Sen. Leahy's Guide to Doing Business on the Internet
Step One
Getting Started
Congratulations! Like thousands of other Vermonters, you have made the
decision to go online and market your products and services on the web. If
you are an individual or a small business, you must now decide whether to
host and develop a web site on your own, or hire an e-commerce consultant
to do it all for you. Or, you could do a combination of both. This guide
is intended to provide you with information on how to do it yourself and
how to locate e-commerce consultants in Vermont who can assist you in this
exciting endeavor.
Unless you are already e-commerce savvy, it is likely that you will
need some outside help. Here are a few factors you should take into
consideration in deciding whether to use a consultant, and if so, how much
help you may need.
● Time Do you have the time to create, run, and continually update your
site?
● Budget Do you have room in your budget to hire a consultant or to pay
an employee to assist you in developing your site?
● Resources Do you have the knowledge and expertise needed to create
your own site and run it effectively? Do you have at your disposal all of
the tools you need to make your site as good as it can be?
● Control How much control do you want over your site? Do you want
complete discretion over the design and maintenance? Can you rely on
someone else to make frequent changes that you may need to respond to
changes in your market?
Internet Service Providers
The first step in creating your own home page is establishing an
Internet account. If you are hiring a private company to build your web
site, they will probably set up an account for you. If you are building
your own site, you will need to establish your own account. There are many
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that offer different types of accounts
which vary in speed, cost and type of access. Traditionally, most
Vermonters have “dial-up” accounts where they access the Internet using a
modem that connects to the ISP via regular phone lines. Depending on your
size and location, you may be able to access the Internet via technologies
that offer higher connection speeds. Integrated Services Digital Network
(ISDN), Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), cable, and wireless are all
considered broadband connection technologies. These services, where
available, may require you to use a certain ISP. Your ISP of choice should
be able to explain the options to you. Many ISPs will also “host” your web
site and direct you to register a domain name for your site.
Here is a list of a few Internet providers that service Vermont.
