1. We find it hard to believe that the offer made in this website is true. Nothing is free. So how is it that we don't have to pay any recurring charges for web and email hosting?

You are right. Nothing is free. However, since Signetique is funding this project, the costs of designing and hosting your website are absorbed by us.

2. So what is the catch? There must be a catch somewhere.

Good question. Well, the catch is: THERE IS NONE. This is not a commercial venture or a gimmick. This is genuine offer from a private company that hopes to encourage SMEs to have an online presence. Signetique has invested about S$500,000.00 worth of hardware and software in this project. We will be investing at least another S$500,000.00 worth of services annually to make this work.

3. What is in it for you? You must have gained something.

Well, if there is anything to be gained from this, then it is 'goodwill'.

4. Okay, are you going to place advertisements on our website?

We will NOT place any advertisements or pop-up banners on your website. Your website will look no different from any commercially available websites. We respect that your website needs to project a professional image of your business. Forcing advertisements on your website would do great injustice to your corporate image.

5. If this is really free, why do you still charge the one-time fee of S$100.00?

To make this scheme a success, we are only keen on attracting companies that are serious about having an online presence. In reality, the S$100.00 pales into insignificance when compared with the thousands of dollars you save immediately.

Besides, the S$100.00 paid can be used to offset the fees of our standard charges when you do decide to upgrade to a bigger hosting plan.

6. If we sign up, are we bound to SMECommunity.com in anyway?

No one is bound to our services. If your company grows and you prefer to host your website elsewhere, that's fine. There are no contracts to maintain.

7. How many websites may we have?

To prevent anyone from abusing this scheme, each company is only entitled to one website on SMECommunity.com.

8. What is a domain name and do we need one?

A domain name is an address to your website. Without which, your website can only be reached by meaningless numbers like "202.157.142.69". A domain name takes the form of "domain-name.com". Subjected to availability, you may be able to register a domain name the same as your company name.

9. How much do domain names cost?

".com", ".net" and ".org" domains cost S$49.95 a year while ".com.sg" domain names cost S$61.80 (GST included) annually. Payment for ".com". "net" and ".org" domain names are paid directly to Signetique IT Pte Ltd, and payment must be received first before any orders can be processed. For ".com.sg" domain names, you need not pay anything first. SGNIC (the registrar for .com.sg domains) will send you an invoice within a month. Please pay against the SGNIC invoice.

10. Do we have to pay for domain names?

Yes. While we provide free web and email hosting, companies are responsible for the payment of their own domain names.

11. If we sign up with you, how soon can we have our website up and running?

After receiving your order and ascertaining that yours is a Singapore-registered company, we will usually set up your account within 24 hours from Monday to Friday. If it is received after office hours on Friday, your account will be set up on Monday, provided that is not a public holiday. Additionally, we will only set up accounts for companies that have sent their cheque payment for the one-time fee of S$100.00. So, to avoid delays, credit card payment is encouraged. If yours is a newly registered company and your company information is not yet entered into RCB's (Registry of Companies and Businesses) online database, please fax in your company registration certificate. Our fax number is: 5629408. Please also state the domain name associated with your company so as to avoid any delays in processing your order.

12. Who are considered SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises)?

We would accept orders from clinics, law firms, accounting firms, property agencies, manufacturers, hawkers, restaurants; just about any businesses and companies. According to PSB (Singapore Productivity and Standards Board), a company is considered an SME when it has: · At least 30% local equity · Fixed productive assets (defined as net book value of factory building, machinery and equipment) not exceeding $15 million · Employment size not exceeding 200 workers for non-manufacturing companies.

If you have questions not answered in this FAQ, please feel free to contact us at this email address: info@smecommunity.com.