Sellassie BOOKs: web-publish
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Sellassie BOOKs: web-publish
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After several months of webbing I better look back and around to estimate what works and what doesn’t. There are problems of maintenance (cleaning, fixing, adding) -- I started all my websites without making my own TEMPLATES for each (film, theatre, Africa). Now I had to install “updated” Java applet, still not all of them have counters, no means to measure traffic, to frames for easy navigation and to this day no selected colors and sounds!
There are strategic problems. The Directions. First, the attitude. I built them from the needs of the present instead of think about the future, trying to imagine how they should look like five years from now.
Second, the balance between fixed structure and dynamic elements. Some segments of the webpage remain still, some must be in constant change. The two, the difference, the law to govern them must be discover for YOUR site. some changeable elements (counter, for instance) have this build-in ability to “live” -- guest-book, another element with its own evolution.
Truly “live” site is an organism, but webmaster starts with the mechanism of the future creature. This mechanism has to have a potentiality to become an organism (visitors, or better say, “users,” do it).Tactical problems. What are your priorities? What is first and what is second? The order. Everything can’t be equally important. The web has this horizontal (rhizomatic) tendency to equalize everything. It floats (here is “surfing”) and webmaster must deliberately create hierarchy -- the vertical dimension (tree). The skeleton must be organize bone by bone -- something which won’t happen “naturally” by maturation of the Website.
Personal problems. I began all of them as places for myself.
2. Organize your Web site -- Before you ever start actually making your page, draw it out on paper. Gather all of your content and get other people to look at your work
3. Make your Web site user friendly -- Nobody wants to deal with a confusing site. Keep it as simple as possible.
4. Limit the size of your graphics -- Do not make huge graphics that take up the entire page. If it will not load quick people will not come back.
5. Consider animated graphics and sound -- If used correctly these can make a web site look very professional.
6. Conclude each Web page with a prompt for action -- Have the reader do something. Send you an email, sign up on a list serve or send you their comments.
7. Secure the intended response -- If you want a particular group to visit your site. Put information up for that group. Find out what people want and give it to them.
8. Keep your promises -- If you say that you will be updating you page weekly make sure you do it.
9. Test your web site -- Look at you page on Netscape and Microsoft Internet Explorer. It will look different on both.
10. Keep your web site fresh and dynamic -- Constantly make updates. Keep people coming back time after time. Nobody like a stale web site.
More than 7K by that day means over 3K in Feb.! (100/day) and this still will be half of what an average commercial site gets (>5K/M).
Only after crossing that line one can entertain the idea of offering advertising space.
My Russian Daily printed over 3K each day -- 3K visit/Day is possible. The market for the paper was defined from the start -- the Russians in NYC.
Web is not measured by years or months, not even by days -- hours and minutes.
Like phone conversations! Think in terms of “visits per hour”! 100/day ~ 4/h; not much by any retail standard. 60 per hour is a full store, which makes 60x24 = 1440/day. Or around 50k/m!
2. TARGET GROUPS. some markets are not defined -- schools (Kids & Africa). Should the have their own corner (page) with the very basics on Ethiopia? Highly interactive, with games, activities.
There are “imaginary” markets, I only “think” that they exist. Are “Ethiopians” nothing but an idea? Don’t waste your time on phantoms.
3. How to make it a START-UP PAGE?
4. Featured: there are some existing pages I never featured. Which ones?
5. How to make other sites work for you. Email list (for Tadesse)
I’m looking into how to DOUBLE number of visitors.
Becoming cyber-establishment --> make them into owners and masters, authors and players! They are not visitors, they are in charge of the mouse, they have the keys.
Now I’m working, not them. Wrong. “Homestead” offers sub-websites -- should they have their own sites under mine?
Right now the site belongs to us, family page! How to share the control without losing it?
And nevertheless they are customers! To be served and to be charged.
6. Call for CONTRIBUTING Editors. You have to have NEWSLETTER. The Net must work for the WEB!
7. The CAUSE: what do you what them to do?
8. Some of the issues (topics) are dead. Take them out or change. Forum, projects...
9. At this point should I consider most of my visitors as “accidental”?
10. The market would ask -- what is your PRODUCT? Simple, even stupid question. People who sell sofware, do not sell just "sofware" if you want to beat the competition.
11. Non-profit -- a must. Because Web/Net is always public place. If Ford Co. has to establish non-for-profit Foundation, any web business must start with it right away.
12. Transparency, the simplicity of the structure! Cut (edit) all the “self-dialogue.” Communicate with them, leave your-self to the minimum.
13. Again -- why should they come back? Without answering it there is no strategy!
15. Autoresponse --email technique to learn.
16. Ethiop Village (321Web) has no face! No identity. The same with the MUSEUM. BTW, “museum”? As if it’s gone.
NB. What is the value of this property (Website) today?
Business at Angelfire
Reference Page at Tripod
Business at Museum.
New Icestorm: www.stormloader.com/anatoly.
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