1. The BLUDOMAIN server offers unlimited e-mail addresses which you can set up by going to your Cpanel and clicking on the mail icon
2. We offer web and FTP stats in analog format – check daily, weekly and monthly web stats and see all the activity on your site
3. we offer 6 gigabytes of bandwidth  – if you need a small increase we will do this at no additional cost
4. we offer 300 megabytes of web space – if you need a small increase we will do this at no additional cost
5. we have all the necessary components available on our sites to run a database - PhP , PhPmy Admin, MySql database, and a Cpanel
6. If you host your BluDomain site with us we can offer you support for the duration that your website is up

the site is *very* easy to update. You do not need to know any html or web coding at all to setup a site. Each site comes with an admin that allows you to edit all content, text, pictures, colors*, meta tags*, music*, etc. There is a bulk uploader* with the site that allows you to select all the images you'd like (they only need to be under 2MB and under 2000px in either direction) and the admin system with resize them and optimize them for the web. There is a built in cropper* that allows you to select how you would like to crop an image to fit perfectly into any section (if necessary). All changes can be made at any time from any computer, and will always be available for making changes to your site down the road. The colors can be edited using our build in color picker or by entering a hex value for the color. All changes are real time and can be seen on your site immediately. The only things that can't be changed via the admin are fonts, animations (some templates allow limited control over animations) and overall site design.

* features may not be available on templates 1-12

You can switch interfaces but it comes at a cost because once we have put in the time to set up a site that fee becomes non refundable.  Setting up another interface from there would be no different to us than purchasing 2 sites.  It would be a nighmare if everyone wanted to switch interfaces before their site is completed each ime we released a new template. The fee for switching templates once it has already been set up is $400.  This is why it is very important that you choose wisely and are sure of your choice by going through the sample interfaces listed on our site and making sure it contains everything you anticipate needing.  Be aware that we are always looking to improve our product and that new interfaces will be coming up periodically.  You can often preview these sites by periodically checking our blog.  We will also announce sales and specials on our blog.

No URL registration does not fall under the hosting fee. We can register and maintain a URL for you for an annual fee of $10.00.

The bulk uploader allows you to upload as many images as you like at one time. You click on a browse button and a file search window will come up – you simply find the images you would like to upload and highlight all of them and click on the upload button. There will be progress bars which keep you informed of the upload status. The bulk uploader also does the sizing and optimization of your images – as long as your images are under 2MB it will size and optimize the image so it fits into your window perfectly. This feature only became available recently when the latest version of macromedia flash 8 came out. The flash 8 player is required for the bulk uploader to work.

The uploader that some of our older sites use requires you to do the optimization and sizing for you image by sizing it to the required dimensions and then by using the “save for web” feature in photoshop. You can only upload a single image at a time using this method which was the only possible option before flash 8 came out. Although this system may take a bit more time it is still quite user friendly.

Keeping your cache clear is very important when viewing your site so that you are always seeing the version with your most recent edits intact.  Odds are that if you are not seeing recent edits that you have made on your site it is because your browser is caching or storing temporary internet files to conserve download time.  Here are some hints on how to keep your cach clear in Safari for the MAC user and in Internet Explorer for the PC user.

Safari (MAC) :  Simply click on the safari button at the top of your screen and click on “ Empty Cache ” - there is unfortunately no setting in Safari that will do this for you automatically.

Internet Explorer (PC) :  Open up explorer, click on the “ tools ” button at the top of your screen then click on “ internet options ”.  In the second row down on the general tab you will first delete cookies and delete files – this will get rid of any previously stored pages.  You will then click on Settings on that same row of buttons and you will select “ every visit to the page ” and click OK .  This will ensure that all the edits you make on the site are instantly visible.

YEs - you can make changes any time you like.  Once your site is live just type /admin or /bluadmin to the end of your web address and you will automatically be redirected to your editing system.  Passwords should remain the same as before you went live.

Before you can set up your e-mail on outlook or mac mail you have to make sure it is first set up in your Cpanel.  

Please keep in mind that the proofing section on your bludomain site is not a shopping cart where clients can actually order their images.  It is, rather, a way that your clients can access their images in a format that is consistent with the galleries on your site – they do not have to go to another link to view their images.  You will be able to create unlimited galleries each with unlimited images within the database of your site and you can assign a password to each gallery you create.  The client will be able to click on the proofing button on your site which will open up a text page where you can provide an explanation of how the section works and the client can enter their password.  Once the client submits their password correctly they will go to a gallery with all their images in it.  They can browse through the images in slideshow format or they can pause the slideshow and browse using the thumbnails.  Each image will have it’s name displayed so that the client can record their favorites on a piece of paper.  This feature comes with the bulk upload feature so you can create these galleries very quickly and efficiently.

At this time we do not give out the fla file for any of our sites. The sites can be edited from your admin, however any changes to the overall design or functionality will need to be done by bludomain.

1. Click on the start button at the bottom of your screen and find "my network places" (if it is not visible there you will need to go to your control panel and find it there.)
2. for the sake of easy access I recommend right clicking on the "my network places" icon and selecting "show on desktop"
3. Double click on the "my network places" icon and select "add a network place" under network tasks and click it
4. click next and select "choose another network location" then click next again
5. enter your ftp address like this: ftp://ftp.siteaddress.com and click next
6. uncheck log on anonymously and enter the username given to you and click next
7. type in any name you wish to refer to your site (it will fill in a default name automatically but you can change that if you want). Click next.
8. make sure the there is a check next to where it says "Open this network place when I click finish" and click "finish"
9. a new window will open up - your username should be filled in automatically and below that you should enter the password given to you by your BluDomain representative. If you do not want to enter your password each time you can check the save password box and you will always have direct access to your site.
10. Once you fill in the appropriate information click "log on" and you will be in your website file storage area.
11. anything you want to show up on the web should be uploaded to the www directory. Once uploaded These files can be accessed in your web browser by typing in your website address - adding a / and then entering the file name. For example if you uploaded a slideshow called slideshow1 in the www directory you can access it online by going to http://www.siteaddress.com/slideshow1 - You can link to this from anywhere in the text sections of your site. When naming folders be sure that you do not use spaces or capital letters.

The most efficient way for MAC users to ftp files is by using a program named Fetch. It is simple to use and inexpensive. A free trial can be downloaded at this link:

get Fetch

- once the program is installed you enter your website address as the hostname and enter your usenrame and password as given to you by your BluDomain representative. Once you enter your main directory simply double click on the www or public HTML directory and drag your desired files into the window.  Once uploaded These files can be accessed in your web browser by typing in your website address - adding a / and then entering the file name.  For example if you uploaded a slideshow called slideshow1 in the www directory you can access it online by going to http://www.siteaddress.com/slideshow1  -  You can link to this from anywhere in the text sections of your site.  When naming folders be sure that you do not use spaces or capital letters.

There are two steps that can be checked before submitting a support ticket:

1. check in any spam/bulk mail folder for the emails
2. raise the quota on the mailbox in question

to raise the quota for an email address you will need to log into your cpanel system. From there you will need to go to mail->Add/Remove/Manage Accounts. Click on 'Quota' next to the email address you use for your email form and raise the number.

Please know that the bulk uploader does most of the image sizing and web optimization for you, however, this only functions properly if you begin with a larger image than what the size allows. If the image is smaller than the allotted area no web optimization will occur and you will end up with an image that is small in dimension but large in file size. A good rule of thumb is to size your images to be 600 pixels high (whether they are vertical or horizontal). At that size your images should upload nice and quickly and it will also allow the database to do it's work in sizing and optimizing the image for you. You may still encounter the odd image or two when uploading images that does not fall under the recommended file size of 70 K or less - in these cases a warning will appear in orange that the image is large and may be slow loading. Orange warnings are not too much of a concern if you are catering to the broadband user, however, if you are catering to dial up users you will need to size and optimize the image by hand and re-upload it. Red warnings will tell you that your image may not load at all - these images should be resized and optimized by hand as well by using the save for web feature in photoshop - exact dimensions will be given in these cases. FTP aasl;dfjk

All changes made are instantaneous.  It is very likely that you are seeing a cached version of your site.

How Do I clear my Cache? 

 

Keeping your cache clear is very important when viewing your site so that you are always seeing the version with your most recent edits intact.  Odds are that if you are not seeing recent edits that you have made on your site it is because your browser is caching or storing temporary internet files to conserve download time.  Here are some hints on how to keep your cache clear in Safari for the MAC user and in Internet Explorer for the PC user. 

 

Safari (MAC) :  Simply click on the safari button at the top of your screen and click on “ Empty Cache ” - there is unfortunately no setting in Safari that will do this for you automatically. 

 

Internet Explorer (PC) :  Open up explorer, click on the “ tools ” button at the top of your screen then click on “ internet options ”.  In the second row down on the general tab you will first delete cookies and delete files – this will get rid of any previously stored pages.  You will then click on Settings on that same row of buttons and you will select “ every visit to the page ” and click OK .  This will ensure that all the edits you make on the site are instantly visible.