Of course. Maine Web FX has launched just such a demonstration site for you.

The site can be found at: demo.mainely.us (a subdomain of our support site).

The demo site will allow you to login and become an instand "administrator" where you can add content, delete content, edit postings, change the layout of the site as well as explore some of the many options available in our custom content management systems. The site resets itself automatically, so users can enjoy working on a clean slate when they visit the demonstration site.

If you would like a guided walkthrough of the site, please do not hesitate to contact us and we would be happy to go over the site together with you. 

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No. We have no hidden fees whatsoever. We either charge by the hour for programming and design or by the project, which all costs are discussed before your website is built.

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For part one your question, the quick answer to this is: No, absolutely not! There are a few solutions out there that provide you with a textarea and a save button, and try to tell you it's content management. But in reality, it is not. In addition, you have to be aware that setting some of the "free" content management systems out there require programming skills; others still offer no room for expansion.

For the second part of your question, Maine Web FX has created custom content management systems for dozens of websites throughout New England, with one thing in mind: flexibility. Our content management system programming will ensure your have ease of use, full features and ability to expand whenever you need to.

Our content management systems are so flexible, that they are in use for companies ranging from newspapers, real estate firms, e-commerce stores and non-profit organizations.

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The rule of thumb that you should generally go by is this. (Which was actually taken from another Website, but summed up everything really well): If you have the technical know-how to construct an email with an attachment, create a formatted document with Microsoft Word, and navigate through a web site, you have the skills needed for content management. It really is that easy, provided you have the right content management software.

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This is perhaps the ultimate question, and at times, one of the most difficult to answer. The result lies in what you want from a website.
Typically, Maine Web FX designs and programs three types of websites.

1. Static web sites (one with no interactivity such as blogs, comments, etc.).

2. Content management systems (sites with user logins, comments, blogs, self-edit capabilities and the like).

3. E-commerce sites (shopping carts, etc.)

Here is a general breakdown of the pricing.

A static website will cost you about $100 per page (depending on the number of graphics). Adding in photo galleries will boost a the price a bit, but for average sites, $100 per page seems about accurate. Mind you, a single page website will usually cost about $300 as the main design elements are first done in the first page - lowering the cost for each additional page.

A content management system will average anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000 as it includes programming and database functions. Moreover, content management systems are much better for expanding the site in the future as well as bringing visitors back to your site as the basic plans include the ability to leave comments, participate in forums, sign up for newsletters and more.
Content management systems, though costing more initially, are the standard for websites now, taking full advantage of the many trends and functions now available online. The most popular sites you visit are content management systems, including YouTube, Yahoo News, FaceBook and MySpace.

E-Commerce sites are the most complex and sometimes the most expensive sites we build. E-commerce sites should always take advantage of content management systems for inventory and orders, but also include the added functions needed for a shopping cart.
In general, a well-working custom e-commerce site will start at $2,000.

Unlike most other web design firms throughout the country, Maine Web FX offers its pricing right online. In addition, we are confident to say that we can bring your website online faster, better and more economically than any other web firm in New England and beyond.
FREE customized price quotes available.

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A combination of static HTML pages and a content management system (also known as dynamic pages), can be done without a problem.

Many times, e-commerce sites will use a combination of such pages: static pages for the information and dynamic pages for product catalogs.

In addition, many static sites "add on" a content management system for blogs, or wikis. This is a good way to incorporate Web 2.0 features (such as interactivity) into an older site, without the need for a full redesign of the site.

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The better question is what file formats do we NOT accept. Because we run Macs for all our programming and design, we CANNOT accept Microsoft Publisher files. They just do not work on Macs.

A partial list of what we can accept: jpeg, gif, png, MS Word, Excel, Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Corel Draw, Corel Painter, txt.

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We don't have any monthly (or weekly or any other) fees. Unless you need Maine Web FX to make changes to your site, you WILL NOT be billed.

The only recurring fee that you will have when Maine Web FX develops your website is an annual hosting fee. More information can be found on our hosting page.

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A static site is one that is written in HTML only. Each page is a separate document and there is no database that it draws on. What this means functionally is that the only way to edit the site is to go into each page and edit the HTML - so you'd either have to do it yourself using a webpage editor like FrontPage or pay us to go in and edit the site each time you wanted something changed.

A dynamic site is written using more complex code and can do a lot more. For instance, Maine Web FX can make an area where you can log in and change various parts of the site, such as adding information or products. This is because each page is constructed based on the information in a database, and the information in that database can be changed via another interface.

Dynamic sites can reduce ongoing maintenance costs if you don't want to change things yourself with a webpage editor or with the HTML. They cost more to develop, as they require more complex coding and a content management utility needs to be developed to help you manage your website information.

Another benefit of dynamic sites is that they allow you to change only the content of the site and not the design, so you will not be able to accidentally break the visual style of the site. They have other benefits when sites start to get very large, as they make data management much more efficient and your site more expandable.

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Web Hosting Explained: Web hosting is like renting a locker. You are renting a piece of space for your possessions from a larger piece of space that holds things for everyone. In time, your possessions may grow to a size too big for your locker so you have to upgrade to a bigger size locker. If you collect enough stuff eventually you will need your own facility to house all of it. That is basically how Web hosting works. You rent a piece of server space on a Web server that you share with several other Web sites. This is called a "shared hosting plan". If your site is busy you will be continually adding new pages and collecting more and more user data.

Eventually the size of the data you have collected becomes too big for the space you are renting. You must upgrade to a bigger shared plan. As your site continues to grow you eventually become too big for this plan so you must upgrade again. Eventually you make it to the ranks of "dedicated servers." Dedicated servers are entirely dedicated to your site. You do not share them with anyone. They are expensive and should not be needed for new Web sites unless you are going on a mass multi-thousand dollar marketing blitz to launch your site.

Most Website owners do not make it out of shared land. There are two key factors that determine the size of the hosting plan that you need.

Space
It takes a lot of content to fill a Web directory. Most people (and I do mean most) will never run out of space. Hosting companies market space like PC makers market hard drives on new computers. They offer you a ton more than you will ever need in an effort to make their packages look more appealing. If you have a Website that deals in imagery or your Website has features that allow a user to build their own Web page or upload their own photos then you may need more Web space one day. As a general rule of thumb however; the common Web site owner will never run out of space.

Bandwidth
You get an allotment of bandwidth with your hosting plan. Bandwidth is the amount of data transfer that your site is allowed usually measured per month. People often refer to this as "the pipe". The pipe can only handle so much traffic before a larger pipe is needed. If your traffic numbers keep growing then the pipe will become too small and you will to have to upgrade your hosting plan. Again, this is an area that is rarely exceeded although it is possible. If you are service streaming video or Websites with large picture content in conjunction with high traffic numbers then you could run out of pipe.

If you are looking to host a Maine Web FX content management system, it is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that you pick one of these plans for your hosting needs. These hosting servers have already been pre-configured to handle the programming and data load associated with such CMS sites. In addition, Maine Web FX Hosting Servers have a guaranteed server uptime of 99 percent running on UNIX and Apache servers that deliver high content retrieval at blistering speeds.

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