To do or not to do your own site is a valid question. Do you want to make money or make websites? Will techie problems stand in the way of you becoming the next internet super star?

1. To do or not to do your own site is a valid question. Do you
want to make money or make websites? Will techie problems
stand in the way of you becoming the next internet super star?
I've heard the argument go something like this. 'If you are a car
owner is it really necessary for you to fully understand how it
works let alone to be able to make, service and modify it? Well
it's just the same when it comes to websites. Who cares about
website editors, code, file transfer protocol and all the rest of
the technical gobbledygook that seems to plague the internet
and everything to do with it?'
My counter argument to that would be that some knowledge, to carry on the car analogy, of the
technical aspects of website creation is more like driving the car than servicing it. We all need to
pass a driving test to make use of our vehicles on the road, or they just stand there, useless, and
achieving nothing.
At this point I have a confession to make. I'm not very good at the technical side of this whole
industry. I cannot begin to list the cyber road blocks that I have hit over the years. My various
computers have constantly been in danger of suffering serious bodily harm. However I have to
admit, albeit reluctantly, that I'm glad that I went through this internet baptism of fire.
You could of course, instead of attempting to do your own site, outsource or, as we say here in the
UK, farm-out the whole thing. The downside to this is not only the cost involved, especially when
you are first starting out on your cyber career, but the lack of control. I can only draw on my own
experience but the hours that I spent on re-writing the work of others or trying to convey what I
really wanted meant that the main purpose of out sourcing, to save time and frustration, was not
achieved.
So my advice is this, if your end goal is to try to make money online then you should try to strike a
sensible balance. Do not outsource until your business is of sufficient size to warrant the additional
expense. Instead use the tools now available that enable you to do your own site a relatively simple
matter. Via something called Fantastico, which can be found on most hosting companies 'cPanel'
you can have a WordPress site online in a matter of minutes. WordPress is a free service.
So you can do your own site armed only with your own domain name, a hosting company account
and most importantly of all the right expert guidance. The creation of multiple sites is no longer
the nightmare that it used to be. You must concentrate on building sites that achieve want you want
them to and that means focusing on marketing above all else, not attacking your defenceless PC.
See you in cyberspace!
Lawrence Stainbank