My first site--and my second--and my third, how easy it is!

Just what you want to be saying, right? Well, after having built my first sites in a free site builder, I was wondering if there was an easier way. Turns out it wasn't an easier way I should have looked for but rather an easier to use web host. Frustrated with a literally hand built site in Yahoo, add slow response to support questions and overpriced hosting plans, I made it my mission to find better.

And I did. The host I have now has been very helpful, easy to use and even though the time difference is four hours, they do get back with meaningful dialog and answers in record time. Their setup includes a shopping cart--something that has thinned my hair considerably while trying to find and understand how those suckers work! Whoever invented "fill in the blank" should have a monument dedicated to them.

I have chosen both free templates and purchased templates that my host loads for me. Not only that, but at any time I can change the template for the whole site with a button click. Great for holiday motifs. With the shopping cart installed (by them), I just enter the price, description and upload pics. I can assign the products to a multitude of categories, which I create by "fill in the blank". I can set up a sale price, discount, coupon code, gift registry, post articles, even offer an affiliate program!

Oh, I tried ZenCart and OsCommerce and lost a lot more hair struggling to get the look I wanted and still did not have a shopping cart solution.

Then I found everything I needed at PappaShop. Having come across a site I liked, there in the footer, was a link to PappaShop . The demo does not do it justice but they had tons of links to sites that had been built in their program. It took only minutes to get started and it has been so much more versatile, customizable, quickly updating and much more attractive than other site builders I have used. For as little as $9.95 a month ( or $4.99 hosting only), you can't beat the quality and the service. And as I add sites, they have plenty of servers to separate my businesses.

It's not often I sing the praises of anything to do with the internet (maybe not "evil" but frustrating and quite necessary), so this rare moment is one I have to pass on. No one else should go bald when there is a solution like PappaShop hosting.

Jay
PS be sure to visit my blog at http://www.How2BooksandVideos.com

....and for a peek at the sites I have built so far go to:
www.StorkandVeil.com
www.BabyBouquetsandBaskets.com
www.123MonogramMe.com

Stumble It!

Business Survival in Today's Retail World

Chicken Little never had such a wonderful week--seems for a lot of us, the sky really is falling...

Case in point, after ten months in a retail location, our brick and mortar gift store is closing its doors. The economy was a big factor but so were a lot of tedius obstacles such as limited to no signage allowed in or in front of the shopping center, a two story wine store pops up in front or ours after the lease is signed (no visibility from the street), other tenants have totally unrelated markets than ours, and a few more I wouldn't want to bore you with (unless you need good advice on what NOT to do).

Our store wasn't the only one--five others in town with the same market focus folded before we did. Ours was the last to go---but guess what? We are the only one of those five who will still be in business! What's the big difference? Our busines is ONLINE--has been for three years. So we can happily announce to our customers "We are not going out of business--just moving it to our website". That's where they are shopping anyway, so goodbye landlord.

Businesses see the crunch of gas shortages--even ours made the news:
http://www.pr.com/press-release/108176

Now more than ever---a business online just makes a lot of sense. Beyond the savings in overhead over a brick and mortar store is the ability to own lots and lots of internet "real estate". More websites, more businesses and business formats to pursue. Physical products, digital products, drop ship, affiliate programs, referral commissions--what a plethera of options! And only one electric bill to pay...

Getting started with a business online is on the mind of people of all walks of life. Many a grandmother would shock you with the sales they make online. Why not you?
If getting that first website up is a challenge, read what I had to say about it on my blog at

http://how2booksandvideos.blogspot.com/ A really great tool is offered there that you just might want to check out if you are curious about where to start and need the right "toolbox".