The Purposeful Techie

If you already have a web site, you, theoretically at least, have this part under control.

A basic web site should cost under $130 annually for the infrastructure. I’m assuming you do not need truly massive amounts of space or bandwidth, and that you’re not planning to run your own server in a closet somewhere.

There are plenty of good web hosts, and all vary in what they offer, how reliable they are, and what they cost. As with many things in this life, you get what you pay for. But, if you’re a small museum, you should not need the web capabilities to run Google, so getting what you pay for is not a bad deal.

First you need a domain name

Don’t be fooled. There are companies out there who will try to sell you a domain for $30+. This is a scam. The average domain name costs around $10. Those that are .tv tend to be more expensive, and sometimes .org are a little more expensive too (around $15). If for some reason you feel compelled to buy the .com and .info and .biz and all that jazz, you’ll often get a “special offer” after you’ve begun the buying process on your primary domain name that will give you the others for a grand total of $15 or so. Registrars are starting to release other endings now, but I don’t see any reason for a museum to have anything but .org (and maybe .com as a secondary domain name, just for the people who will mindlessly type that in as the url).

There are lots of reputable domain registers out there. GoDaddy.com is fine (particularly for checking availability), but keep in mind that lots of hosting packages now also include one free domain name if you buy hosting for a year or more. Registering your domain with the same company who you buy hosting from simplifies the whole process, although changing the nameservers isn’t terribly complicated either.

Finding a Host

Some recommendations:

1. Dreamhost — free for non-profits. I’ve never used them, so I cannot comment on the quality, but what they offer seems to be quite competitive (even if you were going to pay). They offer a nice variety of things in their basic hosting, including InnoDB access (essential for running CiviCRM), and a large number of MySQL databases.

2. HostMonster — My current favorite host. Very inexpensive, great features, plenty of space, and the support is actually in this country (instead of in Pakistan). I can’t speak to how their support actually is, since I’ve never needed to use it. That in itself is a good sign. Oh, and they offer SimpleScripts, which makes installing a CMS or other goodies really easy.

3. Read reviews first — There are a lot of places to read reviews on web hosting, but I particularly like Web Hosting Jury. Just like anything else with space for user reviews, there are always some that are a little wacky

4. Bulk saves — buying hosting for more than one year at a time means you pay less, overall, than if you had paid on a monthly or yearly basis. If you are paying for hosting, and can float the cash, pay for several years’ hosting up front. If you do, however, make sure that you thoroughly test drive your hosting before the money-back period ends (this varies by host – some give a month, some up to three or more).

Let’s just get this one out of the way first. You NEED a web site. Hopefully, you already have one. In upcoming posts, I’ll tackle these topics in more depth (and I’ll update this page to link to them).

When I first came to my organization, they had been paying someone to do the web page, but it was nevertheless in shambles. The design looked like it hadn’t been touched in a decade. There was hardly anything on it. When I looked at it as I was applying to the job, I was decidedly turned off, and, quite frankly, confused.

If this is the status of your web page, you have a problem. You need to start over. If you don’t have a website at all, you need a website.

Luckily, building and managing web pages has never been easier. If you can send email and/or use Word, you can build (and manage) an attractive, up-to-date web page. (Gosh, I sound like an infomercial. I’m not selling anything, I promise.)

Let’s look at some common issues here:

Myth: A web site is expensive

Fact: Actual cost should be lower than $130 on an annual basis. $10 for the domain (yearly), and <$10/month for hosting. More on setting up the infrastructure for your website.

Myth: I have to be an expert in html/css/javascript to build a website

Fact: There are so many other ways to build a website that there is no reason you should be typing html into a text editor to build a site. Drupal, Joomla, WordPress, or DreamWeaver should become your good friends.

Myth: This will take a lot of time

Fact: While it will take some time, a simple, informative website will not suck up all of your time. If you have responsible teen volunteers (working toward service hours for their diplomas, perhaps), they may be able to help too. Further, once the initial set-up is done, updating content can be very easy. So easy that a variety of board members, staff, or volunteers can all help.