Active Server Page programming is becoming more popular as programming migrates online. But what is it and how can you get it? ASP is a web server technology from Microsoft that lets developers program interactive parts into web pages using a variety of code languages or scripts.

ASP works with your Windows environment as well as your browsers to allow users to do a variety of things online. Business operators use ASP programming services for help with a vast assortment of web page interactivity including:

1. Submission forms where users enter personal data and send it to a server to be managed and possibly stored in a database.
2. Online calculating and auto-responses based on user input where ASP.NET developers provide return output for a page.
3. Pages that identify a customer, client, employee or other user and provide personalized content where ASP.NET programmers tailor a page for that specific end-user's view.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find an ASP or ASP.NET developer to help with page fixes

For smaller projects where you more or less know what you want, you can hire an ASP programmer or Active Server Pages (ASPs) services by the hour. Freelance professionals often have a variety of skills to help get your Active Server Pages in order. You can find them through job networking sites that will link you with profiles of freelancers showing rates, experience and more.

I recommend: For professionals offering Microsoft ASP services from across the country, try a search on the online career site Guru.com. New York-based Verticity also links you up with ASP programmers with tech skills for server pages and scripting.

Get ASP help from consulting firms and active server page programming services

Say you have a series of pages, online submission forms, interactive data product designs, and you don't know where to start. Call in the big guns of active server page programming services firms that will help you with design and troubleshooting of ASP services.

I recommend: Miles Consulting has experience in ASP technologies; they provide quotes and quick service to struggling businesses from a team of professionals with skills in CSharp and ASP.NET. Paragon Corporation also offers an array of services including migrating projects onto ASP.NET.

Find ASP or ASP.NET programming resources for your in-house staff

There are many books and CD's available to instruct coders and developers on how to handle ASP technologies. From the basics of beginning ASP service tutoring to advanced manuals for Active Server Page design, you can find tools for your own staff to tackle some ASP fixes when you decide against working with outside Active Server Pages (ASPs) Services.

I recommend: ASP.NET for Dummies will help beginners understand the in's and out's of ASP technologies. For those who already understand the basics, try Microsoft Active Server Page Programming: Advanced Topics.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you think you can outsource projects to ASP programming services and walk away, you'll be sorely disappointed: ASP design has everything to do with what you want for client interactions, what data you want available, and what specific tools you want to add to the page. Get ready for 20 questions from your staff or outside developers through the project.