Affiliates

Hosting Providers

Our host of choice is Media Temple. Media Temple hosts over 250,000 domains internationally, including Adobe, Starbucks and Warner Bros. To begin the process of purchasing the server for your website, go to MediaTemple.net

For most start-up social networks, we recommend the Dedicated Virtual Server at $150/month. This package is ideal for communities that are just launching, and it is easily scalable to larger packages to accommodate additional hosting needs as your community grows and receives more traffic. For small-scale websites, the $20/month Grid Server Package is recommended.

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Domain Name Set Up

Choose your domain name unless you have already registered it elsewhere. If you have registered it elsewhere, be sure to point the Domain Name Servers (DNS) to ns1.mediatemple.net, ns1.mediatemple.net or contact your project manager to assist you with this transfer at the appropriate time. Server set up typically takes less than 1 hour. Please forward your login credentials to your project manager when the set up is complete.

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SSL Certificate Set Up

We also require that you purchase an SSL certificate with your server if you are launching a social network. We will utilize this in adding an extra layer of protection to your user data. Instructions on purchasing an SSL certificate can be found here. Please forward your SSL details to your project manager when the set up is complete.

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Video Conversion Services

For websites that require video file upload, we recommend Zencoder. They offer the best encoding technology on the market with hundreds of custom optimizations delivers your video in less time than the length of the video, including HD quality. Zencoder has an industry leading 99.9% encoding success rate and can even automatically fix many out of sync files and rotated iPhone videos. With 99% up-time, we highly recommend the Zencoder service and API for integration into your site.

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Payment Gateway Providers

For payment systems with any level of complexity, including subscriptions, memberships, shopping carts and store fronts, we recommend a non-PayPal payment gateway. The companies listed below allow us API access and a great online control panel for generating reports, running manual transactions, and modifying/canceling automated transactions. This also allows users to stay on your site and allows us complete control over the functionality and style. Using one of these providers means that all major credit cards are processed through a single account. You will not need to have separate merchant accounts with Visa and MasterCard. American Express does require a separate application process and agreement.

What are the main advantages of these payment gateways over PayPal?

• Appearance:  It looks more professional when you accept credit-cards yourself and not with the same system eBay users do.
• Control:  Thorough reports and complete control over your transactions.  You can modify, cancel, refund or initiate new charges from the Merchant Interface.
• Easier for the user:  A one-step checkout process is possible, where PayPal typically asks you to login/signup before starting the transaction.
• Faster/Simpler:  Technically speaking Authorize.net or FirstData provide an accepted/rejected response in three seconds or less (guaranteed).   PayPal does not have this three second guarantee, and has a much more complicated two or more step response process.
• Development speed:  Paypal changes their API fairly often, and documentation is rarely up to date.  This makes it impossible to use old code, and difficult to write good new code.  Neither of our recommended payment gateways has changed their API since we’ve started using them, at least not in any way that broke code compatibility.

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Authorize.net

We also work with Authorize.net as an alternate payment gateway provider, and Pearse Street uses them for their own payment processing within the company. Authorize.net is an excellent choice for companies that have an established financial history, and we prefer their API for integration into websites and social networks that we develop. Unless otherwise recommended, we typically use the Online Payment Service and Advanced Integration Method. Please take time to review their information below:

http://www.authorize.net/solutions/merchantsolutions/gettingstartedonline/ Getting Started

http://www.authorize.net/videos/ Video Demos

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FirstData Payment Gateway

If your website requires complex payments, including subscriptions, shopping carts and store fronts, we recommend a professional payment gateway service. We have worked extensively with FirstData and in our experience FirstData is an ideal choice for start-up companies with a limited payment history. Unless otherwise recommended, we typically use the Global Gateway API and Virtual Terminal. Please take time to review their demos below:

https://www.firstdata.com/demos/global_gateway/overview_demo/ Video Intro

http://www.firstdata.com/gg/gg_demo_pop.htm Interactive Demo

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FreshBooks Invoicing Software

For simple invoicing that can be easily synced with your Authorize.net account, we recommend FreshBooks, which we use ourselves. Running a business is hard enough. We believe financialrecord keeping should be easy, fast, (and perhaps even fun), but still detailed enough to satisfy your accountant. Billing should be simple. You can send an invoice a few seconds after creating your account no matter what level of experience you have. Your data deserves to be safe, secure, and accessible to you. We also believe you own your data, we do not. Your data will be easy to export any time you want it.

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Newsletter Providers

Pearse Street has used YMLP as its official company newsletter provider since 2005. Their interface is simple and provide the standard newsletter mailing tools, including advanced statistic tracking. They also happen to be one of more cost effective providers on the market today.

iContact‘s innovative email marketing software makes it easy for small to mid-sized businesses to create and send professional quality email messages, newsletters and campaigns. Through their comprehensive, yet easy-to-understand reporting dashboard, customers can monitor email campaign effectiveness and track opens, clicks and more – in real time.