Technical Needs
Should I use one content contributor or multiple?
The decision to allow multiple editors is up to you, however, for the sake of consistency it is often best to establish an order whereby all content is managed by a specific few, to keep within the site's common needs and goals.
Can users be assigned different levels of authority (editor vs. administrator)?
Currently, all those with login access share the same measure of authority to create, modify, delete, etc., but we do have the ability to modify user roles related to your site and limit any one user's access.
Will my website maintenance be web-based?
Yes, and usable via any computer-based web browser. There is no software needed to purchase or download.
How tightly integrated are the menus and content?
Very much so, as both are accessible for editing by site administrator(s).
Can menus and content be edited?
Yes, they can both be edited and have the ability to be edited separately.
What are the editing tool features?
Features include bold, italic, underlined, text alignment, font family and size options, text color, background color, insert custom characters, insert Flash video code, and more.
Should I consider a content management system (CMS) for easy website updates?
Yes. The CMS interface is user-friendly and smarter than the What You See is What You Get (WYSIWYG) technology of years ago.
Is website management training offered? If so, what kind?
No structured training sessions are currently available, yet our professional staff are always here to assist in meeting your administrative website needs.
Is a stylebook guide provided? Can it be customized?
Style changes and customization are controlled at the developer level, as opposed to the administrator level – although if any customization is needed, it can be provided.
Is version control available?
Updates will be applied as necessary.
When working on content, is everything live or is there a test mode?
Display status, which is similar to a test mode, can be marked on or off per each item, determining which items display and which do not.
Do we need the ability to export from Word to the web page?
You will have the ability to export from Word through the text applet, which features a paste from Word feature.
What language will our website be written in?
We use an array of languages depending on the complexity of your site, such as PHP, HTML, JavaScript, JQuery, etc. If you have a specific need, please let us know.
Is there an additional cost for custom coding?
An agreed upon hourly rate and the complexity of the request are all factors that affect custom coding cost.
What kind of security and anti-spamming assistance is there?
We scan all sites using a Beyond Security appliance. Your website is scanned for both security vulnerabilities and PCI compliance.
What's the life expectancy of the product?
Technology isn't something any of us can predict with 100% accuracy, yet we find the CMS to be a dependable and reliable form of maintenance throughout the foreseeable future.
Can WordPress be supported on the website?
WordPress is a dynamic publishing tool for managing website content using a web browser, and yes, the site does support it.
Site Features:
Is a search function offered?
At present we employ Google search technologies, with a Google mini server onsite. It is as accurate as the content in which it is set to crawl. It searches live site data which is crawled no less than once a week, and as often as 2-3 times per week.
How easy is it to upload photos or video?
The CMS currently offers an easy to use photo gallery and the applet features an insert / edit image function, an insert/edit Flash movie function, and an edit HTML source function for those comfortable with editing page code.
What analytics tool do you offer?
We currently employ Google Analytics on a number of sites maintained.
Do you offer a donations tool?
While not a tool, we have worked with and utilized justgive.org (link).
Website Hosting
Do you host websites?
Currently, around 90-100 domains are pointed to our web server.
Is there a backup or built-in redundancy?
All websites we host are backed up nightly.
Web 2.0
What is Web 2.0, and does the site integrate its technologies? Which ones?
Web 2.0 is the popular term for advanced internet technology and applications including social media, blogs, video sharing, wikis, and more. Web 2.0 technologies are important factors allowing us to service our web customers using today’s trends and technologies. Video tools and the integration of video, from Flash animation to embedded YouTube code, is recognized and employed with an eye toward evolving and expansive video possibilities. An increased focus on mobile tools to better meet the increasing use of mobile devices used to access the web is one standard we are working to meet. Community tools are employed with an eye toward utilizing social media resources such as Facebook and making that work for the customer. The beauty of Web 2.0 is that its many facets overlap. Our goal as developers is to work to bring as much of what is both current and possible to the forefront.
Is there a calendar feature?
Yes, we can employ a calendar feature.
Contract-related questions:
Is there a set-up fee? If so, what is it?
Yes. There is a one time virtual set up fee of $75. This cost is listed on the last page of our Master Service Agreement
Is there a minimum contract length? Is there a minimum contract length to get improved pricing? Do you have a monthly strategy available?
There is a 1 yr. minimum contract length. We do not offer a multi year discount.
Can we upgrade our plan at any time? Are there any penalties assessed for changing plans at any time?
We offer three plans, Basic, Intermediate and Advanced based on bandwidth/resource consumption. Most websites are basic at 2MB of bandwidth per day. We would start you at Basic and increase, if necessary, based on traffic/resource consumption.
What are considered standard hosting services under your contract? Do you offer both DNS hosting and web hosting?
We take care of both DNS and hosting. It is all included as part of your agreement with us.
DNS hosting/maintenance questions:
Do you offer domain name registration support?
Yes. We also manage your domain name for you. We only charge $20 for the domain, however there is a charge of $70 per hour to transfer the domain. Your domain must be in our master account to take advantage of our domain name management services
Do you offer multi-domain support?
Yes, will work with you and support multiple domains on one hosting agreement provided that traffic/resource consumption remains reasonable.
Web space-related questions:
Do you offer unlimited bandwidth?
We offer the three plans previously listed. Our resources are finite and we will increase our overall bandwidth, if necessary to meet your requirements.
Do you offer excess bandwidth? If so, what are your excess bandwidth charges?
We would propose increasing your site from our Basic Plan if your traffic/resource consumption warranted it.
What happens if we exceed your user average or “reasonable use” limits in bandwidth?We would propose increasing your site from our Basic Plan if your traffic/resource consumption warranted it.
Do you cap monthly usage? If so, what happens if the data transfer quota for the month is exceeded?
No hard technical cap exists. We would propose increasing your site from our Basic Plan if your traffic/resource consumption warranted it.
Do you limit the amount of bandwidth able to be used in any one day? If so, what happens if our website surpasses the daily transfer limit, particularly on a weekend?
No hard technical cap exists. We would propose increasing your site from our Basic Plan if your traffic/resource consumption warranted it.
Do you decrease the availability of bandwidth based on server activity, thus “slowing” down how fast the bandwidth can be used?
No hard technical cap exists. We would propose increasing your site from our Basic Plan if your traffic/resource consumption warranted it.
Do you offer unlimited disk space?
No. Our resources are finite, and we ask that every site cover its costs.
What happens if we exceed your user average or “reasonable use” limits in disk space?We would propose adding a block of disk space at an additional cost to your service profile.
Do you restrict the types of files that can be hosted and the size of those files? If so, what are those restrictions?
No restrictions on file types. We would propose adding a block of disk space at an additional cost to your service profile.
Management of account/site-related questions:
What is your firm’s downloading policy?
No hard technical cap exists. We would propose increasing your site from our Basic Plan if your traffic/resource consumption warranted it.
What are your firm’s FTP limitations?
No restrictions on file types. We would propose adding a block of disk space at an additional cost to your service profile, if necessary.
How often will our site be backed up? Do you offer daily backups? If so, is there a charge for this?
Nightly full backup is included in our service.
Do you have redundant connections so if one connection fails; traffic is immediately auto-rerouted?
Our servers are virtual and can usually rebuild from scratch in less than an hour, if necessary. We have wired and wireless internet access that provide bonded resources and backup to each other.
Will we be given full access to advanced programming languages (the latest versions of PHP, Perl, MySQL, etc.), as needed?
You would need to describe to us what full access means. We allow all languages on our server.
Does the account come with a free SQL databases and administration tools? Does the account come with its own cgi-bin directory?
We do not typically allow cgi-bin directory unless the customer specially request it. However, you are provided a SQL database and our Linux servers come with the most recent version of CPanel for site management.
Does the account come with support for Wireless Markup Language at no extra cost for when we might have Wireless Application Protocol applications?
Yes
Will our account be supported with password protection?
Yes
Reliability of service/dependability-related questions:
How secure will our website be on your Internet server?
Your site will be as secure with us as with any web services provider. Our web servers are located in our DMZ. We require SSL certs for any secure section of your website requiring login.
How reliable is your server? What is your server’s uptime (or downtime) record?
We use What's Up Gold to measure our server up-time and availability. Our average is: 91%.
Support-related questions:
What is your firm’s average response time to a client’s query?
24 hours.
What is the average amount of time it takes to rectify a client’s concern?
24 hours, depending on the complexity.
Is your free tech support available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?
We do not offer Free tech support.
What do you charge for tech support that is not free?
$70 per hours, billed in .25 increments.
Can we reach you any time of the day?
We are open Monday – Friday 8am to 5pm.
Do you have a telephone number where we can speak with a live person at any time?Yes. 800-807-0200
Do you have Instant Message platform where we can chat with you instantly?
No
Full-service questions:
Do you offer secure server and ecommerce capabilities (shopping carts, etc.)? Are these services free, or are they offered as an upgrade?
Yes. They are Free.
What services do you offer as a “bonus” if we chose your firm as our DNS/web host? (for example, shopping cart, forum software, photo gallery, content management software, blog software, site builder, web design templates)?
We offer the complete line of service available through the latest cpanel version. We can provide you an entire list.
Do you offer a fully editable content management system?
Yes
Do you provide web development services?
Yes
Do you offer free blog software?
Yes
Is your system compatible with WordPress and/or DreamWeaver?
Yes
Do you provide templates?
No
Do you provide unlimited pages?
Yes
Do you provide website statistics?
Yes. We use WebTrends.
Do you offer a way to update our pages so we can do the work in advance, set a time and date, and the work will load accordingly?
No
Do you offer Flash animation?
Yes
Do you offer panoramic capabilities?
No
Other questions:
The website content of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ is religious in nature. Do you serve similar clients? Do you have any content objections to religious material? If so, what are those objections?
We service Catholic organizations listed in the OCD. We service nearly 45 religious organizations. You may view our entire proposal online at cbprograms.com/website_portfolio
We are a not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization. Will you recognize our tax-exempt status?
Yes
Do you offer an affiliate program or referrer bonuses?
No
Is there an RSS feed or a way for people to subscribe to updates or e-newsletters?
Yes, RSS is currently employed at our own website https://www.cbservices.org/us/RSS.html
