Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
If you have a question that is not answered here, please contact us here.

I’m lost. How do I get started? top of the page ^
We recommend you watch our video tutorial. We also recommend you print out and read the printable tutorial. Both are designed to cover the first 15 minutes of your TalkSpot experience and give you a solid overview, upon which you can build your site and increase your own knowledge, though self discovery!

You can find the video: HERE

You can find the printable tutorial: HERE

I don’t like any of the designs that you have for my website. How can I get a site that looks the way I want? top of the page ^
TalkSpot offers several different programs. Check the "TalkSpot.com Home Page" to see all the current systems. Each system has a completely different set of designs, one of which is likely to work for your needs. Feel free to build as many sites as you'd like! They're free, so try out a few designs, click around, and if you don't like it, just delete it and build another!

If you are still unable to find a design that works for your needs, we also have a graphic design department who would be happy to work with you to design a completely unique and custom design for you.

Check out custom.talkspot.com to learn more!

I’m having trouble uploading pictures to my website. The computer seems to hang. Why? What's going on? top of the page ^
NEVER upload big pictures. The internet is slow when it comes to handling big pictures. You should almost never upload a picture that is bigger than about 200,000 bytes (actually – most should be under 50,000) to Talkspot. Go to this site: http://www.flauntr.com/ for help reducing the size of your pictures .. and, go to this site to get a better understanding of picture types and sizes.

How do I put my website on the web? top of the page ^
If you haven't already, you can build a quick and free site: HERE

If you have, and you've done this, then your site is already live, on the web and available to the public, worldwide!

What is my website address? top of the page ^
If you've built a website with TalkSpot.com, then it's very likely your website ends with talkspot.com. The very first step of building your talkspot.com website is selecting and creating your address. Once this first step was completed, your website address was emailed to you, so you should be able to locate this email, containing all your necessary information.

One other quick trick for finding your site and verifying its address would be to log in.

We offer a global log in: HERE

What's a global log in? It just means that you can log into any website on our system (globally) from this point. That said, you'll need the log in information for all websites on the system, which you probably don't. However, if it recognizes the information you give it, it will tell you where to find your website!

Ultimately, your address is likely to be something along the lines of "YOURNAME.talkspot.com" or "COMPANYNAME.talkspot.com". It's simply a single word, which you have selected, followed by ".talkspot.com". Without getting deeply into it, the internet just knows how to process this series of letters, to direct people to your website, very much in the same way phones know how to route phone calls based on phone numbers. Once you know your website address, you can share it with family and friends by telling them, putting it on business cards, emailing them, and more! Once your site is up and running, people will even be able to search for your site using tools such as Google.com, Yahoo.com and MSN.com!

What is a blob? top of the page ^
A blob is something you can add to a web page, which performs a specific function. One of the blobs tells the weather, for example. Another one counts how many times someone has been to a page and then reports the overall number. That one is called the “Page Counter” blob. There is another which works like a word processor and yet others that show images, report news, and more!

It is likely that MOST of your blobs will be simple text. Imagine that you have a web page, containing 5 paragraphs. Those 5 paragraphs could be 1 text blob, or 5! It "might" make sense to make it 5, as it becomes a little easier to add things between other blobs. So, if you want to add headlines to each paragraph, you just add a new text blob (used as a headline, in this case) between your paragraphs, and you're done!

A blob is little more than a self contained mini-program that does something specific with the information you give it. Once you've played with TalkSpot for a little while, it should make sense and "blob" will become a new work in your vocabulary!

You can see a partial list and slightly more detailed list of blob types on one of our hub sites: HERE

What is a web page? top of the page ^
A webpage is a single "screen" containing information on the internet. The length of the page my vary, depending on the contents of the page, but is generally less than about 2 screenfuls and may require "scrolling" up and down the page, or screen.

If you can imagine a piece of paper, as analogous to a web page, it's blank and can contain anything you might choose to put on it. If you have 2 pieces of paper, you have 2 web pages. If you want to put more information on a single page, then you might need to take another piece of paper and tape it to the bottom of the existing piece of page, thus lengthening the page. In this way, a single web page can go on and on and on, and still be considered a single "page".

Another unique aspect of a "web page" is that it has a single website address. If you pay close attention to the location bar, at the top of your browser, you'll notice that each page's web address ends in a number. Each "page" has a unique number, but can contain anything, be any length and may require scrolling to see beneath the "fold" (aka: bottom of the screen).

More "technical" information: Wikipedia: Web Page

How do I get my logo onto a web page? top of the page ^
To answer this question, we're going to make certain assumptions. We will assume that you have already built a website with TalkSpot.com and are looking to build a business oriented website and want to feature your company logo. Even if some of these assumptions aren't entirely accurate, it's still good information:

  1. Locate the image file of your logo on your computer and remember where it is.
  2. Log in to your website.
  3. Go to the home page of your website, by clicking the "HOME PAGE" button in the top-left of your admin bar at the top of the screen.
  4. Pick the best spot for your logo and make a mental note.
  5. In the top-left corner of your screen, in the admin bar, there is a button reading "EDIT THIS PAGE". Click that.
  6. Click the small green circle (we call them greenies, and they look like this: ) which is closest to the spot you'd intended to add your logo.
  7. Click the blob type for "An Image".
  8. Click the green button at the top of the page reading "UPLOAD A NEW IMAGE".
  9. Click the "Browse..." button.
  10. Navigate to the image file on your computer and select it.
  11. Press the green "START UPLOAD" button at the bottom of the screen.
    1. This will "upload" a copy of your logo. That means it will take a copy of the logo and place it on the computer where your website lives. Then, the copy will appear on the left side of the page. The size may be a little off, but don't worry about that, for now, it's just an example of your logo. The size isn't indicative of what it will look like on your web page.
  12. On the bottom-right side of the screen are some image options. Drop down the dropdown reading "Nothing happens".
  13. Select "Change to another page on this website".
  14. Select the web page at the top of the list, by clicking the little circle to the left of the page name. This will be your website's main page. Clicking this will close the window.
  15. Now, click the green "Submit" button on the page.
  16. Congratulations! You have just added your logo to the home page for your website! Now, let's try something interesting...
  17. Go to any other page on your website and click the greenie in a location where you would like to add your logo.
  18. The top-left most blob type is "Reuse Previously Created Content". Click that and you will see a list of all the content ever created for your site.
  19. Locate the "Image" blob containing the file name for your logo and click the green circle to the right of that.
  20. This will add your logo to your page!
  21. Click the logo and you will see it will take you to your home page!
  22. Now, repeat this process on all your pages and you will see that every instance of your logo, added by this method, will add your logo and each instance of that logo will take anyone who clicks it to the home page of your website.
  23. You have learned how to upload, and re-use blobs. Congratulations!

Can I sell things on my website? top of the page ^
You can absolutely use TalkSpot to help you promote and sell your "big ticket" items, such as a house, land, a condo, a car, a boat and so on.

In fact, check out realty.talkspot.com to see special layouts and tools geared specifically for this. In fact, you can create a complete listing for your property, which will then create special code for you, which you can copy and paste into other sites, such as craigslist.org, for easy promotion!

eCommerce, for selling products over the internet, collecting money, getting paid, etc. is on the way! If you're in a hurry to do this with TalkSpot, check out custom.talkspot.com and we can work on a temporary solution, until we can roll you into the new system, coming around August/September of 2008!

Our new system will a complete and robust set of eCommerce tools, so make sure to check back! If you already have a site, check from time to time. It "may" just pop up in your toolkit, one day!

What is a domain name? top of the page ^

How does the post office find your house, to deliver you mail? They can do it because you have an address. The internet works the same way. Every website has a unique address. Whereas your home's address is something like: 111 Main Street, addresses on the web are much less interesting. An internet address consists of four numbers, seperated by periods, such as: 111.222.333.444 Every website on the web has an address like this.

Actually, to be completely accurate, internet addresses point at the server, on which a website resides. There are times, and TalkSpot is one of them, when multiple websites reside on the same server. Think of this particular address as pointing at an apartment building.
Most of us find numbers hard to remember, so the internet does something very convenient. There are servers, scattered around the internet, that associate names with addresses. For instance, our talkspot website has the name (called a domain name) of http://www.talkspot.com/, and the server it is on has the address 206.196.19.86

A domain name is the last two parts of a website address. For instance, in http://www.talkspot.com/, the domain name is: talkspot.com.

A website address is different from an IP address (which is the four numbers we discussed previously). When someone refers to a website address, the are usually referring to the full name used to access a website via the browser, such as http://www.talkspot.com/.

A URL (Universal Resource Locator) is the full name used to access something on the web, such as a webpage, a website, a picture, a song, etc. For instance http://www.talkspot.com/aspx/blob2/templates/footer/images/PoweredByTalkspot.png

Also, check out:

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/dns1.htm


Why would I want a domain name? top of the page ^
  • Build Trust with Customers
    • When visitors arrive at your site, they want to know that your website is legitimate and that it is there to stay. With your own domain name you reveal that you are in it for the long haul.
  • Help Maximize Your Promotion Efforts
    • When you secure your own domain name, you have complete freedom in your promotions. Many search engines, directories and other promotional sites will frown at "free" hosted sites with another site's address and marketing materials. When you use a free web page hosting service, your site pages are placed on a website along with many other types of businesses. The search engines will not recognize your site as being a unique entity. They might even lump your site into categories with other sites that are using the free service. This can hurt your promotional efforts tremendously, and you end up wasting time and money. You'll actually save money in the long run with your own domain name.

By securing a domain name and taking advantage of TalkSpot's tools, you can promote your site to the fullest!


What do I do if I already own my own domain name? Can I use it and will I be charged? top of the page ^

Yes you can and no you won’t!

You can use an existing name and swap it to your TalkSpot system. However, this will involve a manual process. Aside from the initial fee for establishing your upgraded membership, you will not incur any additional charges for a single instance of a domain name swap, per site.

To make the change, you will need to set your DNS servers to:

  • ns1.maximumasp.com
  • ns2.maximumasp.com

You may need to contact the company that you originally purchased the domain name from to learn how to do this. The process is different for each company.

Once you have made the change on your end, send an email to admin@talkspot.com with the domain name, and within 24 to 48 hours, your change will have been made. Make sure to include the name of your existing TalkSpot site.

For more information check out:


Can I have more than one domain name pointed at a single site? top of the page ^

Yes! To do so, email admin@talkspot.com


How do I add webpages to my website? top of the page ^

Once you signed in, you should have noticed a bar that looks like this picture appear at the top of your webpage. This is the Administrator Tool Bar. It only appears for you. Visitors to your site do not see it.

Click the “Add a New Page” button from your admin bar. This will take you to a page looking like this:


Each of these squares represents a webpage template (the layout of a webpage). They are, in essence: variety. Each one is a little different and will allow you some variety in how your various pages are laid out, while still maintaining a consistent coloring and style. You will also notice each page type is labeled. The labels are just suggestions as to the kinds of web pages you can add to your website. In actuality, you can use the page templates for anything.

  • Click one of the small circles at the top of one of the squares, selecting one of the templates.
  • Click the Green button at the bottom of the page that says “ADD A NEW PAGE USING THIS TEMPLATE "

Now, you will have added a brand new page to your website!


What can I do with my website? top of the page ^

There is no single or simple answer to this question, other than, "Whatever you want!"

Imagine you're standing in a stationary store, looking at the rows of folders, binders, clipboards, and so on. You can choose any one of these items and fill them with anything you'd like. How would you like to proceed?

A website is little more than a collection of your "stuff". It can be anything from an online portfolio of your art, containing images, a resume, a work history and so on, or a collection of information and promotional materials about your business. It can be something as seemingly silly as charting the progress of your puppy's growth, to share with friends or as meaningful as the charting of your family's genealogy spanning years and generations.

Generally, it's about one thing. It's a topic of some kind and all the information, images, sounds and motion are dedicated to this one topic.

Pick something and start writing about it! Then, add an image of some kind to support your words. Then, add some more words! As your add things, you will absorb a little information. You can look around at other websites, similar to your own, to help you hone in on your goals. Ideally, you want to create a website that is not only informative and compelling, but is also a topic which is likely to grow and generate more information.

It's like a scrapbook. It's never complete, but also gaining material, morphing and changing shape!


How do I get people to come to my website? top of the page ^

Click HERE to learn about Website Promotion.

How do I do a newsletter? top of the page ^

There are two ways!

  • One is to simply drop down the toolkit and select the option to send newsletter(s). From there, click a pencil icon and start writing! You can (and should) send a test to yourself, to make sure it's working and then send to all!
  • Two, and probably the better of the two options, would be to add a "Blog" blob to your webite. Each post to your blog allows you to email it to anyone registered to your site. Just like the newsletter tool, you can (and should) email a test to yourself. The blog blob is interesting and potentially slightly better because in addition to emailing, it also allows greater freedom in the formatting, it archives the newsletter in your blog, so people may read it later, directly from your website and it offers the opportunity for others to register and even post comments about each newsletter you send! It's a much more interactive way to send newsletters and communicate with visitors to your website.

How do I know how many people are on my mailing list? top of the page ^

Easily!

  • Log in to your website.
  • Drop down the toolkit and select "Send Newsletter(s)".
  • Near the bottom of the tool, just above the 3 buttons you will see a message reading, "Number of registered emails: xxx users"
    • This will show the number of users registered to receive emails from you and your website.
  • Click the number of users to see the actual email addresses of those people registered to your website!

How do I know if anyone has been to my website?