To Flashkit site admin

[Evilmoose]

Hi!
I want to make a site, not just some ordinary homepage. I want to have the domain and CGI and sponsors and message boards and whatever else it takes. How did you get started? What tools do I need? How do I get sponsors? How do i recruit help? What else do I need to know?

[fishee]

First and foremost, your website should have a purpose or a goal or something that is offered which will keep visitors coming back. While I am not directly involved with this flashkit website (aside from being a member), it is obvious what it offers. Give the viewers either what they want or what they need and they will spread the word and return.

As for CGI, messageboards, etc., that is up to what YOU feel is necessary to making your website work. I don't use CGI or messageboards on my website, but I do make use of a virtual chat forum.

I would suggest a url or two for you, the first is http://www.websitesthatsuck.com and also http://www.htmlgoodies.com both of these websites have excellent tutorials, articles and outlines of what makes a website rock. Oh, and don't forget to visit MY personal domain, http://www.thathelpsite.com (OK, OK, shameless spam!)

Visits (not hits) to your website in substantial numbers will bring advertisers, advertisers bring revenue. Or so it is told.

Hope this helps!

-fishee

[Evilmoose]

How much does it cost to maintain a domain and other functions? How did you get all your resources together to make it work? What is the difference in Visits and Hits?

[::im::]

Visits is how much different persons visited the site.
Hits is how much different/same visitos viewed the page. i.e

Ivan1 is a visitor for the whole day on site blah blah he viewed site blah blah blah 4 times.
Ivan1 visitted the site 1 time and viewed it 4 times.

[Flashkit]

Actually Hits are the number of files accessed from your server,

so if you have 1 page with 10 graphics on it, it will count as 11 hits.

Visitors are the number of people who visit the site, there are user sessions, which is the total number of times people have visited your site, and you have unique visitors (some people may visit 2 or more times, they only count as one unique visitor and may contribute many page views)

Page views correspond to a document impression, ie a whole page, generally this is the "currency" for advertising

Mark
Webmaster

[Scills]

When Flash Kit started it was not about getting sponsors, etc. It was just Mark and a few guys having fun, basically running on the praise from other visitors. Sponsors will only come when you have built a site worthly of people returning to the site, which is sure lucky for Flash Kit, because we also have to eat

[Evilmoose]

To fishee:
i couldn't get the java to load on thathelpsite.com
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[to anyone else]
Although I'm not ready for it, is it expensive to get a domain name? Where is a good site for getting hosting with a domain name (preferrible the least expensive with all the features)? Know of any free webhosting that Would be good to use? How did you get started? More specifcally please discribe the site's original version the site's orignial version. Minus the payroll, what are the site's bills? and for what? What kind of education did you get (such as school, class, or seminar) that helped with the making of this site?
I do not mean to be nosey I'm just trying to do personal research. I appreciate any information that you can give me.

[Scills]

We use Burlee.com as our host, think they have plans for as little as $20, as traffic grows though you will have to pay. Looking at around $15-$25 a gigabyte served and you will also need your own server, which is way more expensive. You can get a domain at http://www.register.com for $70.

Major bills are hardware/hosting/software that grow exponentially as the site grows. Education, well we all did degrees but have been playing with the with the internet for 5 or 6 years so I guess it's experience and hard work. Running a site like Flash Kit is alot of fun but takes up a lot of time.

Hope this helps, Steve

[Evilmoose]

Thanks for the help guys.

I thought there was an online organization(for a lack of a better word) that provided sevices as a server for other sites.

If Burlee doesn't, then what do you need them for?

[fishee]

If my java didn't work then it's because whatever browser you're using is either outdated or you may need to go into your browser preferences/options and make sure that java and javascript is enabled...When I built that website I did it using Netscape 3.0 for testing. If you are using ...*gasp*... AOL/Compukeserve then you need to update the browser or download Netscape and run that instead of their browser.

http://www.htmlgoodies has tutorials/explanations that explain the difference between hits and visits and also what advertisers look for in terms of number of visits in regards to how much you should charge for adspace.

You can register a domain yourself through http://www.networksolutions.com it's $35.00 per year. Then you either need a hosting service or you would need to install a webserver/http server daemon on your own machine. I run several parts of my website off a machine in my office using OmniHTTPd Pro server, I got this from http://www.tucows.com and it's free. It's also easy to configure and I have nothing but good reviews about it. As for using someone else to host your domain, you have some options there, too. You can go with a "free" hosting service online, but you'll likely end up with one of their banners or popup ads on your website. Also, performance (download times, etc) is generally poor. And of course you can pay for hosting, my ISP charges $25.00 per month for 20meg of space and they don't put ads on my site. I have full control.

I'd also suggest http://www.howstuffworks.com there are articles there like "How websites work" and "How the internet works" and so forth. Might be dry reading, but it's informative.

Lemme know if you need more info...and what kind of website are you thinking of doing anyways?

-fishee

[Evilmoose]

My browser is IE 5?

As for the site... Ummm...

I have this one HUGE goal. Then I have the goal of learning how to make it happen. I'm afraid even to mention what my site may be, because I do not wish to spell out my failure before it happens.

My goal is the goal that internet should have all along, yet the popularity and money games hold it down. So I'll just start with a personal page with a few extra features like links to all the best infomation sites such as: Flashkit, HTMLGoodies(which I have used Frequently), JavaScriptSource, ect.

I Have absolutely no resourcess, I accessed this site only because I'm using a freind's box. I'm just planning ahead for my goals making us of the time I have to do something productive.

Thanks, all of you have been a big help. I'm sure there is more I need to know. I just don't know the right questions to ask. Hopefully someone will come along i fill me in on a few more details here and there.

[Athlon]

Fishee:
http://www.htmlgoodies.com is one of the best sites I could have went to while learning html and javascript. That guy Joe Burns is the mac for making that site. That site has it all when it comes to learing the basics. I recomend it to all newbies and even as a reference for expereinced designers. I am just glade to see someone else has used it and recommends it liek I do.