Our Top 5 Most-Asked Tech Questions

We know that having a website, or any kind of online presence for that matter, can be incredibly daunting. There is so much information out there, and things seem to be updating and changing on a daily basis. If there is anything that 2020 has taught all of us, it is that in order to be proactive and get work done we need to understand how to navigate the online aspects of our industry. This goes for artists and entertainment professionals too! At Stage Door Designs, our job is to help artists get online and promote themselves and their work. We like to think that this is a great time to “get your digital house in order”. To help you do that, we have come up with this list of our TOP FIVE MOST ASKED TECH-RELATED QUESTIONS!
 
1. My website doesn’t look right on my computer, but shows up fine on my friend’s. What’s wrong?
We often get calls from clients telling us that they are having trouble looking at a clean version of a webpage. This is usually because your computer is holding onto old data in it's 'cache'. 

Cache (pronounced 'cash') is a part of your computer that stores recently used information so you can get to it quickly at another time. While there is more than one cache on your device, you can really only control the one that is in your browser (Google, Safari, Firefox, etc). Sometimes your browser will cache images, CSS and HTML along with user names and passwords. Clearing your cache is a good idea and might eliminate the problem. Here's a great tool you can use to see how to clear your cache and history. There are instructions for every browser!  

http://www.refreshyourcache.com/en/home/www.refreshyourcache.com/en/home/
 
2. How can I tell who is looking at my website?
As you look at the stats for your website you'll see lots of great info.  Here's a little insight into the stats that are available on your 'accessible' website. 

• Unique Visitors (for a rolling 30 days) - counts the unique visitors to your site.  So if someone views  the site more than once in a day from the same IP Address, it will only count them once.

• Page Views (for a rolling 30 days) - counts EVERY visit.  If someone visits 5 times in one day, it will be reflected in the number. 

• Page Views (detail) - gives you info at the page level.  Appears in column 1. 

• Search Terms - what search terms are working for you.

• Referring Sites - where people are coming from (Facebook, twitter, Broadway World, etc).

NOTE:  You may find some unusual referring sites on your page.  This is because the internet is constantly searching for new websites.  These 'bots' look at newly registered domains and search for them.  It's a very normal process.  Unfortunately, we live in a world that sometimes is not so nice.  So, you may see things on there that don't make sense.  If there is a particular concern, contact us but for the most part, these are innocuous, and you shouldn't fret about them.  

If you do see something that bothers you, please DO NOT click on it.  Sometimes that's exactly what they want you to do and, it can cause spyware or malware to be loaded on your device.  If the referring site is 'inappropriate' in any way (or appears to be), please notify us so we can report it to our tech team!  

TO REPORT:  Please send a screenshot of the dashboard in an email to
updates@stagedoordesigns.com. ​


3. People are trying to reach me through my website, but I’m not receiving their emails. Can I fix this?
​If you are using a contact form or direct email link on your website, then you should be sure to add this email address to your 'white' or contact list. That way your email server will recognize this as a valid email and there will be no chance of it landing in your spam folder. ​

With that being said, you should make sure you're still checking your spam folder regularly, in case something does happen to drop in there by accident! If you're expecting an email and you're not finding it in your inbox, this should be the first place you check!

4. What is a domain name? What is Hosting? Are they the same thing?
They are most definitely not the same thing!
A domain, or a domain name, is the URL that people can use to find your site! Additionally, it is the link that is present in the search bar at the top of your browser. For personal websites, a domain name will end in .com or .net while .org is reserved for larger organizations. Of course, .gov is used only for official government sites. You can visit GoDaddy.com to purchase a domain name of your own. We always recommend securing your domain name, even if you aren’t ready to build a website, in order to ensure you have the one that you want. If you don’t secure a domain name, anyone can claim it, making it difficult down the line if you ever decide to venture into the world of websites!

Hosting, on the other hand, refers to the cost of keeping and maintaining your website. Think of it as paying rent for the space your website takes up on the internet. Hosting is necessary for websites that are live. You can have a domain name without paying for hosting until you are ready to go live!

We know the world of websites can get confusing, and we here at Stage Door Designs are happy to help with any questions you may have! We are here to shine a light on you, and make your website dreams come true.

5. I have a ton of files and media that I need to share. Should I just email everything individually?
While you certainly could do that, it wouldn’t be our recommended technique. At Stage Door Designs, we aim to increase efficiency for our clients and make it easy to connect and develop your website. Dropbox is an incredibly helpful tool, allowing our clients to share media with us to include on your websites in a safe and private way. Dropbox is also a wonderful way to share media like reels and self-tapes with your representation. You can download dropbox here!
Quick Tip: Be sure to use compatible characters when naming your file and read about which characters are incompatible with different computers. This information will streamline file sharing, ensuring a more efficient and reliable use of Dropbox.
 
We know that we only scratched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the world of tech and having a website, but we hope these 5 little pieces of advice were helpful! If you are having trouble with something not discussed in this post, please feel free to reach out to us. Our goal is to help our clients succeed in their careers, and we would be delighted to help you!