Questions and answers that are asked frequently in the OLSB Community. If you have a question and answer that you think should be added, please leave a comment and I will add it to the list.
As you can see, it is a work in progress. Questions and answers will be added and edited.
Getting Started
How do I access my site to edit it?
See this post: http://ask.officelive.com/smallbusiness/qna/t/2640.aspx
How do I publish my site?
Your site is published and live on the web as soon as you click 'save'.
How do I submit my site to search engines?
This Microsoft article explains how to submit your site. You might also want to read Search Engines 101 for more tips on optimizing your site.
How much does it cost?
The web hosting is free! If you want to purchase a domain name, ie: yoursite.com instead of yoursite.something.officelive.com,then it will cost a little, $14.95 per year for private domain registration.
Sign In/Sign Up
I can't edit my site/says please wait or other problems...
Go to Tools > Internet Options and delete your cookies, temporary internet files and browsing history. Close the browser window and give it another try.
Domain/Web Address
How do I get a second website with a different domain name?
You need to get a different Live ID to sign up for a 2nd website. Be sure you are signed in with your new ID when you sign up.
Account Management
How do I view my billing information?
Read how to view and change your billing information.
Email
How do I find my email?
The clue to finding your email is to understand that your business email addresses and their passwords are now also Windows Live ID's (WLID's). This little key will help to unlock your email inboxes. There are two ways to find your mail:
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Begin as you would normally log into your Office Live account. Instead of your owner's WLID, use one of your email addresses instead. Then click on "Inbox."
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If you have more than one business email account, you can facilitate accessing them by linking your WLID's. To do this, open the site http://account.live.com with one of your WLID's. You will see where you can link all of your ID's. Now, when you log into one of your inboxes, your ID in the upper-right corner of the mail frame will be a drop down. Click on that and you can jump directly to your other inboxes.
A few options that make getting to your email even easier are Windows Live Toolbar, which will give you a preview and link to your email plus you can add handy links to OLSB and Workspaces so you can access them no matter where on the web you are. Windows Live Mail is a desktop email program that will allow you to access all your email accounts in one place.
How do I find the information from my contact us form?
You can find all the contacts that have been sent through your contact us form in the Contact Manager, at the top of your Home Center, click on more and then Contact Manager to access it.
How do I change the email address the contact form sends to?
Right click on the contact us module and select properties. You can change the address it is sent to there.
Reports
Business Applications
How can I find the Business Applications?
In the top menu click on More, they should be listed there.
How can I add a blank workspace?
There is no longer a blank workspace option. You can achieve the same result by using a team workspace and deleting the lists it contains.
Web Site
Where can I get a critique/comments on my site?
Show & Tell in the Customer Gallery is the place to see what others think of your site.
How do I enter/update keywords for my pages?
In the Page Editor, click on Page Properties in the top menu, and then select the Search Engine Optimization tab. That is where you can enter your keywords and description. There are some directions for entering them there too.
How do I add a Blog?
The easiest way to add a blog to your website is to use the Live Spaces Blog module. It will display the most recent posts of the blog on your site. There is a link to get one in the module.
How do I make Images enlarge?
There are several ways to do this. A simple way is to make thumbnails and larger versions of each image. Upload the larger version to the document gallery, the smaller version to the image gallery. Create a link, choose documents and select your image.
RxDave also has directions for enlarging images. For a fancier effects, Solutions for Office Live has directions for in page enlarging, SoftPrizm has a solution for using Lightbox.
How do I change the text/font color in the contact form or other modules?
Many of the modules will take on the text color that is being used on the page where you place the module.
How do I add or change the Zones?
You can change the number of zones and how they are arranged under Page Layout in the Page Editor. There are quite a few options to choose from. This is done individually for each page. You can also resize the zones by sliding the little arrows at the top of each zone.
How do I sell items or add PayPal buttons to my site?
Read this informative article to learn how to put PayPal buttons on your site.
How can I replace the home page?
You can not delete the home page, but you can replace it. Create a new page, be sure to use default for the web address. Check the box to overwrite the existing page. Read Working with Web Pages for more information.
When I try to upload a large image, it is resized smaller. How can I upload an image for the header that will be the full size?
Depending on what image uploader you are using there are two ways to upload it the full size.
If you are using the basic uploader, there is a check box that says 'optimize my image'. Uncheck the box and it will upload the full size.
If you are using the multiple image uploader you can upload from the page editor rather then the Image Gallery, click on Image, select the image from your computer and then uncheck the Optimize box. It will place the image on your page as well as add it to the Image Gallery, simply delete it from the page after.
Or you can get around it by signing in to your site, opening another tab or window and putting this in the address bar:
http://<your domain name>/WebSitePageEditor/ImageUploader_NoActiveX.aspx
Replace <your domain name> with your domain, for example yoursite.com That will give you the basic uploader, be sure to uncheck any boxes for optimizing.
Sue - Office Live Design Tips