1) My guest map allows me to edit all of the pre-set text (title, welcome message) exept for the posting page, I have given my guestmap a specific name for itself and essentially do not use it as a "guestmap" at all... so naturally I don't want it to say "post in my guestmap" or whatever it says in the posting box, yet there seems to be no way to customise that message??

2) Why on Earth does the calander refuse to go back beyond June of this year??? Even when I select last year from the search box it doesn't budge and get this, when I type an event in my editor for last year it actually MOVES it over to june this year! What the hell is that about? I am using my calander as a record for past events not to log future events. Is there no known way to change this problem?

3) Site editor... I can't make head nor tail of it all... I mean I got a grasp of the basics but from appearences that's all there is... is it just me or is it impossible to totally customise my site with inbdividually placed information boxes and hand picked color schemes? It's great that it has preset themes for new users but I feel I'm ready for something more advanced and would like to specifically edit the exact look of my forum beyond the perameters of what the website wizard currently offers.

4) The FTP... I can upload the files I need but what next? How do I attach those files TO my website? Maybe I'm missing something stupidly obvious (I do that a lot, lol) but whenever I make a new page I cannot see a feature for attaching an uploaded file, and in the file transer section I cannot see a feature for directing where and to what page the said files must be placed.

5)Link issues, though this is more of a solution than a problem... if anyone else finds it annoying that it allows you to rename the catagories but not the links as I did then here's what I do, save the URL written beneath the link you wish to rename by highlighting and copying it, then delete the link (this appartently does not delete the feature even if it's a guestb ook or whatever)and add a new one seperately using that URL, you can name it whatever you like. I found the link thing very annoying as I am running a profesional public website so I don't want it to say "View MY guestbook" as that just doesn't sound right, the lack of a link renaming option was very irritating.

6) Subdomain infections, whenever I edit the layout of my subdomains is it really neccesarey for those changes to alter all the rest of my subdomains and main site?? What if I want them all to look different? The lack of customisation is bad enough but to have every change I make interfere with every subdomain is just plain annoying, is there no way to override this?

7) Forum confusion... is it just me or are there no actual account options on the free forum? Meaning there are no sign ups for individual accounts like on proboards or other such forum services... isn't this just a large guestbook? I wouldn't call it a forum if this is all it is, if I have made a mistake then please someone tell me..?

8) Question, what is the difference between "Upload tools" and "Upload files"?


Anyway, lol, sorry for such a large post I just tend to attack adversity head on, anything that anyone can help me with I would be so grateful :) Overall I find the Bravenet website services to be very inadequate when it comes to creating a customised website... and if there are any alternate options I havent't yet figured out yet I would really like someone to point them out for me :)

Thanks for listening.


The Founder

This is not pro or con to Bravenet. Like yourself, I'm just laying it out as I see it, which may differ greatly from how you see it.

1 ) The Guestmap is exactly what it says it's for, guests. If your going to use it as something else, then you need something else. It appears that you have a paid account, but I don't know what level. If you have the Premium Hosting Package you should be able to find a PHP/MySQL driven map system.

2 ) An excerpt from Item 11, of the Calendar FAQ, is listed below. I have deleted all but the portion that applies here. You can view the entire question yourself from the Calendar Service Manager FAQ.

11. What added features will I receive if I upgrade to Calendar Professional.

You will be able to view entries made in the previous year, and all of the months from this year.

To me, this implies limited access to previous months and years, with the free service.

3 ) The Website Wizard is intended for people who do not know, or don't want to know, anything about HTML. Since everyone should have the ability to have a web site, I see absolutely nothing wrong with this. But if your dealing with beginners, you have to limit access to certain areas. The Layouts and Themes are CSS controlled. Letting everyone into the CSS would be a complete disaster. Bravenet is not the only host with this kind of application and the other ones are not much different.

4 ) FTP is mainly for one thing, uploading and downloading files (OK, two things). Whether your talking about web pages or images, all it's intended to do is get it there. What you do with it after that is up to you. Since you are using the Website Wizard, if they are images, you use the "insert image" icon, if they are web pages, you use the "add link" icon. If it's a web page that you want to link to an image, you use both.

5 ) As you work with the Website Wizard, you will find lot of workarounds for the limitations. Getting a sidebar full of links to say what you want it to, is one of them. For example, you can also add style settings to a main content area that will load a background image. Or, with a little modification, you can use most of the scripts available in the Scrip Archive, without access to the of your document.

6 ) Your on your own with this one. I don't know how they have their subdomains structured on paid sites, but I will bet it's because your still using the Website Wizard. You have paid for a domain name and web hosting. Now it's time for you to purchase a decent web design application. The popular ones are Dreamweaver and FrontPage. I can't exactly recommend either of them, as I write my code with a text editor, but many people love them. These kind of applications would allow you to make all your subdomains look different, and give you access to all those areas you complained about earlier.

7 ) There are no real accounts on almost any forum. The one your posting to right now can be posted to by anyone. Just make up a name and register. The best you can do with the free forums is use the password protection capability. Then, only people you give the password to can post to your forum. Maybe you are expecting too much of a free service. You get what you pay for.

8 ) You need to be a little more specific on this one. To me, the names are obvious, but out of context, I can't be sure what is meant. If there is a link that says "upload tools", I would expect it to take me to a area with utilities that allow me to upload files. If there is a link that says "upload files", I would expect it to take me to a screen where I can select local files for uploading.

IMHO, you don't have to go to the extremes, as some of us do, and write everything with a text editor. But, if you know anything about HTML and CSS, you have no business using the Website Wizard and then complaining about it. Get a template, or two, and go to work. There are plenty of free or low cost templates out there. There are also many free or low cost web design applications out there. All you have to do is go to google and do some research.

Further, Free services are offered "as is". If you want something more then they have to offer, pay the ransom for the service from someone else. The nice part about Bravenet's free services is that, you can try them out at no cost. If you decide that they don't fit your needs, throw them away. There's no 30 day trial and then the service goes south. If it suites your need for free, you can use it as long as you want. I have a free email service with "myrealbox.com". It's really a Novell beta test site and they haven't allowed new signups in a few years and they go up and down all the time when they are testing software. But they tell you up front, "if you don't like the service, go somewhere else". It suites my needs, so I keep it.