hello webpreneurs. I've got a little dilemma and would need ur experience banks to get me through. Now i have a concept for a social network with exciting content, only theres one perk- i dont know how to design websites. I've approached web design persons and they quoted extraordinarily high fees to design one for me. On the other hand i approached web design tutors, most notably NIIT and they also quoted their fees to take me on a full web design course. I wont go into the advantages and disadvantages of each option for me, but let me throw it out- is it better to pay a company to design this thing, or take a course and design it myself? Helpful replies will be most welcome. God bless

If you want the idea to die, get a web design guy to do it for you. But if you want to build something that will stand the test of time like, go learn web design and development. If you want to learn web design and you want to waste your money and end up getting nothing, go to NIIT and learn it. But if you want to learn web design and you dont want to waste your money and you want to get a solid training, here is my humbly advice to you:

1. Put the idea on hold and go learn webdesign yourself. Every idea that requires coding, the ceo of the idea must know about coding. If you wait for 4 to 6 months to get yourself ready, it's not a waste of time. I guess you want to make a statement through your site and not just to design a crappy social media networking site.

2. Do you have a MasterCard or do you know someone that has. Then go subscribe at lynda.com or udemy.com and learn web design and development from scratch to ninja level. It`s a video tutorial. They will teach from basic html to advanced php.

3. Get an e-book or hard copy book on html,css,javascript,php and mysql. Html and css are simple. You can master them in one month. You can have a hold on js, php and mysql under 4 to 5 months.

4. Then start building something and learn from building. Go to forums and submit your site for critique. Then as the website becomes more complex, you can hire someone to be doing a certain part while you focus in another part. I mean you will need a team of developers.

A successful web application is not a one-time gig. Look at Nairaland, Facebook, Jumia, do you know how many changes they make per week to stay competitive and in the game. Facebook for instance employs over 5000 software engineers working full time day in day out.

The decision is yours. Are you sure you are ready to take the time out to learn all the languages and applications needed to develop and maintain a web application? And mind you it is a full time job, that will take you years to perfect.

Not all founders of successful online companies are web developers, you only need to be an entrepreneur. So if you feel you can't take the time to learn web development, you can employ others to do it for you.

Hope this helps a little.

I'm designing a social network www.one-cliq.com chek it out on desktop n review it. Yours can be better than that. PM if interested. Or snd a mesage at d contact page of d signature site. Blessed.

mitey: A successful web application is not a one-time gig. Look at Nairaland, Facebook, Jumia, do you know how many changes they make per week to stay competitive and in the game. Facebook for instance employs over 5000 software engineers working full time day in day out.

The decision is yours. Are you sure you are ready to take the time out to learn all the languages and applications needed to develop and maintain a web application? And mind you it is a full time job, that will take you years to perfect.

Not all founders of successful online companies are web developers, you only need to be an entrepreneur. So if you feel you can't take the time to learn web development, you can employ others to do it for you.

Hope this helps a little.

it helped a lot, and theres wisdom in it. Only that this is a start from scratch kind of thing, so it'l require a greater deal of finance to pay a web developer, around 850-950k, which'l require one goin around looking for external sources of funding like investors. And i dont think its healthy to involve those guys at this early stage of the business, thats if you can even get one. But thanks a lot, twas real helpful

ogbiwa: it helped a lot, and theres wisdom in it. Only that this is a start from scratch kind of thing, so it'l require a greater deal of finance to pay a web developer, around 850-950k, which'l require one goin around looking for external sources of funding like investors. And i dont think its healthy to involve those guys at this early stage of the business, thats if you can even get one. But thanks a lot, twas real helpful

Then go iterative. I mean, think about how crappy MS-Word was when they started, but they are the leading office application now. Also, I have been seeing threads like Pictures of Nairaland and Facebook back in 2005 or whatever. They were nothing compared to what they are now.

What am I saying? Learn a little and design a simple website based on that, or commission some developers to do a simple website first. Then as time goes on you add more and more features till you achieve the goal you currently have in mind. And trust me, as you take time and add features iteratively rather than at once, many of the features you have in mind will change as technology improves and as you spend more time thinking it over. And at the end, you have a far more superior product.

thanks mitey mate. I think the most important thing for me now is "get" this thing out of my head and launch it into the internet. Richard branson said the best way to learn a business is to learn while doing the business and not before. So i've made proper arrangements. Thanks mate

^^^^ You're welcome. Nothing like starting what you can, where you are and with what you have.

All the best.

This is the result of some mediocres who studied web designing for 3 months, then come out making web design seem like MS Word.

I advise you contract a web designer. But so you dont regret it, make sure he provides proof of his/her competency. Too many quacks around. However, tthere are some necessities the web designer has to put you through to manage the site.

If you are bent on learning, pls go to a good school.

What you require is an interactive training
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I have written about this here in the past. Since I can't easily find it, I will summarize:

1) Division of labor is the best way to go, provided you have the right team.

2) Let's say it takes you, say, 3 weeks to come up with a design and code a website and let's say you charge $1200 and let's say it takes you 1 week to come up with that design. If you find a good designer who charges, say $200, you might be tempted to say that you are making only $800. However, look at it this way: This designer has freed you of 1 week that you can now use to solicit more business at say, another $2000. So now, you can do 2 projects concurrently and make $1600. If you do the math to the above, you will see that under the first scenario, you are making $400 a week but under the 2nd scenario, you are making approximately $500. In the end, you are actually gaining by employing the designer. This of course doesn't include the valuable time (which is money) that you have also gained from this effort and the fact that you have eliminated one source of stress in your life (thinking of, and coming up with a design).

You know your strengths. Concentrate on those. Let others do what you don't do best. Don't (and I speak in general) want to chop everything alone. If you are a religious person, you get the added benefit of "tis more blessed to give than it is to receive"...he he, you will also be creating a job that is hard to come by in a place like Nigeria

Good luck!

GraphicsPlus: If you want the idea to die, get a web design guy to do it for you. But if you want to build something that will stand the test of time like, go learn web design and development. If you want to learn web design and you want to waste your money and end up getting nothing, go to NIIT and learn it. But if you want to learn web design and you dont want to waste your money and you want to get a solid training, here is my humbly advice to you:

1. Put the idea on hold and go learn webdesign yourself. Every idea that requires coding, the ceo of the idea must know about coding. If you wait for 4 to 6 months to get yourself ready, it's not a waste of time. I guess you want to make a statement through your site and not just to design a crappy social media networking site.

2. Do you have a MasterCard or do you know someone that has. Then go subscribe at lynda.com or udemy.com and learn web design and development from scratch to ninja level. It`s a video tutorial. They will teach from basic html to advanced php.

3. Get an e-book or hard copy book on html,css,javascript,php and mysql. Html and css are simple. You can master them in one month. You can have a hold on js, php and mysql under 4 to 5 months.

4. Then start building something and learn from building. Go to forums and submit your site for critique. Then as the website becomes more complex, you can hire someone to be doing a certain part while you focus in another part. I mean you will need a team of developers.

Pls I would like to know if the sites you suggested (i.e lynda.com n udemy.com) allow video downloads because I would love something for reference purpose.

@Napolitano, you said something about going to a very good school if one chooses to learn. Would you be kind as to suggest a few or better still, the one you went to. Thanks.

Crisnite: @Napolitano, you said something about going to a very good school if one chooses to learn. Would you be kind as to suggest a few or better still, the one you went to. Thanks.

I am self-trained. Web development was not part of my NIIT course so I wont give them the credit. However, this School is very impressive so far: www.abinibi.net/academy

based om my personal experience, i would advice you get trained on web development first. though and for certain, you will need the services of other web guru, but it will do you more good if you know about the ins and out of your business than depending solely on others to run it for 100%.
But pls, don't touch NITT even with a long pole in your hand. noothing you wil gain there.
look at mark zugerberk, he knows how to do it before employing others to join.
he started it fisrt and didn't pay someone to build facebook for him to come and promote it.