Don’t Reinvent The Wheel

One of the biggest problems I see with new webmasters is that they think they must “reinvent the wheel.”  They want to build a website from scratch and make life so much tougher on themselves.

Building a site from scratch is fine, if you’re in business as a web designer.  Web designers and webmasters are two different groups of people.  Sure, some folks belong in both groups, but they really have two different sets of goals and responsibilities.  A web designer creates a “look” for a website.  A webmaster keeps the site running and updated.  This site is about empowering new webmasters. Read more

Cross-Browser Compatibility: It pays to check.

Even though the purpose of this site is to help you become a great webmaster, not necessarily a great web designer, there are still a few things you really should check on when putting up a new site.  Among these items is cross-browser compatibility.  How does your website appear when viewed by various web browsers?  Now, you may be thinking, “Don’t all browsers display websites the same way?”  Unfortunately, the answer to that question is a thundering NO!  It gets even more confusing because you can have websites appear differently when viewed by different versions of the SAME browser. Read more

Review: Rosalind Gardner’s Super Affiliate Handbook

With all of the alleged “information” floating around the Internet, it becomes difficult to distinguish between the hype and the real nugget of gold.  That is especially true when you are talking about ways to make money on the web.  It seems that there is a new scam or scheme being hatched every second or so.   After awhile, it’s easy to become jaded and start wondering if anyone is for real. 

If that’s where you are, I have good news for you.  I have found the “real deal.”  For several years, I’ve been hearing about Rosalind Garner’s “Super Affiliate Handbook.”  When I first heard about, I remember thinking, “Oh great!  Another over-priced book by another alleged guru.”  And I didn’t order it. 

As time went on, I kept hearing about Rosalind and the book.  Knowing that scammers rarely stay around long and that no scammer could possibly keep up the years of positive press that Rosalind enjoys, I started to conclude that maybe she was legit and her book was worth reading.  Well, there’s no better way to find out than to read it.  So, a week ago, I went to the website and I purchased the e-book version.  Now, before you start to assume that I got some kind of a special deal or something, let me assure you that I didn’t.  I paid full retail so that I could give you an unbiased opinion of the book. 

Once I started reading the book, I couldn’t stop.  I literally went through all 212 pages in about three hours.  I couldn’t stop reading it!  Rosalind writes in a comfortable, easy-to-understand style that “clicks” with me and, apparently, many others. 

This book is no fluff, no hype and no nonsense!  It’s the “down and dirty” how-to stuff that so many promise but few deliver.  Let me tell you, this book delivers! 

The only drawbacks I found while reading the book was that Rosalind tended, at times, to go into too much detail for my liking.  Then again, I’ve been building websites for over thirteen years and was familiar with some of those areas.  If I were a novice at setting up a website, I’m sure those areas would have been much more interesting for me.

If I had to grade this book, on a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being the best book on the subject), I would give it a solid 9.  Knowing that nothing is perfect, I think that’s about the best recommendation I could give.  If you are serious about making money with affiliate programs, you’ll have this book in your library and you’ll read it and re-read it.

For more information on Rosalind Gardner’s “Super Affiliate Handbook” click here.

5 Important Rules in Website Design

When it comes to your website, extra attention should be paid to every minute detail to make sure it performs optimally to serve its purpose. Here are five important rules of thumb to observe to make sure your website performs well. Read more

Using A Free Blogging Web Site

For first time bloggers, a free blogging web site is a great way to get started in the blogosphere. Popular blogging web sites like blogger and eponym allow users to set up and host a blog without paying any fees at all.  This encourages People to start blogging, because the fact that one of these sites can provide you with all of the tools that you need to get your blog up and runningwithout spending any money means that you have nothing to lose by starting a blog. The fact that it is so easy to find a way to blog for free is one of the reasons why so many people who have never had any other kind of web presence before find themselves drawn to blogging. Read more

Static HTML Versus Blog Versus CMS.

Once you decide to build your own website, you are faced with a wide array of choices.  Do you want to build a static HTML site?  How about a blog site and, if so, which platform?  Perhaps you want more.  Is a full-blown CMS (content management system) right for you?  Once you start concentrating on these choices, it won’t take long before your mind flies into a complete tizzy.  Well, before you get frustrated, it’s best to ask yourself, “What do I want this site to do?”  That’s the important question. Read more

Getting Started: Which Option Is Best For You?

OK. You’ve just come up with the perfect idea for a website and you’re all jazzed and ready to put it up on the web.  Now comes decision time.  Just how are you going to turn this idea into a bright and shiny new website?  Well, you really only have three options.  You can hire a designer to build it for you.  You can use one of the many “site designer” packages out there.  The third option is doing it yourself.  Obviously, if you’re reading this site, option three is probably where you’re leaning, but let’s just see if that would be your best choice.

OPTION 1 – HIRE A DESIGNER.  This is an option that a lot of new aspiring webmasters choose.  After all, it’s easier to hire out the technical stuff so that you can concentrate on writing your content.  Let’s look at a few of the pros and cons.

PROS: 

• It’s a lot less work for you.  (At least, it should be.)
• You will probably have your site more quickly because the designer has done this before and doesn’t have the “learning curve.”
• The site should have a very professional look and feel.

CONS:

• This is usually the most expensive option.  Having even a small site custom built, can cost hundreds of dollars.  I know because I’ve been known to build sites for other people 
• You’re at the mercy of your designer’s schedule.  If your designer is sick or on vacation, you’re not getting any updates.
• You never learn how to do it yourself in case an emergency need should ever arise.

OPTION 2 – USE A SITE BUILDER.  There are many great site builders out there.  Perhaps the best known is SBI – Site Build it, but there are others.  Let’s examine this a little closer.

PROS:

• They usually have an automated system so you can build a site without having to learn coding in-depth.
• You can control the look and feel of your site, without having to try to relay your vision to a designer.
• You can make updates whenever you want.
• Many site builders have features to help you with site promotion as well.

CONS:

• Many of these site builders are still more expensive than the do-it-yourself option.
• Since most site builders use GUI (Graphical User Interfaces), you still don’t get experience editing the basic code yourself.  Should the site builder service be down, you’re out of luck.
• In many cases, you are limited in your layout to whatever stock layouts the service happens to offer.

OPTION 3 – BUILD IT YOURSELF FROM SCRATCH.  This is the option for the hearty souls out there. 

PROS:

• You have complete control over the look and feel of your site.
• It’s usually less expensive than the other two options, at least in terms of initial out-of-pocket expenses.  Of course, the learning curve and “incidentals” may eat into this, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
• You get a feel for the actual inner workings of the site, thus you are able to make updates when you choose. 

CONS:

• There is a learning curve.  Even if you are building a simple HTML site, there can be a substantial time investment in learning proper HTML coding.  If you get into forms, javascript, ASP, PHP, etc., your learning curve increases.
• You are totally responsible for the look and feel of your site.
• The entire responsibility for promoting your site is up to you.

So, which option is best?  Well, that, my friend, depends on you.  There’s not right answer that is right for everyone.  It depends on many factors such as your budget, your available time, your desire to control every aspect of your website. 

Personally, I prefer the do-it-yourself option, but then again, I am a control freak.  Only you can decide which option will work best for you.