Getting Started

All text and images need to be delivered in a digital format. Text received that needs to be typed or images received that need to be scanned will incur additonal charges. In most cases, digital files can be sent to us via email except in the case of very large images. If necessary, send your files to us on CD-Rom. Our mailing address for all content is:

PixelPops Design
718 W. Arapaho, Suite 90
Richardson, Texas 75080

Editing Your Text
Our PopSite program includes "starter" text that you can use for your website. You may use all of it if you wish or you may re-write it completely or you may choose selections from it. This text is to help guide you in getting your site together. We strongly encourage you to rewrite our guide and personalize your text as much as possible. You may download a Word document format of this text here:

Download PopSite Text Word .Doc (Enter the Username & Password we sent you to access this information)

Once you have edited the PopSite text Word document, save the document and email it to:

content@pixelpops.com

Images
Attach images you wish to use in the email. Send 10-12 images or so and we will work them into the site. We may not use all the images, but we like to have choices as we are customizing your site. You may also use our images from our own royalty-free supply if you wish. Some people have specific ideas of which pages they want the images to be on and others leave those decisions to us. If you have a preference please note it in the email with the images. If we have questions or suggestions that differ from your preference, we'll call or email to discuss it.

View PixelPops Gallery of Images (Enter the Username & Password we sent you to access this information)

Video
When you have your video edited and ready to add to the site, mail it to us at the address listed above so that we can encode, upload and link to your site. We accept the following professional video formats: DVCam, DV, MiniDV, or Beta SP. You MUST provide us with exact timecode numbers for the start and stop points of each clip. Please prepare your video so that it fades up exactly at the moment you wish for the video to start. You must provide a Title for each clip as you want it named and Author and Copyright info. If there are multiple videos on the same tape please make note of that. Your video will be encoded for Windows Media Player and Real Player at highband, meaning each video you supply will actually be 2 clips. We will pull a freeze frame from the video to serve as a thumbnail image on your View Video page.

Choose a PopSite Style
Take a look at the PopSite styles available in the PopSites for Videographers area and choose a design that you'd like to use for your company. Some styles are not available in certain areas of the country as PopSites clients are guaranteed strict regional exclusivity. Styles are available to specific regions on a first come, first served basis. There are several new design styles for 2005 and most are currently available. Contact us regarding specific regional availability. Many sites have an option to add Flash enhancements to the introduction page and inside pages. Flash upgrades offer motion to regions of the site's interface and add $400 to the design fee. Please contact us for more information if you are interested in a Flash upgrade for a particular PopSite design style.

Contact Us Form
The most popular upgrade to our PopSite program is the addition of a Contact Us Form. This form allows you to collect important data from potential clients, such as event date/time and locations, so that you can be better prepared to book them when you first make contact with them. A Contact Us Form upgrade is $150. Email us for more info if you are interested in this option.

Flexible Payment Option
If you wish to take advantage of the Flexible Payment Option mentioned at Expo, we can spread the balance of your payments out over three months and bill your credit card three equal payments Sept. 1, Oct. 1, and Nov. 1. This option is only available for those clients who host with us. Design clients not hosting with us pay 50% of the balance when sending content and the remaining balance is due prior to your site being delivered.

Domain Registration
If you are starting a website for the first time and do not have a domain name registered, we can do that for you. Supply a list of domain names you are interested in and we can check for availability and offer suggestions on domain names that may work well for your business. If you have a registered domain name that is not being used or is pointing to a different server, we will need the log-in information to be able to transfer the domain to our servers.

Hosting/Site Maintenence
When we are ready to start building your site, it is time to begin a hosting/maintenence plan. We have several plans depending on how much server space and data transfer you need. The vast majority of our design clients choose hosting/site maintenence with us, though it is not required for you to do so. By choosing a managed hosting plan with us, you get personal service from the people who designed your site and access to all original files, excellent behind the scenes support to take care of periodic updates, and state-of-the-art servers with a 99.99% up-time.

There are three payment options for hosting/maintenence plans. Monthly billing is available with a MasterCard, Visa or American Express credit card number on file which is automatically debited on the 1st or 15th of each month. Bi-annual billing is available for January 1 - June 30 or July 1 - December 31 pay periods and receives a 5% discount for pre-payment. Annual billing is available for January 1 - December 31 pay periods and receives a 1 month free discount for pre-payment. Annual and Bi-Annual plans can be paid with MasterCard, Visa or American Express and are pro-rated through the next billing cycle when started in the middle of a pay period. Hosting plans start at $29.95 per month which is the most popular plan for our PopSite clients. If you choose an automated credit card plan, please keep your credit card information up-to-date. If you card number or expiration date changes, you may send new credit card information to us by filling out a Credit Card Authorization Form and FAXing it to us at 972-234-0053.

Domain Name Server Transfer
If you are going to host your site with us and already have a previously registered domain name, we will need your Username and Password for managing your domain account. You may have registered your domain through Network Solutions, GoDaddy, Enom or Register.com, for instance. With your domain Username and Password, we can make the DNS (Domain Name Server) changes needed to point your domain to our servers.

Please note: If you registered your domain name on your own, YOU are responsible for annual renewals of your domain. Please do not disregard renewal notices sent from your registrar. You must renew your domain name to keep it active. Some clients wish to consolidate all of their web services (design, hosting, and domain registration) under our care. If you wish to have PixelPops become the Registrar of your domain so that renewals will be handled through us, please contact us for more information.

Web Marketing
All of our designs are created to be fully compliant and legal with search engines. We never use gimmicks or tricks that will lead to your site being banned from search engines. Text that is keyword and/or key phrase rich is a plus for search engine optimization and we encourage you to supply text for your pages that corresponds to the kinds of logical searches you expect your potential clients to use. Search engine optimization is a complex component of the Internet and we can recommend third party services that may be of help to you. Contact us for more information on this option.

Search engines are only a small portion of a successful web marketing strategy. There are many steps you can take to promote your site that are free or of minimal cost. Please refer to our 2004 Web Seminar Notes for helpful information on a complete web marketing campaign.

Additional Streaming Video Services
As time goes on, you may choose to replace the video clips you have online or add to them. We can encode, upload, link your new videos at our hourly design rate. We also provide our Video WedLink service that you can offer to your clients. With Video WedLink, you can stream a brief highlights segment from a recent wedding in a password protected area allowing your clients, their family and friends to see a preview of their wedding video for up to 90 days. This is becoming a popular option that videographers are charging their clients for. Our fee for this service is $90 and includes encoding, uploading, setting up the password protected area, streaming/hosting.

Email
Email accounts are available through our hosting/maintenance plans. For information on setting up a POP3 email account in Outlook Express, check the instructions on Microsoft's website. Most clients will use their own domain name (yourdomain.com) as the incoming and outgoing mail servers. Some ISPs block Port 25 and require you to route your outgoing email through their server. If you are having difficulty sending email after setting up your new POP email account, contact your ISP for more information about the SMTP outgoing mail settings they require.

If you have any questions, please contact us at info@pixelpops.com