| I am just a learner who likes to delve in websites | | | | to people. They can be published completely with |
| as a hobby. Hobbies are what make life so | | | | text, images, color, hyperlinks, animation, and |
| enjoyable for me. I have tried many other things | | | | sounds on CD's and diskettes. They can also be |
| - watercolor and pastel painting, organic gardening, | | | | downloaded through the Internet, or sent through |
| kayak making, dinghy sailing, kite making, origami, | | | | emails. (But first make sure that the email server |
| stock photography, cartooning, carpentry, rock | | | | can handle the file size) |
| collecting, snake rearing and many other unusual | | | | Making e-books presented a need for a |
| pursuits. Somehow, as time goes on, and for | | | | completely different range of knowledge and skills |
| some particular reason, they gradually become | | | | that are built up upon each other. It is not as |
| just bits of historical and passing interests for me. | | | | easy as it looks. For those who do not know |
| Amidst these passing interests, the Internet | | | | much about computers, Internet and web |
| comes along. | | | | designing, it can be quite a struggle! |
| From the first day I learned to surf the Internet, | | | | For these people, I have got a solution. Perhaps |
| I became impressed by it. I could not recall | | | | they could use my service to design e-books. I |
| whether it was the incredible amount of | | | | have the knowledge and the skill that people can |
| knowledge that can be found there, or was it the | | | | use. |
| quality of the reading medium that struck me. But | | | | Think for a while. Almost anybody has something |
| it did. | | | | to say that is valuable to another person. Each |
| I was hooked. At that time, I was gathering | | | | person has his or hers own experience. A |
| information on how to make a kayak. Well, not all | | | | secondary school student may know how to |
| the information was exactly the way I had | | | | make a cute and adorable doll out of easily |
| wanted it, but by carefully piecing all the bits and | | | | obtainable cloth materials. A housewife might want |
| pieces of information together, I managed to use | | | | to reveal a special recipe that is handed down |
| them to make a fully functional kayak, custom | | | | from past generations that could become the |
| made to suit me. | | | | springboard to fame. |
| Deep down inside me, I was so excited by this | | | | A retired carpenter or hobbyist may know how |
| technology, that I wanted so much to get | | | | to make a special piece of furniture that will fit |
| involved too. | | | | some space in the living room of an apartment. A |
| Then a MLM company that calls themselves SkyX | | | | car enthusiast may know of some tips about |
| (Not their real name) came to the scene. They | | | | choosing and testing a used car. A sports |
| were supposedly going to revolutionize the world | | | | enthusiast may like to share his secrets of scoring |
| of online business. They operated their business | | | | at a certain game. A gambler may have some |
| very much like a pyramid scheme, with their main | | | | insider tips that he wants to sell. All these are |
| products being a web design software, some | | | | knowledge that can be tapped and sold. |
| learning tool and web hosting for one year that | | | | Talk about the Global-Economy! This is it! Anybody |
| teaches one how to make websites. To me at | | | | is capable of contributing to the Global-Economy. |
| that time, it was the product I was looking for. | | | | If the information is useful, and it can be written |
| Being so very new to the Internet, I did not try | | | | down, or illustrated, there will surely be someone |
| to look at other options. | | | | on Planet Earth who wants to pay to learn from |
| That's what the company wanted! The trap has | | | | it. |
| been sprung. Sweet talking me with their | | | | E-books have the advantage over books printed |
| attractive carrot bait, the members made me | | | | on paper. Distribution is instantaneous, cost is low, |
| lose my grip on myself and I succumbed to their | | | | and format is colorful and interactive, and most |
| enticements. Although I was aware that people | | | | important of all, self-publishing for the unknown |
| have been conned into pyramid schemes before, | | | | author. You don't even have to find a publisher |
| I was somehow swayed by their explanations | | | | for your e-book! And you don't have to sell it |
| about multi-level marketing concepts and how | | | | locally. You can expose it to anywhere on the |
| their business structure was a bit different from | | | | Internet. |
| pyramid schemes. They really knew how to play | | | | Although the Internet has leveled the playing field |
| on my emotions and weakness to their | | | | somewhat, I found that the major players are still |
| advantage. | | | | dominated by companies in the USA. When I |
| They had all the workings of a well-established | | | | scouted around for a reasonably priced facility |
| network that gives support to all the members, | | | | that will enable me to receive payment for credit |
| organizing presentations and holding functions. | | | | card purchases, I could not find many around that |
| What did I do then? Since I was already part of | | | | will accept participants from my country. |
| the network, I had to do my part in getting more | | | | Well, after searching for sometime, I did find one |
| members. If not, I won't recover my money. So | | | | that suits my budget - a reasonably priced one |
| for a very short while I did just that. | | | | that I can use. |
| Eventually, this Company was sued and it went | | | | Next I went into affiliate marketing. The concept |
| bankrupt. That was the end of the chapter. My | | | | is simple. My website serves as a storefront for |
| money just went down the drain! It was a bitter | | | | other merchant's advertising banners. When |
| and expensive lesson to learn. | | | | people who are attracted by the merchant's |
| But the lesson was well learned. I bit the bullet, | | | | banners, click on them, they got transported to |
| picked up the pieces, and behaved as if nothing | | | | the merchant's website. If the visitor buys |
| had happened. I was determined to make full use | | | | anything, a percentage of the purchase price will |
| of what I had purchased. Looking back at the | | | | be paid to me. |
| situation, I recalled that taking part in MLM | | | | I find that some money can be made from this. |
| activities was never on my agenda in the first | | | | It depends on how well you design your website |
| place. Learning how to make websites was. | | | | and how well you encourage your visitors to click |
| And so from that clumsy beginning, making use | | | | on the banners. Your website has to be carefully |
| of the product, and working on it when I had the | | | | designed and the wordings selected to induce |
| time, and completely at my own pace, I managed | | | | people to go to the merchant you represent. |
| to learn the rudiments of web designing. I | | | | Some merchants pay 5%, some 10%, and some |
| borrowed books from the library to supplement | | | | more. By carefully choosing the merchant to |
| my knowledge. I learned basic html language, color | | | | match the contents of your website you will get |
| notations, picture editing and other simple steps. | | | | more click-throughs. More click-throughs means |
| The websites that I created were so very crude. | | | | more sales. It's a numbers game. |
| But it was fun and exciting for me. It's a new toy. | | | | Any marketing person will know that the more |
| And it's magical. | | | | visitors I have, the more the potential for a sale. |
| After surfing for some time on the Internet, the | | | | So I have to find out how to bring in visitors. The |
| knowledge in me gradually grew. I picked up bits | | | | most logical step is to tackle the search engines. |
| and pieces everywhere. By the time, the MLM | | | | It is estimated that 80% of all the traffic comes |
| collapsed, I was already well versed in html | | | | from the search engines. |
| language and I was no longer that fresh. I had | | | | This time I explored search engine optimization. |
| also acquired the necessary photo editing skills to | | | | How do I place myself near to the top of the |
| make presentable websites. | | | | search engine listings? By optimizing for the |
| I bought a scanner and started to generate | | | | search engines, people will be able to search for |
| images for my websites. Unfortunately, most of | | | | my website and it will come out near the top and |
| my photographs were transparencies. So I had to | | | | not somewhere in the thousandth position. But it's |
| copy and develop them into photo prints before I | | | | a continuous learning process. Search engines are |
| could scan them. | | | | constantly changing their algorithm to beat |
| I searched around for a few web-hosting | | | | spammers. Yes, there are spammers on websites |
| companies that offer free hosting and decided to | | | | too, webmasters who tries to beat the search |
| try out my new skills on them. It took me some | | | | engine rules. |
| time but I got around getting used to their | | | | As my web knowledge improved, I became more |
| routines eventually. My first efforts on these free | | | | and more adventurous. I noticed that many |
| hosting companies were nothing to boast about. | | | | websites have forms that allow visitors to fill up |
| (Although I did get feedback from people who | | | | and the owner of the website will receive the |
| said that they were good. Surprise, surprise!) | | | | information. It's a great way to collect data. So I |
| I also learned to use the search engines, and I | | | | found out how to do that. It's great fun receiving |
| found them very useful. They opened up a whole | | | | messages from somebody from the other end |
| new way of finding information for me. Almost | | | | of the world. |
| any subject could be found with just a click from | | | | Then there are scripts. They can do magic on the |
| the mouse. | | | | website. Dates can be automatically displayed and |
| As I dug up more information both from the | | | | updated. Calculations can be done. Images can be |
| Internet and also from library books on designing, | | | | changed automatically. Counters can display the |
| and handling images, I became more and more | | | | number of visitors. Guest books can be signed. |
| proficient. I learned how to use ftp to upload my | | | | They are fantastic pieces of code done by |
| files to the host server. This saved me a lot of | | | | talented programmers. |
| time. Most important of all, I saved on Internet | | | | Since they are so marvelous, I had to make use |
| call charges on my telephone bill. | | | | of them. Some of the scripts were described as |
| Reading through what the experts say, I came to | | | | simple. Indeed most of them are very simple to |
| the conclusion that one of the most important | | | | use. However, when I looked at their source |
| characteristics of a good website is the content | | | | codes, they are extremely gibberish to me. I |
| and its loading speed. I have observed some sites | | | | really marvel at the work done by the |
| that give very flashy and impressive animations, | | | | programmers of these scripts. Perhaps in the |
| but unfortunately, were rather slow loading. I | | | | future, I might want to pursue this line of |
| decided in favor of functionality. | | | | programming activity. I can see great possibilities |
| My websites must be fast loading and full of | | | | there. |
| content. I also found out that to make the page | | | | At this moment, cgi scripts catch my attention. |
| load fast, the file size of the images should be | | | | Cgi is short for Common Gateway Interface. |
| small. So I optimized all my web photographs | | | | They need a bit of tweaking in order to work |
| accordingly to jpeg and gif format to make their | | | | because they must run on the web server on the |
| file sizes small. | | | | host. Recently I had the chance to install a cgi |
| Then I looked at other things like making my | | | | script on a server. It took me a few days of |
| websites crawler friendly. (The spider at the | | | | tweaking and communication before it worked, as |
| search engines will crawl inside the Internet to find | | | | it should. They are not for the faint-hearted |
| your site. This spider is not the creepy crawly | | | | beginner. But once the beginner has acquired the |
| type that will give you the goose bumps, but | | | | necessary knowledge, these scripts shouldn't be a |
| they work on the web just like a real spider) | | | | problem to install. Once they work, you can |
| Although I am aware that the html software | | | | forget about them, because they will run by |
| editor that I use is not so efficient in generating | | | | themselves, automatically. |
| clean html, and that it adds a lot of extra html | | | | Would the learner in me be able to teach people? |
| tags that are redundant, thus making the files | | | | Perhaps it might. After going through many years |
| bigger than required, I will leave it as it is for the | | | | of hands-on and disciplined study of websites, |
| time being. There are still many other things that I | | | | software, and the Internet, maybe I have |
| still want to explore and develop. | | | | acquired sufficient knowledge that people might |
| One of them is e-book creation. E-books are one | | | | be willing to pay to know. Perhaps this might be |
| of the most efficient ways to present information | | | | the subject of another e-book. |