Q. Could you give me a quick information of how many kinds of music there is and a little explanation on each with examples. Thank you.

A. I don't know what you mean by "music" -- I'm going to assume you mean "sound". As you seem to know, there are many kinds of sound formats available.

Basically there are two types of "music" -- sound samples and MIDI. MIDI, Musical Instrument Digital Interface, is a standard that tells what notes to turn on and how long they are on, etc. Samples are what is contained on a CD. MIDI files are very small and play back at the equipment's ability (ie. a computer or synthesizer with certain patches and signal to noise ratio etc.). Samples are very large, but can represent anything.

If you need more info or help in licensing or preparing music for the web please let us know.

Q. How do you link one web page to another by clicking a button? Is it to hard for the novice to build his own web page for a business application?


A. In the hands of someone who has experience creating web pages there is nothing difficult. Just as there is nothing difficult about building a house, but the one that's built by a professional is less likely to have problems than the one (and only one) built by an amateur.

The other factor is time. If you have enough disposable time to invest in the learning curve, you can probably create a wonderful web site. But, practically speaking, can you afford to take time out of your income-producing hours, to save money on hiring a professional?

Ultimately, what is important is the interface and presentation of your web site. First impression is extremely important. Can an amateur have the same standard of quality as the professional designer who has invested hundreds of hours in doing the same thing?

WEB MASTERS brings our experience to every web site we design. We have invested hundreds of hours looking at effective and ineffective web sites, and we have a good idea of what sells today and what will be "hot" tomorrow. If you have the kind of time it will take to produce a high-quality site, then go for it! Otherwise, if you want a very professional look, then hire a professional.

Q. Do you guys do database design for the web?

A. Yes -- we do database design. We also do shopping carts, Bulletin Boards, surveys, and other forms of custom server programming.

WEB MASTERS is a full service web site design firm. We specialize in quality design work, copy writing, custom programming, MIDI, audio samples, Flash, Shockwave, animation, product photography -- in short whatever it takes to produce an effective web site for our clients.

Q. Where can I find out information on Copy writing? What do I send Where? So on.

A. Copyright information can be obtained from the Library of Congress.

http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/

Or you could do a search at Yahoo (or other service) and find plenty of information.

Q. I'm thinking of starting a electronic newsletter, and need code that will let me mass mail to folks who decide to subscribe. I already have a backlog of emails I've collected on a MS Word document. Is there anyway I can get these into a file or database of subscribers' emails. Thanks.

A. What you're asking about is a custom program running on your server. My company, WEB MASTERS, can do that for you.

WEB MASTERS, is a full service web site design firm. We specialize in custom programming, great design, custom photography, MIDI, audio, site promotion, and whatever a client needs to convey their message.

Q. My question is in regard to HTML. The <FONT FACE="..."> tag loads a font from the user's font directory. My question is: Is there any way to have this tag load a font that the person viewing the page does not have? In other words, can a font be loaded from the server end? Thanks in advance for any help you can give me on this.

A. What can be done with the font tag is limited to the client system's resources. (NOTE: Since this question was submitted things have changed. With the release of Netscape 4 and Explorer 4 downloadable font technology was introduced. Please see these company's respective web sites for further information.)

Q. I'd like to know if there is an HTML code that would prevent people from printing an web page. Maybe something in the Header like: Print=False. I dunno you're the AnswerMan

A. I can't think of anything that would prevent a viewer from printing your page. Maybe you could make it difficult, like white letters and a dark background. Lots of people keep the printing of backgrounds turned off therefore white letters on a white background will produce a blank sheet.

Q. I'd like to know what the average price for sound samples should be. Are they computed by the second and size? I'd like a fair cross section of what's being offered on the Net. Also I'm wondering if there's a study of how many of the browsers handle ShockWave sound files. Thank you.

A. I can't think of a way to price just some sound files. I usually quote that as part of a larger job. As to what percentage of browsers can handle sound files - I would guess almost all. Certainly all Macs and UNIX boxes and most all PCs.

Q. What is the average number of people that manage a Web Site? I'm trying to find out if one person works as a web master - is there a team. What is the typical situation for web management? Thanks.

A. I'm not sure you could find an average. A small site can be managed in my head - a larger site could be diagramed - and a huge site could be worked on by many people. Ultimately it would depend on what the customer needs.

Q. I'm in the process of creating my first homepage. I just want to ask you about how you guys created your Header image file "Web Master" with no visible seams or lines.

A. The "Web Masters" image was created in a 3D modeling program and saved in a web compatible format. It was then placed in the HTML file that describes the page.

Q. I want to design my own web page but I don't know where to start. I just want to know what I can do and how much it would cost me. Can you help me out?

A. You can do whatever anyone else can do - all you need is experience and imagination. How much will it cost - that depends. I use Freehand, Illustrator, Photoshop, lots of Photoshop filters, a powerful computer, deBabelizer, GraphicConverter, a 3D modeling program, Flash, and several HTML editors. What you put into it is what you will get out of it. One can do good work without all sorts of tools but it sure makes it easier.