In the time that I have been using the Internet, (since 1996) I have seen a lot of websites. I have seen a lot of good websites and I have seen a lot that were just plain awful. Here are some things to think about before you start a website.
What is the purpose of your website? Is it meant to be primarily a sales site or is it meant to be purely informative?
Once you have decided on your website's purpose, you need to decide on a theme. There is nothing worse than going to a website and having to play guess what this website is about. To pick a theme, I suggest that you write down a list of things that you are interested in and/or knowledgeable about.
Once you have written your list down, you need to do some research. Use a tool such as the search term suggestion tool on overture to see if there is a demand for your topic. If you type in your topic and see a lot of searches done for your topic then you should use that topic. If you don't see a lot of searches done for your particular topic, try another one.
Now that you have picked a topic that is in high demand, you need to either develop a product that fits the theme of your site or find a product to sell that fits within the theme of your site.
You also need some sort of freebie to offer on your site so that you can build your own opt-in list for marketing purposes. You should offer an ebook or a special report. Maybe even offer an e-course. Whatever you offer, make sure that you have a way of capturing the email addresses of your visitors. These people will become your "warm market" or people that you can market your other offers to.
You will need to find a hosting company to host your site. Free Web space is fine for just casual websites, but if you are serious about making money online you should eventually graduate to a paid host. The reason behind this is that many people perceive a site hosted on a free web space to be unprofessional. I don't agree with these people myself, but you do have to deal with what the majority thinks in this industry.
You also need your own domain name. See the above tip.
You will need to code your site. You can either learn how to do this yourself or you can hire someone to do it for you. The amount of money you have to spend on this endeavor should help you to decide whether or not you want to hire someone.
Lastly, you need to figure out how you are going to promote your site. Here are some suggestions:
writing free articles for reprint in ezines and on websites.
buying advertising in ezines
buying advertising on websites
trading links with relevant sites.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of things to think about when starting a website. This article's purpose is just to get you started. You should certainly read everything you can find about doing business online while you are building your business.
Copyright 2004 by DeAnna Spencer
This article may be reproduced and redistributed freely on the Internet as long as the resource box remains intact.
DeAnna Spencer is a virtual assistant that helps entrepreneurs run a successful business by providing affordable administrative help. She also publishes a blog for small business owners. Visit this small business resource today.
¶ 5:22 PM 0 comments
Today, we are immersed in a process of planetary change taking place on the world stage behind events that are often in the news. This process of global purification has, as its goal, the eradication of those areas of darkness within the collective consciousness that are the cause of separation, division, and enmity, both from one another and from the sacred life that God would have us live. The purpose of this transformation and its aim is the replacement of these attitudes with a new consciousness of unity, built upon a foundation of spiritual truth and love.
Events we witness today of extreme violence, of degradation of the humanity of others, of cruelty, of the punitive seeking of revenge, of hatred justified in the name of God, of practices of deception and manipulation all are manifestations of currents of darkness that can infiltrate human emotions and motivations. These currents, while partly emotionally-based, are also parts of Creation existing at other levels of spiritual reality. Today, they play a large role on the world stage and within the hearts of many because it is the time of purification upon the earth - a time when energies and motivations that have lain dormant within body and heart become released into awareness. While these energies do not necessarily have to be acted out, often, because of the strength with which they are felt, they become the source of action.
Such an expansion of darkness is not happening by chance. It is a result of the more profound and universal expansion of light upon the planet a movement whose effect is to both awaken people spiritually, while simultaneously stirring the dormant energies which act in opposition to this awakening. In this stirring is a movement toward greater freedom, with the mechanism of release into awareness being one stage on the road to becoming free of the energy entirely.
The work of light, everywhere, is to illumine and purify mind, heart, and body so that humanity can hold a greater degree of love and light within itself and move to the next level of its spiritual unfoldment. This is also true for the Earth itself which is also moving into the next stage of its spiritual unfoldment. In the case of the Earth, development operates according to similar principles as those for individuals, with the expansion of consciousness and the increase in the concentration of light being parts of it. And just as it is time for people, individually, to awaken, it is also time for the being that is the Earth to move into greater light and into heightened spiritual resonance. This movement has already begun and will have profound implications for every life form inhabiting the planet.
The expansion of light affects all levels of consciousness. On the individual level, it begins to reveal what has been hidden from awareness because it was too painful to see before now. Simultaneously, it creates a greater capacity for love and joy because of increased contact with an inner wellspring that is the sacred essence of every human being.
On the level of relationships, the advent of greater light reveals more of the truth that relationships hold, making it possible to discern which of these serve the purposes of growth and wholeness, and which limit these and are being held onto out of fear.
On the global level, the effect of increased light is to release into collective awareness, impulses of a negative nature that were more deeply buried and more tightly bound. These impulses can also become amplified by larger energies which seek to turn the process of purification to their own ends. Such a pursuit could not be successful if such energies and motivations were not already present within the human heart. Yet, impulses such as those that give rise to terrorism in its many forms, to genocidal behavior, and to all practices of cruelty of one individual to another, are all aspects of darkness which the larger energies can capitalize on.
As purification continues, light and darkness will continue to separate and energies of darkness will continue to make themselves known. On a planetary level, no matter how much this may appear to be the result of the actions or intentions of any one nation, it is more importantly happening because it is mankind's time of release from bondage - the beginning of a process of being set free from all that prevents the expansion of greater love. Despite the painful effects of this process as we witness them today, what is being released into consciousness will ultimately be freed from the personal self and the world's self. What will remain is a changed humanity, capable of experiencing greater freedom to love.
In the meantime, many suffer during this time of transition, and the heart that is opening to greater love must be concerned for them all. Yet, concern is not despair, nor is it the loss of hope. Indeed, those who seek to move through this time without being influenced by the negative energies need to hold the reality of light while holding the suffering. Such anchoring affirms our trust in God's sacred intention to bring light out of darkness, and to bring the earth forward as a planet and as a participant in the brotherhood of planets whose consciousness is based on light. Though this may seem like a distant and implausible vision, its truth lies deeply buried within the human heart. For there are those who are our brothers and sisters on the earth who wait for this time of transition to end and for peace and harmony to prevail. And there are those who are part of the greater life of the universe who also await the outcome of this sacred time of emergence.
Let us pray that no matter what we must go through in the process of purification, that the presence of greater light remain firmly anchored in our hearts so that however strong the opposing currents, we are able to remain faithful to a life based on the principle of love.
And let us pray, also, that love for this planet and for all beings rest within each and every heart, and that the earth itself be blessed as it moves into greater light.
For additional writings by Julie Redstone see Pathways of Light, a part of Light Omega. For more about global purification, see the Worldwatch section of the Light Omega website and the Light Omega Newsletter.
¶ 10:27 AM 0 comments
