Some exciting things are happening here at FastQ. First, we've added a couple of new support techs to assist you when you have problems. Everybody say "hi" to Patrick and Summer. Patrick is heavily involved as a volunteer for the Roosevelt school district, working with the parent - teacher - student organization, and Summer comes to us from the world of radio and podcasting. She has her own radio broadcast, and helps maintain several websites. Visit Farpoint Media for a quick introduction to podcasting.
Of course, some of the old timers are still here, too. Most of you have probably talked to Doug a time or two, and if half the stories I hear are true, he's managed to solve problems that even Google couldn't come up with an answer for. Doug has recently been promoted to Systems Administrator, and though he's not answering as many calls directly, he's still the guru we depend on. And then there's Michael (that's me)... the old timer in terms of age, and not necessarily tenure.
FastQ has recently signed a contract with a new carrier for our dialup customers. These new numbers will provide you with better service and that should translate to less dropped connections and a more pleasant surfing experience for those of you who cannot get, or who have not yet made the switch to DSL. We will begin converting people over to the new numbers in the next couple weeks - we want to make sure everything is going to go smoothly so we don't cause any unneccesary problems.
Another item we are extremely excited about here at FastQ is our new managed server program. If your website is doing well and traffic is up, you want to look into this program. Generally speaking, if you have a website with us it resides on a machine with 200-300 other websites. For roughly 90% of the websites in the world, this is the perfect situation. Enough space to store your pages, quick enough response time to deliver them without keeping your customers waiting. But, for that other 10%, the sites that generate an ever increasing amount of traffic, e-commerce sites that are doing good business, or community/blog/forum type sites that are continually growing in size, the managed server program can get you what you want and need. If your business website needs custom software solutions, Windows or Linux based, or you need applications that are not part of our current standard fare, this solution is for you. Call 602.553.8966 for details.
The FastQ techs recently completed work on a project for Ford Motor Company. They wanted a solution to promote their 2008 F450 series of trucks. These trucks are huge! We engineered an internet connected system that tracks mileage and time running on the trucks, and then displays that information on 4 foot LED signs hanging on a trailer the trucks are hauling. There are also, 2 42" HD Plasma TVs that show Ford Commercials and a view from the camera mounted on the front of the trucks as they drive down the road. The trucks have recently returned from Alaska as part of a North American Road Trip, and are currently undergoing some scheduled maintenance. We will get links posted on our site shortly so you can eavesdrop on their trip. Meantime, check out insidesuperduty.com for a preview
Other things to keep an eye out for here at FastQ include a new look and feel to webmail. A more robust, more efficient email system, with user controllable spam filtering. Linux based hosting machines (in addition to the Unix and Windows we already provide). myFastQ.com - this one's going to be big!
As always, you can reach us for tech support at 602.553.8966 opt #3. Our hours are M-F, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Thanks for choosing FastQ.
The FastQ tech staff.