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1. What is an IDX?
2. What do you mean by "Accessible Design"?
3. I want to pick the photos on my site. Will you do this?
4. I don't see IDX as an option on my agent MLS. What can I do?
5. What is the text-messaging option?
6. Why do I need 4 different e-mail addresses?
7. What does "Multi Browser Support mean to me?

1.
What is an IDX? top
IDX stands for Internet Data Exchange. It is a "format" used my the MLS providers to allow users to access information from the MLS on their own web sites. At this time, the information (data) is presented "live", meaning that it is in a fixed format. What that means to you (and me) is that it is a "take it as it is" situation. I can't change colors, backgrounds, etc. The best way I have to present this information is in a "framed" page. There is some work in progress that may let us have more control over the way this data is presented, and I will certainly make sure that when new and better methods are available, I will incorporate them into your site at no charge.

2.
What do you mean by "Accessible Design"? top
For people with disabilities, browsers (Like Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, etc) have options to make them more "Accessible". As an example, the blind can use screen readers, software that reads out the text on the page. Sounds simple, huh? Well, we web guys can actually create pages out of images, out of order text blocks, tables inside of other tables and then add something later on in the middle that actually shows up at the bottom (visually). So, when a screen reader gets ahold of this, it makes little sense. Things are read out of order, images may say nothing, and the user is lost. And they leave yoyr site:( Modern browsers all have features that can be used - to make text bigger, to change the colors, to remove the "Style", any and all can have a negative impact on the site. On some sites, simply increasing the text size will "break" the site. So, to be "accessible" a site needs to be designed with that in mind, right from the start. Try it and see. On most major sites, you will find it is accessible. But on other sites, well, try it for yourself. On Firefox, go to "View" increase text size. Then try "View" "Page Style" "No Style". On Internet Explorer, "View" "Text" "Largest" To make a web page accessible you pretty well need to design it like that right from the start. All sites here are accessible. Guarenteed.

3.
I want to pick the photos on my site. Will you do this? top
Yes and No. Yes, if they are not copyrighted or are copyrighted to you. If you have some images you like, I will be happy to integrate them into your site. Please call me or e-mail me for more details.

4.
I don't see IDX as an option on my agent MLS. What can I do? top
The IDX feature is a "switch" that is controlled by your broker. If you do not have IDX capabilities on your agent login, it can be activated by your broker. In most cases the broker will do this for you. If they are unsure on how to do this, just have them contact the MLS for help.

5.
What is the text-messaging option? top
Now, this is a very nice feature. When a user fills out one of the on-line forms (CMA, custom search, information request), in addition to an e-mail, the information is also sent to your cell phone as an sms message. You must be able to receive sms on your phone for this to work! I know some agents that don't check their e-mail as often as they probably should, so I decided that this was a great solution. You will know about any requests minutes after they hit the submit button! While we can sms every cell provider I have seen, please verify that it works with your cell provider. I have a test page HERE that you can use to make sure this will work for you

6.
Why do I need 4 different e-mail addresses? top
Well, to keep things organized, of course! I recommend that you set up your e-mail software to route these e-mail accounts to seperate locations. So, when you get a CMA request, you immediately see a new mesage in your CMA-Request mailbox, alerting you to an important message. If you used 1 address, you would have to preview each message, and this keeps these very important message out in front, rather than mixed up with all the other e-mail you recieve. So, you need at least 2 addresses, but I like using all 4. Don't worry, we have help pages and such to get you set up properly.

7.
What does "Multi Browser Support" mean to me? top
Internet Explorer. Firefox. Mozilla. Opera. These are the major browsers in use today, and there are a few others. And they all have "quirks" A page on one may not look the same (or act the same) on the other. Like the "Accessibility" question above, it all comes down to design, design, design. All sites BuiltbyDave look the same in all browsers. Well, thats not exactly true-When a feature simply cannot be implemented, like in Internet Explorer version 5, it "degrades gracefully". Quite a few sites today are designed to take advantage of the features in the current browsers, given that 90% or more use the latest versions. The other 10% will see a mixture of things, from readable but strange, to completely blank pages. BuiltbyDave designs are always cross-browser compatible and have the proper code to "degrade gracefully". Guarenteed.


 

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