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| A: A domain
name is a unique name that identifies
a site on the Internet.
For instance, in www.myfinancialsite.com, "myfinancialsite" is
the domain name. Domain names must be
registered through an Internet service
company that acts as a domain name registrar.
Once you have registered your domain
name, you essentially own it, and can
renew it from term to term for a nominal
fee. AdvisorSquare will notify you of
these renewals. |
| A: Part
of the process in creating a site is
to register a domain name.
So, yes, not only CAN you have your own
domain name, but you MUST register your
own domain name. AdvisorSquare handles
this domain name registration on your
behalf, but you actually own the domain.
Once you register a domain with AdvisorSquare,
your URL will be active and an “Under
Construction” page will display at your
address. |
1. Make it as short and simple
as possible.
2. Use all lower case letters
for your site name, i.e. stanjohnson.
Many people who frequent the web are
used to entering web site addresses
in all lower case.
3. Do not use punctuation or
spaces. Though underscores are recognized,
they are not recommended because they
can be too easily misinterpreted. Stick
to all letters!
4. Choose carefully. Once you
have distributed your address, you
probably won't want to change it! |
| A: By going to www.netsol.com and
entering the domain name and extension
(.com, .net, etc.) you wish to register
and click the GO button. The Network
Solutions system will let you know if
that particular domain name and extension
is available for purchase. |
| A: If you already own a domain
name, the first step you need to take
before you build any sort of Web site
is to contact AdvisorSquare support at
(800) 251-3863 to have your domain name
transferred. There is a one-time $60
fee to have your domain name transferred
from one host to another. |
A: Click here for the How
to Sign Up instructions or click
here to complete the online Sign
Up Form. Once submitted, AdvisorSquare
will contact you to discuss your web
site options.
For completing the online sign up
form use the following guidelines:
a. Company Name (Your DBA):
- Make sure that whatever name you
want to be listed in the contact info
is inserted in the company name field.
The "First Name" and "Last Name" fields
do not appear on the site.
b. Company Header: Your tagline
or company motto.
c. Branch Office: For compliance
purposes, you must put "Branch Office" as
an indicator of what this is in the
text area. Therefore, you should provide
one of the your Branch Office address.
Or
Your local NASD registered branch supervisor’s
office address. |
| A: Yes,
In accordance with the NASD conduct
rules, electronic communication
is under the guidelines of CR 2210 and
therefore, any information posted to
computer network subscribers, or the
Internet, is considered as advertising.
It is very important to note that both
types of sites and any new securities
related information contained or "linked" therein
require prior approval by the Compliance
Department. AdvisorSquare has developed
an application used by your Compliance
Department to electronically view and
approve all web site content. So, you
can feel free to make ongoing changes
and additions to your site, knowing they
will automatically be submitted for approval
and will only appear on your web site
once the Compliance Department has approved
them. |
A: Hyper Text Markup Language,
or HTML, is a language used by all web
browsers in determining how to display
a web page. It consists of simple text
(content), plus tags. Tags represent
the essence of HTML; whenever you want
to make your text bold, insert an image
or table, or add a variety of features,
you use tags. Tags are special codes
that wrap around various content to affect
the content.
Here's a very simple example of
how html tags work:
This is the html tag for making text
appear bold: <b>. When wrapped
around text, it makes the text appear bold. The ending html tag, </b>,
signals the end of the text that is to appear bold.
Example: <b> This text is bold! <b> |
| A: HTML is certainly not required
when you build either a business or a
premium website. Using a template process
for site building has eliminated the
need for you to have any knowledge of
HTML to build your site. However, using
some basic html tags might help you enhance
your site by adding such things as colored
text, bullet lists -- or even a different
kind of font. By learning some very basic
html, you easily give your content a
little flair! |
| Images files for use on World Wide
Web sites should be in one of two formats.
They should either be .gif or .jpg files
and saved at 72dpi (dots per inch) resolution.
In general, .jpg (or JAY-PEG as it is
pronounced) is a better file format for
photographs – especially photos of people
-- and for images with subtle color gradations.
A .gif file is a good format for images
with solid, flat colors and those that
have sharp edges, such as text or line
art. A logo image usually lends itself
well to a .gif file. |
Graphics Software
Images can be obtained a number of ways. If you use graphics software
such as Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe Illustrator, Macromedia FreeHand,
etc. you should have the ability to save images you have created
in either .gif or .jpg format. If you aren't familiar with these
graphics packages and unless you foresee a need for creating lots
of graphics for web site or other use, graphics software may not
be the best option for you.
Scanners
Most software that comes with flatbed scanners also gives you the
ability to save images as .gif or .jpg files. Scanners come in a
wide range of qualities. Be sure that any photo or logo you scan
is of the quality that you want it to appear on your web site. (Hint:
You can view any .gif or .jpg file as it will appear on a web site
by opening your Netscape or Internet Explorer web browser and selecting "File", "Open" or "Open
Page" and then browsing to select the file you want to view.)
Digital Cameras
Digital cameras have become very popular and much more affordable
in the last year or so. Software that comes with digital cameras
will allow you to manipulate photos that you take and then to save
them in the appropriate file formats.
Regular Film Processing
Using your regular film, camera and development process even affords
you some digital capabilities these days. Many film processors, such
as Kodak, give you the option to have your regular film processed
as photos CDs or diskettes. Check with your local film developer
for details.
If all else fails . . . If you're not familiar with graphics
software, scanners, or digital cameras, then your best option may
be to consult with a graphics professional. Local graphics artists,
print shops and even the neighborhood Kinko's are good resources
for creating the graphics files that you will need to enhance your
web site. |
The smaller the file size of your
graphics, the faster your web page will
load. A graphic image file shouldn't
be more than about 25K, and it is even
better if it can be less. Remember, looking
at the file from your hard drive using
your browser (as referenced in the "Hint" above)
is not indicative of how fast the file
will load for someone connected to the
Internet via a modem connection!
An easy-to-use web site for optimizing .gif and .jpg file sizes is
available at http://www.spinwave.com |
| Most images will look best on the
templates if they are between 2 and 3
inches wide, with a proportional length. |
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