Dev Hobbins Copyright 2012-2013
Part 3: Do's & Don't To Reduce SEVERE PAIN :) "Planning Your Dream Site"
Being a Site Owner is very rewarding in and of itself; however, to be successful at it you must have Laser-Razor focus on your business everyday.
But Where Do You Start? You begin with a DREAM; a plan; an outline and you make corrections as you go; however, there are a few imperatives that you must get correct from the beginning. If you don't, you will waste precious time, have high levels of anxiety and it goes without saying...lose money.
The first step is to define the type of site you want. Will it be a one page website designed to sell products or a Membership site that has an affiliate program? For the sake of this discussion, let's assume you want a membership site that sells advertising like we do.
In this type of site it is absolutely crucial that you match the script to the actual needs of the site. Sounds easy enough, right? It isn't and if you are not successful finding a script that meets all your needs, you will have to hire Programmers to help you unless you are an excellent Coder yourself. Now, if you are ok with that part, let's make a list of Do Not's LOL
Do Not:
1) Buy A Script That Is So Encrypted that you cannot make any modifications to it. Moreover, all reputable Programmers I know will refuse to attempt it, even if they could unencrypt it, because it is illegal to do so. So really the only option you have is either buy an open source code script or live with the one you bought. This becomes a non-issue though, if the vendor is also a coder or has one on staff who will make modifications for you. In my experience that is rarely the case or a very expensive undertaking when you can.
If you do buy an encrypted script, make sure before you pay that it will take care of all your needs. Or it will hurt later. :) Do not hesitate to ask questions until you are clear about what the script will and will not do. Sometimes the demos only hit the high points for the sale.
2) Assume Cheaper Is Just As Good or That Expensive Is Better! One thing I have learned is all hosting companies are not created equal. For example: If you anticipate or know your script will be a high bandwidth usage site, take the time to ask questions before you sign on because there are hosting companies who are not capable of accommodating your high resource usage needs. If you take the time to ensure you match the Hosting Company to the resource needs of your script it will not hurt so much later. :)
3) When you find yourself considering hiring a Programmer, take the time to get references. As many as you can and then contact each of them personally. The most important question you should always ask before you commit to anyone is this:
"Are you familiar with the XYZ Script?" (If he or she is, ask for References from them, too). If he or she is not, keep looking to match your script with an experienced Programmer who has worked on your script type in the past. If you don't, it may hurt a lot later :)
We all want to save money when we can but do not assume the lowest bid for your project is necessarily the best bid or in your best interests. Take time to get those professional recommendations folks, that way it will not hurt later! :)
Lastly, this rather sounds as if owning your own site is a very painful experience. It isn't if you make a solid plan and stick with it. If you don't, it can be. Consider building a house without a blueprint. That could end up being very expensive! Same principle applies here so take the time to do your due diligence!
Until Next Time,
Dev
Part 3: Do's & Don't To Reduce SEVERE PAIN :) "Planning Your Dream Site"
Being a Site Owner is very rewarding in and of itself; however, to be successful at it you must have Laser-Razor focus on your business everyday.
But Where Do You Start? You begin with a DREAM; a plan; an outline and you make corrections as you go; however, there are a few imperatives that you must get correct from the beginning. If you don't, you will waste precious time, have high levels of anxiety and it goes without saying...lose money.
The first step is to define the type of site you want. Will it be a one page website designed to sell products or a Membership site that has an affiliate program? For the sake of this discussion, let's assume you want a membership site that sells advertising like we do.
In this type of site it is absolutely crucial that you match the script to the actual needs of the site. Sounds easy enough, right? It isn't and if you are not successful finding a script that meets all your needs, you will have to hire Programmers to help you unless you are an excellent Coder yourself. Now, if you are ok with that part, let's make a list of Do Not's LOL
Do Not:
1) Buy A Script That Is So Encrypted that you cannot make any modifications to it. Moreover, all reputable Programmers I know will refuse to attempt it, even if they could unencrypt it, because it is illegal to do so. So really the only option you have is either buy an open source code script or live with the one you bought. This becomes a non-issue though, if the vendor is also a coder or has one on staff who will make modifications for you. In my experience that is rarely the case or a very expensive undertaking when you can.
If you do buy an encrypted script, make sure before you pay that it will take care of all your needs. Or it will hurt later. :) Do not hesitate to ask questions until you are clear about what the script will and will not do. Sometimes the demos only hit the high points for the sale.
2) Assume Cheaper Is Just As Good or That Expensive Is Better! One thing I have learned is all hosting companies are not created equal. For example: If you anticipate or know your script will be a high bandwidth usage site, take the time to ask questions before you sign on because there are hosting companies who are not capable of accommodating your high resource usage needs. If you take the time to ensure you match the Hosting Company to the resource needs of your script it will not hurt so much later. :)
3) When you find yourself considering hiring a Programmer, take the time to get references. As many as you can and then contact each of them personally. The most important question you should always ask before you commit to anyone is this:
"Are you familiar with the XYZ Script?" (If he or she is, ask for References from them, too). If he or she is not, keep looking to match your script with an experienced Programmer who has worked on your script type in the past. If you don't, it may hurt a lot later :)
We all want to save money when we can but do not assume the lowest bid for your project is necessarily the best bid or in your best interests. Take time to get those professional recommendations folks, that way it will not hurt later! :)
Lastly, this rather sounds as if owning your own site is a very painful experience. It isn't if you make a solid plan and stick with it. If you don't, it can be. Consider building a house without a blueprint. That could end up being very expensive! Same principle applies here so take the time to do your due diligence!
Until Next Time,
Dev