CURIOSCAPE.COM - Antique Resource Locator

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Help and FAQ Page

1. What is Curioscape?

Curioscape is a directory of only antique and collectible related sites. Visitors can search by keywords or browse by specific categories. Some visitors and business owners can become a members to add content to the directory.

2. Why was Curioscape created?

Curioscape started out as a small Links web page to help our family sell flea market stuff online. More visitors came to view the links page rather than looking for what we had for sale. So we decided to continue to develop only the Links page.

3. What is new at Curioscape?

New Web Site Design.
On January 22, 2000 we launched the first phase of our new website design on a new server. The design development and release staging of the new site has been in the works for several months.
Self Maintenance
Membership is required for visitors and business owners who want to add content to the directory. The membership requirement is only for giving the power of editing content to the person who is adding it. Otherwise the editing staff at Curioscape would need to grow at the same pace as the internet. That is not a good thing.
Bidding for Position
Certain business owners can adjust their amount of public exposure given to their site listing by participating in an open auction amongst their bidding peers.

4. Why become a member?

The membership requirement is only for giving the power of adding and editing existing content to the person who is adding it. Visitors can participate in better searches, site feedback, other stuff. Website owners can add and edit sites to promote their business. Without the membership system in place, the editing staff at Curioscape would need to grow at the pace of the internet. That would not be a good thing.

5. How much does the site cost to use?

There is no charge for searching and browsing listed sites. You can list sites for absolutely free, but only within the affiliate program process which requires a link from your site. Highly visited sites which want to increase their traffic are encouraged to use the affiliate program. Otherwise, there is an insertion fee of $5 for each link added to the directory. We only ask that you maintain your site listing to keep it current and descriptive of the contents of your site. We enjoy having as many sites as we can store in our database.

6. Why add your site here?

Curioscape ties thousands of online shops together. Our size is large enough that we are recognized as a starting point for the shopping of antiques and collectibles by all of the top portals InfoSeek, Snap, Yahoo and more. We have also established many reciprocating links with thousands of existing sites.

7. How do I add my site?

Membership requirement to add a site.
You will need to be a registered member to contribute any content to the directory. Once you are signed on to the web site, simply click on the Add/Change Site Tab and fill in all of the information. About the site on the forms.(Be sure to choose appropriate keywords and categories.)
Email notification of approval.
You will receive a confirmation when your site is reviewed and approved.
Email notification of missing content.
If site submitted has missing or incorrect keywords or descriptions a friendly notice will be dispatched informing of the sections that need to be corrected before the site will be listed. (Examples: A non functional address, an unrelated description, and more.)

8. How do I navigate the web site?

Navigation the site is performed by selecting buttons on our yellow-orange navigation bar and/or by the familiar hypertext highlighted links distributed through the website. In time navigation will become easier by using a Map of the Site when it is released at a later date.

Searching by Keywords
Curioscape functions like the other familiar search engines. You can put a description of what you are looking for in a text box, press a key, and get a list of all the sites that match your search criteria. You can view more of the same sites by selecting the Category where the site is listed that appended to each site description.
Browsing by Category
All of the sites that are listed in the directory are linked to at least one category. The categories can be browse from the starting page or by Jumping through a list of sub categories shown in a pull down menu in the navigation bar.

9. How does the advertising auction feature work?

If you take a look at other directory sites, they list their contents in alphabetical order or popularity. The sites that are listed near the top of the returned list are getting the visitors.

Our directory allows the visitor to view the list of returned sites after it has been sorted by either a rating or a click-thru bid amount. Everytime a page of links are extracted from the directory, the listings are sorted by a descending click through rate that the business site owner agreed to pay us for a referal fee.

Site owners with an activated account can bid for site placement using a number of keywords.

10. Where can I go to give feed back about the site?

You can provide feedback about the site through email. Visit the Contact Us page.

11. Where can I ask questions about pricing and/or information on items?

You can ask a specific question or obtain a price quote for a collectible item on this page.

12. Where are the features from the old site?

What happened to the old rating system?
The site voting scheme is being redesigned to provide a better feedback survey system for determining sites.

13. How long does it take to set up an account for advertising?

Opening an advertising account takes approximately 24 to 48 hours minimum. These estimated times will be longer if the transaction occurs over a holiday or weekend.

14. How long does it take to list a site?

Reviewing and posting a site usually takes a couple of hours. You will receive an email notification to inform you that your site is now actively displayed in the directory.

15. Why won't the site work?

I can't log in to the site to change my site information!
Curioscape changed its format in January 2000. If you received an ID number before that date, you will have to register as a new user on the new system. The ID number handed out is still good, but only should be used for the reciprocating link information that drives the former hot list link page.
I can't log on to the site!
Curioscape needs browser cookies enabled to run properly. You will need to set your browser preferences to accept cookies.
My userid and password does not work.
Curioscape needs browser cookies enabled to run properly. You will need to set your browser preferences to accept cookies.

16. How do I cancel a membership and remove myself from the subscription?

You can cancel your membership or be removed from the Curioscape newsletter by sending a message to the contact us page with REMOVE in the subject.

17. What are Cookies? Why are they used?

Cookies are small and harmless data packages deposited on your computer so that our web site can determine which connection to send a web page to. Our cookies only live for two hours on your machine before they are deleted.

18. How do I enable cookies on my browser?

Follow these menu paths on your browser's tool bar. In Netscape 4.7, you can enable cookies from "Edit / Preferences / Advanced". In Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0, you can enable cookies from "View / Internet Options / Advanced / Security".

19. How am I effected by the new all Keyword bidding format?

The only people that are effected by this change are the site promoters currently using the Curioscape site. If you have your site positioned via a category, you may wish to visit our keyword page and make corrections to your advertising campaign. We have attempted to convert your categories into keywords based upon the words used in the category. In order to ensure that you are using the best keywords for your site, please log in to the Advertiser's Menu and proceed to adjust your keywords.