Frequently Asked Questions

This is a list of questions we are frequently asked. If you have other questions that fall outside of the range of material that we have presented here, we'd be delighted to answer them personally. Just send us an email or call 978-855-3903.

Domain Name Registration

What is a domain name?

How do I get a domain name?

Can you help me register a domain name?

Web Hosting

What is web hosting?

Do I need to get a hosting plan first?

What are the benefits of web hosting?

How does your hosting plan work?

What is a cPanel?

How will I use my cPanel?

What is Fantastico?

How do I access Fantastico?

Can I upgrade my hosting plan?

Blog Services

What is a blog?

Isn't a blog used only as an online diary?

What type of businesses could benefit from a blog?

What value does a blog have for my business?

I want to have a blog but I don't know how. Can you help me?

How long does it take to get a blog done?

I have been blogging for some time; can you move my old entries to my new blog? How much will it cost?

Website Design

What do I need to do so I can have a website?

I don't know much about computers. Can I still get a website?

What costs will be involved with building a website?

What forms of payment do you accept?

How does Marien Technologies design my site?

Flash design looks so cool; I want that for my site! Can you do that?

Can I order your promotional website package along with an additional number of pages? If so, how much will it cost me?

How long does it take to get a website done?

What is a domain name?
A domain name is the "address" or URL of your website. For example, in the URL http://www.marientech.com, the domain name is "marientech.com". Once the domain name is registered to you, it is yours to use exclusively as long as you continue to pay the yearly renewal fee.

How do I get a domain name?
You must purchase a domain name from a Domain Name Registrar and it is highly advisable that you purchase it from an ICAAN registered Domain Name Registrar.

What is web hosting?
Web hosting is the process of publishing your website so that it is available on the internet. It's like purchasing a lot for your site. You pay for it because you are renting space on the internet which basically means that you are renting disk space on someone else's computer which is connected full time to the internet.

Do I need to get a hosting plan first?
Web hosting may not be for everyone but if you are an organization or a business company, owning a web server can be very costly and time consuming. Servers can be expensive to purchase and that does not include the cost of software, programming, and extra bandwidth that is needed to set up and maintain it. With a web hosting plan though, you won't have to go through all the hassle of owning and maintaining your own server.

What are the benefits of web hosting?
Web hosting will allow you to have total control of your website and email addresses. You have multiple email accounts and you can even set up an auto responder for your email to let people know you can't respond right away. Most importantly, you have more hard drive space to store all your files, photo albums and video clips.

How does your hosting plan work?
You have a hosting account control panel called cPanel. This is where you will go to administer your website. Once you are logged into cPanel you can create subdomains, email addresses, blogs, forums, guestbooks, and many others without requiring any help from us.

What is a cPanel?
A cPanel is short for "Control Panel". It is an online interface that allows you to control over all aspects of your domain. It also gives you a quick synopsis of your web usage; from overall file space to monthly bandwidth.

How will I use my cPanel?

You can access your cPanel by going to http://www.YOURDOMAIN.com/cpanel. Type your account ID and password when you are requested for it. If you have never used a cPanel before, you will probably only be using it for informational purposes, such as checking your current monthly bandwidth usage, or your web statistics with the analog and webalizer features. You might also use it to check on the server status, or to log on to the web interface of any of your domain's email accounts. You can also use it to add one or more popular features to your website, such as a basic or advanced guestbook, guest counters, countdown timer or formmail, using the included CGI scripts. For complete details, please follow the text link on the bottom of your cPanel interface page, to an in-depth online documentation regarding the use of your cPanel.

What is Fantastico?
Fantastico is a priceless add-on to your web hosting account. It allows you to install many of today's' most popular scripts with a few clicks of the mouse. You no longer have to download files, upload files, chomp files and then configure your scripts. Fantastico will do it all for you. Click here to learn more about Fantastico.

How do I access Fantastico?
Login your cPanel then click on Fantastico at the end of the page.

Can I upgrade my hosting plan?
Yes. Your plan can be upgraded at anytime with no setup fee. You just have to pay the remainder of your billing period based on the plan you are upgrading to.

What is a blog?
A blog is a regularly updated website consisting of regular article postings. It tends to be focused on a single topic or issue, and usually invites comments from readers on the posted articles, starting a conversation between the writer (called a blogger) and the readers. A blog usually reflects the personality of the writer, and is most often written in a personal and informal style.

Isn't a blog used only as an online diary?
Although most blogs are in the form of personal journal or diary, there are also blogs that are used for every type of business, profession, and technological concept. Writers, lawyers, accountants, real estate agents, search engine optimization experts, marketers, and public relations professionals are just a few of the professions making use of blogs in their businesses.

What type of businesses could benefit from a blog?
Any type of business that requires communication with potential readers in the general public can benefit from maintaining a blog. The public can be current and potential customers and clients, the news media, other business or professionals in the industry, or simply casual readers interested in the topic.

What value does a blog have for my business?
A blog opens up the lines of communication between the blog writer and the reader. By becoming accessible to the public, your business can be seen as more than simply a faceless company, but a group of real people. Your blog provides a powerful element of personal contact with your client in building trust and confidence.

I want to have a blog but I don't know how. Can you help me?
Sure, we can. We can build you a ready-to-use blog that is secure, filtered and spam-free. We do all the technical work for you and when your blog is ready, we will walk you through the basic steps of blogging.

How long does it take to get a blog done?
Actually, setting up a blog account only takes minutes. But because we need to customize the blog according to your preferred taste and design and make sure that the blog features which you have specified are functionally and aesthetically integrated in your blog; plus we also need to register your domain and setup your hosting account --- it will take a maximum of seven days.

I have been blogging for some time; can you move my old entries to my new blog? How much will it cost?
Yes, we can and we can do it for free. But as of today, we can only move files from the following blogs: Textpattern, Dotclear, Movable Type, LiveJournal, and Blogger.

What do I need to do so I can have a website?
1. A computer: You must have one so you can view your website.
2. ISP: An Internet Service Provider is a company that can provide you a connection to the Internet. If you plan to manage your own website, we suggest that you get a broadband connection or DSL (for example: Verizon, Yahoo or Earthlink) so you can have high speed internet access all the time.
3. Domain name: This is www.yourname.com; your address or home page on the Internet. You need to register it in order to be valid and usable on the Internet. It can take a number of days before a new domain name becomes active.
4. Hosting plan: This is a service wherein you get long-term storage of your website on an Internet server so that users will be able to access your website at any time.
5. Website design: You'll need all the codes, computer language, scripts and graphics put together so that your website becomes a viewable form for the world to see.
6. FTP: With a File Transfer Protocol, you will be able to move files from your computer to our internet server for updates, repair, edits and changes. You will be given instructions on how you can set this up in your computer.
7. Maintenance: Website Maintenance means making sure that your website is "up and running" properly at all times, and that all the links are functional. It also includes updates, additions, or changes in your website.

I don't know much about computers. Can I still get a website?
You do not need to know about computers to get a website for your business. You need to know about your business - we handle all the stuff about computers! All you need to do is contact us. We'll set up free consultation to discuss your website design project. We discuss your goals and start to learn about your business. We find that our computer training experience helps us to explain the many issues involved with a website. We explain the abstract or complex concerns in an easy-to-understand way.

What costs will be involved with building a website?
1. Domain name: You can buy a Domain name from GoDaddy.com at $8.95 per year.
2. Domain hosting: Our hosting plans range from $12.00 to $25.00 per month.
3. Website design: Your website's final costs vary and are proportional to site size and capabilities. We recommend having a fixed cost quote in hand before building your website. Contact us for a free price quote.

What forms of payment do you accept?
We accept cash and check. Marien Technologies regulations require pre-payment for all website services.

How does Marien Technologies design my site?
We gather all the necessary information so that we can approach our design from your own perspective. We focus on the goals of your website and keep your business and your brand in mind. We consider all your needs and preferences. We might make suggestions about adding certain functions that are absolutely necessary to help you decide on the best navigation, content and function. After coming up with the final and complete website design plan, we register your domain name, activate your host account, and put everything together to make your website functional. Then, we test all the components of your site before delivering the finished product for your final approval. As soon as you are fully satisfied with the website design, we submit it to search engines and/or directories.

Flash design looks so cool; I want that for my site! Can you do that?
Sure, but we must tell you that while flash can create a nice visual effect, it also has its negative aspects. For example, most search engines do not read flash files. Usability studies tell us that most web users really don't like Flash intro pages or sound effects. While some businesses may have a legitimate need for a Flash website, we tend to recommend hybrid sites to most of our client who think they want Flash simply because it looks cool. A hybrid site uses HTML or ASP as the base, with Flash elements intermingled, where appropriate.

Can I order your promotional website package along with an additional number of pages? If so, how much will it cost me?
Yes. We can include additional pages in your package for only $50.00 per page.

How long does it take to get a website done?
It depends on the type of site, the size of the site, and the amount of content we are creating for you. It also depends largely on how quickly you respond to our questions, review design materials and draft text, as well as approve work in development. But we do have a promotional website package which we can complete in just two weeks. An average website that contains 10-20 pages can be completed in four to six weeks.