There is no denying it, the Internet is a part of almost everyone’s life these days. We shop on the internet, pay bills, find information and learn about things that interest us, make new friends and stay in touch with old ones all via our personal computers. Over the last decade, virtually every sort of business, state or local government and civic organization imaginable has established at least some kind of presence on the Internet via websites. Search just about any keyword on Google or Yahoo, and you can expect literally MILLIONS of websites that match what you are looking for.

Increasingly, individuals and families are turning to the Internet for ways to share special occasions and keep in touch with friends and loved ones all over the world. The number of personal websites and homepages dedicated to special occasions such as weddings, graduations, births, family reunions, bar mitzvahs, birthdays and even holiday celebrations is increasing at a staggering rate. Memorial pages for loved ones who have passed away and pages honoring milestones and anniversaries are also becoming extraordinarily popular. The convenience, efficiency and cost effectiveness of sharing achievements, photographs and even videos via the Internet with people spread out all over the nation or even the world has created a boom in personal websites that was unthinkable even a decade ago.

Unfortunately, along with the growth in popularity of personal and special events websites there has also been a growth in the number of misconceptions people who are not overly familiar with the Internet have about them. All websites are not created equally, and one size does not fit all. What your website will need in terms of bandwidth, coding, graphics and special features will vary depending on what it is that you want your website to be – and what you want it to do. How your website is designed, what sort of functionality it has and how user friendly it needs to be will all need to be determined by the goal you have established for your site. For example, if you want a website for a wedding, you will probably need to have multiple pages, each with its own music and graphics, video capability, plenty of space for photos and it will need to be very interactive. On the other hand, if you want a website for a family genealogy, you will probably require less graphics and interactivity but more HTML coded text – and hence a different layout. Often, what you need is difficult for the non-professional to figure out and you end up with an end result that is not what you planned on.

To help avoid this situation, it may help to clear up a few misconceptions of website development:

Anybody can make a website – AOL told me so! Many of the larger Internet services provide their members with “free” web pages as part of their monthly subscription fees – along with simple “toolkits” to help them build their own websites. While it is true that these will get you “on the net” and the tool kits will allow you to place some text and even a photo or two on the site, they will not provide either the bandwidth or enough functional tools to allow for anything more than a very basic website. Graphics, video, multiple photo pages and anything other than a tiny amount of interactivity will be virtually impossible. Additionally, most free or low-cost web hosting sites will place unwanted advertisements either directly on your site, or as “pop-ups” – and in many cases there is absolutely no way you can get rid of them!

If I have a personal or Special Event website, people I don’t know will have access to it! There is no question that the Internet can be a scary place, but it doesn’t have to be – and this misconception is just that, a misconception. Password protection, and By Invitation Only Websites are just two of the readily available tools that a professional website designer can build into your personal or Special Events website to allow you to control the level of general availability it has.

Websites have to be continually monitored and updated, and I don’t have the time! Again, not true. If the site you want is to memorialize a loved one, or to commemorate a once in a lifetime event such as a wedding or graduation, the amount of maintenance required on that site will normally be very small. Additionally, if the site does require continual monitoring and you have it built by a professional, that same professional will be able to administer and update it for you, usually at a nominal monthly or quarterly fee. It should also be noted that if the site is temporary in nature, these fees will disappear when the site does.

I would love to have a website professionally built, but it costs a FORTUNE! This is, perhaps, the largest misconception that there is. Sure, companies and organizations sometimes spend thousands of dollars for their huge sites but attractive, interactive and functional personal/Special Events websites are available for as little as $300 -- less than the cost of a wedding cake, a professional photographer, or tuxedo rentals – making it one of the most cost effective Special Event expenses you will incur. Most importantly, you control the amount you spend, and what your money is spent on.

Each lifetime contains within it those special times that we want to remember forever, and share with our friends and loved ones. In the information age, there is no more efficient, cost effective or convenient way to share life’s high points with as many or as few people as you wish than by having a professionally designed website built. Don’t let the misconceptions that you have heard stop you from exploring this exciting and fun possibility!


About The Author


Tia Williams is CEO of http://www.abriyah.com that specializes in designing and hosting websites for small business and special events.

tia.williams@abriyah.com

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