The Great Maui Escape. Click to win!
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!


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