Name of your website?MORMON BLACK HAWK WAR UTAH UTE INDIAN HISTORY
Your name?
Phillip Gottfredson
Your Location (city, etc)
Orem
Please give us a short summary of your website?
First hand accounts of the Mormon and Ute Black Hawk Indian War history in Utah.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
My great-grandfather was a friend of the Ute Indians during the Black Hawk War and spent 20 years compiling firsthand accounts of the tragic event. I had to understand what his experience was, and in doing so the more I learned the more I discovered what I had to know. At the age of 60 I quit my job, sold all my possessions, so I could invest all I had to this project.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
Our website was first online in the year 2002. It has grown from a single one page to nearly 57 pages regarding the Black Hawk War and it's legacy. We remember when we would get one or two visits a day, now we see thousands of visits per week. Once we were no where to be found in the search engines results page, now we are consistently on the first page.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
To reflect the intent and subject of our site.
What makes it different from other, similar offerings?
We have devoted six years of full time research of the Black Hawk War in Utah, lived among the Native Utah Indian people for two years, for it is different to learn of their culture firsthand, than trying to understand them intellectually. Our website embodies the the knowledge we have gained and is presented in a candid and non-discriminatory way.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
To have a voice! Because this aspect of Utah history has been deliberately ignored and left out of school curriculum, it is our goal to bring attention to the many human injustices of the past and how they continue to plague Utah Indian people to this day. And how sidestepping this tragic event has contributed to institutionalized discrimination in society. And how the Utah Indian people continue to struggle as they have never been given any recognition for the trmendous contribution they have made to Utah and America. Eventually I was asked to make a documentary film of the war, and have recently been awarded a grant to do that. So the website brought unexpected opportunities. But our goal has never been about money, this has been a humanitarian prject and a labor of love.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
There has been no monetary gain, however in terms of humanity, we have received numerous e-mails and comments from Indian and non-Indian people congratulating us on our efforts, for telling the truth, and that reward has been priceless.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
Devote more time to research. Continue to bring to light what it means to be Indian. I would strive to give them a much need voice in the media, to break down the stereotypes through better education.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
Absolutely!
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
Technical issues really. I am a self taught webmaster, and it has been a real learning curve for me.
What has been your biggest challenge?
SEO work, is number one. Second has been writing. I can't tell you how many times I have rewritten the content trying to keep it honest and balanced. We all have our biases, its very hard to resist slamming someone when they really deserve it. And I admit at times I was guilty, but later re-wrote a piece trying to be more objective.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Being persistent in understanding the technology of the Internet. Search Engine optimization has paid off better than anything else I have tried. Relevancy between search terms and site content.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
I think like most I was very naive, thinking it would be an easy task to create and run a website. I have invested countless hours, years upon years of trial and error trying to find what works.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
I have run it for six years, and have no plans of ever giving it up. As long as I can help others in some way, bringing clarity and understanding to my followers, I will continue.
What would be the most important thing that someone could help me with?
Teach me how to reach a much broader audience with this important message, and how to over come some of the technical glitches in the website.
What is your website address?
MORMON BLACK HAWK WAR UTAH UTE INDIAN HISTORY
