Choosing an Internet Service Provider

There is no one correct answer to the question: what Internet Service Provider should my church choose? The answer will differ depending on your church’s needs and location. This document is designed to guide you through the process of choosing a provider (ISP):

1. Decide what you want from the provider:

Do you need more than one email address (i.e. minister@mychurch.org; administrator@mychurch.org; youth@mychurch.org.)? If more than one staff person will be regularly using the computer, you may want to be able to assign email addresses to each of them. Many ISPs let you have multiple email addresses through just one account.
Will your church be developing a Web site? Even if your church won’t be embarking on this right away, you may want to plan for it in the future. In that case, you will want to make sure the ISP you select offers Web hosting. Also compare how much Web storage space is offered. 5 MB is enough for a minimal site; 10 MB would be enough for a medium-sized site (10 to 50 pages).

2. Decide between a free service provider and a paid service provider.
The advantage of a free provider is obvious, but there are downsides to keep in mind:

With most free services, banner ads will appear on your screen while you are surfing the Internet, and some providers will track what Web sites you visit and share that information with advertisers;
Most free providers that offer free Web hosting will post ads on your Web site;
Most free providers will not allow you to have your own domain name (such as www.mychurch.org) for your Web site. Instead, your Web site name would be something long like: "www.freeservice.com/mass/~mychurch.html." However, you can get around this by using a domain name hosting service (see, "Getting a Domain Name", below).

Paid Internet service can range in cost from $7.50 for 15 hours of Internet access a month via a phone line to $20 a month for unlimited Internet access via a phone line to $50 and up a month for unlimited access through cable or DSL, which are faster connections but not available in all places.

3. Talk to people in your community.

Talk to members of the congregation, local business people and other churches in the area - and find out who they are using for an Internet Service Provider. Ask them what their experiences have been:

Do they use the service for email? For Web hosting?
Was it easy for them to sign up for service and get on the Internet with this provider?
If they needed technical support or advice, were they able to get it quickly? Were the support people helpful, responsive, friendly?
Do they ever get busy signals when trying to go online? How often? Do they have more than one access number to call? Do they ever get disconnected while online?
Have they had any other problems you should be aware of?

4. Contact the ISPs that are recommended by others.

Some may be national companies, others local. You can find some in the Yellow Pages under Internet Services, or online at thelist.internet.com and at www.isp.com. Several providers are also listed at the end of this document.

5. Make sure the ISPs you consider have local access phone numbers for you to dial to get online.

You don’t want to be paying long distance charges every time you go online. Ideally, the company should have more than one local access number, in case one is busy or temporarily out of order.

6. Ask the ISP if they have a program for donating service to non-profit organizations.

This may be more likely with a local provider than with a national one.

Getting a Domain Name

If you want a short and simple Web address, like www.mychurch.org, then you need to arrange to get a domain name. This domain name can also be part of your email address, such as pastor@mychurch.org.

Registering a domain name costs $35 annually, and most companies require a $70 fee up front, which covers the first two years.

Once online, your ISP can help you register your own domain name. Or, for more information, visit www.networksolutions.com.

If you choose an ISP offering free service, you may need to use a domain name hosting service. These services will register your domain name for you on their servers, redirect traffic to your Web site, and forward email to your email account. You will still have to pay an annual registration fee.

For more information on domain name hosting services, see www.YourNameFree.com or www.NameSecure.com.

Some free Internet Service Providers*:

Netzero: www.netzero.com; 805-418-2020
Yahoo: www.mail.yahoo.com
Hotmail: www.msn.com

Some paid Internet Service Providers*:

www.TheWorld.com; 617-739-0202
www.earthlink.net; 800-EARTHLINK
www.aol.com; 800-827-6364

* These providers are being listed as a service to our churches; this should not be construed as a recommendation by the Conference.