It's true you don't have to know as much as you did in the past.  It's true many of these systems DO make things easier than they used to be.  It's true the learning curve for a web development product like DreamWeaver is steeper.  However, at some level you simple CAN NOT get away from the necessity of some technical knowledge.

I was reminded of this when I attempted to actually publish my first XSitePro website.  Let me point out this is not a condemnation of XSitePro.  They just happen to be my most recent experience with this universal problem.

When you go to actually publish the site the system displays a screen that asks you to enter information you got when you set up your hosting account.  Unfortunately, the information web hosting companies send out can be quite different from host to host.  It depends on what software they use and how they have chosen to set it up.  These setup commands are the worst kind of technobabble.  They also must be entered Exactly right.  That means case, special symbols, etc. must all be correct or the command fails.  The failure error messages are extremely cryptic and may or may not relate to the actual problem.  There are to many variations for anyone to have a prayer of automating the process.

The first item they want is Domain Name.  For example, www.samplesite.com.  That's easy enough, but are you sure you want to use the www part of that?  Would samplesite.com without the www be better?  The answer to that question is VERY technical but getting it wrong may reduce the ability of your site to rank well because the benefits of links may be diluted.

The next item is Home Directory.  The first time around I missed the note in the fine print which said "Unless you have a specific requirement this should be left blank."  I filled it in with what I thought was the right information.  The software obediently published the site where I said it should.  Unfortunately, that was not  the folder you arrive at when typing the domain name into your browser.  So, even though the software said my site was published, it was in the wrong place and not visible.  Figuring that out required use of another program that let me look directly at the file structure on the server.  That's getting a little technical

Now we arrive at FTP Directory.  The welcome message from the hosting service I use does NOT include this little tidbit.  I suspect the usual non-technical user might find /domains/samplesite.com/public_html just a little difficult to locate and enter properly!!

In other words, the idea a completely non-technical user will be able to quickly and easily publish a bunch of websites is a myth.  They are going to need occasional help from someone who does understand the technology.  Once you have a working example and a pattern to follow things will be easy until something changes.  Then it is an ugly problem that has to be dealt with again.

On the bright side, non-technical people frequently know about things that make good content. Many technical people, especially the young ones, don't know anything except tech.  They can do all sorts of technical wizardry, but then look around and can't figure out what to write about.  I think there is a tremendous opportunity for one technical person to support the technical needs of 15-20 writers.  That way both can do what they do best to the benefit of all.

Today I came across the concept of "Spec Publisher" and I am starting to think that may be a good term.  Most people understand that a "Spec house" is one a builder has built before having a buyer.  For a builder it's a risky way to keep his crew busy during a slow time.  The hope is a buyer will come along when the house is finished and life will be good.  That worked well many times, but the latest economic crunch has put builders doing this in a world of hurt.

Spec Publishing, especially online, is the same concept, but the fundamental economics are very different from building a spec house.  Assuming minimal technical skills you can publish a WordPress based website for less than $10 per month in direct costs.  Any time you decide things aren't working out you quit paying and it goes away automatically.

We spec publish lots of niche websites on subjects we find interesting and feel like writing about.  In a year we look to see if they have earned their cost.  If they did well we may expand that niche.  If they didn't we let them drop.  Over time we get a better idea of what kinds of sites work for us, and what don't.  We find, or others develop, better ways to profit from sites.  Gradually our income increases.

Are you a writer interested in earning income online?  Does the idea of becoming a spec publisher appeal to you?  Do you have a problem with the technical aspects on online publishing?

We are offering a spec publishing service.  We provide the hosting, load software, and provide coaching on writing for the web.  We have software to help you find profitable niches to write about.  For that we charge a $30 per month fee plus 10% of the gross income.

If you would be interested in a program like this, use the comment form to contact us and we will work something out.

For example, we use WordPress as the foundation for many of our sites.  While it is easy to use, for a software package, computer novices have trouble with it.  In addition, the nuances of some of the features are subtile and confusing at first.

WordPress includes Posts, Pages, and Tags.  Understanding the difference between these is essential to make your website work the way it should.  However, the differences are not obvious.

The geek answer is these three are indexes into the database and can be used any way you like.  A less technical answer is that pages are where you put content that is independent of elapsed time.  For example, your organizational chart, your biography, the purpose of your site, etc.  Posts are for things that are evolving.  For example, this post is, in effect,  an update to our "services we provide" page.  Tags provide yet another way to help a visitor quickly find what they are looking for.

What does this have to do with web video?  It takes a lot of words to explain all that and no matter how you labor over the words, many will not follow.  The idea of making a video from screen shots of actually writing a post while I talk about what I am doing and show how I do it is attractive.  I think a 3-5 minute video would do more good than a lengthy written description.

There are many other areas where we think a short video might educate and inform better than written text.  The one snake in the grass is the search engines are all text based and really can't do much with video.  If I write a 500 word description of how to write a post, it will all get indexed and my website ranking will reflect the additonal content.  If I do a bunch of videos my site may have increased traffic and more happy visitors, but the search engines won't give me credit.  It makes something of a problem to decide what is the best balance.

The truth is, your former customers already know the kind of work you do.  They have proven they like it by putting their money down.  When writing to them you don't have to spend time assuring them they will like your work, that you work is a good value, etc.  They already know that.

With a regular newsletter you can grow their connection to you and your art.  You can let then know about your schedule of shows and events.  You can tell them about new developments, special sutuations and all sorts of things that make them feel they are special.

Managing such email campaigns is not easy.  Everyone is tired of spam so you must be really careful to avoid any apperance of that (Double Opt In).  You want a system that tracks undelivered mail and automatically deletes bad addresses.  The system should automatically handle address changes and un-subscribe requests.

In addition, you want the email you send to look good and deliver your message in a professional way.

Paul & Erik sit between the craftsperson and the technical back end.  You concentrate on building the content for your email campaigns, we take care of all the technical stuff that makes the process run smoothly.

Could you do all this for yourself?  Of course.  It's a question of wheither you like doing it and how you value your time.