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Vibrant
Web Information Center
About
Vibrant Web
Vibrant
Web is a web design and consulting company based in metropolitan Atlanta.
Our mission is to help small businesses and organizations benefit from
the web effectively and affordably. Our staff has over ten years experience
in the computer industry. Our business experience ranges from mom-and-pop
retail shops (literally) to successful technology start-ups. We also have
a lifelong dedication to community service, through volunteer work with
local nonprofits.
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The
Internet Explosion
According
to the latest UCLA
Internet Report: Surveying the Digital Future, 71% of Americans went
online. About half of the remaining people expected to go online in the
coming year. The most popular activities were email and instant messaging,
web browsing, buying online, finding entertainment information, and reading
news. [Getting any hints about what to include on your web site?]
45% of Internet
users purchased online in 2002. [People tend to feel the convenience of
online shopping outweighs possible security concerns].
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My
Internet Service Provider (ISP) offers free web space. Can I use that?
You certainly
may, but it might not meet your needs. Most internet service providers
give you about 10MB of web space. That's great for many personal and small
business sites, unless you want to store video or sound clips, a ton of
pictures, or a big database. Still, there are two disadvantages:
1. You can't
select your own domain. The ISP gives you a subdomain, such as www.earthlink.net/~myName.
A subdomain address is more cumbersome and not independent.
2. Your software
features are limited. Generally, the ISP excludes CGI and server-side
includes, the technology used to implement forms, counters, chat/message
boards, and shopping.
The same
limitations are true for all the free and many of the budget web hosting
services. Moreover, some of the budget services subsidize their operations
by placing advertisements on your web pages.
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How Nonprofits Can Profit From The Web
A nonprofit is a business. Though it exists to accomplish a service- or
advocacy- based mission rather than to make money, it still needs money,
along with a dedicated staff and volunteers, to fulfill its mission. Effective
marketing and communications are vital to soliciting donors, recruiting
volunteers, and promoting your message to your constituents and the general
public.
In terms
of return on investment, the web is the cheapest communication media today.
Truly revolutionary, it will complement and enhance your other marketing
and communications tools. Some of its unique features:
- Global
reach
- Always
on - an office that never closes
- Broadcast
- communicates with any number of persons at the same time
- Multimedia
- text, pictures, sound, video
- Transactional
- can respond to user requests, including taking donations
An effective
web site and promotional program should pay for itself many times through
enhancing fundraising, recruiting, and publicity.
We offer
a 10% discount for recognized nonprofit organizations.
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Why Churches Are Flocking To The Web
The web offers
an additional way for congregations to build community and perform ministry.
Perhaps you feel that genuine community must be developed in person. No
doubt that would be preferred. The people, however, are moving online.
According to The Barna
Research Group, 1.6 million Americans used the Internet for religious
experience in 2001. More importantly, Barna predicts that the number will
be 50 million by the year 2010. Successful faith communities must go to
the people and use available technology for effective ministry.
Somewhere
between 1/3 and 1/2 of Protestant churches already have a web site, but
about 90% are unhappy with what they have. Usually their site is equivalent
to an online brochure and a (sometimes outdated) calendar. That's a great
plan to start, but imagine the possibilities:
- Online
studies and discussions
- Audio/Video
broadcast of worship services
- Prayer
message boards
- Online,
up-to-date photo directories
- Promotion
of outreach events and activities
We offer
a 10% discount for recognized nonprofit organizations.
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Web Solutions
For Small Businesses
With an effective web presence, you can go from being a small business
to a big business. You'll instantly have global sales, marketing, and
customer service. Maybe online shopping is right for you; maybe it isn't.
In any case, just being there - on the web - is an unequaled and surprisingly
cost-effective way to establish and maintain good relationships between
you and your customers.
Consider
these features and benefits:
- Do you
want to expand? You website is your global office, open 24/7/365. You'll
save on staffing, rent, utilities, local taxes, travel...
- Need to
learn more about your market? Perform an online survey.
- Do you
want to sell your products online? That's right; set up a shopping cart.
- Do you
want to attract repeat visitors? Provide them with fresh interesting
content - news feeds or your own newsletter.
- Do you
need to answer customer questions? Provide an FAQ page and a customer
support email address. How about this: a message board where customers
can answer each others' questions!
- Is your
competition online?
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How
Do I Set Up An Online Store?
There
are several details, but Vibrant Web will guide you through the process.
Here's a quick checklist:
- Your showroom:
how will you display your products and guide your customers to them?
- Your checkout
counter: if you sell only a handful of items, a simple form might do.
Anything more complicated, and you'll probably want a shopping cart,
a software package that tracks prices, quantities, discounts, taxes,
and shipping charges.
- Secure
server: regular web sites have limited security. You'll want a server
that will protect the financial information of your business and its
customers.
- Payment
method: online credit cards are the most common. Some vendors also accept
online checks.
- Online
merchant account: a bank account authorized to accept online credit
card purchases.
Those are
the major web steps. If you work with us, we won't let you forget about
those pesky non-web issues, like shipping.
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