These free features are only for business Websites, so they aren't enabled automatically. The directions for using them are simple: tell us your business Website exists, and promote the appropriate URL.
Unbusinesslike URLs (Web addresses)
Fred winds up with the rather unbusinesslike URL (Web address)
As an address for Fred's beerkeg business, this just doesn't cut it. For one thing, it advertises NetHeaven, not Fred's business. In fact, there's nothing in this URL to associate it with Fred's beerkeg business. Also, few of Fred's English-speaking prospects have any idea what a ~ is or what to call it, other than something like "squiggly."[*]
Even fewer of them can find it on a keyboard, and those who can probably know that on the Internet it signifies a personal Website.
[*] It's correct name is "tilde", and it's on your keyboard in the upper left, next to the key with the numeral "1" and the "!"
Businesslike URLs
The first thing we do is make Fred's site visible on our business server, which gets both NetHeaven and the ~ out of Fred's new URL. Fred doesn't lose the URL he had, he just gets a new one. He then has two URLs for the same Website - the URL he had
We're part way there. We could stop here and leave Fred with a URL that has a businesslike structure, but it still doesn't say anything about his business.
That too can be fixed for free. However, it requires some input from
Fred on what he wants, so this is as far as we go unless Fred tells us
he wants more. Fred has to know what's available, and that's why this and
some other pages are here on our own Website.
We can do that for Fred. Without changing his username he can have this URL:
For most (but not all) users' browsers, we can also make this URL work:
(Actually, we can make these work for all browsers, but it requires an IP-based virtual server. We'll get to them below, but they're not free, and so far we're just covering free features.)
(We will not let users use subdomains of netheaven.com that we feel are inappropriate. For example, a website developer would not be allowed to use
Adding a domain for the business
With his domain - but without an IP-based virtual server - Fred gets two more URLs, one that works with all browsers
The latter is done with a free feature called a name-based virtual server. (With a conventional, or IP-based, virtual server, the latter URL will work with all browsers, but we are still covering just free features.) See our page on virtual servers.
Fred still has not given up his other URLs. These are still valid addresses for his beerkeg Website:
(With his domain, Fred can also take advantage of his NetHeaven account's other free domain services.)
[*] Fred's business has no geographical identification, but for domains associated with a locality there are often locality-based domains available for free. For example, if Fred's business were the Lake George Beerkeg Company, then beerkeg.lake-george.ny.us might appeal to him and would not cost anything to register.
(IP-based) Virtual server
IP-based Virtual servers aren't free. However, Fred has also been thinking about using ISDN, and he's realized that for not much more than the cost of ISDN alone he can get both ISDN and the virtual server he wants, plus weekly hit reports too. Fred's been reading our online blurb and has decided to go for a Premium Membership.
With the Premium Membership's virtual server, every browser can reach Fred's business Website via the URL
Of course, if Fred wants his Website to be usable with older browsers, he still must be careful about not using new Web features they don't support, or at least he must make those features not be critical components of his Website.
With his virtual server, Fred has the option of, for example, letting his kids use his personal Website without worrying about what they do to his business image. (We take no responsibility for what they do to his personal image.)
Fred must tell us if he wants the his personal and business sites to be different. By default we make them the same.