“Why do I exist online?” would be the question I like to ask myself from time to time. OK, I have a network of sites, I am a web designer, I am a content creator and also a forum manager, not to mention blogger. Am I here to make money online? To offer content and help others? Mix these two? Why do others exist? Do they really bring in something good to this world? Would the internet be less rich if their sites would cease existing? Would we all be thrilled to not see them again?

I visit tens of sites daily. Some I can’t live without, some I’d delete myself from the servers they occupy with no use to anyone, but the one who created the junk. I see people run scam sites, MFAs, splogs, who are just for some easy money. They don’t care about the fact they don’t help anyone, they just try to cheat the system. We have the copy-pasters who steal our work and pass it as theirs, the porn site managers who deal with something very tricky, we have the social media sites, the forum owners, we have the personal sites and blogs, we have them all.

From time to time I try to find out why I am here with my sites. What drives me daily in this online world: easy money, content, spam? What am I here for?

I have started my first site 6 years ago. I was just another 24 year old woman, with no computer at home (couldn’t afford one then) but with an idea. I have started taking Karate lessons and I was bad at it. Oh my God how bad.

There was no site in Romania dealing with this topic and since I was good with English I was able to learn from other sites that dealt with an international public. I started the site on a FrontPage template and uploaded the tens of articles at work on the computer we had in the musical department (I was a radio DJ).

I wanted to help others not face the same problems as I did, I wanted them to know what this means, how to act in the Karate class, what to wear, how those Japanese names would be translated etc.

Till now this is one of the most important sites in my country dealing with Martial Arts, especially Karate Shotokan. I have started slowly monetizing and I am sincere when I tell you that I still have a lot of work to do in this matter: try to earn something from such a site that would make others rich.

In these years I have started other content sites: orthodontics site (Romanian again), after few weeks since I started wearing braces myself (again, we had nothing in the country to help the patients learn more about this life changing experience), webmaster forums, blogging forums, blogs, forums about music, movies, games, relationships etc.

My main drive was to HELP my readers. Offer them quality information so that they can gain something from losing the time on my sites. I am not good with “easy money sites” no matter what they would mean. Instead of creating a porn site, I wanted to create one with sexual education articles and clean talk, instead of creating bad music sites (that would be successful since most people listen to crap music) I have forums about rock, jazz and blues. Instead of having a splog or stealing content, I create my content based on ideas I have and that would help someone. Instead of youtube videos I try to teach people to have quality blogs, instead of scams, I work myself blind so that my clients are pleased.

I like to think that I have done something in my life. When I was a kid I read somewhere that if you want to really be a human you need to plant a tree, write a book and have a child. I planted flowers (still have to find a tree to plant), I don’t have a kid yet and I didn’t write a book. At least not a “normal” one. But I try to create useful content and write my “book” online. In these years I had my email filled with thank you messages from people who were able to find a good advice in my words or at least support. The feeling is just awesome. I know people who had a better start in Karate because of my words, who have started good sites on their own or who have an easy and nice orthodontic treatment because they were prepared.

I should be a teacher. Instead of a low paying job in our system I chose the radio business (that does pay pretty OK) and now I have my own design firm). I taught myself what I know now, but I always liked to SHARE something with the others. I guess that’s the “unborn teacher” in me who feels the need to inform and teach.

No, I am not making a lot of money. The last months were good since I started thinking about this aspect too. You cannot go on for thousands of work hours and many hundreds of euros invested and not think about a possible revenue. I won’t get rich though, that’s for sure. But I love it when people stumble on my sites and tell me they got information and help from me. Knowing that I was able to help at least one person really makes me feel like an accomplished human being.

So .. I think I exist online to still learn a lot and share with you all I know. I exist so that I can give something from my feelings to you, to help people love quality in everything and learn that in the end money is not really the end of the world. I am sure my revenue will go up nicely since I am on a good path right now. Maybe I won’t buy myself a house, but I’ll be able to pay for the hosting/domains/scripts and also get something from my work. And I’ll go to sleep each morning (at 3) knowing that I haven’t wasted a day online: not my day or yours.

Why do you exist online?

Filed under: Web development by ramona