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February 2003: Paul Smith - The Oracle Speaks
In a slightly less confessional column than last months, I’d like to draw your attention to this newfangled thing they’re calling the Super-Wide Inter-World High-Information Web-Net-Way. I’m not convinced it’ll ever be as popular as Ceefax, as the addresses you need to type in are a bit trickier to remember than ‘606’, but I think we should give it a fair chance before dismissing it as a gimmick.
A while ago I wrote that I thought a ‘Web Site in a Box’ product would be a good idea, and low-and-behold, what did I see in WH Smith yesterday? It might be rather dully packaged, but this product is attractively priced at sub-£20 and includes an assortment of simple web design software tools, a clear handbook on how to use them to best effect, plus a so-called free URL and inclusive site hosting. I’ve not had a chance to inspect the software or magnify the small print, but you have to admit even if the software is average and the terms ’n’ conditions harsh, as a concept, it’s a winner.
Most individuals, let-alone businesses, would be prepared to spend a bit/lot more than £20 for a web site, and most of these people are poking about in the Yellow Pages for inspiration at the moment. You don’t need to look at their Jags to know there’s money being made in this area by people who’re not even old enough to take their driving test yet, so what would the harm be in adding this service to your shops portfolio? A day-release for your most propeller-headed employee to a local college for a few months and minimal expense should produce a ‘net-savvy code-monkey who knows their Java from their JavaScript (oh yes, they’re quite different) and their Mouse-Overs from their Drop-Down-Menus. Once up to speed, you could offer a budget off-the-peg service, based on a small selection of basic 5-page web site templates, or a more expensive bespoke product to be built from scratch to the customer’s exact requirements.
URL purchase and hosting isn’t the complicated affair it once was - I used the agro-free UK-based www.getdotted.com for my personal site. Of course many ISP’s give free space to subscribers but keep an eye on size and bandwidth restrictions or charges if you go this route - and there’s always repeat business to be had doing updates. Hopefully fresh business will also follow ‘this site created by Blah-Blah Ltd.’ links back to your own site, and it’d be a doddle to add Web Design to your existing newspaper advertising or other marketing materials. Please give it a go. I live to be proved right.
Returning to Ceefax for a moment, like many youngsters from the remote Shetland isle I grew up on, I never had the opportunity to go to a proper school. Instead, I learnt to write by reading Ceefax pages. Sadly, we lived in a po@r re[eption ae£a, and I tHink my Eng(ish m#y h_ve $uffer/d as a rE:u1t.
Paul Smith welcomes any and all I.T. job offers to info@snapsandbytes.co.uk.
499 Web-Wise Words Dale.
I hope they’re good for you. I’ll catch up on what’s new in the world of components for next months offering.