Forum Moderators: phranque
Now I wanna use it. But i don't know,what should be it's content.:(
Need advices. Thanks.
[edited by: trillianjedi at 12:35 pm (utc) on Jan. 10, 2005]
[edit reason] As per TOS - no URL drops please [/edit]
I think the best advice I've seen on threads of this nature is to create a site about s subject matter you are an expert on. Or just highly passionate about.
If the domain name that you bought 10 months ago wouldn't fit in with any topics that fit that description, buy a new domain and choose accordingly...
TJ
I can come up with loads of good names maybe someone should pay me :)
on topic... asking someone what you should have as content is like asking someone what you should have for breakfast, they will most likely sugest stuff that they like, not what you like, and even after they sugest it, if thats what you want, you still have to make it.
>>create a site about s subject matter you are an expert on. Or just highly passionate about.
I can't offer a better suggestion. Perhaps, you need to start with what you are expecting out of your site. The thrill of seeing your writing on the WWW? Expertise with site design/promotion? Or are you chasing $$$?
That was my initial reaction.
But there's also another point that the question writer might want to consider. You domain appears to have no natural assets other than its short URL. It has no Google PageRank. It has no natural keyword.
No matter how much you spent buying this - and maybe somebody convinced you to spend a lot of money, or maybe not - forget about it. The amount of money you will spend in creating a site or the amount of money you will lose if you don't have a good site name, is far far in excess of what it costs to register a new domain.
So if you ever do get a good Web idea - and please come up with one of those first - THEN pick the domain name and go from there. Try to sell this one if you can and be done with it.
I thought the initial post actually raised a good point. A lot of people view the web as an instant easy way to throw up a shop-front about something, about anything, either non-profit or for profit.
Most members here know different. It's not that easy. Sure, some webmasters can throw up 1,000's of sites targetting high value topics for no other reason, but they are succesful because they know what they are doing. The original poster is clearly new to the game.
So what drove you to create your first website?
Did you just go and buy a domain name on a whim thinking it was a cool name, were you so passionately interested in a particular topic that you simply had to create a website about it, was it sheer creative drive that was not being exercised anywhere else and need to be let out?
For me, it was actually a combination of all of the above. My first site became very succesful, probably as a result of the combination of those elements, coupled with my finding WebmasterWorld.
TJ
I'm guessing that when you bought your domain name you did so for one of two reasons:
a) You wanted to get into this web thing. Perhaps you already have some skills you feel you can bring to it - graphics/programming/something else. Perhaps you already know a little HTML and want to go further; you've realised that you need the experience of a "real" project to push the envelope on this. Either way, you're fascinated by this medium, feel you have something to offer it and want to get on board. That's good. Welcome to the community.
Follow the advice above. Find something you're passionate about or know a lot about, particularly if it's in an area not already extensively covered on the web (and with a bit of research you can add something of value to what's already there). Build a site about it. Read a lot, here and elsewhere, and learn while you're working. Then throw the site away.
Start again with the hindsight of what you've learned, and use this to plan your work carefully in advance. Build a really good site making use of the better content from your previous one and you'll have a hobby that will soon take over your life, give you much satisfaction and may even make a little money in return.
b) You want to earn a living for yourself and the web strikes you as a land of opportunity. That's good too, and you're right - it can be.
Don't build a site. Build a business. Follow the normal rules for starting a business: look for a need that your market (people who use the web) has which is not been adequately supplied for. Research and plan everything and do proper financial projections to work out how long you're going to have to survive, and at what cost, before the money starts coming in. All the normal rules apply - good luck. But remember that the one thing common to all start-ups is that the founders work long, hard days to get them going.
So what drove you to create your first website?Did you just go and buy a domain name on a whim thinking it was a cool name, were you so passionately interested in a particular topic that you simply had to create a website about it, was it sheer creative drive that was not being exercised anywhere else and need to be let out?
I guess I'll go.
I was looking for widgets and found many many companies offering them. But I could never find an independent source of widget reviews and such, due to the fact that these widgets are a TINY niche and are basically non-profit.
Therefore, by the time I had done enough research to buy a niche widget I figured I shouldn't waste this information and put it up on 4 static pages.
Four became ten. Ten became fourty. Fourty came seventy. And seventy is about to become two hundred and fifty.
As for a name, my original site had a really long and bad name, so then while brainstorming slogans I stumbled upon an awesome and short name and decided to switch.
Note: It is basically impossible to make any real money from my niche, I do it for fun and experience and use adsense to pay for a percent of the hosting.
