# website question do or don't



## dmm26 (Mar 21, 2007)

I don't have a web site yet but will eventually. I'm going to make some business cards up soon and was wondering whether I should just put something up saying coming soon? Personally I hate that but I'd rather be able to put on my card that I at least have a website. So yay or nay? I could just make a few business cards with out and then once i do have a website operational get new cards made.


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## hiGH (Jan 25, 2007)

dmm26 said:


> I don't have a web site yet but will eventually. I'm going to make some business cards up soon and was wondering whether I should just put something up saying coming soon? Personally I hate that but I'd rather be able to put on my card that I at least have a website. So yay or nay? I could just make a few business cards with out and then once i do have a website operational get new cards made.


you can buy a domain name for around 10$ at godaddy.com and just have a coming soon page.. also, you can buy emails for a low rate which you can use on your business cards while you build your website..
most printers have a minimum count of 500 and some 1000 for business cards. so re-printing is not always a good idea.


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## jmer (Jul 31, 2006)

Coming soon is better than nothing. You can throw a logo on your website for people who get your business cards to bookmark until you get your site going. Gmail rocks too for free email.


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## mizi117 (Mar 12, 2007)

yeah just do it step by step..one day you can find out that you already have full content website.


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## Blacksheep 78 (Oct 27, 2006)

Yea, if your passing out cards, you need the url to go to something. Place a landing page with and email address so people can inquire when the site will go live. Let them know that if they leave an email, you can notify them when the site launches, that way they dont have to keep coming back to the site. And if they forget all together, they will recieve an email reminder when you do launch.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

Put up contact information, etc. on the page too. Basically everything you do have ready.

Generally speaking I don't like coming soon pages on live sites, but I do think they're better than nothing (and I have used them on non-live pages).


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## monkeylantern (Oct 16, 2005)

> yeah just do it step by step..one day you can find out that you already have full content website.


That doesn't strike me as particularly professional.



> Gmail rocks too for free email.


You can't have a business with a gmail account, for a whole flood of reasons.


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## CypherNinja (May 5, 2007)

I have a parking page up right now. 

Logo still needs tons of work, designs still need more work, and I'm still learning how to use PHP and Dreamweaver, but hey, it's a start.


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## Parlophone (Feb 8, 2007)

looks good so far, but is it possible to get rid of the hosting info at the bottom? kinda looks amateur with it sitting there. maybe swap it out with a few photos of your designs! maybe add a form to build a mailing list.


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## AustinJeff (May 12, 2007)

monkeylantern said:


> You can't have a business with a gmail account, for a whole flood of reasons.


You shouldn't use a Gmail _address_ (or any address other than your own domain) for business. When you can get a domain for $10 or even for free (with Microsoft Office Live), there's really not excuse for even the smallest business not having one.

But you can use Gmail. Google is currently beta testing Gmail for domains. They will host your domain's email for free. It functions just like any other email host. Your address will be _[email protected]_ (*not* @gmail.com). You can access your account with Microsoft Outlook or any other email client. But you also get the benefits of Gmail -- 2+gb of storage per address, web-based access from anywhere, tagging ability, unbeatable search functions, etc. Did I mention that it's free.

Right now it's in beta testing, but I hear that it's fairly easy to sign up.

By the way, Microsoft Office Live also offers free domain email, as well as free domain web hosting. Personally, I'd rather spend a couple of bucks than have more Microsoft in my life, though.


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## monkeylantern (Oct 16, 2005)

AustinJeff said:


> But you can use Gmail. Google is currently beta testing Gmail for domains. They will host your domain's email for free. It functions just like any other email host. Your address will be _[email protected]_ (*not* @gmail.com). You can access your account with Microsoft Outlook or any other email client. But you also get the benefits of Gmail -- 2+gb of storage per address, web-based access from anywhere, tagging ability, unbeatable search functions, etc. Did I mention that it's free.


Oh, in that case it sounds like a fine idea.


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## oddhuman (Jul 27, 2006)

If your going to get a domain name why not go ahead and get your hosting also. Most hosting plans come with your own .com email. It looks better than a gmail or hotmail or yahoo (take your pick) email account.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

If you're going to use a free e-mail account though (which I agree you shouldn't) Gmail is definitely the one to go with; it's not as professional as your own dot com, but it doesn't have the stigma of all the other free e-mail providers either. Between the fact that the who's who of the blogosphere were all early adopters, the time when getting an account was exclusive, etc. etc. it's not so bad. Still, not ideal for commerce.


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## edp (May 16, 2007)

Handle the website as you will. For my money, landing on a site that says "Under construction" or "coming soon" etc is a large turn off. Focus on your business and find some computer wizz that would like some custom tees to promote his business and make a swap. In the meantime, business cards are relatively inexpensive. Vistaprint.com has a great selection of free cards you can design yourself, all you pay is postage which runs $5 to $6 for 250 cards. Don't get tangled up in the little things that keep you from looking like a 50 year pro. Focus on the relationships and the inkwork. The rest can be added if you can pass muster.


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## TripleT (Apr 29, 2007)

For what it's worth - I don't like "Coming Soon" websites. I always think, just get it done, and then get it up - but that's just my opinion


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