Websites

monkeysockss

Hi there,

I'm considering setting up a website, based on an interest of mine (music of a particular era). I plan on asking around my unemployed friends, see who wants to get involved and hopefully get it up and running without spending TOO much (sorry if that's a bit cryptic and vague).

My question is do such sites ever make any money? Or are they just a bit of fun. I really want to have a crack at a business but would love to do something that I'll actually enjoy. Pipe dream?

CompFix

monkeysockss wrote: »

My question is do such sites ever make any money? Or are they just a bit of fun. I really want to have a crack at a business but would love to do something that I'll actually enjoy. Pipe dream?

How do you plan on making money from it? You haven't stated what type of website it's going to be.

You can make money from a lot of things, it comes down to how you market the product/service.

mneylon

It's not very clear from your post what the actual business will be.

You mention setting up a site about a particular era of music ..

Supposing that the site had content about the music, artists, groups etc., that was original etc., then you could monetise it in a number of ways, though whether you'd be able to actually make a living from it in the short term is another matter.

conolan

Unlikely to make money. The only possible way is for you to spend lots promoting it - assuming of course you have something that people will spend money on.

monkeysockss

Thanks guys. I appreciate that I didn't give you much to go on but that's because I don't have much! Also, I think it's generally wise to keep the kernel of an idea that can be easily replicated to yourself.

I was mostly wondering, broadly speaking, if sites that don't sell anything or provide a service other than to entertain make any money. I think the consensus is that's it very difficult. But I plan to crack on anyway cos it's a project I'll enjoy.

At some point I may ask around on this site for people who fancy getting involved themselves so watch this space. And be a bit more specific about what it is I'm trying to do

J_Wholesale

monkeysockss wrote: »

Thanks guys. I appreciate that I didn't give you much to go on but that's because I don't have much! Also, I think it's generally wise to keep the kernel of an idea that can be easily replicated to yourself.

This is usually a mistake, and one that a lot of first time web businesses make. Ideas are a dime a dozen, and no matter how passionate you are about yours, nobody else is going to steal or want it, at least not until after it proves successful.

I was mostly wondering, broadly speaking, if sites that don't sell anything or provide a service other than to entertain make any money. I think the consensus is that's it very difficult. But I plan to crack on anyway cos it's a project I'll enjoy.

Site's that don't sell stuff can make money, but you need traffic first. For example, if you had a very busy forum, you could attract advertisements from record shops. If you had a forum to do with playing instruments, and it was busy, you could very easily attract advertising (monthly and yearly) from 3 or 4 musical instrument shops, bringing in a steady income.

But it all comes down to traffic. You spend a year or more building up the site, making it the number 1 site in Ireland for whatever, then you pull off the visitor stats and give related companies an opportunity to advertise. This does work, but you need to do the work first, and there is no guarantee you'll ever reach the stage where your site has the traffic to command decent advertising rates.

lion_bar

J_Wholesale wrote: »

This is usually a mistake, and one that a lot of first time web businesses make. Ideas are a dime a dozen, and no matter how passionate you are about yours, nobody else is going to steal or want it, at least not until after it proves successful.

That's brilliantly put.


You might be correct not to share too much detail here, but you do need to do some realistic market research, you do need to talk to people who know the industry and understand the opportunity to try and figure out why no one else does it.

You will need to share the idea to get the information you need...

padser

J_Wholesale wrote: »

This is usually a mistake, and one that a lot of first time web businesses make. Ideas are a dime a dozen, and no matter how passionate you are about yours, nobody else is going to steal or want it, at least not until after it proves successful.

true