We are offering a special deal on Premier email service and support to the first 25 accounts that sign up.

Premier accounts include:

• No advertising, including in the web interface.
• 25 GB of storage space for your message -- about four times more than with standard accounts.
• Store and search archived messages.
• Post and share up to 3 GB of video files with co-workers.
• More control over spam filtering, including the ability to block or allow specific addresses.
• Phone and email support directly from Google, in addition to service from CHCS.
• 99.9% uptime guarantee.

See more details on Premier accounts.

The first 25 accounts that sign up can receive these services at a special price:

• $119 for the first account in a domain (save $30)
• $59 for each additional account (save $10)
• Setup fee waived ($95 value)

Contact us now to sign up!

After being a technical professional for almost 25 years, and designing web sites for 15 years, I should no longer be surprised how often my customers forget that simple fact. Here are a few friendly reminders of things to think about when dealing with web development professionals.

• Yes, it's possible to build a web site yourself, or get your co-worker's teenager to create one. But you get what you pay for. Professional web developers know how to make sites that look good, are written well, are easy to navigate, can be updated by clients, work well in all browsers, and are optimized for search engines. Visitors to your web site will know the difference right away, and it's probably more expensive to fix a poor web site than to do it right the first time.
• When you ask for professional advice from a lawyer or accountant, you expect to pay for that advice in deference to their education, training and experience. Professional web developers have that sort background, too, and spend an immense amount of time keeping up with the latest developments in the field.
• If you approach a professional web developer, but then decide not to use their services, tell them!
• Web developers understand when you need help right away, but expect to pay a premium. If you plan ahead, you'll save money and get better results. Remember the old maxim: you can have your project fast, or cheap, or good, but you can't have all three!

Successful web developers enjoy what we do, and if we have a good rapport with you, we'll go the extra mile to do a great job. In today's economy, an outstanding web site is imperative. Let us do our best for you!

Former CHCS intern Christophe Bisciglia, who worked with us while he was completing his Computer Science degree at the University of Washington, has been named one of the "Best Young Tech Entrepreneurs of 2009" by Business Week magazine.

After working with us, he spent several years at Google before starting his latest venture, Cloudera, which has gotten significant venture capital funding and quite a bit of notice.

Congratulations, Christophe, from all of us at CHCS.

I think that the Internet has changed society profoundly, in generally positive ways. (We could have an endless discussion about the details, of course, and I won't start one here.) But we've also had to learn how to protect ourselves -- by guarding our privacy, avoiding viruses, filtering spam, and so on.

And individuals like you and me have been forced to interact with large, interpersonal companies, more directly than ever before. Maybe fifteen years ago, you'd buy a computer from Acme Computer Geeks down the street, who'd help you decide what you needed, then put it together for you. You could buy a dialup connection from any number of ISPs, many of which were one-person operations. I even remember walking into a local telephone company office, and picking out a new phone number from a hand-written list (with numbers already taken crossed out)!

Now, of course, it's all "more efficient," which means that phone support, when you can get it at all, is of poor quality, and takes a lot of your time. And there are horror stories about all of the big names -- Amazon, Apple, AT&T, Comcast, Dell, Facebook, GoDaddy, Google, HP, IBM, Microsoft, MySpace, Network Solutions, Palm, Plaxo, Qwest, Sprint, Verizon, Viatalk, Vonage, Yahoo, Yelp, and on and on.

So what's the little guy or gal to do? Give up on computers and the Internet entirely, or try to avoid all the big companies? In the 21st century, that's not a very reasonable alternative, especially if you're running a business or a non-profit organization. Since, ironically, you can find lots of news about these companies on the Internet itself, you could spend lots of time keeping up on the issues. But most people don't have the time or the desire to do that. Just as, for most people, it makes sense to consult an attorney, an accountant or an auto mechanic, I hope you will take the advice of a technical professional when the need arises.

In an interconnected world, it's not possible to avoid the big companies, unless you want to become a hermit. Let local, independent professionals -- who keep up with the latest news, and who know how to interact with the big companies -- do it for you. Contact us and we can assist you, or recommend someone we trust.

CHCS is keeping very busy these days. Business and organization managers are deciding that in order to survive the current economy, they must have excellent web sites.

The next time that you chat with someone who runs a business or non-profit organization, look at their web site. Is it attractive? Is it easy to navigate? Is it up to date? Does it highlight how the organization stands out from the crowd?

If not, connect your friend with us. We'll give your friend special rates, and we'll give you a discount on your CHCS services. Contact us for details.

CHCS counts on our clients and friends to give us referrals. Our sincere thanks to you!

We're all aware of the economic distress that many people and businesses are facing. But, in my opinion, the most important thing that separates 2009 from 1929 is worldwide communication, especially the web. Small businesses and nonprofit organizations today have tools to tell their stories, and sell their products and services, that were unthinkable eighty years ago.

Our clients know that, in order to survive, they need to invest in the best possible web presence. We're pleased that we are able to offer the tools needed to get the most value and return on a web site, including:

• Professional graphic design and site planning, so that the final product stands out from the crowd
• Content management, so that authorized staff can update text, images and links without needing technical skills
• Customizability, so that sites can be used as the hub of the organization's other web presences, like social networks (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter) and blogs

Check out our web outposts!

• CHCS Blog
• CHCS on Facebook
• CHCS on LinkedIn
• CHCS on Twitter

CHCS is developing a series of webinars for our clients, which will cover many of the topics we're thinking about. In addition, for a limited time, we're offering personal web sites for people in transition.

No one says that this year will be easy, But we can work together and make it a success!

Do you know someone who needs a personal web presence in these uncertain economic times? For a limited time, CHCS is offering a special deal on creating and hosting personal web sites:

• A professional web site with a simple, elegant design.
• A home page, an "about me" page, and a "contact me" page.
• Web hosting for 1 year (renewals available).
• Ability for the owner to edit site text, links and images using a password-protected, easy-to-use content management system -- no software needed.
• Internet domain name registration ("your_name.com") for 1 year (renewals available).
• Personal email address ("you@your_name.com") hosting for 1 year (renewals available).
• Training in use of the web and email systems.
• CHCS support, including webinars in such topics as using social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

This personal web package, which usually retails for $1,534, is available now for $999. More information

The apparent upcoming demise of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer is hardly a surprise. What's amazing is how long Seattle has supported two (let's face it) mediocre daily newspapers -- 19th-century technology in a 21st-century city. It will be shame if the P-I does fold, but Seattle won't be short of news. It boasts two pretty-good weeklies, several good neighborhood papers, a few radio and TV stations that do local news, and a whole raft of neighborhood and special-interest blogs. Not to mention a lot of on-the-spot coverage, discussion and commentary that's taken root on social networks and services like Twitter.

If the pundits are right, and the P-I disappears in the new future, there will be lots of people looking for new ways of getting information. Is your organization ready to welcome potential new readers? Can you update your web site quickly? Are you taking advantage of Facebook and the like? CHCS will be talking about ways to increase your relevance in a "new news environment" in an upcoming webinar. And contact us now if you'd like immediate help!

Everyone at CHCS wishes you a peaceful and prosperous 2009.

It's snowing again in Seattle. Another surprise in a year of surprises and challenges for all of us. But we at CHCS appreciate the support of our wonderful clients, and we look forward to providing you with new tools to grow and thrive in the next year.

We hope that you'll stay in touch. Updates from CHCS are now available on the CHCS Blog, and through Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Everyone at CHCS wishes you the happiest of holidays, and we look forward to working with you to build a prosperous 2009.

Charlie, Martin and Darren