posted 09-18-2000 05:13 AM               

BTW...you have a great website. It was your's and Andrew's websites that inspired me to do mine.

posted 09-18-2000 09:03 AM               

There are many ways of promoting websites, and I guess you have figured out some of the key ones:- links from other sites, registering with search engines and mention of your URL in your email signature.

You are obviously very enthusiastic about design space websites which is great, but I do strongly urge you to find a host that doesnt throw up banner ads.

Your site is an excellent effort but could benefit from some subtle refinement, and I also urge you to join a web authoring forum where people can advise you of ways to improve SE (Search Engine)ranking, and give you hints and tips. For example your pages have a background that can and does download last, so the visitor is left trying to read yellow text on a white background, if you set the background to a dark color, possibly dark blue as this is the main tone of your background, then the visitors can read the text whilst waiting for the background to download.

Joe

posted 09-18-2000 09:44 PM               

However, I have found only one proven method to insuring success:

Fulfill a niche.

Look for what isn't on the web but should be. Create it. And create it well, so that it would be hard for another site to do the same.

When I started collectSPACE there were no other sites dedicated to providing resources for space memorabilia collectors.

That insured some initial success, as if you wanted the information I had, you only had one place to go.

But I couldn't maintain the status quo either. I had to constantly look for new ways to expand the site to meet the needs of the readers. Whether that's creating a FAQ sheet for new visitors or seeking new partners to author guides, the more work I put into the site the more I insure a competitor could not easily crop up and steal my audience.

If you fulfill a niche, and fill it well, than everything else should fall into place.

Your search engine ranking will increase as your site becomes a destination (though investing the money in having a relevant domain name is also influential).

You'll find you no longer need to ask for sites to link to you. Instead they are coming to you, asking for you to link to them.

Just remember -- don't set out to create a popular site. Set out to create to a useful, important site.

As the movie slogan says "If you build it, they will come."

- Robert

posted 09-18-2000 10:00 PM               

In my opinion one of the nets greatest strengths is also one of its main failings - that of the ease of creating websites. In the publishing world one receives commissions and the copy is edited by an editor/reviewer before appearing in print. On the net few website constructors bother with peer review and the quality of sites bears testament to that. This is one of the main reasons I advocate joining a web authoring forum where one can receive advice, get questions answered and benefit from the opinions and expertise (for free) of experienced web designers. Thus one is not developing in isolation.