Name of your website?Wicked How-To's
Your name?
Andrew Tracey
Your Location (city, etc)
Longview
Please give us a short summary of your website?
It's a general how-to/do-it-yourself site in the form of a personal blog; I determine a how-to article that I'd like to have on that site, I find an expert on that subject, and then pay them to write me a concise high-quality article which I later post. I try to use as much media (pictures, diagrams, video) as I can.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
I was bored?
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
Technofart (technofart.com), 'When technology farts you can smell it here!', ROFL. Awesome title, great concept, I just got tired of having to write all the time so it hasn't been updated in a few months; oh well, still lots of good posts on there like the exploding toilets thing that's currently on the front page, or the 'twirl-a-squirrel' device...
How did you decide on a name for your website?
coolhowtos.com was already taken, so I had to settle for wickedhowtos.com :)
What makes it different from other, similar offerings?
I cover obscure topics sometimes, like how to tie a Pratt knot (it's a type of tie knot) or how to build a catapult (not there yet, but I've already got the article so it'll be up soon) or how to make a bow (archery type bow, not decorative).
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
Well, I'm eventually going to put ads on it for income, rest assured they will be TEXT ads only (Google adsense) and tastefully implemented, there will not EVER be any pop-ups or flash or irritating sounds clips, etc.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
Bwahahaha, I'm not even making anything off of it yet, what are you talking about?!
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
I'd have it Web2.0-itized, maybe a nifty logo, more articles, and I'd have everything available in multiple languages starting with Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese most likely--I think just translating the current content on there into other languages would really up my traffic and it wouldn't even require any new content, just translate what's already there.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
Absolutely, I've got a bit in cash reserves and would MUCH rather use that on hosting to keep my site up than to let it go down. If anyone with a lot of friends on Digg wants to do me a favor, wait until I get my 'How to build a catapult in your backyard' article up (soon) and then submit it for me--YES, I've got WP-Cache up and running, and YES I will pay for extra hosting bandwidth just to keep the site up while under the Digg/Reddit effect.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
Had a writer stiff me for an article once, that's about it; that sort of thing is rare in my experience, but it happens from time to time.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Other bloggers/webmasters finding my site naturally (organically) and then deciding they liked something on there which they then blogged about and/or linked to. Not really promotion, but it actually works better than any self-promoting I could do.
Favorite quote?
I love Mark Twain quotes, most are very funny, so here's a good one:
"Always acknowledge a fault. This will throw those in authority off their guard and give you an opportunity to commit more."
-Mark Twain
What is your website address?
Wicked How-To's
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