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Creating Your
Own Custom Web Site
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IN THIS ISSUE
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Out With The Old, In With The New!
What's New?!
Feature Article: "5 Steps to Creating and Posting
Your Own Custom Web Site"
Quick News Byte
Guest Column: "The 4 Components of a
Content-Rich Web Site"
How to Be Featured as our Guest Columnist
------------------------------------------------------------------
Out With The Old, In With The New!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Spring doth cometh! Isn't it great to feel the
breath of life return to the earth! I am definitely getting
spring fever. The newness of spring always gets
my motivation factor kicked up a notch or two.
Many of you are probably thinking about gardens,
spring cleaning chores, and all those "out with the old,
in with the new" type projects.
So in this issue I've gathered a few things to
help you usher in some *new* ideas and yep,
some new money, too. ( Be sure to claim
your $10 below :)
Enjoy!
Brett Krkosska
-------------------------- BIZ TOOL ESSENTIAL -----------------------------
FREE: $10
What's that? Just $10 you say? OK, it's not the lottery,
but it IS free. Your next question is...
What's the catch?
Ah, there's always a catch right? Well, you can
keep your first born and you won't be enrolled in
SpamMeForever.com.
Here's the deal...
PayPal is a completely free service that let's you send
money to anyone with an email address. And you can
receive money from others. I use it whenever I can and
recently paid a $110 debt using PayPal.
It's catching on like wildfire, and I expect the service will
continue to grow explosively. And why not? It's fast, it's
safe, it's easy, and most importantly, it's free.
PayPal wants everyone to know about their free service.
So they will give you $10 just for registering. No strings
attached. Just get registered with PayPal and you'll
automatically receive a $10 deposit into your new
PayPal account.
Simple huh? Get your $10 at:
http://www.homebiztools.com/paypal.htm
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WHAT"S NEW?!
--------------------------------------------------
I just know you're gonna love this! The latest e-book
from Monique Harris is tailor-made for all you
work-at-home seekers. It's called Make Your
Knowledge Sell, and is a guide book for anyone
that asks that burning question "I want to work at
home, but what should I do?"
Take the 3 minute tour at:
http://myks.sitesell.com/bkp.html
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FEATURE ARTICLE
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5 Steps to Creating and Posting Your Own
Custom Web Site
by Brett Krkosska
You've heard of the HTML gland haven't you?
You bet, it's right behind your left ear. Next to that little
hollow spot above your jaw. Can't find it?
Try tapping that hollow spot. That's it.
Did you feel it? If you tap it just right you'll notice some
animation around your lips. Tap a bit harder and you'll
even detect the definite aroma of Java.
Still nothing? Obviously there is a problem with your
ASP (pardon me), and your interface with the server
(he brings the tea right?) is not formatted properly.
All right, that's enough fun. The preceding goofiness
is to illustrate a point...
We are not born Web smart. While it may appear from
all the techie talk that you need the "Internet gene" to be
a player on the Web, you don't.
You see, the techies have made it easy for the
not-so-techie types to play also. So until the day
comes when your HTML gland decides to behave,
let's check out the five steps to creating and posting
your own website.
1. Pre-Plan Your Site
Start by writing out the answer to these questions:
- What is the major theme of my site?
If you answer this with "to make lots of money" you'll
need a big dose of Internet gene therapy. Keeping a
central focus results in getting visitors to your site that
are *interested* in your product or service. Unless your
site is "Bob's Rent-All" you'll want to avoid looking like
a flea market.
- Who are my visitors?
Your visitors are your Target Group. Take time to
understand who your visitors are and what their
needs are.
- How will I capture the attention of my visitors?
You'll have only a few seconds to show your visitors that
they're in the right place. Come up with answers to the
following questions your visitors will ask about your site...
Who are you?
What is your site about?
What do you have for me?
Why should I stay and browse your site?
2. Lay Out a Basic Site Design on Paper
Start with your home page. Keep it simple and don't
be afraid of white space. Make sure your content
adheres to your answers in step 1. Then draw out a
few pages to link from your home page. These might
include a Products page, FAQ page, Order page, and
so on. Don't get bogged down here, just keep it simple.
3. Put Your Design On Your Computer
This can be quite intimidating for the new webmaster.
But remember, since our HTML gland is out for lunch,
we'll use the tools set before us by the "smart ones."
Therefore, it's a good idea to use a WYSIWYG
(What You See Is What You Get) design program.
Mind you, a few of the "smart ones" would not agree
with this choice, since WYSIWYG's tend to produce
excess html coding. But we're just getting started.
We can live with excess for now! Programs such as
Microsoft's FrontPage are suitable for the beginner.
http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/
Another good program is Allaire's HomeSite. They call
it a What You See Is What You Need interface. It
produces clean html, but it's helpful to have some basic
coding knowledge with this program. Learn more at:
http://www.allaire.com/products/homesite/
4. Select a Company to Host Your Site
Your host will keep your pages on their computer.
A good host will keep a 24 hour connection to the
web with phone lines that operate at fast speeds.
How do you select a good host for your site?
In addition to reliable and fast connections to the web,
you should insist on a host with 24/7 support services.
Simply put, when you call with a problem, they have an
immediate solution.
5. Transfer Your Pages To Your Web Host
This is accomplished with an FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
program. Sounds scary I know, but it's a pretty harmless
procedure. One of the more popular programs is CuteFTP.
This is the program I use. It has an easy drop and drag
interface that makes uploading a snap.
http://www.cuteftp.com
There you have it! Why not get started right now?
You know, I'll just bet that if you reach up and give a
few quick taps to that HTML gland... you remember...
behind the left ear... that's right... you'll begin to detect
the ever-so-faint, yet distinct, scent of Java!
* Brett Krkosska has helped 1000's find home-based work
options, and can help YOU! Visit http://www.homebiztools.com
for FREE home business assistance, telecommuting resources, software, Internet
services, and more.
------------------- HOT BIZ RESOURCE ----------------------
Search through vast directories of the latest work from
home jobs and opportunities in many different fields.
Thousands of JOBS ARE NOW AVAILABLE. Just
because you live in an isolated area doesn't mean you
can't obtain a prestigious home-based position with a top
employer 2000 miles away! Quality jobs, reputable
employers and everything else you need to succeed.
http://www.homebiztools.com/homejob.htm
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------
QUICK NEWS BYTE
--------------------------------------------------
Dropping the ".com"
InfoSpace is one of the first major companies to drop
the ".com" from its name. Some analysts foresee the
dot-com as a passing phase in the evolution of the
Internet. See the full story at:
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-1562413.html?tag=st
-------------- BIZ TOOL ESSENTIAL ------------------------
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Click here to LEARN & EARN:
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------------------------------------------------------------
GUEST COLUMN
------------------------------------------------------------
The 4 Main Components of a Content-Rich Web Site
by Monique Harris
You hear it all the time.
"A Web site that's rich in content will create greater
traffic, and keep your visitors coming back for more."
Very true. The problem is that many Web site owners
don't know what types of content to put on their sites.
And better yet, how often do you change the content...
and what do you do when you run out of content?
(Instead of writer's block, you'll get 'content block!')
Here are four suggestions to help you crank out a
steady flow of content, on a regular basis.
1) Reviews
Opinions are like noses - everybody has one. So why not
take yours and create content out of them. How?
My Online Sales Power! Web site has a section called
"The Guru Review,"
http://www.onlinesalespower.com/guru.htm.
It features my glowing, (or not-so-glowing), reviews of
various information products, for Internet marketers.
I know that it's a hot stopping point, because it's one
of the top 5 most visited pages on my site.
Depending on the theme of your site, you can do
something similar. For instance, if your site is geared
towards people who jog, then create a section where you
review various running shoes, or energy boosting edibles.
2) Links
This is probably the easiest way to generate content
if you're in a hurry. All you have to do is go to your
favorite search engine/directory... enter the term(s)
most applicable to your sites focus... create a short
description of what's on each site... and build a Links
page to put everything on.
The reason why I suggest you include a description of
each site, is because it helps build greater 'value' into
your content. Visitors will be more likely to remember a
links page with descriptions, than one without.
3) Articles
Most people are very apprehensive about doing this
one because it seems time consuming. However writing
articles gives you a lot of mileage and credibility in your
marketing efforts.
The key to long-term success is to write one 300-700
word article a week. If you do this diligently, you'll have
52-articles in a year. That's A LOT of content! And don't
forget, you can also submit your articles to appropriate
e-zines, for greater coverage.
Now let's say you're NOT a writer, but you still want to
take advantage of this one. You can always use...
4) Other Peoples Content
There are a number of directories where you can find
and use content, written by other people. (Isn't that
convenient!) The content is often free, with the exception
that your retain the resource/bio box at the end of the
article.
Here are a few to check out:
* World Wide Information Outlet
http://www.certificate.net/wwio/
* IdeaMarketers
http://www.ideamarketers.com
* E-zinez Classified Ad Exchange
http://www.e-zinez.com/
-----------------------------------------------
Monique Harris is the co-author of "Make Your Knowledge
Sell." This 1,143 page manual is packed with info on
creating, promoting and selling your booklets, e-books,
audio tapes, newsletters, and other information products.
For more info go to:
http://myks.sitesell.com/bkp.html
------------------------------------------------------------
Would you like to be a guest columnist?
------------------------------------------------------------
I'm always looking for great topics that will keep
our subscribers informed.
To have your article considered for publication send to:
mailto:submitarticle@homebiztools.com
------------------------------------------------------------
That's all for this issue. Thanks to everyone for your
support and kind comments over the past month!
Please drop me an e-mail anytime with your questions,
comments, scoldings, or just to say hi.
Brett Krkosska
Founder, Editor, Net-a-Holic,
mailto:brett@homebiztools.com
HomeBizTools: a division of B-K Publications
http://www.homebiztools.com.
All the tools you need to work at home... in one place!
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