terms and Conditions before signing up. We do not use any of the information you provide to us for any purpose other than administering your account for our own use. If you have any questions prior to ordering, or would like to place your order over the phone instead, then please give our office a call and we would be happy to help you.

Q. Can you describe some of the utilities available on your servers?

Web Statistics:
We use Webalizer to analyze your website logfiles. This gives you a wide variety of reports and graphs which are helpful in gauging how successful your site is.

mySQL:
All of our accounts come ready for a mySQL database. mySQL is the world's most popular open source database. Many shopping carts and bulletin boards rely on a mySQL database.

SSL:
If you are interested in having an e-commerce site and need to accept credit cards, you will want SSL in order to make a secure, encrypted connection between our server and your computer as well as your customers will need to connect securely to the server in order to send credit card information. Consider purchasing an SSL certificate in order to give customers confidence in doing business with you.

PHP:
php is a scripting module that is often used in conjunction with a mySQL database. Many shopping carts and bulletin boards use php.

Perl:
Perl is a very common script language used for cgi applications such as formmail, shopping carts etc.

CGI-bin:
You have a cgi-bin available to you. You may install any of our suggested scripts or install your own. If you need assistance in installing or troubleshooting a script, we can certainly help you. Our script support fee is $60 per hour.