Issues with harvesting contact info; and use of sub-domains

[WebMagic]

Hello All...

My queries are probably stepping on different Forum aspects, but I want to give a "close to complete" picture of what I'm trying to do.

I want a Contact page with a form to collect contact info from the inquirer. I also want to create a Comments box so they can specifiy what they want. I need to access, keep, and maybe export this contact information to my autoresponder campaigns (GetResponse). I've seen how to create the forms, but don't know what happens to the information gleaned.

Also, I really want to know what sub-domains can be useful for. I can see how to set them up (I think) - but what is the benefit of having sub-domains? I don't understand their real value, but have a feeling they could be very useful for me.

I need to set up a Members Only site with individual, automated passwords and usernames (I'm investigating amember.com but can't afford it right now). So, until I launch the Members Only area, I still want to capture signees via a form, and be able to access or transfer that contact information to my PayPal and GetResponse accounts - and probably amember.com in the future. OR - any better suggestion!?

My website publishing date is looming large. I need help and advice ASAP.

Thanks,
WebMagic

Website in progress: http://www.powerlife-solutions.com
(Still have to do all my meta tags and publish more pages.)

[Andy128]

Re: Issues with harvesting contact info; and use of sub-domains

1- The contact information can be sent to your e-mail or a mysql database.

2- Subdomains are good for seperate sections of your main site. Say you have a business and wish to make a website for another aspect of your business. This you could do by creating a subdomain.

3-Creating a password protected area is easy with BV. Additionally you can create autorespond to any email. You can glean the info from the form and then create passwords and usernames and e-mail them to the customer.

Andy

[FPRob]

Re: Issues with harvesting contact info; and use of sub-domains

I also use subdomains when creating completely different sites, then just apply new URL's to each subdomain. Several sites, one host :)

[WebMagic]

Re: Issues with harvesting contact info; and use of sub-domains

Hello Andy128:

I just lost my entire reply to you - with more questions and everything!

Am still learning how to use this Forum properly.

Please take a look at my Members Only page and Contact page, and I think you will see what I'm trying to do. I didn't understand all of the suggestions you just made (in the post I tried to quote here - but goofed up somehow).

Hope this gets thru to you, and any others who might want to jump in with something constructive.

Thanks Andy,
WebMagic

http://www.powerlife-solutions.com

[Andy128]

Re: Issues with harvesting contact info; and use of sub-domains

Yes I understand to some degree what you desire to do. First- have a customer fill out a form and then take that information and issue a username and password so they can access a members only area.

Second- make away that they can pay for this new membership via paypal.

Thirdly- to create a mail list of new members for future mailings

I hope that is accurate. Gleaning the information from the form is no problem and pretty simple. Where it gets more difficult is putting it into a database. This is where you have to be pretty proficient with php coding.

Or, you could simply take the information from the form and manually enter it into excel or some other filing system for record keeping.

Let us know what direction you are leaning towards and anything more specific and we will help where we can.

Cheers,

Andy

[WebMagic]

Re: Issues with harvesting contact info; and use of sub-domains

I also use subdomains when creating completely different sites, then just apply new URL's to each subdomain. Several sites, one host :)

Hi FPRob!

Do you have to use the original full domain name along with the subdomain handle? Or, can the sites look like separate entities?

Thanks,
WebMagic

[Bethers]

Re: Issues with harvesting contact info; and use of sub-domains

The question re: subdomains.

It all depends on what you want them to do for you. Some seo's will say that if it warrants it's own website - then do a sub or even better yet, do an add-on domain. And those will say if it doesn't, then they should be pages within the same website.

It's really up to you.

What you don't want to do - is use sub or addon domains to create "mirror" sites because you think that will help with se's. That won't.

Optimizing one site is hard enough - but optimizing multiple sites for the same thing will be more difficult because you are competing them - whereas adding pages onto your site will give the one site more credibility and help it.

OKies, I probably just muddied it up more :)

[WebMagic]

Re: Issues with harvesting contact info; and use of sub-domains

The question re: subdomains.

It all depends on what you want them to do for you. Some seo's will say that if it warrants it's own website - then do a sub or even better yet, do an add-on domain. And those will say if it doesn't, then they should be pages within the same website.

It's really up to you.

What you don't want to do - is use sub or addon domains to create "mirror" sites because you think that will help with se's. That won't.

Optimizing one site is hard enough - but optimizing multiple sites for the same thing will be more difficult because you are competing them - whereas adding pages onto your site will give the one site more credibility and help it.

OKies, I probably just muddied it up more :)

Hi Bethers!

No, I don't want mirror sites. I want to focus on one or two things at a time (I already have such a loaded site), people might not want to go through it all to find one particular thing of interest.

Does that clarify?

WebMagic