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I didn't know what I was getting us into!
Topic Started: Sep 3 2009, 07:39 PM (833 Views)
npl
Bala Buste
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So, I decided I needed a website to showcase my crafts business. So many people asked if I had a website so they could see what I make, that when my dh offered to design me one, I agreed.
Little did I know....
First off, dh needed to learn how to build websites. He'd done a tiny bit, years ago, but it's all changed. So, he's been working hard, reading and learning programming languages, and learning how to use different applications, etc. I had the seemingly easy job of researching different websites, to decide what kinds of layout and features I liked and did not, and to figure out the content I wanted (text, photos, etc).
I think the end is finally near! We are beta-testing (aka asking friends and family to look at it and tell us honestly what they think) and I'd really like to make it "live" in time for the first day of school, so I can hand out business cards to my friends and start spreading the word.
But, it's been a labour of love. I've had writers block more often than I'd care to admit, and I don't think I've done this much writing and editing since I was at college (and there really isn't that much text!). It's forced me to really focus on how I want others to see my business, and I'm hoping that the two months of work have helped me clarify what direction I'm taking it in.
I really had no idea, when I first thought about starting my own craft business, that I'd want a website. I thought it would all be word-of-mouth, and craft-show sales. Not that I'm ready for online shopping, yet. The website is really a sophisticated photo album, with capabilities to email me about specific items, and from there I do all the business part by email, phone and face-to-face contacts. But, there's scope to expand, once I'm doing enough business to justify paypal fees, etc.
It's been an interesting experience, but, by the time we go "live" and the kids go back to school, I'll be really glad to leave the computer for a while, and get back to my sewing machine!
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sauls_mom
Bala Buste
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when your comfortable im sure we all would LOVE to see it!
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mummy
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aishes chayil
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Wow!! Good luck with it all. I am going thru the same process now, but I didnt go quite as fancy as you. I am building my site myself, using my hosting sites software, so I dont have to code anything. What I have found a nightmare is setting up a shopping cart. And then there's paying someone to design my templates and so on and so on. People make it sound so straightforward to build a website...ha! It is so much more time consuming than I ever imagined.

Would really love to see your site when you have it up and running. And hopefully, if I can get it sorted myself, when you do decide to have online trading, I can point you in the direction of a good shopping cart!
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Zeesachaya
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Rebbetzin
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Can't wait to see what our creative ladies have put up on the web! Let us know when we can "see" it :)
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npl
Bala Buste
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Mummy - it is tough! My dh loves computers, and has a good friend who builds websites, and between the two of them they've been working on it. At first, I figured I'd go with etsy or hyenacart, but decided they were too busy so my stuff would get lost, and I'm not ready for the long-distance selling, yet. I'm really making so few sales that it's simpler to keep it in-person. I'm using something called Zenphoto, that dh said is compatible with another product called ZenCart, which we can upgrade to at a later stage, basically within the same framework (though he warned me it will take a lot of work to switch, because I have to input all the data into the spreadsheets).
I couldn't have done it without dh, and if I had realized how much work it would take, I wouldn't have asked him, but tbh, he really seems to enjoy the challenge. But, there's no money in the budget to pay someone right now, so this was the only way to try to drum up more business.
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npl
Bala Buste
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If anyone wants to be a guinea-pig, and beta-test the site for me, pm me! I'm waiting for dh to make some revisions after the comments that came in last night, and after that I'll be looking for a couple of new testers before I'm happy making it totally public!
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Marion
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aishes chayil
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I'll test!
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realeez
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Brain Freeze
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Me too!
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hallie_ari_mom
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Rebbetzin
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me three!
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mummy
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aishes chayil
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For sure, I'd be happy to test it npl

I looked at ZenCart, but I will need help to get it set up and running. You need access to SQL databases. So I've just gone with CongoCart at the moment. But I retain my own domain name and with my template the way it will be, customers can purchase without it looking like they are going off site.

I wish my hubby was techno-savvy!! He's less so than me!
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npl
Bala Buste
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Mummy, you seem to understand more about it than I do! When dh said he'd do it, I left all the technical stuff to him. He has had some programming experience (his PhD was computer simulations of liquid crystals, so really a lot of computer stuff) and all he had to do was tell me the practical stuff that impacted how I could run the business, and ask me any questions that he needed to decide on what to do. Of course, we haven't set up ZenCart yet, so I don't know how that will be. I'm really not ready for the jump into true internet commerce. There's so much time and energy involved in the production side.
I'm not sure if he looked at CongoCart - I'll mention it to him if we get to a stage where we need something else.

Thanks to everyone who offered to beta-test. I think we are good for now. With our tendency to procrastinate, we are at risk of getting too many opinions and never saying it's good enough to go live!
But, I'll let you all know when we are up and running so you can see it for yourselves!
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bnm
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queen
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I would test also if you still need testers. I run IE 7, FIrefox and Chrome on Vista and XP
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npl
Bala Buste
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Thanks, bnm! I think we are good for now (at least, no-one can test right now, anyway, as dh is making changes - again!). He found a program where he could view pages in many different browsers, so he could check the pages looked good and the links worked, etc. I believe we are also running two different operating systems on our computers. It's quite amusing to look across from my computer to his, and see that the same page looks slightly different. I think that's mostly a reflection of the monitors - he has the huge monitor for displaying two full pages of text side-by-side, and the colours show slightly differently. It had me slightly confused the first time he asked me to look, but I've gotten used to it now! We mostly use Firefox, and that's what he's building it under, but we have IE on our computer (probably not 7, though, not sure). Never heard of Chrome - I'll ask him about it!
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realeez
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Brain Freeze
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npl
Sep 6 2009, 09:05 AM
Never heard of Chrome - I'll ask him about it!
Chrome is a google browser. I actually use it for my kids since I can create an application with it so they can open up games without having the address bar available and all they need to do is click on the icon with the picture of the game on the desktop!
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npl
Bala Buste
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Thanks Realeez - sounds like a good option for us, so I can limit their browsing to prevent them accidentally finding something inappropriate. I'm going to pass this along to dh (after he finishes with the website!) and get him to load the pages the kids use.
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