Lesson 2: Building the Group
Do You Need A Website?
If you don't already have a website, how do you know if you will need one for your group? Excellent question! The first thing you should do is go to a good search engine like http://www.google.com and do a search for your group's topic. For example, I did a search on "online support group management" and returned zero results! So, if your group is about Online Support Group Management, then a web site would be a good idea as it would probably be the only one. However, a search for "parents of ADHD children"+"support group" returned 145 results. You need to look at what is already available and decide if you could provide something additional or different.
Another thing that must be evaluated is the time commitment that it will take to not only have a support group, but also a web site. You cannot just 'put it up' and let it be. Continuous additions, updates, and other information will be needed to keep your visitors coming back. Once you have the site up you will also need to promote it so potential visitors can find it. This takes work and time that you must decide if you have.
If you decide that a web site would be a good addition to, or would compliment your support group, you must decide how much money you can spend on hosting and domain names. If you do not have the funds, a free web site host is always an alternative.
The first place you should look for web hosting information is your Internet service provider. Many ISPs offer free web space to their customers, and a quick call to customer service should confirm this for you. If your ISP does not offer web space, or if you would prefer not to use what is offered, then a search for a host is the next step.
It is much easier to compare hosting plans and their cost when you use a search like http://www.findmyhosting.com/. At Find My Hosting you can search using any of the following:
- Monthly Price
- Host Platform
- Disk Space
- Data Transfer
- Mail Accounts
You can also look for hosting providers that are Hosting Assured, which is a guideline of ethics that these hosting companies abide by.
So what about a free host? If you don't mind the advertising, they are fine. I have yet to find a good free host that does not have some form of advertising displayed on their customer's sites, and often it is those annoying pop-up ads that everyone hates. If you are going to try a free provider, go with a name that you will trust like Geocities, Tripod, or Angelfire.
You probably don't need a web site for your support group. Before making the choice, weigh all the requirements including your time, and then see if you really do need it.
