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  Frequently Asked Questions
 
  Below is a list of the most frequently asked questions. Just click on the question to see the answer.
 
I don't know what to type in as my username!!! Nothing Works! HELP!!!


Take a deep breath. It's going to be okay. Honest.

To sign into your HomePage.com site, simply let your homepage URL double as your username (e.g., if your URL is andy.homepage.com, then also use andy.homepage.com as your username).

So when you try and enter your hp/admin section and it requests your password, type in:

Username: yourname.homepage.com
Password: the password included in the e-mail we sent you.

(Note: Since it's easy to mistype your password because of the similarities between zero (0) and capital O, and between one (1) and capital l, you might want to try using "copy and paste" to copy the password out of the e-mail and pasting it into the password field. Not all browsers support this. Just an idea.)

When you get a chance, one of the first things you should do is change your password to something that will be easier to remember (and type).

Why can't I get my start page to work? Why doesn't index.html become my start page?

Once you create a file and name it index.html, you must then refresh your page (e.g., yourname.homepage.com) for the change to "take." To refresh your page, hit SHIFT + REFRESH (together) on your browser. This will initiate what's called a "full cache" refresh, and should solve the problem.

Did I get the name I signed up for during the grand opening?

Everybody who signed up during our Grand Opening was sent an e-mail message with information about their HomePage.com reservation. Many of the more popular names were reserved by more than one person. In those cases, the name was granted to the first person to reserve it. Others interested in that name can use the HomePage Auction to bid on it. If the member who controls that name decides to put it up for auction, then the interested party has the opportunity to outbid other interested parties and move into that space.

I didn't get the name I wanted. What next?


A few suggestions for choosing a unique HomePage.com name:

  1. Add a meaningful number after your name (very AOL). For example, if mike.homepage.com is taken and you were born on February 13th, how about mike213.homepage.com?
  2. Pick names that you associate with favorite hobbies, sports teams, bands, or other interests.
  3. Add to your name one of the two acceptable non-alphanumeric characters - the period (.) or the dash (-). There are rules, however, about where in your name you can use these two characters:
  • You may not use them before the domain name (so, for example, if mike.homepage.com is taken, then, no, you can't try to get .mike.homepage.com, or -mike.homepage.com).
  • You may not use the characters consecutively (e.g., mike..homepage.com).
  • You may not use them to break up the homepage.com part of the name (e.g., you can't finish your domain name with home.page.com or home-page.com).

Finally, please note that any two names that are not identical are unique. Thus, mike-smith.homepage.com, mike.smith.homepage.com, and mikesmith.homepage.com are three distinct domain names.

Where do I go to bid on another member's HomePage name?
 
You can place a bid on another name at http://desiredname.homepage.com/hp/ and clicking on the Bid button. The auction won't start until the member who controls the name decides to give it up.


My e-mail from HomePage.com says that the name I already reserved is ready for me to use. What do I do now?

That same e-mail contains a password which you can use to access the administration section of your site. Go to http://yourname.homepage.com/hp/admin/ and click on the Build button. There you’ll find all the tools you need to start building your site. HomePage.com provides its own templates, but it also allows you to build your site on your local computer and upload them using Microsoft Front Page, FTP (File Transfer Program), or our web-based file upload and editing tools.

Why hasn't anybody replied to the e-mail I sent to support?

Because of all the sign-ups we've had, we've been a tad overwhelmed. We won't have a full customer support team in place until some time after our Grand Opening. We apologize and beg your indulgence as we work to solve the problem. All good things take time; we're certain you'll agree (in time).

Is it free, does it cost anything now or later, and what's the catch?

It won't cost you anything. Zilch. Nada. Goose eggs. Zero, followed by six more zeros. It will never cost you a dime. Have we clarified that point? All you do is display our tool bar on your pages. You can also choose to make money by displaying banners that we provide at the top of your pages (we'll share the banner revenue with you). No, you aren't dreaming! Yes, we'll pinch you, if you'd like!

You said HomePage.com was FREE! What's up with this billing information section?

HomePage.com is free. However, should you choose to bid to buy a name that someone else controls, then you are required to enter your billing information. The sole purpose of the billing information section is for those who wish to change their billing information after entering the HomePage.com domain name auction (in case of any typos or lack of credit!). So don't worry, relax, enjoy.

Yes, but where's the fine print? Do you have a member agreement?

Naturally. Read our Member Services Agreement by clicking here.

Do you require users to have banners on their pages?

No. But if you do, you can earn revenue from it (which we share with you)!

Can you change my e-mail address or web page name since I entered it wrong?

If you entered the wrong e-mail address or the wrong web page name, then simply fill out the form again with the correct data. When we send you a verification e-mail for the wrong name, just ignore it. In fact, pretend we never even had this conversation.

How do I create my web pages?

Once our Grand Opening is over, you may use the templates we provide to create your HomePage. We also provide a utility that you can download which helps you build your site on your local computer. When you're done with that, there’s an easy way to copy the files to your space on our server, where everyone can access it. It’s simple.

Can I use Microsoft Front Page to publish to my HomePage site?


Yes. You can either create a file using Microsoft Frontpage, save it as an HTML file, and upload it using our file manager; or you can create a web page with Microsoft Frontpage and publish it. If you publish a web page using Microsoft Frontpage, you must follow these steps:

  1. Create the web page.
  2. When you’re ready to publish, click on the file menu and choose the publish frontpage web option.
  3. Click on more webs.
  4. Type in your URL (i.e., yourname.homepage.com) and click OK.
  5. The rest of the process is automatic, and should complete without problem

What kind of stuff can I put on my web page?

Pictures of yourself and your family. Pictures of us and our family. Your resume. Stories. Poems. Songs you've written. Links to your favorite sites. Links to your friend's sites. Links to your favorite golf link sites. Good jokes, great games, an explication of Fermat's theorem, an incredible recipe for matzohball soup. For more inspiration, look at other web sites on the Internet.

Why do my frames disappear once I've uploaded my self-created file and tried to view it?

Right now, we don’t support frames. In fact, we sort of destroy them. That’s because they interfere with our ability to put our toolbar on your page. We’re working on a method that will allow you to use frames while also allowing our toolbar to be seen, so everybody will be happy. For now, a simple work-around is to try using tables to simulate a frame.


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