Re: web site to promote book?

**D* G* <d*@xplornet.com>**

The needs of this request seem to be 1) fast to put up, 2) easily
modified, 3) little learning curve 4) the function is timely in that you
want to promote events around your book 5) possibly low cost in that you
balked at a website design (a little high admittedly)

If you want to do it yourself for your own reasons and you think there's
an advantage to doing it yourself then...

In this case, I'd go to one of the more popular and inexpensive hosting
solutions (I used godaddy.com for this kind of quick site) where they
will register your domain for a ridiculously low price and give you
inexpensive hosting.  You're not looking for huge download speeds nor a
lot of bandwidth (you won't have 1000's of visitors a day) so a simple
hosting package is good.

Software - you can use html and learn it via the methods described here
but why do this when it's already done for you.  Hosts often have
blogging software ready to install automatically or content management
systems ready to go.  Personally- I'd use a blogging platform such as
wordpress.  Check with your host to see if they have the feature of
automatic installation (many do) so all you have to do is click one
button and the software is installed on your site. The site content
managers (joomla, samba etc) are more powerful but come with a higher
learning curve.  You can easily start with a wordpress and then build
something in the background if your needs change.

Wordpress comes with countless themes so you can pick and choose from a
ton of different looks without having to understand html.  Again, a few
clicks and uploads with an ftp programme and you're in business.  Some
of the other blogging platforms are also auto-installed on hosts and you
can pick and choose which one  you're comfortable with.  Content
managers also come with different themes.  

The only thing you have to do with these programmes is be willing to
muck around in the theme editor and figure out which line of code does
what. You'll need to do this if you want to modify the top graphics or
add links to others. You'll have to do this with your own html as well
so ...

Yes, there is a learning curve being able to do all this - but it is no
different than uploading any other information to the site. Even on
something like yahoo- you'll have to upload information like your cover
graphics etc. 

My .02 is to let somebody else do the heavy lifting and go with a
blogging platform that already works and that you can modify a bit to
suit your needs as  you learn programming.

Doug

-- 
Doug Green
Writing That Works
Home: http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com
Blog: http://www.douggreensgarden.com

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