Adult Netsurprise - Newbie Zone

BONEFISH

Where Do I Start?

by Belle of BDSMBucks.com

One of the most common questions asked by new or would-be webmasters (after, of course, how much money can I make/do you make) is "Where do I start?" With the overwhelming amount of materials and sponsors available, I can certainly understand the confusion. The explosive rise in 'net commerce has brought many more options for webmasters, as well as many more choices to make.

In order to get started building sites and become a "webmaster" it is important to have at least a general working knowledge of computers and the Internet. I am not familiar enough with Web-TV to assess whether or not it is possible to function as a webmaster at this level. My advice would be to get a real computer and take a community college or tech course on how to use it if you have never owned and operated a computer of your own. Without a basic working knowledge of how your computer and the Internet works you should not attempt to write html or build a website of your own.

Once your personal computer, Internet connection and workspace are set up you will need to get an html editor. There are many editors on the market geared towards beginners. I personally started building sites with Netscape Composer, a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor. Although I've moved on to other editors and actually learned html, I do know a few webmasters that have been doing sites for years that still use it and manage just fine. It is not important so much what editor you use, rather that you use one that suits your needs. You can always learn html and edit in notepad later.

You'll need somewhere to publish the pages you create, so the next step is to figure out who your host or hosting company will be. In order to obtain suitable hosting you will need to decide what types of webpages or sites you will be building. If you plan to submit thumbnailed gallery pages (TGP) to get quick and massive traffic you will want to go with a free host that allows it or very low cost hosting plan that allows you plenty of bandwidth. Free hosting is widely available and usually sport an advertisement that the host controls at the top and/or bottom of each page you publish. Thumbnail gallery surfers generally buy less than other sources of traffic, so keep that in mind when choosing a free host as your host will be getting your best ad spots. Also check the free host's rules to make sure they allow TGP traffic. If you want to go with paid hosting you might want to also register your own domain name. Make sure the hosting company you choose is reputable, agrees to host adult material if that's what you have in mind and has a plan that will fit your needs and allow you to grow. It's easy, and also devastating to outgrow your host. Make sure they can handle the empire you intend to build.

Now you'll need content for your pages or websites. This is probably the widest area of choices that you will have. The first decision to make is the type or genre of material you would like to work with to get started. You can purchase content, make your own, lease it or get it free from sponsors. There are many photographers and brokers that sell licensed legal content. If you choose to buy your content be sure to obtain a license for the use you intend as well as any other documents required by law in your locality. If you want to make your own content be sure any models used, including yourself, are 18 or older and have signed legal model releases. You should also photocopy 2 forms of id with at least one being photo. Another way to produce content of your own is to write articles, stories, testimonials, etc. to use as content for your websites. The more original content you have the better. If you aren't able to purchase content or make your own many sponsors have free content available for you to use. Be sure to read and abide by the sponsor's terms for use of the content, otherwise you could be terminated without warning and not paid for any earnings you may have had.

You can now open your editor and begin to create your webpages. You may want to look for tutorials for your editing software before you start playing around, but in any case it's time to build. If you want to make thumbnailed galleries you'll need to download a thumbnailer that will help you with the chore. If you want to make your own title images, buttons and other graphics you'll need to tackle a graphics program like PaintShop Pro or PhotoShop and also learn how to compress graphics for web use.

Take the time to do some surfing to see what's out there and what is generally accepted and common for the type of page you want to make. Follow sales tips from sponsors and learn all you can about the market to which you are selling. Be original and creative with text on your pages and learn how to strategically place sponsor ads on your pages and join Adult Netsurprise and learn some tried and true methods from other webmasters. Take the free courses that are now offered, network with others and have some fun (and even win prizes) with Dokk during the NetSurprise radio broadcasts.

And that's where you start. Good Luck!