Seán Crotty

Earn Money Making Websites

I'm launching a new program here at Yola.  We're calling it the Yola Experts Program, and it's about people getting paid to design websites for other people.

More info at:  yola.com/yep.html .

We've seen that it is very easy for most anyone to find local businesses, everyday people that they already know, who do not have a website, but would really benefit from having one.  Artists, restaurants, dentists, pubs, singers, gardeners, electricians, ... all of these are examples of businesses that our current Yola Experts have helped.

Our website building tool, Yola, is designed to be easy enough for anyone to use.  And it's free.  But sometimes people are too busy, so they need someone else to do it for them.  That's were Yola Experts come in.

Someone joining our Experts program can quickly learn the tool, then charge several hundred dollars per site as a design fee.  In the current economy, this is a great opportunity for anyone to create their own business making sites.

We also offer commissions to Yola Experts.  Any time a client buys something from Yola (such as a domain name), the Expert who is making the site for that client will receive 15% of the sale.

If you know of anyone who might be interested in trying this, please send them to www.yola.com/yep.html .

I'll look forward to training them on how to make money using Yola.  Thanks.

Business Week names Yola as a Top 50 Startup

Yola has been named one of the Top 50 Startups You Should Know for 2009 by Business Week.

Business Week analyzed current startups for progress, traffic, mainstream media coverage, funding, blogosphere coverage, and other factors.  They worked with market research firm YouNoodle to assign a rating to startups.  Yola was rated at 60, which puts us at the top of the range for a company that is experiencing "some very strong growth".

Full list of top startups with ratings and links can be found here:  http://bwnt.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/tech_startups_you_should_know_2009/ .

SynthaSite in the Wall Street Journal

Very excited to see SynthaSite mentioned in the Wall Street Journal this morning.

The article has a teaser on the front page, with brings you to the first page of the Small Business Special Report, where 2/3 of the first and 2/3 of the third page cover "How to create a successful website for nothing".

There were only three companies mentioned as places to host your site: Microsoft, Weebly, and SynthaSite! Here's the online version of the article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121803326363016929.html?mod=googlenews_wsj.

Wedding sites

Many people are using SynthaSite to create a website about their wedding.

Here are some examples:

Trevor & Christi included a map, reception details, and updates every few days.

Mirka has a countdown timer and some nice photos on her site.

Diana, in her first website, gives details for her bridal shower, bachelorette party, and gift registry.

I think the fact that our tool is free, easy, and allows you full control of the elements on your page is probably why people are using it for their wedding sites.

Breeding sites

One of the real joys of working in the web world is discovering the incredibly random sites that people make with your tools.

In the affiliate world, with eBay and Art.com, it was the super-specialized product sites. My favorite was the woman who scoured the globe for the latest in exotic hardwood knitting needles. She had quite a following; over 2,600 people per month subscribed to her newsletter.

For widgets, with Mpire, it was the product review fan-sites, like the guy who created a great-looking site dedicated to the BMW M3 and every possilble accessory for that model.

With SynthaSite, some of the fun, off-beat discoveries are the animal breeders who set up sites to promote their services and sell:

mini-lamas at http://Gingerichsminiaturefarms.synthasite.com/

parakeets bred naturally at http://thesanctuary.synthasite.com/index.php

leopard geckos at http://jandjleopardgeckos.synthasite.com/

cute shizshu / poodle crosses at http://puppylove4me.synthasite.com/

and many more ...

People's ingenuity never ceases to amaze!

Hiring update

Happy to announce that I've hired a Director of User Experience in San Francisco and two Community Support Specialists in Cape Town, South Africa.

I've also added a job requisition for a Product Manager to help me translate our identified business needs into specific Web 2.0 functionality.

Still available are the Community Support roles and the Interaction Design role in San Francisco. Tell your friends! :)