Why Build Websites?
From the first website built wayback in either 1990 or 1993 (depending upon your definition), people have been building websites for fun, communication, marketing or a wide variety of selective purposes. In February 2009, Netcraft (the Internet monitoring company) has tracked the growth of the Web and reported that there were 215,675,903 websites with domain names and content in 2009, versus 18,000 websites in August 1995 (a growth of nearly 12,000% in 14 years).
Total Sites Across All Domains August 1995 - February 2009
So on the one hand, there are more websites to compete with everyday and they look like they'll continue to increase in numbers in the future. That means you'll have to compete for visitors into the foreseeable future. So you'll need a top-notch website, lots of great content, easy navigation and search, and products or services that people will want if not need. On the other hand, all the information you need is available in the arena you'll be competing in, the World Wide Web itself.
I remember the days when I had to convince businesses to even have websites. Now it's a given and most businesses do. Thanks to increasing and widespread Internet access, most people look online for products and services, even for businesses around the corner. And, thankfully, software is easier to use than ever before—the Web is no longer the domain of only the geeks and gurus.
But the days of the dot-com bubble are gone, it turns out that brick and mortar business practices also apply online. You have to conduct business online as you do offline, you have to communicate effectively, produce products, provide services, support your products, advertise, market, and compete in your market. Go figure. The difference online is that your customers are used to things a bit differently than when they visit your shop in the local mall. Communcations need to be more thorough, clearer, and quicker if you're to compete with others online. Having an effective website and dedicated professional staff are often required. As huge as the Web seems, the most powerful method of communication online is word-of-mouth, just like it is offline, though at Internet speed.
Communication
You have something to say. Say it loud and globally with a website. From sites about the family to share with family around the country or around the world, to large corporate sites communicating to potential customers, existing customers, employees, and stockholders, websites (including blogs like Windows Live Spaces, Blogger and MySpace) are used as easy communication tools.
Marketing!
In this section I'll explore first taking great photographs and video. "Garbage in Garbage out" is a saying I like, which means simply that if you start with bad photos or video there's little you can do to make them great and you might as well not even bother trying. I have wasted untold days trying to "fix" bad photos and video and the results are almost always the same, the delete key. Taking great photos or video or paying the experts for their skills is the way to go and today it is cheaper than ever to find great photos and videos online for reasonable prices.
Knowing ahead of time what you plan to use your photos and videos for helps in numerous ways as well. Using them exclusively for online purposes greatly reduces your requirements for camera gear and computer hardware to convert them to multiple formats. Most of the classic rules for taking photos and video apply for online media and we'll explore them as we learn about what's needed to produce world-class online photography and videography. This way to the studios...
Hardware & Software
Computers, cpus, RAM, video cards, firewire, scanners, monitors, flash media, etc. What's required, what's recommended, and what's new? I'll share where I go, who I ask, and what I use to produce what I need for marinebio.org and the other sites I manage. Hardware can be expensive, a real pain to work with, and even dangerous when it fails. I'll start with the basics that I've learned to help you keep your data safe and your black boxes of hardware happy. It starts with an understanding that there are no ghosts in the machine.... Bring your tea, you'll need it...
Software... hmmmm. The good thing is that software is now better than it's ever been and only getting better, for the most part. I'll share what software I use, how I use it, and most importantly why I chose what I have. We'll explore alternatives and the deep resources online that are simply priceless to everyone using software. Software central, next stop...
Articles & Resources
This site will always be a work in progress, as are all good sites. I'll add articles by myself and others as time goes on to help you (and me) keep abreast of the latest developments and news concerning building successful websites and working with photos and video online.
I have used many of the same resources online for years and will share all I have and then keep an eye out for new ones. Most of what I've learned concerning building websites and working with photos and video online came from online sources and books and people I've met while working in the industry. One of the most beautiful things about the Web is that it is our collective mind and so many freely share what they know for no other reason than to share in the hopes to make the Web, and therefore our world, a better place. I hope, in some small way, that I can also contribute my knowledge to help make our world a better place too.
If you have suggestions, comments or would like to contribute to this website, feel free to contact me.
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