Don't Over-Think It

What Every Web Site Owner Should Know DON’T OVER-THINK IT Keep it simple. You’ve probably heard it said a thousand times before, about a thousand different topics, but it really applies here. A common misconception many people make is to assume that publishing a Website is some kind of mystical process, in which only ultra-geeks with super human intellect can do ... While I would love to consider myself to have any superhuman attributes whatsoever, sadly, I don’t. There is a lot to learn and it can get confusing. However, if you take your time and you are patient, you can do it. It is a simply a matter of taking it one step at a time and making sure you understand what you are learning as you go. There are two separate aspects to technology that will need to be concerned with: The interface, which consist of the icons, buttons, tabs and everything else that you can see. The logic, which is the actual concept behind it all. If you can focus on the concept you will gain a basic understanding of how everything works. Once you understand the basic concepts, the interface will become intuitive. Don’t worry about knowing everything. Just play heads up ball. Technology changes, but the concepts don’t. Fortunately, your job is not to be an expert at technology; you just need to manage it to get the results that you want ... Easy as pie. In fact; your job is a manager, or overseer. You are in charge and your Webmaster is trying to make you happy. Do both of you a favor and make it easier for him. All you need an overall basic understanding and a clear fundamental vision of what you want to accomplish with the site and a general idea of how you think it should look. If you don’t know exactly what you want, then spend a couple of hours surfing the Web. Take notes regarding what you like and what you dislike. The amount of technical expertise that you need to be a successful Website owner is actually quite minimal. As with any aspect of business; it is of course, a trade-off; money vs. knowledge & time. The more you know and the more time you are willing to spend on it, the less it will ultimately cost. Even so, if you want to be truly successful, a number of those things are absolutely essential to know. This is where many Website owners fail. Many assume that once the site is launched the teaming masses will clamor to visit and the money will just start rolling in. Many owners will completely neglect marketing altogether. Sometimes lightning strikes and every now and then a Website is an overnight success right off the bat. Don’t depend on it; most likely, it will take time, money, a bit of “know how” and a little effort. Now, for the good news: just by the simple act of reading this book you are ahead of the game. Many Website owners are completely in the dark regarding the whole process. The lack of knowledge necessary to launch and maintain a successful Website leaves a site owner completely dependent on their Webmaster. While there are some good Webmasters out there, it is perhaps not the strongest position to be in. By educating yourself you have placed yourself at the front of the class and improved your chances of success substantially... Many of my less-technically-inclined people have made the mistake of believing that the whole process of launching a Website was too difficult. They believe that they have to be a computer guru, or that it is harder than it is. Often, this apprehension gets the better of them and never start or they abandon a Website that they paid good money to get online. I have seen some very nice (and expensive) Websites immediately get abandoned as soon as the Webmaster completes his work; in fact, often it never even gets completed. In some cases, all that was required of the owner would be a few paragraphs about their business, or perhaps a photo or two. The frustrated Webmaster contacts them several times requesting the info, but never receives it. Eventually he stops trying, and finishes the site to the best of his ability without the desired information. Of course, the site ends up being less than it could be. If the owner of the failed site simply had kept an open mind, the Webmaster would have been happy to work through the rough spots step by step. Ultimately the owner would have spent a few short hours scribbling a handful of paragraphs. In many cases, the owner simply needs to take twenty minutes to look over a site and give some suggestions. It makes a lot of difference. These people were no less intelligent than others I have worked with and I have taught people with all sorts of different skill sets. You don’t need to be a tech-wizard to do this. Regardless, they convinced themselves that it was harder than it really is and paid the price. The bottom line is this, if you are not willing to invest even the barest minimum of time and effort, your site will suffer for it. Therefore, I recommend that you approach technology with an open mind and don’t assume anything. Consider, regarding technology; kids generally “catch on” the quickest. While there are many reasons for this, I believe this is largely due to the fact that they simply approach computing with an open mind. Furthermore, it is apparent to me, that one secret to children’s success with technology is due to the fact that they accept it for what it is, rather then what they expect it to be. They are able to simply learn by trial and error, as opposed to dealing with preconceived notions. If you want to improve your general computer skills quickly, then I recommend finding a game, or application that you enjoy and have fun with it. Once you can do that, the rest will come intuitively.