|
The Great Maui Escape. Click to win!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Let's cut to the chase. What's in this for me?
GeoRewards members get lots of benefits. First, you'll get
extra visibility for your site for free. Then, with
GeoPoints, you can save up to purchase lots of great items in
the GeoCities Marketplace. Plus,
there will be a monthly
drawing for prizes, and you'll get more chances to win when
you get more visits to your pages with the
GeoGuide at the top.
What's in this for GeoCities?
We're already the largest and most popular collection of free
personal home pages on the Web. And quite simply, we want to
continue to be the place you'll want to put your site. One way
for us to do that is to make GeoCities the most fun and
rewarding place for you to set your personal page. Plus, by
providing additional exposure for our sponsors, we can
continue to fund the programs that keep GeoCities exciting and
fun for everyone.
What's the difference between GeoPoints and
GeoTickets?
GeoRewards members get five GeoPoints a month as long as they
have the GeoGuide at the top
of their pages. GeoPoints are the currency of GeoCities, and
are redeemable in the GeoCities
Marketplace. GeoCitizens also get one GeoTicket for each
qualified visit to pages on their site that display the
GeoGuide. GeoTickets are the
"virtual sweepstakes tickets" for our monthly drawing.
This sounds like a lot to keep track of.
What do I have to do?
You bet it's a lot to keep track of, but GeoCities does all the
work. Just create a great site, put the GeoGuide on your pages,
make a great banner and you're ready to go. We'll be counting
your totals in the background.
What's a "qualified visit"?
Not that you don't have anything better to do with your time,
but we don't want to encourage people to spend all day pressing
the "reload" button on their browsers just to generate visits
to their own sites. There are much better ways to
build traffic for your
site -– mostly your devoted attention and creativity! So,
we're going to count "qualified visits" using a similar method
to that employed by the
leading audit companies on the Web. Basically, we'll count a
qualified visit each time your pages that carry the GeoGuide are
visited from a given IP address, so long as our logs don't
show a visit to that page from the same IP address within the
prior 30 minutes. (IP address is Internet-speak for the code
assigned to your computer whenever you log onto the Web). So,
if one person looks at each page of your GeoCities site several
times within a span of 20 minutes, that's counted as one visit
for each page; only after that visitor has surfed elsewhere for
at least 30 minutes can he return to your page and be counted
as another qualified visit. GeoCities also reserves the right
to disqualify visits if they appear to represent unusually high
activity in some other fashion. Homesteaders who generate
disqualified visits are subject to penalties at the discretion
of GeoCities, including loss of GeoPoints and GeoTickets and
cancellation of GeoCities service.
How often will my banner appear on other
homesteaders' pages?
The number of times your banner appears will be based on two
things: the qualified visits to your pages with the GeoGuide on them
and the total qualified visits to all pages with the GeoGuide
in the program. You'll get a pro rata share of all homesteader
banner rotations based on your traffic. We'll cap the
appearances of any one banner at two percent of the total
homesteader rotation.
How can I get the highest number of
visits to my site?
The work you put into your site is the best way to make it
fresh and compelling enough to be of interest to others. Plus,
please take a look at the GeoCities
guide to getting your
page listed on other search services and newsgroups. And as
we said, the more times your pages show the GeoGuide, the more
your banner will show up in the rotation.
What other types of banners will appear on my
site?
In addition to homesteader banners, messages from GeoCities and
its' sponsors will be featured.
So what, do I have to be Picasso to make my
own banner?
Maybe, if you want a really good one! There's lots of places on
the Internet with programs you can use to make your banner.
However, if you don't feel capable, we've assembled a
list of volunteers
who are willing to provide assistance and, in some cases, flat
out do it for you. Please take it easy on them!
What do I do with the banner when it's
done?
When your banner is completed, upload the file to GeoCities
using either ftp or
the simplified process called EZ Upload that is located in the
File Manager, which
makes it easier than ever to get your files into your GeoCities
directory. Then, once it's uploaded, go to
the Banner/Site Submission page
to let us know it's there. You'll find a simple form that takes
just a moment to complete.
Can I change my banner once I've submitted
it, or do I always have to keep the same one?
You can change your banner whenever you'd like. Just be sure
to submit the new one for
approval, and it will take the place of your old banner in
the rotation.
Do I have to be Einstein to put the GeoGuide
on my pages?
Not at all. We have a simple page that
explains what you need to do. If you're having trouble, try
checking the GeoGuide FAQ.
How soon will my page be able to accept
banners, and how quickly will my banner get into the rotation?
As soon as you put the GeoGuide at the top of your pages,
banners will appear and you will be earning GeoTickets. Your
banner will go into rotation as soon as it is accepted.
Are there guidelines for where the GeoGuide
must appear on my site, or how my banner looks?
Yes. The GeoGuide must be at the top of the page. We'd
like you to put the GeoGuide on all of your pages. As for your
banner, the same content
guidelines that apply to homesteader pages also apply to
banners; however, our standards for banners are higher,
since they will be showing up on other homesteaders' pages.
Other than that, all you need to know is that the banner you
create to promote your site must be exactly 234 x 60
pixels, smaller than 6KB, and in either GIF or JPG format.
It cannot, however, be an animated GIF -- sorry. (And
yes, we are quite strict about the 6KB limit.)
Do I have to put the GeoGuide on every page?
We'd really like you to. We're requiring for GeoRewards that you
put the GeoGuide on your index page, as well as any other major
entry paths into your site. Remember, the more pages
that feature the GeoGuide, the more your banner will show up in
the rotation, and the more chances you’ll have to win cool
prizes. But the real reward is that the GeoGuide is designed
to drive more traffic to everyone’s pages, and enhance overall
navigation. With the increased advertising we can continue to
create better tools, provide your 2 megs of space and maintain
your great online communities.
I've sat there reloading the page for an
hour looking for my banner, and I can't find it. Where is it?
Your banner will show up in rotation as long as you're getting
seven qualified visits a day. Keep in mind
that there are thousands of homesteader banners in the rotation
-- the odds of seeing your own are pretty slim. In case you're
not sure we have your banner, or you want to check which banner
we have for you, a homesteader has created a JavaScript
application that will show you if your banner is in rotation.
Go to
SiliconValley/Park/3056/banrread.htm if you want to check
on yours.
Tell me more about GeoPoints. How do
I earn them?
Each homesteader earns five GeoPoints per month just for being
in the program and having the GeoGuide at the top of their pages.
If your site is in the
Featured Home Page
program, you can earn even
more GeoPoints every month. Plus, you'll be able to earn
more GeoPoints every month by participating in GeoCities
community activities such as
Community Leader
or volunteering to create homesteader banners for GeoRewards.
Am I going to grow old before my GeoPoints
are worth anything?
No, they're redeemable almost immediately. For example, with
130 GeoPoints you can purchase one of our collectible t-shirts
bearing the GeoCities logo. You can also now redeem 150
GeoPoints for 500 American Airlines AAdvantage miles in the
GeoCities Marketplace.
How can I see how many GeoPoints and
GeoTickets I have? I was admitted a week ago, so why aren't
there any GeoPoints or GeoTickets in my account?
You can see your GeoPoint and GeoTicket totals in the
Personal Profile Editor.
We're updating the totals twice a month (like a paycheck), so
check back after the beginning or middle of the month for
up-to-date totals. Plus, we'll also send you an e-mail twice a
month to let you know how many GeoPoints and GeoTickets you've
accumulated.
How long will my GeoPoints remain valid?
GeoPoints remain valid for three years after they're earned,
if you've remained a GeoCities homesteader for the entire time.
You'll lose your GeoPoints if you cancel your account or move
your pages to another provider.
Why does my site need to draw a minimum
number of visits to qualify?
Because we're such a large site with so many homesteaders,
there are significant expenses involved in providing this type
of service to homesteaders. To make GeoRewards as widely
available as possible, we set the minimum of seven visits per
day. Even if your site does not meet the minimum, you can still
earn GeoPoints and GeoTickets by having the GeoGuide on your
pages.
GeoRewards, GeoTicket, GeoPoints and
GeoGuide: Are you guys getting GeoCarried Away?
Hey, we're GeoCities!
[GeoCities Home]
[GeoRewards]
[GeoGuide Information]
© 1995, 1996, 1997 GeoCities.
All rights reserved.
|