How is MySchoolSite different from other web sites?

   Good Question!  To start out, let's talk about what kinds of web sites are available today:

Free - Usually paid for by advertising appearing on the we pages
Paid - A monthly fee covers the cost of putting the site on the Internet.

   Obviously, you get what you pay for.  When you choose a Free site you usually have to put up with advertisements that flash at the top of the screen, or worse yet, pop-up annoying windows on top of the site content that the users have to continually close. Additionally, there are usually severe space limitations placed on the "Free" sites that limit how much content you can place on your school site. MySchoolSite is a "Paid" site.  As such, there is, and never will be any advertising on your school site.  The content is entirely up to you, and there are no limits as to how much space you can acquire.

   Additionally, sites can be classified as either:

Fixed - The content seldom changes, and making changes is usually difficult
Dynamic - The content can change daily or even minute-by-minute.  

   Here's where the difference between MySchoolSite and all other web sites really becomes apparent.  You see, in order to create "web pages" for people to view on the Internet, people usually need to learn a new language, HTML, or HyperText Markup Language.  Additionally, they must purchase software programs that can create these web pages such as Microsoft FrontPage, MacroMedia Dreamweaver, etc.  These products cost up to several hundred dollars and must be purchased for every person who wishes to update their school site's content. This not only gets very expensive, but also limits those that can add information to their site to a privileged few.  The site's content often quickly becomes "stale" or out-of-date.  People lose interest, and rarely come back to check for new information.

   MySchoolSite is the first Internet Web site designed with a powerful "database engine" at its core.  What this means to you, is that only a simple web browser (such as the one you're using to view this document) is needed to do all the setup, administration, and entry of information into your new school web site!  Gone are the days of learning archaic commands, and mastering "File Transfer Protocol" programs to upload information to a school web site.  Here's why this is so important:

Good CONTENT is the Key to Success!

   If the information on your site isn't up-to-date, people will simply not bother to come back and visit it once they've seen "everything that's out there."  A simple analogy would be to ask yourself how often you'd read an old newspaper?  Unfortunately, that's what has happened to 99% of all the school web sites in existence.  They simply can't afford the time (or talent) it takes to keep their information up-to-date.  Let's face it, Web Programmers aren't cheap!  Besides, they're not the real sources of information.  Your Staff, Teachers, Coaches, Parents and Students are!

   Don't let appearances fool you.  While its use and data entry is designed to be so simple that everyone feels at home right-away, behind the scenes is over 10,000 lines of custom coding and powerful web servers and database engines.  It's a true "multi-user" system designed to be searched, sorted, and even downloaded into a spreadsheet.  Best of all, you never see that powerful "engine".  You simply point and click your way to the most dynamic, powerful web site you could imagine!