out of 5 stars by
Shel Gatto
WebStarts is a user friendly website design tool. The application utilizes a drag and drop interface that makes it as simple as possible. Users can drag and drop video clips, photos and other content directly on the page. The user sees the page as they build it so they never have to jump back and forth or refresh to view the most recent version. WebStarts offers hosting and a domain name. Users can also add a custom domain if they prefer. Custom email addresses are available with domain names. Users can add other content, such as a forum or web form and ecommerce tools. The application has also added member’s only pages that allow users to limit access to certain content.
WebStarts was founded by Adam Barger in February of 2007. The concept behind the application was created when Barger noted the severe lack of user friendly “do it yourself” webpage builders. The application was intended to give users a convenient way to build a functional webpage without the cost of a professional designer. The application has received a positive response from users because of its simple design and limitless customization options.
The main draw to WebStarts is the combination of a user friendly interface and unlimited customization for each page. The user can build pages to their specifications simply by dragging and dropping elements right where they want them. The user can see the page as it develops without messing with any coding. WebStarts manages to provide a user friendly website builder that doesn’t limit creativity by corralling the user into a template or minimal features.
WebStarts offers a smooth, user friendly design that lets even the most inexperienced user stay in control. Each website looks unique, in fact browsing the gallery provides the user with many examples of just how original each design can be. The drag and drop interface is the corner stone of the site’s appeal because it gives the user total freedom when customizing a web page. The user can add a wide range of elements directly to their page before publishing it live. .
A new user can get started by clicking the yellow “Sign Up Now – It’s Free!” button in the lower, right hand corner of the WebStarts homepage. The next step asks the user to select a design. A note lets the user know that they can change designs later if they decide to do so. The user is taken to the registration form after selecting a design. The form asks for a first and last name, email address and password. Next, the user can choose their preferred subscription plan and must choose a subdomain name. The user is automatically logged in to their new account. Users can also click the blue button in the upper, right hand corner of the homepage to sign in with a Facebook account.
WebStarts offers three subscription plans to its users. The first is a free plan which includes up to five pages, 10 MBs of storage space, 5 GBs of bandwidth per month, email support and the WebStarts footer on all pages. The Pro plan costs $4.89 per month and includes one free domain name, 15 pages, $125 in free advertising, five forms, five slideshows, 1,000 MBs of storage space, 25 GBs of monthly bandwidth and HTML access. The Pro Plus plan costs $7.16 per month and includes 10 email addresses, unlimited pages, $300 in free advertising, search engine submit, unlimited forms and slideshows, 5,000 MBs of storage, 100 GB of bandwidth per month, membership feature access, no WebStarts footers and phone and email support.
WebStarts is a valuable tool for anyone who wants to create a web page but has no experience or design knowledge. The application makes building attractive pages quick and hassle-free. Users can drop many elements onto pages, including functional items such as forms and slideshows. Three subscription plans offer access suitable for any purpose. Even the high end plan is economical for casual users and comes with many attractive features.
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on 23 Apr 2012 at 18:31
on 22 Mar 2012 at 22:43
on 03 Mar 2012 at 12:17
Webstarts has big, ongoing problems with their text editor among other things. Its funny reading some of these posts since I've had the exact same problems. Specifically that you try to report a bug and they claim to not be able to replicate the bug on their end. But then you'll notice a few days or weeks later that that particular bug has been "fixed" which invariably causes two or three more bugs that are at least as bad as the one you reported. The latest giant bug i have found is that when centering, bulleting, italicizing, or, trying to use more than one font and/or font size in the same text box, the font originally chosen gets stripped from all of the other text boxes on the page that use centering, bulleting, italicizing or more than one font/font size. The end result of this is that depending on your browser and your operating system, edits might look as you want them to on your computer, but can vary wildly on others. Some devices, Kindle as one example, will inherit the largest sized font used in any text box and apply this size to the entire text box even if you are using two or more sizes. This latest bug is a result of their latest tweak to the text editor and by all appearances is the result of how one added and edited text prior to the "fix". Therefore, there is all sorts of conflicting things going on since the Webstarts platform itself is written in JavaScript. Long story short, they do indeed continue to fix things but they have in my experience absolutley always denied that there was ever a problem, and, every time a fix is done you have to redo much of your site to conform to the fix to avoid massive rendering issues. Its frustrating dealing with Webstarts so I haven't bothered reporting this bug. Honestly, I don't understand how they can't know its there since it effects so many things. They do not take criticism well and tend to be extremely defensive. Their default reaction is to a.) deny the problem b.) tell you its not their website builder but what you are trying to do with it. When you try to explain that no other website builder has these problems the rationalizations just get to be way too much and the whole attempt to communicate turns into a thoroughly unpleasnat experience where you are often talked down to or talked over. The other canned answer is that its not their website builder but the code you are trying to add, which is false since adding code in HTML only mode works just fine. It is the website builder, and what THEY are trying to do with it. As to Bill's comment, using Webstarts in HTML mode only completely negates why anyone would want to use Webstarts, so that's a bit of a mystery lol :P Anyway those are my thoughts. I've only ever had one website with Webstarts and will soon be moving it elsewhere.
on 19 Feb 2012 at 20:05
on 13 Dec 2011 at 09:52
on 01 Dec 2011 at 20:50
Webstarts is absolute garbage. Have a Webstarts site? Go to browsershots.org and enter your URL then see how much you like your Webstarts website. Look at your site in 57 different computers and you'll see 57 different sites too. Knock yourself out and try to explain these things to Webstarts if you want, but what you'll get back is pretty much a lecture that you have no idea what you're talking about and that their website builder is flawless. Garbage product, garbage service.
on 31 Oct 2011 at 14:19
on 29 Oct 2011 at 17:31
on 08 Oct 2011 at 20:47
Yes Ning is the better option but I am here searching for other options for Ning just as a backup. They rarely go down, and as a platform goes nothing is easier. Yes they too have their problems, customer service can be slow, but overall nothing too bad. I have been on Ning for over 2 years now with a great buildup of members, you can share on your FaceBook, Twitter, etc. at no extra cost but be aware they may be selling to Google. If this is good or bad *shrugs* its a wait and see.
on 16 Aug 2011 at 18:53
on 31 Jul 2011 at 00:33
on 16 Jul 2011 at 17:39
on 09 Jul 2011 at 19:59
on 24 Jun 2011 at 11:03
I have 3 sites with Webstarts. My primary complaints would be these: 1.) Cross-browser rendering (text positioning and rendering/positioning of images that are renderable in all browsers) is a definite problem, and is far more pronounced than in any other site builder I have ever used. That being said, any big differences can be overcome by essentially building your site in all major browsers (IE, Firefox, Chrome, Safari). Specifically, build in one browser, but have all major browsers open to your site and refresh each as you make changes - adjust accordingly. A hassle, yes, but it will save you a lot of headaches. I should note that some browsers' inability to render certain images is not a Webstarts problem, but a browser problem, so it doesn't make sense to get mad at Webstarts about it. Internet Explorer, for example is notorious for doing things differently than every other browser because they have a lock on the browser market, and therefore can screw with everyone else. Internet Explorer sucks, by the way, for all you "what's a browser?" people. ;) 2.) Customer service is really all over the map: I've had some of the best, as well as the singular worst customer service experience of my entire life where I was talked at as if I were a hysterical woman, with Webstarts. Here's a tip: ask for Dayne. You will be 100% pleased 100% of the time (if you are a reasonable person). 3.) I have been in business, marketing and customer service for 20 years with the last 10 of those years almost exclusively on the Internet with e-commerce. I have never experienced, or know anyone who has experienced, server down-time for longer than a few hours at most, and those instances were when there was a complete server crash. The current server issues are the second time in 3 months (if I recall exactly) that Webstart's servers have been down for longer than 12 hours. If any of you are familiar with the IT industry, when there is a server issue of a magnitude significant enough to cause one's entire operation to fail, the people who fix them for a company simply do not go home until the problem is remedied. The Webstarts team, or who ever they contract server work to, appears to clock-out when its 'time to' regardless of such problems. Of course, in theory, there are problems of such a magnitude that would cause such lengthy disruptions; however, if that is the case, its not exactly a vote in favor of Webstarts. Perhaps what is worse, is that there is no pro-active communication to their customers when these issues happen, let alone details to put their customers at ease. It is overwhelmingly unlikely that what is currently happening has anything to do with maintenance. Servers have redundancy mechanisms that make it next to impossible for such down-time to occur; and, unless a physical server move is occurring, server drives are simply 'mirrored' making such transitions seamless. Sooo...who knows, really, what the current problem is. The bottom line for customers of Webstarts is that their sites are down, and its not an infrequent problem relative to the up-time of other hosts. I hope no one misunderstands what I'm saying: there are gobs of things that are great about the Webstarts platform, itself, especially if one is creative and builds one's site from scratch. I suppose the bottom line, for me, is this: if you just want a personal or informative website either to have a Web presence for a physically-located business, or to spread a message (etc), I would say that Webstarts is by far and away your first, best option. If I could go back in time knowing what I know now about Webstarts, would I use Webstarts to run one of my e-business with? This most recent down-time has cost me right around $350.00 (and counting); so no, probably not. All of this being said, Webstarts is more than worth the money. In fact, I'd say its one of the best deals out there. As with anything, you will get what you pay for. I believe those that really understand this most basic economic principle will be (or ought to be, I should say) pleased with Webstarts.
on 24 Jun 2011 at 08:11
Well for the last day Webstarts has been down. Although that sux for my customers not being able to access some of my DJ service features that link to DJ Intelligence. I'm hoping that the site will be back online today. (Friday) I started out by using the free site making tool, then got hooked on the ease of use and ordered the upgrade. After using the site for just one year, I decided to pay for another 3 yrs of webstarts service. My clients find the "game" addons a blast that we can incorporate into our pages. When the site gets back online, feel free to checkout my site. www.MidnightMusicProductions.net By the way.. customer service is great! djhottrocks (at) midnightmusicproductions (dot) net
on 24 Jun 2011 at 07:44
on 24 Jun 2011 at 04:11
on 24 Jun 2011 at 03:45
on 10 Jun 2011 at 00:53
on 06 Jun 2011 at 23:43
on 06 Jun 2011 at 23:42
on 02 Jun 2011 at 07:31
on 11 May 2011 at 20:26
on 16 Apr 2011 at 15:59
on 08 Mar 2011 at 00:57