FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

The hostanote service is an online photo sharing service that allows photos to be shared online. This included the uploading pictures to a server, automatically resizing the photo's, storing the photos, screening pictures, downloading photos for viewing and linking the sponsor banner to the Album. The service allows Members and Sponsors to review how often Albums are viewed.

Accessed through any standard browser these collective processes are called the hostanote service.

An hostanote Album is a "quick and easy to create" web page that can be created without the complexities of creating a whole web site. It can include pictures, and text, and is often used to share photos online. The Album is created and published to the Internet using the hostanote Builder, which is all online, and available at www.hostanote.com.

Using the hostanote service is one of the most cost effective strategies you can use do e-marketing and take advantage of all the photo sharing being done today. Hostanote provides a way for you to promote your message or name, offering a service to thousands of people while also promoting your name.

Anyone, anytime, for almost any reason. It is easy enough to do that a non-technical person can create the an Album or a Page using digital pictures and typing some descriptive text. It is very cost effective (its FREE!), it is available 24/7 on the Internet.

A hostanote ID enables you to quickly find your unique online content. This ID can be shared so others can easily locate your material by simply entering the hostanote  ID into the "Go" field at www.hostanote.com.

Any hostanote Member is able to create, publish and edit their own hostanote Albums. It's free to become a Member, and can be done by clicking on the Members link at hostanote.com.

Hostanote Albums and Pages will remain available until they are determined to be inactive. It is deemed inactive at the point it has not been viewed or updated, for a period of 60 days.

Yes, any Member that has created an hostanote Album can make it unavailable at any time. There are two ways it can be made unavailable. The Album can be taken offline, (but the content still exists on the server), or the Album/ Page and all of its content can be Deleted (which takes the hostanote offline and permanently removes the content from the server. Editing an Album/Page (using the Pencil icon from the Members area), will take the hostanote offline. Clicking the Publish icon will put the hostanote back online. Clicking the Delete icon will permanently the Web Page.

Hostanote IDs are provided automatically once your hostanote has been successfully published. This ID will be displayed in the dialog that confirms your Album has successfully published, and is also sent in a confirming email to the email address of the registered Member.

A Privacy Key  is a word or phrase (like a password) that is specific to a given hostanote, and is required by the viewer in order to see the hostanote. The author creates the privacy key (optional) at the time the Album is created and then shares it with those who will be able to view the Album or Page.

Privacy keys are created by the member creating the hostanote Album at the time the hostanote is created. For the viewer the privacy key must be given to them by the member who initially created the hostatnote.

This process is very simple, and free, because of the support of our Sponsors.

Typically a hostanote Album can be created and published in a matter of minutes. As quickly as you can select your pictures and write a description your hostanote Page can be published to the hostanote server, ready for viewing on the Internet.

Anyone who knows and enters your hostanote ID at hostanote.com (or clicks a web-link containing the hostanote's URL) can view your Album. If the hostanote also contains a privacy key the viewer would also need to know the key.

The hostanote service works with pictures in .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .bmp, .tif, .tiff, .wmf and .gif formats. Typically digital cameras store pictures in .jpg format.

There is room for an overall title, one caption and description that changes with each of the pictures, and one overall description that remains constant regardless of which picture is being viewed. Taken together these descriptions could be a couple of pages long.

You can see a sample by going to hostanote.com and clicking on an example, or by entering a hostanote ID into the home page at hostanote.com. For example Web Page ID 232 will show you an Album of a family vacation. The following link will show you the same example: http://hostanote.com/go/232

No, there is no need for you to have your own website. In fact a simple hostanote Album or  Page may be all the web presence you require.

Hostanote Albums can be a great way to complement your existing web presence by simply including a link to a specific hostanote. A hostanote Page can be created and maintained without requiring changes to the website and without requiring a single webmaster to do all the work of ensuring the content remains current.

Hostanotes can use (but do not require) digital pictures.

The hostanote Builder will support .mp3 sounds in a near future update.

The "hostanote Builder" works for both Macintosh and Windows computers to create a hostanote Album. The hostanote that has been published to the Internet can be viewed by anyone using a standard web browser on either a Mac or Windows based computer as well.

Yes, you are in complete control of what content is published and how often, or if, it is changed. You simply edit the Album that you see listed in the Members area of the hostanote site, and re-publish once your changes are complete. Only you can make changes to the Albums you have created, as your username and password is required.

Blackstone is a privately held corporation that has been in the software business for the past 10 years. You can learn more at www.blackstone.ca

There is no need for a trial version because you can use hostanote for free, anytime. Simply sign up as a Member at hostanote.com and you are ready to build and publish your pages.

All that is required to register yourself at hostanote.com is an email address and password . We require the email address so we can send you confirmation when you publish a hostanote Album. Your password can be set to whatever you would like it to be.

Should you happen to forget your password, you can click on the "Lost password?" link and you will be emailed instructions on how your password can be reset.

Blackstone values your participation in the program and your privacy, and will not make your information available to other organizations without your explicit consent. To view our stand on protecting your privacy please view our privacy statement.

All hostatnote Albums and Pages are screened by Blackstone and Blackstone retains the right to discontinue or remove any material considered offensive. Sponsors also have the right and the capability to block any hostanote Albums created using their banner, should they determine the material is offensive, or do not want to be associated with sponsoring that specific content.