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Skype - Lets talk about it

Skype is a web based communications company that provides a range of services based around web broadband access. Services include a free (except for your broadband usage costs) program that allows users to text (type short messages), talk to (audio, low bandwidth) and watch (video, higher bandwidth) each other.  You can have multiple callers on audio calls.  Video calls are only between two parties at present. These free calls can be national or international.

Skype also provide a range of additional (paid) services which allow you to call to normal and mobile telephones, domestically and internationally.

Read more: Skype - Lets talk about it

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How much does a website cost?

It depends!  How much have you got

Google offer a FREE simple site creation service where you can create your own site, control access, store files for sharing and very simply create a web presence suitable for you. FREE, FLEXIBLE, EASY TO START, DIY but LIMITED.  See demo site.

• There may be drawbacks if you need to ensure you get well known to the Search Engines etc (although Google is the first among equals at this game), so this may not be the ideal solution for business.  While reasonably flexible, there are limits to what can be done.  Create a new page on your Google site and you will be asked to choose one of a (text) page, dashboard, announcement, file cabinet or list.  Dashboard will allow you to add certain gadgets, including calendars, spreadsheets, files, presentations and pictures.  Not bad really, but if you want anything even marginally more complex, you'll need to look elsewhere.

There are a number of FREE or LOW COST wiki style sites that will allow you to relatively simply create your own site.  One example (there are many) is wikidot.com which hosts a large number of private, community and business sites.

• Sites can look very professional, its mostly up to you, but there are site development professionals that will help you for a fee.  Wiki farms (as they are called) are getting more costly, but are also providing a significantly improved feature list.  Some may provide e-commerce, email, private domains, social site features, forums and more.  You will need to shop around.
  

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Email - the basis of communicating on the Web

Email is a way of sending messages and files to others that also have an email account.

Each user has an email address and email can be sent to that address from any other user.

Most email software is installed on personal computers.  That means that it is probably installed on the machine you are using, and when started, it downloads all the emails from your email service provider.  This is a tried, tested and reliable approach once set up, but has a number of drawbacks:

• software on your computer needs to be updated from time to time;
• if you have computer problems your past emails (and other information) may be vulnerable;
• you can only access your information when at the specific computer where mail has been downloaded.

Web based email is very similar to computer based email, but it avoids the drawbacks above. Privacy issues are relevant to both approaches (we'll talk about these elsewhere).

We'll use Google Gmail to demonstrate how to set up an email account and how to use it.  The set up process is really quite simple, though you may need to have a mobile phone handy as in some countries Google uses and SMS message sent with a verification code to ensure you are who you say you are.

Once you understand the basics it becomes very easy and useful to use email on a regular basis.

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What types of web site?

I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.        Rudyard Kipling

Most people considering a web site want to Communicate something.  So before you outlay any $'s, it will pay to ask yourself these questions:

• what is it you want to communicate, and why?
• who is it you want to communicate to, and where they are? and
• you guessed it, when is your communication important, therefore how best to do it?

Complexity of sites also vary.  A small service business might just need to let potential clients know their services are available locally, and perhaps a few pictures of happy customers.  Clients of a seller of rare items though might be international, and doing the business might require online purchase, currency conversion, transport, customs, catalogues, authentication, history etc.  A popular hobby site will require regular articles, news, high capacity forum, many links to manufacturers, advertising.

You can also get a good idea of what you may need by looking at sites similar to what you anticipate, and noting what services and facilities they provide.

The more complex your requirements, the more time, effort and expertise will be needed to get your site up and running.