What is Blipstar Server? Blipstar Server allows you to install your own store locator, similar to Blipstar Plus, in the same place as your existing web site.


Why would I want to do that? It's ideal if you want the benefits of Blipstar but with total control of your data and where it is hosted. It's also ideal for anyone who wants to customize their locator in some way (so it does exactly what you need) and avoids having to design one from scratch. Furthermore, there are no limits to the number of store locations you can have (within technical reason). If that all sounds too much like hard work you'd be better off with Blipstar Plus.


How does it work? Once you've obtained a download link, simply download and unzip the application files into a directory on your site. It guides you through the simple process of setting up your store locator and most users have been able to get the basic setup working in less than 15 minutes! You can install Blipstar Server on your own web server or one provided by a web hosting company (i.e. wherever your website is hosted). And you are then free to customize your application to meet your exact needs (the front end is standard HTML/Javascript) so you can stand out from the crowd! Check out an real-life example. Like Blipstar Plus, in order to use Blipstar Server you need an Excel spreadsheet or CSV file of your store location data. Installation requires some very basic knowledge, and most webmasters have no problems at all in setting it up. Naturally Javascript, HTML and CSS knowledge is beneficial if you want to heavily customize the front-end, and PHP for the back-end.


Is it fully customizable? Yes, as it's standard HTML you're only limited by your imagination and skill...

What are the hardware requirements? The web server requires:

• PHP 4.4 or above (with MySQL extension installed)
• MySQL

Even if you don't own your own server, the vast majority of Shared Web Hosting companies support these common requirements, making Blipstar Server available to most users.


What features does the basic installation provide? Basically, everything you need. Blipstar Server is a streamlined version of Blipstar Plus. Out of the box it supports full street-level mapping, either Radius (locations within X miles) or Nearest (nearest X locations) search, has specific Smartphone and Mobile versions and also supports GPS auto-location. The store locator can be deployed without any customization at all, or there's a simple configuration file to change some of the basic settings (e.g. size, units, CSS), which even a non-expert should be able to edit. Like most IT projects setting up a store locator is rarely straightforward but Blipstar Server can give you a massive headstart.


How much does it cost? Blipstar Server is very cost-effective: a single server licence is a one-off cost of just $315. 12 months support is just $195.


What about support? The one-off fee only includes support to get the basic install up and running. Beyond that, you're on your own. Of course if you'd feel happier you can choose the support package (12 months for $195) or you can make use of the very reasonable customization/consultancy service (charged per hour). Basically, whatever you want your store locator to do, it's likely to be possible - just contact us for a quote.

If you opt for support then you are entitled to get the latest version of the Blipstar Server files which you can incorporate in your installation if desired.