| > | | | | off before they get to yourreal message. So, you |
| It's easy to become a webmaster. But, to become a | | | | have to know (or learn) a lot about how to |
| really good webmastertakes a lot more. And this | | | | makegraphics effective - not just flashy - and how to |
| takes a lot of work and study. | | | | condense them so thatthey load as fast as you can |
| Many years ago, I started yacht racing in the | | | | get them to. You have to learn a lot morethan you |
| Caribbean. I had beensailing since the age of 11. I | | | | wanted to know about graphics, but it's all necessary. If |
| thought that I was an "expert" sailor,but I found that I | | | | you'dlike to see a site (mine) that has minimal graphics |
| was really a novice. It's easy to teach someone tosail | | | | for the message,loads fast, easy to read, see: |
| from point A to point B. BUT, getting from point A to | | | | For this site with mostly free health advice, I believe |
| point B inthe shortest possible time is a whole new | | | | this approach isright, but for more involved |
| story. It took me a full yearbefore I won my first race | | | | salesmanship, spice it up as needed whilestill keeping |
| in a field of 10-12 boats. | | | | the load time as low as possible. For an example of a |
| Webmastering is very similar. Sure, anyone with more | | | | lotof necessary graphics, look at: |
| than three braincells rubbing together can learn HTML, | | | | The emphasis here is on graphics, as people want to |
| and with all the free editorsout, it doesn't even take | | | | get a look at theyachts that are being sold. This sells, |
| that much effort. (Like learning to sail fromone point to | | | | where text wouldn't do thejob. |
| another.) | | | | Next, if you aren't gifted with sales ability in writing (and |
| As my own webmaster, being retired, an ex-digital | | | | graphicsto go along), you have to learn a lot more in |
| engineer (beforepsychologist), and computer guru, | | | | this field. Or, you haveto have somebody around that |
| ex-sales engineer/sales manager, etc. | | | | does. Decisions, decisions - do you usepaid ads, paid |
| I thought that I had the tools to do the job. | | | | banners, ffa's, ezines, MLM's,or what? More and |
| After having a web site for over a year, I found that I | | | | morestudy is needed, or more and more money is |
| have putthousands of hours of just plain study in to all | | | | needed to hire this knowledge |
| facets of thisfascinating job. Having spent my | | | | (and hope that whoever you hire knows what they |
| "retirement" money in sailing aroundthe Caribbean for | | | | are doing.) |
| several years, I don't have much money, so had | | | | With thousands of ads telling you that "they" have all |
| tolearn it all on my own. (I don't regret the cruising | | | | the secrets ofthe internet, and positioning, and making |
| years at all, bythe way.) | | | | 10,000 a month, it's more thana little confusing, and |
| So, what did I learn about webmastering? It's a very | | | | some expertise is needed in this area as well. |
| complex job,requiring several levels of completely | | | | >From personal experience, I can state that this |
| different areas of basicknowledge. I've been studying it | | | | knowledge comes withmaking some mistakes and |
| intensely for well over a year, andhave set up four | | | | learning from them. |
| web sites for different types of sales, (free | | | | So what's a competent webmaster? He/she is a |
| healthadvice, a yacht company, a travel company, and | | | | really multitalentedperson, or preferably, a team. A |
| a personal site). Whenstarting a web site, what is | | | | technical HTML expert, an expert onsearch engines, a |
| necessary? | | | | graphics expert, a sales/marketing manager, atechnical |
| First, the webmaster (and you if you have decided to | | | | writer, an ad writer, a computer technician experienced |
| hire one), have toanalyse just what you are selling. | | | | insoftware and the list goes on and on. |
| After that analysis, decide how topresent what you | | | | There are a lot of would-be webmasters out there, |
| are selling, and how to do that on a website. All | | | | charging a lot ofmoney, and designing lots of very |
| toomany people just jump into a web site using one of | | | | flashy webs. But, are these websactually doing the job, |
| the fancy editorssuch as Front Page. Using their | | | | and making money for the owner? Do they |
| "flashy" setups is easy, but is itreally the way you want | | | | loadreasonably fast? Surfing will show you hundreds |
| to present your message? | | | | of sites that arepretty lousy in some ways, and the |
| How about graphics and salemanship? If your graphics | | | | odds are that they cost somebody alot of money, and |
| are too big andtake too long to load, people will click | | | | they are getting very little return. |