Website questions

[Mominis]

Hi Guys!

So....let's say I wanted to get a website. I would imagine there would be a set up fee and probably an annual fee to keep it up and running, am I right? Are there usually fees to update the website with show results, sale horses, etc? Can photos (paper ones) be used if sent to the website designer as well as digital images? What about video clips? What are the average costs of setting up and maintaining a site, if I had someone else do it all? Are there any other fees that you can think of? Also, how do you tell a good website designer from a bad one? I'd also appreciate it if you can let me know about anything else I should think of when deciding to have one created and maintained.

Thanks!!

 

[HGFarm]

I am just building one through webs.com You can do it yourself and it saves you having to pay someone else to update it, etc... and saves you from having to wait until they get it done. This program is pretty easy (hey even I figured it out).

I got a 'middle package' which was not that much- a once a year fee. Included domain name in the fee also. Huge amount of space on the pages, etc... No LONG formulas to type to get something on to the page, a lot of it is 'point and click' type simple- loading your own pics, etc.... I like it.

 

[Mominis]

Wow, you are brave. I can barely check email or FB. lol

 

[HGFarm]

Oh trust me Mominis, me either!! If you can do FB, you can do a website on one of these, and there are questions and answers, and help and all kinds of easy to cipher stuff! It really is pretty easy.... I was scared but I closed my eyes and jumped.

 

[Mominis]

LOL! Thanks for the vote of confidence!

 

[HGFarm]

No really, it's a great site and it pretty much walks you through it. It's easy to follow, no big formulas to key in, takes photos right from your own picture file on your computer- and if you do get lost- there is a great question/answer page and other explanations plus on line help. I really like it...

If you click on my farm name in the signature here, it will take you to my new site that I am working on. They have a large choice of backgrounds and formats in various colors - I just wanted to keep mine simple and easy to read without a lot of junk. Also my farm color is purple for the 'heather' flower.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

HGFarm is right- some of those "do-it-yourself" sites are really easy!

I know how you are with tech so you might prefer to have someone else run it, someone who can scan print photos for you and the like, but two things to be aware of with that are that sometimes they don't get things done in a timely fashion and there can be issues trying to get custody of the website back if something goes wrong. I know several people who have had to start over from scratch because the person who ran their business website flaked out but refused to give the password back to the owner because they didn't want the person to take their intellectual property/design work.

Take your print photos down to the local Walmart, drug store, grocery store, whatever, and follow the simple on-screen instructions to scan them with their machines and have them put on a disc for you. The nice people with the vests and name badges will even help you with it!

Then at least you have all the raw materials in your own hands and ready to send easily without risking the originals. I would also write your own text and keep it in a Word file so all the web designer is doing is shaping the look of your website and inserting your text and pictures. That shouldn't cost much and heck, by the time you've done that you might as well use a plug-and-play web design site and do it yourself!

If you're going to have someone else do it, start by looking at websites you like and checking the bottom of each homepage to see who designed it. Then contact the designer and ask for a portfolio of their work and some references. You want someone who has a reputation for quick turnaround, flexibility to meet customer needs, one low package price to suit your use and someone you can get along with. There's nothing quite as frustrating for perfectionists like you and I as having someone who doesn't care running your website!

I'm actually looking forward to updating my own website and being more active in maintaining it once I replace my aging laptop with a new desktop computer like I used to have. I've given up the last few years as it simply hurts too much to be hunched over that tiny keyboard for even a few minutes staring at a tiny screen.

Leia

 

[HGFarm]

I agree Leia, I love maintaining and creating my own site. It's nothing real technical like some, but like I said, I like something simple so it works for me! Come on! You can do it!!