Contact Alan Baker at webmaster@sirinc2.org

Frequently Asked Questions

Costs

Q:  Will State SIR host my branch’s website for free?
A:  Yes–website hosting is free to any branch. Most branch websites are hosted by State SIR.

Q:  Will you provide our branch’s website an SSL/TLS certificate (for https)?
A:  Yes–it’s free.

Q:  Will you host free email accounts for our branch?
A:  Yes–with either the sirinc2.org domain or your branch’s own domain.

Q:  My branch is currently paying for web hosting.  Will you host our website for free?
A:  Yes, and we’ll help you move it from the paid host to State SIR’s free hosting

Capabilities

Q:  How does our branch get started on a new branch website?
A:  Identify a webmaster to build and maintain your website.

Q: Our branch doesn’t have the skills to create our own web site.  What can we do?
A.  Just let us know.  We’ll set up a page for you here.

Q:  What kind of web environment can we have?
A:  Traditional HTML or WordPress

Q:  Is there an easy way to get started with WordPress?
A:  Yes, we will help you begin with this template website.

Q:  What free uploading tools can I use?
A:  If you use WordPress, upload capability is built in. For traditional HTML/FTP, many people use FileZilla. I like WinSCP.

Q:  Can we have a password-protected area for our branch roster?
A:  Sure.  Just let us know the name of the folder to be protected and the password(s) you want.

Q:  Will my branch website be backed up?
A:  Each webmaster must back up his own website. State SIR does not back up or restore branch websites.

Q:  Will you build and update the site for my branch?
A:  No, but we’ll help you get started and answer questions on a best-effort basis.

Q:  We already have a web site.  Can you list it on State SIR’s page of SIR branches?
A:  Yes, just let us know.

Technical

Q:  What will the website’s address be?
A:  For example, if your branch number is 199, your website will be https://sirinc2.org/branch199.
If you already have a domain like sir99.org, you can keep it.

Q:  How do I clone a WordPress website?
A:  We can do that for you. Just let us know.

Q: I see hidden folders /.well-known and /.well-known/acme-challenge on my website. What are these?
A: Branch websites on sirinc2.org have SSL/TLS certificates for https. These hidden folders are associated with the certificates. Leave them in place to ensure that your branch continues to provide https access.