The Learning Curve
Utilizing my familiarity with graphic design and production.
Happily learning lessons.
When I started out establishing my presence on the internet, I began with the free stuff, like this blog. I actually began with a MySpace account so I could post my own songs on line. The profile page included a blog, so when Marian suggested I write in a journal, or something, I figured a that blog might be a good something in which to store my musings. I wrote a post or two with the MySpace text editor, then moved up to a more full featured document application, and a dedicated blog site.
Fred Mitchell helped me expand my internet knowledge by getting me going on Google. That opened up a whole world of internet real estate that I could explore, and applications that I would eventually learn to incorporate into my projects. I write and edit this blog in 'Google docs'. I paste what I do here into the 'Blogger' editor, and post it on my 'Phil's Place' site at Blogspot.com. Free. There is no charge for using these products from Google, (In fact, if I wanted to, I could make money from my blog, by allowing advertising on my site). I also have a You Tube account, (a Google product), where I post my video experiments. Picasa web albums, (also Google), where I post my photography, and of course the key application from Google; Gmail.
So, I learned how to design and edit my blog, much like a webpage, and in the process picked up a lot of web production skills. My mistakes, though sometimes embarrassingly amateurish, did not cost me money while I learned. I spent about a year gaining confidence and skill, until I felt I was ready to design, (and pay for), a "real" website.
I registered, and began paying for a domain. I shopped around for a place to park my domain, and found what seemed like a reliable and inexpensive 'hosting' site. They had a special on domain names, so I selected happyphil.com, and got it. I still have my other domain, but I am saving that for when I am ready to do my business website. The host server site, "Just Host", came with free web design software, with all the trimmings. It was pretty easy to figure out how to use it since I had been using most of the same terminology and methods with my blog. It was clunky and based on the backwards logic of Windows stuff, so stuff worked about as reliably and looked a little wrong like all the stuff from the PC world, so it was a great relief to discover that I could use iWeb on my Macbook, and upload my pages to happyphil. I haven't used the stuff that came with my site, since.
I am still learning the ropes about establishing and promoting websites. One thing I am learning the hard way, is automatic payment protocol. It isn't warm and fuzzy, or even polite. The method used by this hosting company is rather abrupt. They send an email 7 days before my payment is due, that let's me know they will be billing my credit card 7 days before my payment is due. They do this every 6 months. I got caught with my bank account down, three times! Did I mention that this charge happens at the end of the month? You might think that, after the first time my bank ran the transaction 3 times, and charged me an overdraft fee each time, that I would have the sense to mark my calendar so I would be prepared. Well, I did, sort of.
I made sure that at no time would my account get below the amount that would cover the bill from just host. Well, my plan failed last month when they added the yearly cost of my domain name to the 'just host' bill. Arrgh! With a little help from my Guardian Angel, I covered the charges before they incurred more than one overdraft fee. "Whew! Tough month", I thought, as began figuring out ways to absorb that cost in my next months budget. Then, came another surprise 'hit' on my bank account! "Holy crap!"
It seems that after I launched my fancy new, low budget, but good looking, website, I discovered that no one could find it, including me. Just entering the website name in a search engine got at least 25,000 results that were not my site. I went back to the hosting page and looked at the special features available to me for an additional cost. Sure enough, there was one that insured that my site would be listed on 10,000 of the worlds to search engines. I figured that this feature was important, and I ordered it, thinking it was a one time startup cost. Apparently not. It is an unexpected and expensive lesson.
I contacted 'just host' as soon as I saw the invoice in my email, and after a flurry of communications, they agreed to turn off the automatic feature. Of course, that won't be in effect until the next billing cycle, and I am still left with overdraft fees and big chunk of money gone from the April budget.
Do I really need this feature?
If I were selling something. If I were providing a fee based service. If I had a business. If I had something that advertising would benefit. If I had any of those needs, it would probably be considered part of the cost of doing business, and when I post my business website, I will look into something like that service, but for now? Nope.
If I send you a link, you can go directly to my site. Once you have been there, you can bookmark the site, or just let your browser remember. If you type the full address in your address bar, you will go directly to my site. I like having my present sites grow in an organic and natural manner. I feel a personal connection with you who are reading this.
I am also learning that I have out grown the need to freak out when struck with a blow like this. I don't fuss or holler and worry that I won't have enough money to last this month. If I am extra thrifty, right now, everything will be fine.
Living in the now is where we are, so fretting about what has happened or might happen, is an inefficient use of now. I am not sure if this is part of the internet experience, but there is a Zen like meditative focus that envelopes me while writing blog posts, so I suppose it is somehow connected.
I am calm. I am here. It is now.
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