Customer Reviews

Poor Richard's Web Site (2nd Edition)

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Poor Richard's Web Site: Geek-Free, Commonsense Advice onBuilding a Low-Cost Web Site (Second Edition) is a book so super thatyou may start asking yourself if Peter Kent is related to Clark. What makes this book outstanding is the superabundance of essential details. Kent tells you everything you need to know and do, shows you what the options are, then gives you his right-on-target advice. The second edition of the book has been thoroughly updated, and it's even eight dollars less expensive than the first. The book is divided into three sections: Preparation, Creation, and Promotion. The Preparation section tells you how you can benefit from a Web site, how to begin, where to put your site, how to choose a web host, and all about domain names. Chapter 4 (about how to choose a web host) lists and explains 43 services that hosting company might provide, thus giving you a foolproof method for comparing what each company can do. The Creation section is another cornucopia of rich ideas. Here you'll learn how to design your site, select an HTML authoring tool, how to add interaction, take orders online, and work with email. Part III, Promotion, is a complete seminar about the subject. You might take a course at a conference for hundreds of dollars and not get half the ideas you'll find right here at your fingertips. The book's Appendix contains two checklists for two of your most important jobs: finding a web host and promoting your site. And the book is filled throughout with almost 800 useful links to lead you to all kinds of important resources. You will find that setting up and running a successful Web site takes a lot of work. But with Kent's book, which tells you precisely what you need to do and how to do it most efficiently, your job will be much easier and enjoyable as well. As the saying goes: If you plan to buy only one book on the subject of making your own Web site, this book is unmistakably the one.

Michael Pastore, Reviewer

     The Internet has become the home of a number of Websites offering information on a variety of issues, products, and services. Would you like to join us? Need help? There are plenty of fine books around to help you design a good Website. They offer different levels of instruction for a variety of reading audiences. Peter Kent has written Poor Richard's Web Site to help the average non-technically inclined person to design an effective Website and to have an effective online presence.      This book stands out from most other Website design books because the author writes from his own personal experience. His personal interest shows as he guides his readers along. His personal involvement throughout the book offers his readers, particularly those new to the online scene, the confidence they need to succeed online. It is user-friendly, avoiding the big hype and technical jargon found in many other books.      The author provides extensive help on a variety of Website matters such as determining if a Website is necessary, selecting Website hosting companies, selecting and using HTML authoring tools, Website design tips, taking orders online, registering domain names, registering Websites with Internet search engines, searching the Internet for prospective clients, advertising, and applying effective marketing principles.      One notable feature of the book is the listing of hundreds of Website links offering additional Website design assistance, marketing help, graphic images, scripts, online payment information, and other important help. A companion Website for the book features an extensive updated listing of these Websites. The author offers his readers a truly amazing collection of additional resources!      This book targets aspiring Website designers who need help setting up an online presence. If you are short on time, money, and experience this book will provide all the help you need. It's packed! Keep it within your reach while designing your Websites. Highly recommended!

Sure, there are plenty of good books about FrontPage, HTML coding, designing web sites and web graphics. I've written a few myself. But this book is something different -- and needed! Peter Kent demystifies the basic process of of setting up a web site and provides all the missing links that other books don't cover. Chapter 14 on Taking Orders Online is a good example. The book is a great starting point for a small business, non-profit or community group that wants to get on the web.

Personally, I thought I was buying a book about setting up a web site. This book gives you endless "steps" on how-to get someone else to setup your site. It also provides a sickening amount of URLS.... Sorry, I see everyone else simply LOVED this book, but I must have missed it. If you want internet marketing it's a maybe. If you are a web developer, certainly NOT. Sorry Mr. Kent, but I also got the feeling you encourage spam.... enough said! Read "Web Pages that Suck" for a real web book.

Not being an IT or computer professional, yet having a fair amount of experience in setting up web sites for small businesses or non-profits, i always wanted to read a good overview of the field. This is it. If you are a business manager of a small to medium-sized business wondering what it's all about, this book is a great start and an easy read. Worth every penny.

If you could buy only one book about developing a web site, this is the one I'd recommend. Peter Kent provides very thorough coverage of all aspects of web site development, but goes further by listing hundreds of links to sites that contain additional information. Couple this with Peter's excellent web site and e-mail newsletter, and you have a high-quality resource that is frequently updated and expanded. The common-sense approach is refreshing, and perfect for someone who wants to develop a web site without making it a career.

If you're thinking of setting up a web site but you're not very familiar with the web or with the logistics of setting up and maintaining a web site, "Poor Richard's Web Site" is definitely a good place to begin your research. He covers the various things you need to consider and the decisions you'll have to make from figuring out the equipment you'll need, to finding a web host, to actually creating your site and getting people to notice it. The book is definitely geared toward small business owners, but almost everything applies to people who just want to build their own personal web site as well. Many links are contained in the book that lead to further resources, which is useful, but there are also self promotional parts of the book which can get a little annoying. And surely, with better editing, this book could be much shorter. But the good stuff generally outweighs the occasional plug for Peter Kent's other books or for Top Floor publishing, and though it's too long it's easy to skim over the fluff.

Every business needs a Web site. The online brochure has replaced the printed brochure because it is easier to change and cheaper to distribute. With your "store front" open to the world, customers will come to you.

There are a lot of specialized books on html written in geek-speak. Peter Kent covers the whole field and makes it easy. He discusses the preparation, creation and promotion of your site. For coverage, click on Table of Contents in the left-hand column of this page. Includes checklists and an index.

Peter Kent is the author of more than 30 books about computers and the Internet.

As the author of 113 books (including revisions and foreign-language editions) and over 500 magazine articles, I highly recommend this book to anyone who is in business. DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com.

This comprehensive, updated book effectively points out that there is more to building a website than learning HTML. The author gives guidelines and points out what you must know or learn and then tells you how to get there. This is an excellent book for both beginners and advanced web site designers.

Poor Richard's Web Site is a practical guide for any one who wants a straight forward approach to getting a private or commercial website up and running quickly. Although I am a fairly experience systems integration professional, I found myself somewhat intimidated by the latest internet technology. Fortunately, Peter Kent demystifies the terminology and technology so that you can focus on the truly important elements of your website (namely content).

Note that this is not a programming book. You will still have to purchase books on the specific technologies that you wish to use. It is a primer on how to run a website development project.

The book consists of four major sections. "Part I - Preparation" walks through the basics of deciding how to obtain a website (web hosting, domain registration). "Part II - Creation" addresses website design, HTML, site authoring, on line ordering and email integration. "Part III - Promotion" deals with how to effectively roll out your site once it is up. The final section is composed of the appendixes which contain a number of helpful checklists.

Overall I think that most people will find the straightforward language and real world examples to be very helpful in planning the development of a website.