Okay, I know you've seen all those ads saying "free web sites" and "put your site up fast and easy for free". But you know that old saying of "you get what you pay for?" Well, paying nothing means you get just that...nothing!

Most free services are designed for individuals, not for business. A lot of the free community sites don't accept commercial sites. Most of the free services give you hard to remember (and hard to tell on the phone) web site addresses (URL) something like "www.hostsite.net/users/websites/~yourname.html" or something even longer! Try fitting that on your business card!

They limit what you can do. Very, very few free sites allow you to use your own web site creation software (most require you to use their slow, limited, and confusing "html generators"). They don't allow any of the interactive features of Javascript, Perl, CGI, or other programming code. Some don't even allow you to use forms, or limit the number of graphics you can use. How can you do business with all those restrictions?

Then there is the problem of support. The web is growing more and more complicated every day as more and more sites are added. There are new programs, new standards, and new technologies coming out just about every day. Many free services don't keep up with them or fully understand even those that have been around for a long time. We've dealt with web hosting companies that don't even know how to properly set up a CGI-directory for form handling that is a really basic necessity for doing business! Do you really have the time to hassle with less experienced companies?

But what about doing my site myself? First there is the problem of all those new standards and technologies again...do you really have time to understand the difference between Perl, CGI and HTML and to learn how to do them all? Plus, unless you are a graphic designer, we don't recommend you create your own site! Besides the amount of time it will take away from doing what you need to do (like taking care of your business), you will probably end up unhappy with the results and frustrated by people telling you "nothing works" or they "don't understand" how to get around on your site. The web is filled with ugly web sites - A poorly designed site is worst than no site at all!

So what will Intrepid Communications do for me?