Recent News

Sometimes things get a little quiet around here and I start to wonder if everyone else is at the beach while my fingers plod away at the keyboard.  Not this week, though.  The response to my last e-mail has been an overwhelming "hip hip hooray!" and "how do we start" for BlueHost.  To save myself a few hours from typing out individual replies, I'm sending out this mass mailing with instructions for how to switch your hosting account. 

Of course, I understand that not everyone is ready to make the switch just yet, and I will continue to support those clients who choose to remain at iPower. 

Please note that I'll be "out of the office" for a long weekend starting tomorrow.  We're going to see the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) AirVenture 2008 show.  :)  If you e-mail me tomorrow (Friday), you can expect a reply on Monday.

How to sign up at BlueHost

1. First, send me an e-mail to tell me you would like to switch so I can set aside some time for you.
2. Go to BlueHost.  Please use this link: http://www.bluehost.com/track/tameone/recent-news-transfer-clients   This is my affiliate link.  I get a few bucks for referring you and it's how I plan to cover the time needed to transfer my existing clients, without having to charge for the service.
3. Once you get to Bluehost, click "Sign Up Now" (it's a green button in the middle of the page). 
4. On the following page, enter your domain name in the "Transfer Clients" box.  Click next.  (Note: If you have more than one domain name, you only need to sign up for hosting once.  Just choose the main domain name for your account to sign up with.  If you're not sure, just e-mail me.)
5. A box will pop up asking "Do you own this domain name?"  Click Yes. 
6. Fill out the form.  At the bottom you can choose a 24 month or 12 month plan (if you pick 24 months you save a few bucks @ $6.95/month).  Continue to finish your purchase.
7. After you purchase your hosting, you'll receive an e-mail from BlueHost with your account information.  Just forward that to me and I'll take care of everything else. 

That's all you need to do.  I will transfer your web page files, database, and e-mail addresses.  I will also take care of transferring your domain name away from iPower.  If I need anything else from you along the way, I'll let you know.  You should have no down time at all.  The total time to complete the transfer process should be less than a week for most accounts. 

Have a great weekend and, as always, please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions!

Sincerely,
Dorinda Bohnsack
Owner/Designer
Foxglove Website Designs (formerly Dirt Cheap Web Designs)
http://www.FoxgloveWebsiteDesigns.com
(715) 228-4440

*** NOTE: This message is for iPower (aka iPowerWeb) customers.  If you don't subscribe to services from iPower, you can disregard this message.

As you may know, I've promoted iPower for a number of years as my preferred hosting provider.  iPower has made many changes to their services over the last year, including a major "upgrade" to vDeck 3.0, their control panel software.  Throughout the process, they were pretty good about sending out e-mail notices to inform their customers of the upcoming changes, and they even added a newsletter called the iPower Informer. 

Unfortunately, not all of these changes have been for the better.  If you've read the new Foxglove Blog recently, you're probably aware that I'm no longer recommending iPower to my clients for a number of reasons.  Well, today I found out that not only have they raised their Pro Plan price from $95.40/year to $107.40/year ($8.95/month), they are also NOW CHARGING $8.99/YEAR FOR DOMAIN PRIVACY .  This used to be a free service... now apparently they think they can scare their customers into spending money on it.  I've logged into the control panel a few times to be greeted by a splash screen saying "Is your domain protected?" followed by some promotional gibberish of an alarmist nature. 

*** The worst part is that they will AUTOMATICALLY BILL YOU FOR DOMAIN PRIVACY RENEWAL , even if it was a free service to you before, AND THEY HAVEN'T SENT A SINGLE NOTICE OUT TO THEIR CUSTOMERS TO LET US KNOW OF THE PRICE INCREASES!!!  *** 

Yes, there are good reasons to have Domain Privacy.  Here's iPower's overview and a fair description of what Domain Privacy does for you:

"Every time you register a domain name, your name, phone number, mailing address and e-mail address are entered into a publicly available WHOIS database that can be viewed by anyone. IPOWER's Domain Privacy service allows you to hide your personal information in order to protect you from receiving unwanted communications from spammers, solicitors and the general public. The WHOIS record for your domain name will have generic information, instead of your personal information. Review our Domain Privacy product page for more details on how it works. As part of the privacy activation process, we will send a confirmation e-mail to the address for the Administrative contact for the domain, which contains a link for you to verify and finalize the purchase."

And here's the oh-so-scary description iPower sent to me in the same e-mail that said they were automatically billing me:

******************* MORE ABOUT DOMAIN PRIVACY *******************
Whenever you register a domain, your name, phone number, e-mail
address and mailing address are added to the publicly available
WHOIS database -- giving anyone and everyone access to your
information. IPOWER's domain privacy service masks this
information, helping to protect you from:

- identity theft
- spam
- fraud
- stalkers
- unintended identity disclosure

Kind of makes me feel like taking the house number off my mailbox and deleting the phone number from my website.  Stalkers?  Oh, boy!  For good measure, I should install security cameras outside my front door!  LOL  Seriously though, IMHO, it's not worth $8.99/year for each of my domains.  That would add up to a pretty big chunk of change for me! 

Do YOU need privacy?   Well, I've said it before and will say it again... it's a matter of personal preference.  If you can deal with a telemarketer or shady salesperson occasionally, then it's not big deal.  Almost all of us get those kinds of phone calls occasionally, whether they're website-related or not.  Remember that you can always direct any weird calls to your website designer (me), who handles the technical details of your site.  ;)  May I suggest something like, "Thank you for your call concerning MyDomainName.com.  You will have to speak with the company that handles all of our website and domain management."  If they're still on the line and being pesky, add "You can reach Foxglove Website Designs at 715-228-4440 and they'll discuss it with you."  (Of course, I will NEVER authorize any kind of purchase on your behalf unless you approve it beforehand!)  Another way you can avoid having to deal with those annoying callers is to list Foxglove as the Administrative Contact for your domain name.  Most of the accounts I've serviced are already set up this way.  Just send me an e-mail if this is something you're interested in.

To cancel Domain Privacy and avoid being billed...
Call iPower at 1-888-511-4678, or log into your Control Panel to send them a message requesting that they cancel your Domain Privacy service.  (If you haven't already done so, be sure to set up a Security Question and Answer for yourself in your control panel under "Account Information" BEFORE you call.  They will ask you for that info.)

Here are the instructions I received via e-mail from iPower for one of my domains:

****************** INSTRUCTIONS FOR OPTING OUT ******************
If you do not want us to renew your domain privacy service,
please log into your Support Console and submit a new
request, indicating the domain from which you wish to remove
domain privacy.

http://www.ipower.com/member/sconsole/index.bml

Also, if you're interested in moving to a new hosting provider, I'm now recommending BlueHost (www.bluehost.com) as my preferred provider.  I would be happy to assist you in transferring your website to their servers.  As always, please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions!

Sincerely,
Dorinda Bohnsack
Owner/Designer
Foxglove Website Designs (formerly Dirt Cheap Web Designs)
http://www.FoxgloveWebsiteDesigns.com
(715) 228-4440

Faxing just got better at Foxglove Website Designs, because now it's FREE! I've cancelled my service at eFax and signed up for a TOLL FREE fax number at MyFax. The new number is 1-888-228-5672.

In other news, watch your inbox for your welcome notice from the new Foxglove Account Center. A handful of emails will be going out every day, so if you haven't received yours by the end of the month (or would like to be moved up on the list) just shoot me an email. Your notice contains login instructions with a temporary username and password. I strongly suggest that you log in immediately to change these.

I hope you'll enjoy these new features! :)

It’s my pleasure to announce that July 1st will mark the *official* launch of
Foxglove Website Designs!

You can find this and other Recent News by visiting www.FoxgloveWebsiteDesigns.com.  Just click on the “Recent News and Announcements” link on the left hand side of the page.

Attention Dirt Cheap Web Designs Clients: Please read this notice for important information about your account. 

“DIRT CHEAP” ACCOUNTS ARE NOW “FOXGLOVE” ACCOUNTS
All active accounts at Dirt Cheap Web Designs have been automatically transferred to Foxglove.  There are a few changes to how services will be provided.  Please review the new Terms of Service by visiting the Support pages at www.FoxgloveWebsiteDesigns.com/support/. If you DO NOT agree to the Terms of Service, please contact me immediately so I can answer any questions you may have.

NEW!  FOXGLOVE ACCOUNT CENTER
www.FoxgloveWebsiteDesigns.com/account_center/

The new Foxglove Account Center will be available in a few short weeks.  Enjoy the convenience of logging in anytime to view and print your invoices.  You’ll never again have to wonder if you missed a “payment due” email.  You’ll also find easy-to-use buttons to make payments via PayPal or Google Checkout. 

You’re encouraged to visit the Account Center frequently to:

• Update your contact and billing information.
• View, print, and pay your invoices.
• Review your Service Plan.
• Ask a question. (especially useful when emails aren’t working)

To log in, go to http://www.foxglovewebsitedesigns.com/account_center/.  Since the Account Center isn’t quite ready yet, you’ll receive an email with login information when your account is set up, so watch your inbox! 

FOXGLOVE BILLING
The old billing system of sending PDF invoices by email will be phased out over the next several months  Service Plan invoices will be available in your Account Center well in advance so you’ll know exactly when it’s time to renew.  You must renew by the due date or your Service Plan will automatically expire.  All non-recurring invoices will have the usual terms of Net 15 (due within 15 days of the invoice date).

Please note that payments will be recorded manually, so it may take up to 1 to 2 business days for the credit to show up in your Account Center.  If you would like to verify that your payment has been received, you can email me at . 

If you currently have an active Service Plan, it will be honored indefinitely as long as you renew it by the due date.  It’s my way of saying “Thank You” for being a loyal customer over the years.

OTHER NOTES

• The current Service Rate is now $40.00/hour. 
• Payments should be sent to Foxglove Website Designs.
• Phone and fax numbers are still the same, but emails should be sent to .

Thank you for your patronage and I hope you enjoy

the NEW Foxglove Website Designs!

Sincerely,
Dorinda Bohnsack
Owner/Designer
Foxglove Website Designs (formerly Dirt Cheap Web Designs)
http://www.FoxgloveWebsiteDesigns.com
(715) 228-4440