Finding Stability in the Ever-Changing Web World
I recently had a client decide she no longer needed my hosting services because she found a website online that offered free hosting and she could save $50/yr. Yeah, free hosting has been around for years, but this new website was offering it with no strings attached. No logos, advertisements, surveys, nothing… just free hosting for budget-conscience folks and a user-friendly interface to help you pick out, edit and publish a pretty decent website on your own. (You just pay for the domain.)
At first this news rocked me to my core. I understand how someone could give away server space and website building tools, but WHY would they do it? It makes no business sense to offer something for nothing. It costs money to buy and maintain servers, program and update a website. Why would someone go out of their way to offer this service and get nothing in return? But more importantly, I wondered how I am supposed to compete in this new, ever-changing world of web giveaways.
It seems the services I offer can be found online for cheaper and cheaper with each passing day. First the internet offered cheap website templates, but you still needed some working knowledge of HTML to make it work. Then the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor came out. That allowed anyone with basic computer skills the ability to edit html text and pictures. The catch was, you had to know how to hook the new technology up to your template. Now, the art of web development has gotten down to an exact science and almost anyone can find a packaged design to suit their needs for free with no programming skills required to install.
Internet advances are overwhelming, frustrating, and sometimes downright discouraging. I love the internet and welcome new technology because it makes my life easier too. So telling myself and my client that free tools and resources aren’t beneficial when in fact they are… isn’t an option. That would be like keeping life-saving medicine from a cancer patient because I didn’t want to admit that someone else had a better treatment. At the end of the day, honesty wins out. So I have to find a way to not just survive in this dynamic world, but become a part of it. I have to find my niche in the chaos, find what’s timeless about me, what transcends a trend. I have to challenge myself to find stability in change.
So that’s where I am. I’m in a state of reinventing my business. While continuing custom web design and development, I’m brainstorming ways I’ll help people and businesses succeed online in the future. By combining the craftsmanship of yesterday with the new tools available today, I’m hoping to generate a new business model that exudes creativity, innovation, and stellar customer service.
To my client who wants to change hosting to save some green, I say, “Go, be free, enjoy the new service, and I’ll be here when you need me.” Because the help I provide, the advice I give, the ideas I plant and the many questions I answer in every email you send me doesn’t come standard with your new, free service. My expertise has value and that’s one thing that never changes.
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Web Guru Tips, Tricks, and Inspiration ยป Finding Stability in the … « Web Templates — March 7, 2010 @ 11:49 am
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