Am I required to install special software to my computer to use the Administrator utility of AHOY.COM solutions?

No. All AHOY.COM solutions are created to run via a Web browser. It is required, however, that I.E. (5.5 or greater) or Netscape 7.0 (or greater) are utilized when working within AHOY.COM administrative tools.

Can I use any Web browser to use the Administrator utility?

All AHOY.COM Solutions are built using the latest technology. To make certain that you can use all functions we ask that either Internet Explorer 5.5 or above or Netscape 7.0 and above browser versions are used.

Is more than one individual able to add information to the database at a given time?

Yes. Although you will want to be very careful that the other individuals working within the database are not working on any of the same items, categories, etc. or some of the information may be overwritten.

Can I extract the contact information from the database?

Yes. An extract of the database can be acquired at any time. The file can either be saved to your hard drive as a .csv file or viewed in a browser window.

When I upload contacts in bulk, will the existing information be overwritten.

You can select to not overwrite existing date, overwrite contacts or attributes with empty fields.

Can I find information on the number of visitors that subscribe and unsubscribe?

Yes. The contact activity report provides subscribe and unsubscribe information on a daily basis.

Can I use Flash files within my HTML message?

Yes.

What is an attribute?

An attribute is a characteristic that is associated with a subscriber. It will allow you to highly target your email campaigns and tailor the information that you send. Each subscriber can have many attributes associated to them. For example, if your database of subscribers would be for a catalog of shoes, you could add in attributes such as "mens", "womens", "casual", "golf shoes" and many more. When visitors subscribe, you can ask them to identify information that they would be interested in.

Can I identify more than one attribute to a subscriber.

Yes. You can add as many as you would like. This will help you target the information that you send to your recipients.

Can I test broadcast messages before they are launched?

Yes. We expect that you will want to test each message before you send it. You can identify the individuals that you would like to receive the test messages and change them at any time.

Can I add a contact to the database without an email address.

Yes. The contact database can be used as an overall database for collecting contacts that can later be extracted from the database for print mailings.

Can a subscriber sign up for more than one newsletter?

Yes. You can add in newsletter options on your contact form(s) and let the subscriber identify which newsletters he/she would like to receive. The attributes are then stored in the database and can be viewed on the subscribers individual profile.

What type of image files can I upload to the email messages?

.jpg, .jpeg, .jpe, .gif, .png, swf

Can I change a subscriber's information in the database.

Once a visitor to the Web site has submitted a form, the site administrator can change any field within the profile.

Can I customize the contact pages that are associated with the database?

Yes. All forms can be customized to meet the need of the form. Additional attributes can also be added to the database to retain the additional field information.

When a broadcast message is sent, can I track the results?

Yes. The open and click thru results are provided in a chart or bar graph format. Additionally, each link is also tracked. (Note. Opened messages cannot be tracked for text messages.)

Can I load data into the contact database from an existing database.

Yes. The database allows you to upload information from other databases. Bulk loads can be uploaded from either a .csv or .txt formatted file. The administrator would format the field heading information prior to upload.

Can I send just a text broadcast message?

Yes. A broadcast email message can be sent either as a text message, a HTML message or both messages can be sent.

Can I send a broadcast mail sending with the name included in the mailing?

Yes. Variables can be added to your text or HTML messages allowing you to add in information from any fields that you have within the database.

How do images get loaded for the HTML email broadcasts.

An easy upload form is utilized from the administrator pages to upload images to be used in your HTML messages.