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City to join town's website. Lockport Mayor Tom Sullivan --- whose loathing for the Lockport Home Page is no public secret---has announced that the city would be joining the Town of Lockport to publish a joint website within about 90 days. The town put up a .com site ---not a .gov or .org site ---and just one character away from the Lockport Home Page URL after The Lockport Home Page went online in 1996 in an attempt to drain off traffic. Sullivan had announced last year he was using about $15,000 in public funds for the city to publish its own site and sell advertising in competition with the Lockport Home Page. He had declined offers from the Lockport Page to host a free city government site. The money may have been spent and certainly a couple of wannabe additional Lockport web addresses have come online, but few appear to know what happened to the Lockport City site that was to have gone online in 2000. (6/8/01)
Lockport Mother's Day Breast Cancer Walk. This local fund-raising event is building its own website. At this report, the title page is online at: http://www.breastcancercanalwalk.org/. (3/23/01)
Lockport Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA). The organization at the Lockport High School has a new website detailing their activities and certain events at the high school. It is at: http://www.lockporthighschool.org/ . (3/23/01)
Lockport Home Schooling. A Christian-based home school advisory group has a Lockport chapter and website. Lockport Area LEAH (Loving Education At Home) is now online at: http://sites.netscape.net/lockportarealeah/homepage . (3/23/01)
Niagara County Historical Society has come up with their own website. It is at: http://www.niagara-county.org The site appears to be under construction but already has a neat, tasteful set of graphics. Of course, here at the Lockport Home Page we've had feature pages on the Historical Society for over four years, now. And speaking of history...have you checked in on our ever-expanding Lockport History Section lately? (3/23/01)
Lockport High Alumni Message Board. Lockportian Phil Holmes has started up a message board for those who wish to interact with LHS alumni. It is at: http://www.pfunk.org/lockport (3/23/01)
Gasport Boy Scouts on line. Gasport Troop 18 now has its own website at: http://www.GasportTroop18.com. (3/23/01)
Possible Lockport Charter School has website. The Greater Niagara Charter School, a Lockport-based group with an application to the state for a license to run a taxpayer-supported "Charter School" in Lockport has now established a website as part of its promotional program. (12/3/00)
City and Town to combine to publish own website. The Lockport Home Page will soon learn the consequences of its candid, frank, and often non-complimentary reporting and commentary on negative aspects of local government activities. Lockport Mayor Tom Sullivan has told the Buffalo News that an agreement has been reached between the Town and the City to fund a Lockport website which will publish all the local government information the city has declined to provide the Lockport Page. The new website will reportedly be funded with $16,000 in public money arranged through a transaction with Lockport Community Cable Commission, a quasi-government agency that has de facto control over local access on the Aldelphia Cable system. The Commission has power over franchise fees paid by Aldelphia Cable which, instead of going into the city's general fund, are ear-marked for the Cable Commission. The first $16,000 for web design will go out of Lockport to an Erie County firm. The website will sell advertising in competition with the Lockport Home Page. The City has declined to cooperate with this community website ever since its first publication in 1996. For a brief period early in 2000, the new Mayor Sullivan agreed to provide abbreviated one-page city council agendas for the website for publication. That practice was abruptly halted, however, in May. The new website should be on line by late Summer or early Fall. The Lockport Page had offered the city free website services as long ago as in 1997 and as recently as in early 2000. (8/1/00)
Criteria for listing requires local access
(non-toll) telephone numbers from the city of Lockport.
For those without "Flat Rate Service", however, these calls may cost.
We have attempted to provide an adequate selection for those in need. The
listing may be incomplete.
All listed ISPs provide access for casual consumer/residential use. Some may
provide other services.
Unless otherwise indicated, we have made no judgement as to service quality or
financial integrity.
Toll-Free Or Minimal Cost Telephone Access From Lockport
Advisory
Some ISP software is reported to "capture" your
computer settings and make it very difficult to
access alternative ISPs or use browsers not in partnership with the ISP. Many of the
services
also subject the user to advertising and marketing tracking. This type of imposition
is not
just restricted to so-called "free" access providers.
Adelphia Powerlink. This is one of the high-speed internet links available through the use of the cable in place for Cable TV viewers. It is now available in Lockport. There is no telephone number to dial, the access is always there on your cable. We understand it is pricey at about $40/month. Contact Adelphia Cable in Lockport (and other areas around here).
Altavisa The national company offer free access but users must accept their ads and marketing moves. Local telephone numbers are reported in the Lockport area. Check their national website for details.
America On Line (AOL). The nation's most popular ISP has multiple access lines in Buffalo and Niagara Falls. The Niagara Falls prefix is usually toll-free from Lockport and Western Niagara County. Contact AOL nationally for info and software.
AT&T Worldcom. A number of plans are available with local access numbers for Lockport. Prices start at $4.95/month for 150 hours.
Blue Light. A service of K-Mart with local access numbers. Monthly charge starts at $4.95/month. Lots of K-Mart ads included.
CompuServe (CS). This national service has multiple access lines in Buffalo and Niagara Falls. The Niagara Falls prefix is usually toll-free from Lockkport and Western Niagara County. Contact CompuServe nationally for info and software. Recommended.
Freeweb Another of the national "free" internet service providers. Has a Lockport access number.
LocalNet. For info call (716) 731-8300. Local access number in Lockport, Niagara Falls, and Buffalo areas.
Macronet, Inc. Based in Niagara Falls. For info call: (716) 695-4645.
Microsoft Network (MSN). This national service has multiple access lines in Buffalo and Niagara Falls. The Niagara Falls prefix (278) is usually toll-free from Lockport and Western Niagara County. Contact MSN nationally for info and software.
Quik Internet Service. Has an office in Lockport's Bewley Building with access lines in Lockport, Buffalo, Pendleton, and Dunkirk. Call 438-1224 for information.
PC Expanders. Based in Amherst but reports Lockport toll-free access. For info, however, it's a toll call to: (716) 834-2111
Verizon Operating affiliation with the telephone company which covers most of New York State. Access to to a Pendleton number (625) which is toll free for most in the Lockport area who have flat rate plans. Also now offering DSL in Lockport but prices start at $49/month. Information by calling 1-888-823-2618.
Western New York Internet Partners. Based in Lewiston. For info call: (716) 754-0048
Wizard Communications. Based in Tonawanda. For info call: (716) 743-0091
World Spy. The national service has a local (Pendelton) access number.
Your Comments Solicited
If you are using a local telephone-access ISP and are happy with their service please let us know if it is not listed here. If you are unhappy, please let us know also. The Lockport Home Page wishes to give the best guidance possible to those in search of an ISP and user comments are most important. Send details to: Editor@Lockport-NY.com
She Likes AT&T Deal
I highly recommend AT&T. We called on an offer in USA Today and get 5 day/week
home delivery of USA Today (via US mail on the date of the newspaper) plus 150 hours of
internet access for $12.95/month. AT&T offers a stand-alone deal with just the 150
hours for 4.95 a month. There is more than one phone number to access through in the
Lockport area and I have NEVER been bounced out or denied access for network congestion.
Connection speed is consistently 28800 over a standard phone line modem. It offers alot of
features and is well worth checking out.
April Gow
9-08-01
Donna Miller from Newfane writes...
We use World Spy with much success, and it is absolutely free, and can be
downloaded from the web. There are also several more out there such as Free Wizard and
Free I. The World Spy has a Pendelton phone number, and the FREEWWEB.com has a
Lockport phone number. We use the World Spy to hook into from Newfane, and love it! It's
free, and then we go into aol the back way, and pay only a partial cost for the whole
month for aol. Think it is $8.95. Being in Newfane, it costs to call all the Buffalo
hookup numbers, so this has been a blessing for us. You can download the program
right from the webpage of World Spy and FREEWWEB. And it does have two W's.
Al Gritzmacher Comments On Several ISPs:
I just became a subscriber of Adelphia's Powerlink
cable internet service and so far, it's been great. The speed is
amazing. But the real plus is not tying up the phone line to use it - it's on-line 24/7 of
course, so you don't even think about connecting/disconnecting. Great for playing
streaming audio or video. It's pricey, at $40/mo. but when you start to compare it to the
expense of a second phone line, that's not so bad. They don't tell you this, but if you
have the cable service, you can use their dial-up service (Buffalo and Niagara Falls
numbers) over the phone lines as well. I use it for my laptop.
I've been a Localnet subscriber for about 4 years. Over that time I've
seen them consistently improve their equipment to maintain a high standard of service.
They react to problems or anticipate them well. From my experience they are a
professional outfit and it shows. They experienced a sudden surge in subscribers a couple
times when other local ISPs folded and handled it well. I'd recommend them (and have) to
anyone looking for a dial-up service. Paid by the
year, they are the equivalent of $9.95 a month. Local access numbers in Niagara Falls,
Lockport and the Buffalo area.
I also have CompuServe 2000 service. The only reason I keep it is the
nationwide availability of points of presence.
(Dial-in numbers) It's handy for travel. It's also only $9.95/mo. Avoid the $400 rebate
deals when you buy a computer, you won't get the $9.95 rate with that - you pay for the
rebate over time at $21.95/mo. Their service
is good, the software is a rehash of the AOL software (remember who owns CompuServe now.)
but not a cheesy. The
drawback is you must use their mail system, it is not POP3 compatible. You can use any
web-browser, however. Niagara Falls and Buffalo access numbers.
2-29-00
------------------------------
We have attempted to provide an adequate
selection for those in need. This list may be incomplete.
Unless otherwise indicated, we have made no judgement as to service quality or
financial integrity.
A small fee to help support this site has been paid for links and/or additional
business information listing.
Accurate Computer Service - 231 Bewley Building (Market at Main). (716) 434-0777.
Cybernetic Communications Systems - 409 Ohio Street, Lockport. (716) 434-9199.
J.B. Computer Services - 397 Davison Road, Lockport. (716) 439-0111.
Lockport Home Page - Links to websites, website production and promotion. No computer sales or service.
Niagara Computer Center - 40 Locust Street, Lockport (716) 434-5351.
Radio Shack - Lockport Mall, S. Transit Road, Lockport (716) 433-1190.
Commercial & Businesses: There is a small fee for a business to have their website promoted and linked here at the high-traffic Lockport Home Page. Such fees, from those who hope to generate revenue from their web presence, is the only means of keeping the out-of-pocket cost to the Lockport Home Page webmaster at a manageable level. www.Lockport-NY.com is a not-for-profit service site...not an advertising site. Yet there is no membership organization to pay the computer, line, equipment, news gathering expense, and ever-increasing (with increasing traffic) data transfer charges. It is hoped to recover most of these costs and help provide funds to improve our service through sponsorship link and promotion fees from commercial business groups in the Lockport area. The fee is modest and the effect is appreciated by thousands of Lockportians here and around the world. For full information please inquire to the Webmaster.
Non-Profit Organizations: No charge to link to your web page here at the Lockport Home Page when you provide a reciprocal link to the Lockport Home Page. We try to limit this link service to organizations in Niagara County who provide a service to the area this website serves. There are a few restrictions. Send full information on your organization's website to the Webmaster. Allow at least a week's time.
In 1996 The Lockport Home Page was started as a not-for-profit service for former Lockportians who have moved away. The service, coverage, and visitors have expanded well beyond what was first considered.
Thank you all for coming back to visit so often. You have made this a high-traffic site. Now in our third year, Lockportians in over 100 countries around the world and (probably) every state in the union had found this cyber road home. Interestingly, from analysis of the detailed website logs, we've learned over half our visitors are seemingly from the Lockport and Niagara Frontier area at the time they visit us.
Thanks, too, for all the e-mail and encouragement. It has been especially gratifying to learn how many Lockportians have reconnected, sometimes continents apart through the Lockport website and the various Internet services.
A special thank you to George Fritz at Mills Jewelers in Lockport, an early "advertiser." George has contributed a modest but greatly appreciated amount to have his (award winning) web site for Mills Jewelers linked from the Lockport Home Page at various locations. Recently our local Comfort Inn has joined in this support. This link service of connecting the Lockport high-traffic site to other commercial web sites with a Lockport connection is available to other businesses for a tiny fee. Such contributions help to ease the financial requisitions on one person's out-of-pocket budget to pay the equipment and service charges required to keep the Lockport Web Site up in continuous 24-hour-every-day operation. Links to non-commercial groups are posted at no charge.
During late 1998 we installed new equipment which allows the addition of constantly updated photographs to the website. The high data transfer demand for the photographs will undoubtedly increase our site commercial server fees but we feel it will be well worth it. We also added new software to make text editing quicker and more accurate.
For your further information, some common questions asked and the current responses have been collected below for those who'd like to know a little bit more. Again, thank you all for your visits…please continue to tell your correspondents with a Lockport connection about the Lockport website.
Bob Rooney, Webmaster
www.Lockport-NY.com
Q1. We don't find many fancy graphics and layouts at the Lockport site.
We try to keep graphics at a minimum for several reasons. First, a small but significant number of folks don't use Microsoft Explorer or Netscape Navigator browsers. Without these browsers many of the "frames" and other layout enhancements turn quite messy. An example is many of the browsers provided by AOL. It takes a lot of time (and skill) to monitor a website through many browsers to make sure things look reasonably "right." We don't have that time (or skill). Instead, our investment is going into basic content. The web is checked through the latest Explorer and Navigator browsers and we try to keep the fancy stuff to a minimum. Still, there can be some viewing problems caused by incompatibility. The Lockport Home Page is produced with (the latest) Microsoft Explorer and the results are significantly better when the website is viewed with the latest Explorer version (as compared with Netscape Navigator). Second, graphics increase load time. Third, graphics run up our data transfer fees because it takes more data to move graphics. Instead, we are investing our data budget in fairly large photographs which are changing several times a week. A few graphics and gimmicks are added, however, just to have a little fun and perhaps indulge ourselves in something different from time to time. We hope this doesn't bother too many of you. Your comments on this are always welcome and will be considered.
Q2. Can individuals obtain Internet service in the Lockport area through the Lockport Web Site?
No. That's not our business. In fact, this website is not a "business" but a "service." We appreciate, however, advertising sponsor support from businesses. This keeps the out-of-pocket expense of your webmaster "manageable."
Q3. When is the web site updated?
There is no specific time. When there is a rapid series of important local news developments updates are made as needed, sometimes four or five times a day. Usually there is ONE update a day and that usually comes in the late morning or early afternoon. Then again, if no significant news has occurred, the site may go a day without any update. There are so many exceptions to this, for so many different reasons, it is by no means a rule. And another thing...when your editor is "otherwise engaged" or traveling, updates may be reduced or suspended.
Q4. How can I tell if new material has been added?
When any major item has been added to the web site it is headlined, with hyperlink, on the Front Page at www.Lockport-NY.com under the section, LOCKPORT LATEST. Nevertheless many items are added, revised, corrected, and updated throughout the hundreds of pages and sub-pages without being headlined on LOCKPORT LATEST. However, these lesser revisions and additions are added at the same time that the headlines on LOCKPORT LATEST are revised. Best way to check is to go first to the Home Page and take a look at LOCKPORT LATEST. We are presently using an automatic time/date insert near the header for LOCKPORT LATEST which shows the time and date of the latest update. Updates to our RECENT DEATHS page are not normally headlined under LOCKPORT LATEST.
Q5. Has the web site ever been "down?"
Twice since it went on line in October of 1996. However, maintenance and computer "problems" connected with producing new material may cause a delay in updates at times…and then there is sometimes the matter of pressure of other business which delays updates. The website may appear "down" to your browser when it has been overloaded with traffic, your Internet connection is overloaded, or the segment of the Internet routing to our server is overloaded. This is rare.
Q6. What are the most popular pages?
Because pages are added several times a month "most popular" needs to be defined in space of time period. Taking this into consideration, the most popular features as of the end of December 1998, averaged over several months, are:
1. Lockport Today
2. Niagara Frontier Today
3. Recent Deaths
4. The Lockport Picture Pages
5. Keeping In Touch
6. Lockport Law
7. Niagara County News
8. Crime & Courts
9. Website Directory
10. Lockport Light
Q7. Outside of the USA, what are the countries from which most web visitors come from most often?
Based on the web logs which show IP addresses (and tabulate them) the top out-of-country visitor "homes" are:
1. Canada
2. US Military Overseas
3. Australia
4. Netherlands
5. United Kingdom
The software we have is unable to resolve thousands of IP addresses. I don't know the reason for this but any ranking of visitor "homes" is subject to significant but unknown percent of error. More than 100 different "countries" have shown up on our logs.
Q8. How do you determine what features to add and retain?
Most features were added at the request of visitors. There are still a number of features yet to be added waiting for preparation time. "Counters" give feedback as to the popularity of each feature on a daily basis. Also, when visitors use one of the popular search engines to find the Lockport Web Site in many (most) cases the "key words" they have used to reach this site are preserved in the site logs. The logs are analyzed from time to time to find out what visitors are "looking for." Still, many items are retained on the web site even with a low visitor count because they provide an important and unduplicated service. Although the Lockport website has evolved into a "high-traffic site" it is first and last a SERVICE SITE. The site is not here to sell advertising, sell web design services…or even "sell Lockport." It is here to provide an independent information service…and…a "road home" for Lockportians around the world.
Q9. How do you get the information posted on the site?
There are too many answers to give for this popular question. Much of the news reported here has made its way into public knowledge having been first reported elsewhere. Some comes in via e-mail and FAX. Some "press releases" are received. Much is submitted by visitors and, after confirmation, published. Much comes from personal observation while out traveling throughout the Niagara Frontier area daily. Some information is the result of original research. Finally, the webmaster, with more than a few years experience in professional news gathering work, still has a fairly large resource of "usually reliable sources."
Q10. Will you provide specific answers to questions about the Lockport area, people, business, etc.?
99% of all e-mail still gets a personal answer, not generated by stock computer-stored text. It may take a week or more but if the answer is readily available and can be provided in a couple sentences of response, e-mail inquires are answered. But PLEASE SEARCH THE WEB SITE FIRST...USE THE DETAILED DIRECTORY OF DESTINATIONS. The Lockport Public Library, Chamber of Commerce and (hundreds) of other information sources are listed at the web site…they may be your best bet and it is their business to provide information in areas of their expertise.
If all else fails and your need is more complicated...
The webmaster, happens to provide a low-profile confidential information research and representation service on a commercial basis. For those at a great distance with a need in the Niagara Frontier region, just about anything (legal) can be undertaken, or information provided for you, directly, or through referrals to professionals in various fields. Inquire to Rooney@Lockport-NY.com
For more recent information,
go to: Words
From The Webmaster
Lockport's Locally Operated Home Page
...On Line Since 1996
The
Lockport Home Page: www.Lockport-NY.com
Always Something New To Come Home To!