Website Expenses

[bfb]

Ok guys,

You helped me out now it's my turn. I have reviewed alot of HI websites and and messages posted on this board. And I have to say I have a feeling more than a couple is paying more for a website than needed. For ex...

A. If your paying more than $5.00 a month for hosting your getting robbed.

I use http://www.computinghost.com and only pay no more than $3.50 a month. Feature enriched and if I wanted I could build a complete dynamic site. But for our basic website needs its everything you need.

B. If your paying someone to update your site with simple text your getting robbed. Very easy to do. As long as your know your server username and password you can simply FTP and edit the file anytime you want. I will show you how.

C. Complete pre made designs can be downloaded for free. It's called open source. If you find one you like let me know and I'll help you get it set up.

Visit: http://www.opensource.org

or

Do a google search. Type in...open source web templates

You will litterly have several sites to roam through and find a template you like. I found my template on one of them and my entire overhead for my site is no more than $4 a month.

D. You took the time to learn how to be an HI take some time to learn basic html. Its easy to learn and once you do you'll be like man I should of done this along time ago. Great learning tool is....

http://www.w3schools.com

Everything you need to know is on this site.

To view my site and what you could have for $4 a month visit http://www.housedetective.ws

As for my URL I only pay $5.99 year. Visit http://www.1and1.com

If you want me to design a full site I will consider trades with you. For ex...
I need some tools to help get me started. Just an idea.

V/R
Billy

[Linas I. Dapkus]

spam

[Linas I. Dapkus]

And I have been happy with INSPECTORSITES.COM for $19.95 a month. Thanks Greg.

[bfb]

Hi Greg,

How are you today? Well since I'm not gaining any financial compensation from the links I posted to help my fellow HI's out I wouldn't consider it spam. Visited the site you talked about. Looks legit to me. I'm sure it works out well for you and if your comfortable shelling out the money per month well good. My sole purpose was to simply educate you guys and save you some money just like you did for me today. For $4 a month you can get and do exactly the same that your getting right now for $20. It's worth it to me to save $192 over the course of a year. Some people doesn't mind shelling out the extra money to have someone do it for them and that's fine. In my case though the $192 I save on website expenses is better spent on for say my yearly NACHI fee. It's that simple.

V/R
Billy

[Linas I. Dapkus]

Go Home

[Emmanuel J. Scanlan]

Well since I'm not gaining any financial compensation from the links I posted to help my fellow HI's out I wouldn't consider it spam.

Quite obvious given there is nothing for bfb to profit from.

My sole purpose was to simply educate you guys and save you some money just like you did for me today.

Demonstrating one of the major draws of Inspectors to NACHI.

A. If your paying more than $5.00 a month for hosting your getting robbed.

Maybe a little harsh. Possibly could have said if you are paying more than $5 a month I can show you how to pay less. But it was a way to emphasize the point.

It's that simple.

Have to agree with that! I started with WEB design way back before all of the nice Sitebuilder tools, etc., were available. That was when HTML coding was really just about all that was there. Nowadays if you have no previous experience that is simply not a problem.

spam
Go Home

DISAGREE!!

bfb,

Thank you for offering assistance to some out there who may not be aware that you really can do it yourself. Stick around and offer more assistance and advice as you see fit to. You will not always be agreed with but there are those out there that will thank you even if not publicly.

[James Eubank]

A different perspective: Ask yourself what is the real reason you have a website? You think it will increase your number of inspections? You think it's good advertising (whatever that means)? Everyone else has one? Lots of other reasons?

Then ask yourself how much is that worth to you? The point is not to get a website as cheap as possible. The point is to get a website of the best quality that you can afford. Websites are good examples of getting what you pay for. A cheap website will usually look cheap, unless you take a lot of time away from inspections and marketing, to learn web design. Cheap web hosting usually has drawbacks, like more down time, or hard-to-reach technical support.

The design and maintenance of my website cost a little more, but it has paid for itself hundreds of times over by inspections received. The hosting I use costs just enough that I haven't had any down time, so it's well worth it.

By the way, I do consider the bfb posts to be spam. Not because of making money, but because it says he or she is not a NACHI member. I'm one of those old-fashioned people who believe most sections of the message board are for members only. Non-members should read, but not post. That's just my opinion, I know it's not current policy.

[bfb]

Sorry I didn't get your name but thanks psinspections! As for people like Greg don't worry I don't worry myself about people like that. It's pretty simple for me I'll try to be nice once then I'll just move on. And that's what I've done here. In no way was I trying to start any kind of trouble. Have better things to do with me life. Like getting through the state exam. Like I said though the offer stands to anyone who needs help or led in the right direction when it comes to website design and coding or anything else within my ability.

As for the choice of words your right I should of picked a better one and I will next time. Thanks for the advice.

V/R
Billy

[bfb]

Hi James,

Nice to meet you sir. As for becoming a member I'm trying lol I'm studying as fast as possible. Nick won't take my money until I get all the requirements done. lol I'm working on it. I have my $289 ready to go!

As for your post I do agree 100%. Usually you buy cheap webhosting the draw back can be downtime which cost money in this business. The company I posted though has not been down even once since I've had them. Now I can't count for 24 hrs a day but the times I go to view my site it's always been up. I used them for some time now. My new HI site isn't the first I had hosted with them. Plus admin is online almost all day and their very friendly. Maybe I've just been lucky. Plus this webhost offers all the features offered by top companies charging a pretty penny. So to me it's worth it and I wouldn't tell you guys if it wasn't.

As for learning webdesign its not as time consuming as one thinks it is. Especially using the tools and links I provided for you. The templates are all pre built. All you have to do is add text and a logo and your in business. Plus there is numerous programs out there that you can download that does it all for you. All you have to do is drag and drop. Its really that easy and most likely the guy your hiring to do it for you is doing just that. It's rare nowadays to find true hard coders any more.

If you need something special on your site there is a few sites out there where you can hire a guy for a set fee usually very small that will do the special programming for you. Or just ask me and I'll help you out for free if the programming is within my ability.

Folks...

You don't have to change your existing site at all. I'm just offering assistance to show you how you can easily update right from IE what you currently have in place. Or if you don't have a website I'll show you how easy it is to get up and running at very little cost. My help is free of charge.

V/R
Billy

[cradan]

Give the man a break. His posts are not spam. They may not be for everyone, but he's offering help, generally gratis, and lots of folks would be happy to save the couple-few hundred bucks/yr. when starting-out. His site in-progress isn't the hottest thing I've ever seen, nor is it anywhere close to the worst drivel out there. And if you really want to clean-up the SPAM on the NACHI site, ask the MAB to petition the big guy and IT director to give the vendors (legitimate ones and bloodsucking ones) their own area on the MB.

Billy, thanks for offering members help. Sounds like you've got someone you can rely-on for help preparing for your test and license or certification. If you've got weak areas and need additional help, call or e-mail me.

[wforsyth]

I think some people on here were disturbingly rude.

I for one want to thank you for your help Billy. I'm sorry you had such a rude "welcome".

Take care and hope you get to join soon.


Wendy

[Justo Mickey Rivera]

Come on Wendy, you should know by now that even if someone was touting a cure for cancer there would be someone on here blasting him and finding all sorts of faults with it (in their infinite little minds).

But then again thats what makes this BB hillarious at times.

If everybody here was a Trump or Einstein, this would be a realy bland place.

It may not be nice and it may be rude but hey, your talking about a guys dominated BB and thats the way guys are.

Just like you would find a different kind of breed in a girls magazine.

Mic

[wforsyth]

Maybe I should start a girl inspector's BB eh?

[Cheryl A. Vowell]

I can also vouch for 1and1.com

They are a good, reliable hosting company. And, like Billy, I pay 7 bucks a month (I have a business package)

My husbands web sites, I pay 3.50 a month to host them. (all 3) He is a underwater photographer. http://www.joebelanger.com

I would highly recommend 1and1.com.

Welcome, Billy.

[wforsyth]

Cheryl, your husband's photos are incredible! You should protect them so it prevents right-clicking and saving so people won't steal them. They are truly spectacular!