I have a brand new website and I invite you to visit by just clicking on the link at the end of this post.
Today I want to share my own technology story of sadness, defeat, anxiety and triumph. I learned a lot going through this with my website and I thought that I would tell my story here on my blog.
I had not been satisfied with my web host for a long time. My email had become inundated with junk mail and my email address used on the website had been pirated to send spam overseas. The reporting feature frequently said "No data to report" even though Google Analytics reported great data. I submitted a trouble ticket in December, and although they claim to have 48 hour response service, I had not heard anything in two weeks so I called again. The rep explained that the company had been acquired, and the platform was being retired since it was old and riddled with trouble. (Something I already knew.) Soon I would get a letter telling me that the service was being discontinued and I had to make a change by the end of March. At this point there was only one employee maintaining the old system and he was on vacation - that was why there was the delay in answering my trouble ticket. Still I suffered in silence and then the discontinuation of this platform email came. Only then did I spring into action because I had no choice. (Is any of this approach familiar to you?)
I had delayed making a change for a long time. My hosting company was inexpensive and had an easy to use template system. This met the needs of my one person consulting business and I didn't want to spend a lot of time or money on website development or maintenance. And so I succumbed to settling for something that was less than satisfactory and no longer the “good deal” I had signed up for years ago.
I tried GoDaddy and wasn't happy for a bunch of reasons and so I asked about webhosts on the 501TechClub list I participate on and got several useful replies. Larry Velez, at SINU in New York, recommended Squarespace.com (Thanks, Larry) and along with other recommendations I tried them out. I found that Squarespace.com also had an easy to use template capability and low cost. Although there isn't live support, the support via email has been Outstanding! They also had features that my old host didn't offer like search the site capability. I think my new site looks more professional also.
Then changing my domain host and pointing my existing website name to the new website at squarespace was another adventure in coordination with unlocking my domain name and waiting two days for this and 7 days for that.
But, I am glad to report that my new website hosted by Squarespace.com is up now and I am quite happy with it. It is a low cost solution and it is very easy to use. It meets the needs of my one person consulting business. If you are a small nonprofit and don’t have a website yet, this may be all you need to get started. You can do it yourself with an accidental techie and do not need to spend thousands of dollars to have an initial web presence.
Another lesson learned, if you are unhappy with the service you have, don’t be afraid to see what else is out there. It may be time for a change. You don’t have to wait like I did until there isn’t any other choice.
That's the story,
Marion
SquareSpace
Sinu
Marion Conway Consulting
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