Help.. lauching a website!!

Dear Members

I am thinking of planning to lauch a website (Discussion forum)..........
I am not a computer professional or a specialist.. I am just a normal computer user..(I just know a little bit of programming)

I would like to know if I get a website designed by someone else.. Can a normal person like me operate a site.................??????

or is it only a computer professional.. always needed to run a site..?

And I would also like to know that ..........what kind of starting and running cost.. do one has to face while running a website?
And are there any monetary profits.......that one gets from his website? (is advertising the only monetary profit .. one can have through his website??


Any help.. even a little bit from any members........would mean a lot to me............as I am thinking of earning my bread and butter through launching a website.

Thanks and Regards

 

Generally, one of the aims set by a web developer is to make the website accessable to users (customers) and make it managable to the administrators. Several programs have been written to achive this (I've written several myself, in fact!). CMS's (content management system) very much simplify the process of adding new content, hopefully meaning even an individual or group of individuals with only a little experience should be able to manage a commercial sized website from day to day.

However, that said, a website does need to be managed outside what content is available. DNS management, server management, and the such like would normally be taken care of by either the web developer (who would own the hosting) or the hosting company themselves. This can be quite advanced stuff.

As a piece of advice : websites will not immediatley earn you a constant income. Advertising is taking a right beating at the moment, what with its invasive tactics, and banners and pop-ups actually discourage visitors, giving you a sort of equilibrium : more popups, more money... less users. less popups, less money, more users.

Ultimatley, at the end of the day, you want to have the largest readership possible without alienating them with popups and banners.

Unless you have a REALLY good idea, I doubt you will make much out of a website. I'd say its much better to make a start doing whatever the website would be doing, and then spend money on the website, which appart from anything gives you an idea of how popular the website might be when you do release it, without spending the dosh on it.

 

thanks goldfish for your valuable reply..
just a thing..I am not looking for making instantly money through a website.. I am running a small business at the moment......
Once again thanks very much for your valuable words..

 

Well, if you are already in business, and your business would profit from a website, then spend some time at this site, and TAKE HIS ADVICE! He helps you learn how to layout pages so that they look nice, are easy to navigate, and look interesting, and he does it by showing you pages that are awful. Hope this helps, good luck with your business!!


http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/

 

Hahaha

I've decided to go with self inflicted torture for my next job, uhh, i mean... macromedia flash I think I've got the basics of tweening, but I can't seem to get a nice even ease for my menu.

And does everyone REALLY use 12FPS??!?!?