Two as a number is not that impressive. Two years as a duration to develop a website from conception to completion seems a lifetime.From an idea conceived following a traffic altercation, through development and into a company focussing on accountability. A person would have had to be part of the journey to realise the many obstacles to overcome. Peer pressure via the internet through the medium of vehicle registration numbers.Initially we contacted a company attached to a university regarding the website development. Following the receipt of a competitive quotation and extensive dialogue we began the journey. A screen test during an initial meeting provided our first minor challenge, a change of logo. Our designer provided the new logo, similar sized to the original. To our dismay this doubled the initial quotation to a development cost in excess of twenty thousand pounds. We went back to the drawing board.Recommendation was the key and we finally agreed contracts with a new web designer who throughout every phase of the development has proved to be the exception in that they're consistent and professional and at the initial stage most importantly competitive.
Being Southport based, the much publicised 'Build Sefton' was the first stop for marketing guidance and possibly funding. Following the first meeting our heads began spinning at requests for a business plan, bank accounts, development and marketing plan all required if we had any hope of a sniff at funding. Our post code had to be in the funding allocated area. This area was predominantly out in the Ribble estuary coloured pink on the 'Build Sefton' supplied map. When I say Ribble estuary, most of the area was literally in the sea. We had to be creating jobs and providing something beneficial. We ticked all the boxes, we were eligible for funding. However the department had overspent and there was no money. Note to council, perhaps a business plan, budget and marketing plan may be apt prior to wasting our time.
Initially we predominantly focused on road safety we could never have imagined the feeding frenzy for information we would create from both advertising companies down to everyday member of the publicTo trial the site we posted a number of comments on local community chat forums for feedback. Not being naive we expected both positive and negative comments. Following the posts that often read something similar to 'reger-me a site dedicated to improving road safety through peer pressure and the medium of vehicle registration numbers'. we received a barrage of calls from various telephone directories and charity calendar publishers through our office and business numbers. After fielding these calls and explaining we had only recently incorporated the company and were currently just trialling the system we discovered members of the public had taken it upon themselves to publish our home addresses and personal details on the chat forums. We have no reason not to have these publi shed however became somewhat bemused as to the reason anybody would do this as we had provided the business contact numbers and address on the website.
A visit to the bank setting up of an account and the ability to receive payment for any advertising by credit card was at the least confusing. We opted for the Barclaycard system however noticed in the small print any payment would be retained by Barclays for three months. Curious I telephoned the help line and enquired as to the reason for the retention. The reason given was, as we are proposing a new website with no track record, if we went out of business and didn't provide the advertising space for the contracted duration a refund could be claimed from the card company. I accepted this explanation and went on to ask what interest would be paid on the money by the bank over the three month retention? None, came the reply.
Promotional literature coupled with the internet is the lifeline of the business. If the people don't know we're here the whole process has been to no avail. A visit to an established printing company resulted in the assurance of their most competitive quotes for car stickers. It was only after we delayed the order the offer of a fifty percent cost reduction was made.
The best analogy I can come up to describe the experience we've had with this journey is as a carcass thrown out for vultures to pick at. At every opportunity people have wasted our time to justify their own jobs. Tried to exploit us financially and provided little advice of benefit. The number of the essential services we've used such as banks, solicitors and insurance that have tried to pass us over to other institutions such as marketing obviously for a commission has been surprising. Even members of the general public who we've had no previous association with seem to take the opportunity to throw a spanner in our works for no apparent reason.
After all the tweeking and changing we launch the finished sites next month and I trust the country will become a safer place for what we've done but only time will tell.Finally I'd like to thank nobody.
iAutoblog the premier autoblogger software
Tidak ada komentar