Customer Reviews

How to Start a Business Website: Start Up or Expand Into the Marketplace of the Future (The 21st Century Entrepreneur)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For those persons who are just "getting their feet wet" in researching how to design a website; this book is ideal. The author's book is presented in lay-term language and will suit those who like to read for condensed, no-nonsense, to the point information. This book provides a through overview of what steps must be taken to design a website. There's basic introduction to how the internet works, in addition to clearly outlined detail of the different choices in equipment and connections that are required to power a website. I really appreciate the format of the book in that it's easy to reference for the busy person. This book has proven a valuable tool for me in that it discusses which questions I need to ask ISP's, webhosts and webdesigners before I make any first and final decision concerning the development of my website. Lastly, the author talks about website marketing and promotion enough to give the reader a sound understanding and some good leads and resources for gathering futher information. This book is a confidence builder for anyone new and confused to website development.

This is a great book for small business owners who are thinking about putting their businesses online but don't know much about the Web. It's written for the kind of business person the author profiles in the book--someone who sells compact discs or some other specialty item. The information is clear and concise and presented in a very logical sequence. There are also URLs of small online businesses that you can visit in order to study how they have set up their sites. I highly recommend this book.

This book had very little useful information for me, a person who's interested in starting his own, personal website that offers a few items or services commercially. Instead, the book tends to wallow in the pop-psychology of "doing business on the Internet." For instance, the author talks about the anxieties some folks (potential customers) have about making electronic purchases on the web... repeatedly... and ends up using a significant portion of the book to express what could just as effectively have been written in a paragraph or two.

This book has almost no useful information for anyone with the slightest familiarity with a computer and the internet. By virtue of its title, I thought I was going to learn the basic nuts and bolts of setting up my own business website. Instead it's only advice was to hire a professional to do it.

This book should be named "Why to Start a Business Website" I am very disapointed. Example: Chapter 6 "Building Your Website" basically says hire a website designer and what qualifications that person should have. Thanks for that info., but isn't that common sense! Overall I think this book is fluff writen by someone who is not interested in helping an individual start a website.

I bought this book a couple of years ago and read it in early 2002. My disappointment was due in large part (I thought) to developments in the industry since publication. But I notice that it's still the same edition being sold.

Problems:

1. Very superficial exploration of issues; does not in any way give you a thorough understanding of the subject
2. Nor is it a "how to" guide.
3. The dot com crash highlights the book's lack of objectivity - generally bullish on getting into a web business, but no strategic insight into how to sustain it.

It may be OK for those with almost no knowledge of the internet *if* it is updated in a new edition. If, however, you keep up with the news and have delved far enough into Amazon to be able to read this review, then you don't need the book.

Thank you Amazon for providing the "look inside" function which unfortunately did not exist when I bought Mr. Powers' book.

I would say this book is for beginners, for those who have been online for some times, the materials is absolutely skin-depth. It just states the obvious and gives no inspiration for me after reading through.

After reading 4 or 5 other books on this subject, I found this book able to fill in the blank spots in my understanding, and will be using this as the definitive text in establishing my business on-line. I simply do not understand how the reviewers that thought it was shallow and not very informative could say that, if they really read it.