Time

Wow! Time is really flying.

A lot has happened since my last post...web site failed, fishing time, trying to stay afloat in this economy, tree farm sales. Well, here it is almost the New Year and I hope you all have a safe and pleasant new year.

Just a few thoughts on web site development and "so called" web masters.

My experience with these people has not been a good one. I'll not get into details, but the last one cost me a lot of money in lost revenue. I was OK with the fees but not the actual web site work he did. It has been a living nightmare for me.

First of all, be wary of who you hire, where you hire them from, and get plenty of referrals. Contact who they have worked for in the past and if you have any bad feelings move on to someone else. Always have a contract or written agreement and make sure you have time limits set in your agreement.

The shopping cart is one of the most important parts of any web site. Stay away from the "open source" free carts. They will cause more problems than you bargain for. Remember, nothing is free and you get what you pay for! There is absolutely no support with this type of shopping cart and you better know code and how to "tweek" it or you are lost in space. Spend the extra money and purchase the cart, either on a monthly basis or flat out own it. You'll at least have help and support from the developer. You may have to spend a little more on the cart and have it customized to your particular business, but the extra money spent is well worth it in the long run. One final thought, here. Spend a lot of time researching the shopping cart and make sure it will satisfy your needs, now and in the future.

Well, I hope this year has been good to all and next year is even better.

Meanwhile, back at the farm...