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I want to start a web-based business...


ec437

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...of which the main selling point is a highly functional and interactive website.

 

I know how I want the site to work and what I want it to do, but I don't know anything about making websites beyond very basic HTML.

 

What should I do? Pick up some books and read about web coding? Hash out my ideas on paper and go talk to a pro with cash in hand? Partner with a web developer? I know some of you guys do this stuff for a living, give me a professional opinion.

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It really depends on the size of the project. If it's a huge project, you might want to consider partnering with a developer, otherwise you'll be spending big money.

 

 

This. If the idea is good, a bad website will sink it. FAST.

 

I do this for a living, and am ALWAYS getting emails from people trying to tell me how wrong and bad our sites are and we need to fix them and only they can do it.

 

What they don't know is I am the programmer/developer, so they are telling me I am doing my job wrong. Which is fine, maybe I am. So I check out their sites out of boredom and wow, what utter POS's time and time again. Like seriously... High school students come up with better {censored} as a project for extra credits in their web classes than the garbage these amateurs try to pass off as being cutting edge and going to change my universe.

 

It's laughable most of the time how bad they look and poorly they function.

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I'm confused... You want to start a business for making highly functional and interactive websites, but you can't make a website... ?

 

 

I wasn't going to go there, but the thought crossed my mind.

 

I guess that he has a new idea for the type of website, but can't make it himself. I understand that, I've been there with hair brained schemes before (not calling this one, you know what I mean).

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Do not use Flash. Flash is great for playing games, but if you are a business, stay away from it. Users want to read the content of your website, not play with your website.

 

 

Not entirely true for the reasons, but there is merit in what you say.

 

Use Flash, just don't make your whole website from it. Use it as a tool to make elements better or cooler if needed.

 

I am a big fan of flash headers for example. Interesting to watch for the 20 seconds (max) the movie runs before looping. But it has no bearing on functionality and your eyes ignore it after a minute.

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What kind of programming are you doing? I mainly work in a LAMP environment.

 

 

My role is evolving right now as I have gone back to school for server side programming. I did mainly flash modules of varying sorts (product demoes and such), and a bunch of html, nothing major here really. There was an existing CMS infrastructure that I maintain the content on, add new products and such. I do all my own PS work too, so I take a pic, crop the backgrounds, stylize it however, write the copy... I am fully self contained excluding SSP, which I will be on my own for in a year or so.

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I'm confused... You want to start a business for making highly functional and interactive websites, but you can't make a website... ?

I don't think that's what he's saying. He's saying that he wants to start a web-based business, and he expects the main selling point (of that business) to be an interactive website. He's not selling websites.

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I know how I want the site to work and what I want it to do, but I don't know anything about making websites beyond
very
basic HTML.

Okay.

 

You're going to have hosting expenses.

 

You're going to have to choose between shared hosting or dedicated.

 

You're going to have to really define the specification for the developer - build all of the html forms yourself, beforehand or be prepared to take a bath....trust me on this....

 

You're going to have to decide how you are doing your payment processing, and make sure that you can afford the fees associated with that.

 

Example of a website I have designed and built (not the presentation, but the coding behind it all):

 

http://www.resumedispatcher.com

 

Good luck

 

BTW, I do contract web development. :wave:

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ha
:D

Do you offer a student discount?
:p

man... I went to school for the wrong stuff....


PS is it cool if I PM you for an opinion on my idea?

 

I've been a web developer for 6 years, client side. Now I am in school for server side programming too. I am in the wrong schooling. I want to learn about robotics.

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