Name of your website?Swazilive
Your name?
Darren
Your Location (city, etc)
London
When did you start your website and why?
I started the Swazilive website as I am from Swaziland and couldn't find any websites that were made for Swazi's. Most of the websites about Swaziland seemed very commercially orientated. Where the focus was more on charging people for webspace than providing a sevice whereby people can view and and place information about Swaziland that is benificial to Swazi's and visitors alike.
Please give us a short summary of your website, business model, etc
The swazilive website is a free service where people can either view information about Swaziland, or place their own information online and so receive wider coverage for their businesses, ideas and questions.
What has been the most difficult part of creating and running your website?
Most people in Swaziland still operate off modems.... Very very slow modems. So this means no flash, small pictures etc. Added to this in Swaziland you still have to pay a monthly fee and pay for every second you are online. This restricts the amount of time the average Swazi spends surfing the web.
What has been the easist part of operating your website?
Getting help from like minded people still living in Swaziland
What was your biggest mistake?
Not fully understanding what surfing the internet at 20kbps is like.
Who maintains your website and why?
I maintain my own website. As it is free I cannot afford to have a website team.
Tell us how your business has benefitted from your website?
The feedback from people who have listed on my site has been extremely encouraging.
What are your views on ecommerce and the future of the internet?
Hopefully in the not too distant future , all countries and people will have access to the internet as Ecommerce is the future.
What are your views on Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
SEO is a great idea. However it leads to smaller, none commercial websites with a small bank balance losing out.
What are your views on Search Engines? Have they helped or hindered your website?
Search Engines are great. Once again your listing seems more dependant on your bank balance rather than the content of your site, but at least it provides users with a choice of sites to visit.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Word of mouth about the swazilive.com website has been the most successful method. Swaziland is not a very large country and so just by getting people talking has for me been great.
What method has been least successful for promoting your website?
I tried to send out emails to various businesses in Swaziland. Cant say I got many replies. I think the average Swazi is a bit suspicious and doesn't expect to receive something for nothing. The few replies I did get wanted to know where I got their email addresses from and what I wanted.
What would you like to see change with respect to the internet in Swaziland?
Less control by the few isps that are located in Swaziland. Much much faster internet connection. I heard that soon the Internet will beavailabledown the electicity cables. This would be a great idea for Swaziland.
What is your website address?
Swazilive
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