Of course, unless you really need a dedicated server, you are better off going with a virtual server package. I offer virtual server hosting for $11 a month, or $115 a year. When you pay for a year in advance, I'll kick in one .com, .net, or .org domain name for free. I host on Debian Linux or Win2K.

Tell you what: I'll even knock off 10% for people who tell me they came from GeekCulture, and donate $25 of your first year's fees to NitroKitty (in catfood or cash). That means, a year's hosting, with domain name, costs you $103. NitroKitty gets $25. Colocation isn't included in this offer, because we make almost nothing on that.

As for making money, well... CONTENT, USABILITY, RETURN VALUE! JoT and AY2K are textbook examples of content that keep people coming back and seeing banners. Of course, now that that has basically bottomed out, Snaggy and Nitrozac are off looking for other sources of revenue, which makes an awful lot of sense. They also write a great comic, which makes it easier for them to get into other magazines, etc, to drive traffic to their site. They update most things frequently (not to mention do a great job of moderating these forums), avoid things that take too much time to update (like Geek Erotica, apparently) so people keep coming back. They put each hour (hopefully) where the marginal benefit of their time is the highest.

Take that in contrast to "KillFrog" or "Joe Cartoon" who have great comics, but ones that only come out about once a month due to how long it takes them to create them. They don't have much other merchandise or trafficto speak of -- not in the way that our friendly admins do -- and so people don't come back that often. Hence the fact that there are literally dozens of pop-ups per visit. When I visit JoeCartoon.com, off goes the JavaScript, and off goes the ads. They can't pay for it otherwise.

Finally, for most firms the internet is a secondary, rather than primary, outlet. Instead of worrying about developing a product to get it on the web, remember that you need traffic. What will happen if you don't get in bed with stores and fairs is that some large conglomo will be researching on the net for products in your area, and if you developed your site properly, it will come close to the top of the search engine. But now, they have the R&D and the suits to steal your idea, market it more effectively, produce it better and cheaply, and put you on the street. So think carefully about when you put your product on the 'net, and if you can't sell it elsewhere, don't count on making money on it with the net. I've seen it hundreds of times.

For an example of someone who is running a successful ecommerce shop which cost her less than $4000, all things included (design, custom programming, UI research, urchin stats, merchant account, secure hosting, etc), visit www.eyeglassnecklace.com. I developed this site for her. Just for the heck of it, try finding an item and adding it to your cart: you'll see how the ease of use really makes a difference in how willing people are to buy a product. And don't forget, every product class is unique. Necklaces are visual. They're long. So we needed to develop a custom shopping cart that met her needs. People don't want to read a description and click on a link for a picture. They want to see lists of pictures and prices, which I think we have done effectively.

IF you want further consulting and information, please contact me -- [email protected] or http://www.chrisgagne.com/hosting/. I am a economics and business management student who has been a love-child of the dot-com years. I know what this is about, and I am not afraid to piss people off when I tell them they're wrong. I guess its a case of "Mr. Duh Obvious," but still... I mean, people actually think they can make a viable business by selling 1 bit, 50x30 dpi .bmp porn to people over cell phones. You MUST THINK ABOUT THINGS FROM THE USERS PERSPECTIVE. They are the ones who want what you have, and have what you want. Nobody is going to pay, whether with ads (which don't pay) or with cash for ideas that don't offer a return. There are thousands of examples (like selling 40# bags of dog food online) that even a 4 year old could spot... but it is a case of the king's new clothes. People (consultants) are afraid of telling the truth, and when the company goes down the tubes, the consultant and their CEO still have their Ferraris. It's really simple.

And yes, it is a full time job doing this right.

Gasp !!! This is America ! They Can't Do That ... I mean ...

What if Bill Gates Stole Somebody's ......

Oh, never mind.

Get the kitty's owners some cash and get a great hosting package out of it.

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MEOW MEOW!

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quote:

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Originally posted by macadddikt18:
[QUOTE]MEOW MEOW!

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Nayt about 100 interesting posts out of 1100 = 1000 worthless pips
NitroKitty 1 funny post out of 1 = 0 worthless pips

-Edited to remove uncalled for cattiness.