I Built My First Website Way Back In 1996
I guess you could say it was my lucky break. I was finished university, and I had no idea what I was going to do for a living (you often don’t when you graduate with a degree in Fine Arts).
A friend and I, Eddy (also a recent Fine Arts graduate) would hang out at the local coffee shop in the morning and talk about what we might do with our highly-unmarketable Fine Arts degrees.
On one particular morning the discussion got around to this ‘Internet thing’ that was the latest buzz at the time (remember, we’re talking early 1996 here).
I was flat broke, so much so that I was two months behind in my rent and getting eviction notices posted on my door that would greet me when I came home.
We both thought that perhaps there might be an opportunity with this Internet thing. But neither of us knew anything about it.
When you invest in yourself, the return on investment is guaranteed.
I decided to invest $35 on a book on how to write HTML to make websites – that was a big investment for me at the time, both financially and psychologically.
I took the leap
Within two years of that decision I was Executive Web Producer for Scholastic Canada – the largest children’s book publisher in the world.
I guess you could say that $35 book on how to make a website was a good investment for me…
The decision to buy that book taught me how to write HTML to make websites, but more importantly it taught me a number of life lessons:
- There are opportunities around us all the time – we just have to be able to see them.
- Opportunities are lost if we do not take action on them. And taking action requires we conquer our fear of not only failure, but of succeeding.
- When you stop being willing to learn something new, you stop living.
- With very few exceptions, anyone is capable of anything – this is something I truly believe. We are the only ones who stand in the way of ourselves.
I went on to be head of the HTML team that developed Deutsche Bank, New York Life, CIBC, and more. As well as being involved with a number of small Internet startups.
How did I apply this to my life? Well, I learned a few things about websites and digital marketing – mostly that there is always something new to learn. And I am still learning.
Simple, but important questions about your website.
1) Who is your website for? That is, who is your audience?
2) What is the goal of your website? Are you trying to sell something, advertise something?
3) Who are your competitors, what are they doing, and what can you learn from them.
4) How much time do you have – you can do anything, but remember that everything takes time…
5) How much experience do you have, and what are you realistically capable of – focus on your competences. If you are not interested in writing or graphic design, let someone else do that part.
First Steps to Building a Web Presence
Get a tool to build a website.
Unlike when I started out, you do not have to learn HTML. There are a number of WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) tools available that make building a website easy, including our SiteSpinner tools.
Get a reputable Web Host.
Again, there are many options available. In my opinion you are better off hosting your website than using a web (browser based) tool to design your website. If you keep your website and your host separate, then you can always move your website if you want or need to. We use Bluehost as they reliable, and support just about every web technology out there.
Conclusion
I started out with a degree in Music Composition, but within a few short years I was head of web development for some of the largest websites in the world. If I had thought that I could not do it, then I would not have been able to.
If you want to build a website (or ride a unicycle, or tie a knot behind your back…) then you have to believe that you can do it, because if you don’t believe it, you will never be able to.
I hope you found this post helpful. Thanks for reading!
