Recommend me a book/some books please

Hello,
Im very new to this scene and have been reading and trying to learn as much as i can the last few weeks.The trouble im finding is im reading about one subject which leads from a link to another subject which then takes my interest which then means im not really learning to much about either.
My initial interest was in building a website i dont have any experience in this,i then got the idea of buying established websites to try and sell for profit,then i got onto the buying domains.As you can see its all getting very confusing.
I started writing this to ask about books/courses but it seems to have grown a bit,so i may as well continue.If anyone could give me any advise on what they feel would be the best way to go.As i said i am completely new to this i didnt even realise all this existed 3 weeks ago so to say im starting from scratch would be an understatement.
I suppose a book for dummies would be ideal for me.
So please if anyone can,i need help i really want to have a go at this.Anything,any advise,any ideas perhaps my best way to start and of course the reason why i started writing in this section books.
What books would be advisable for me to read.Many many thanks to anyone that replies.

Hi SAUSDOG,

what are you trying to learn? Web development? eCommerce? Web Design?

I want to learn how to make money doing this if you want the real honest answer.Having read threads and websites it seems to be either building your own site to start with,buying established websites to perhaps do a bit of tidying up and selling or buying domains.I have tried to find a fairly low cost purchase price website which i could perhaps learn with but having asked questions on possibilities they have been no good.So to be honest at the moment it would be a good start to learn how to build a website,or is it.

I’m still not quite clear on what it is you want to do, but it appears you’re more interested in the business side of things. For, it’d be better to move the thread to the Business forum instead.

Let me know if you want to have the thread moved.

After i started writing the first post i did wonder if it was leading to a thread that would be in the wrong section.Thats fine by me mate.Im just after as many replies with help i can get at the moment if that means being in that forum then thats great.Sorry about that the intention of the post was to just ask about books but i did get slightly carried away.

I have had a bit of a brain wave this morning and come up with an idea for a blog.Can anyone recommend a good place to use for this through experience.Somewhere that the blog can perhaps develop into a fully fledged website (if thats possible) and where i can perhaps have links on etc.This would have to be an easy to use blog set up as you will be aware this is my first attempt.Many thanks and i hope the question isnt confusing.

I’m not entirely clear what you’re asking for here? Do you want help with finding a tool to build a blog or advice on what to do with a blog?

If you just want to start a blog the most common sites are WordPress.com and Tumblr.com both of which offer ready-to-go “blogs” in just a few clicks. You can add your own style and features from there to improve the functionality a little or turn them into fairly powerful sites.

Also, as a best practice tip, be sure to add spaces after each period… Grammar may seem unimportant but the easier your posts are to read the better the response you’ll find you get.

Heading back to your original subject, you are going to have to get more specific than “make money”. People make money many ways on the web, some people build sites, get traffic, and sell ads, others build sites to sell products while many people here at Site Point make a living building for other people, or designing parts of the digital experience, or doing complex development on a database.

Thus topics range greatly:

  • Internet Marketing
  • Social / Customer Voice
  • Web Design [making the design for a site]
  • Graphic Design [making logos, fliers, mobile styles, etc]
  • Front-End [building some graphics and a functional site]
  • Web Development [less design, more code of applications]
  • Mobile / Database / Technical development [serious coding]
  • Building a Freelance Business
  • Building an Ecommerce Business

And on and on and on…

There’s a lot of options available that require different skills and interests as you may not want to build your own consumer facing business. Narrow in on what interests you and you’ll get a flood of suggestions.

Hello Ted,

Thanks for your replies.I have asked a similar question in the how to buy and sell websites section entitled i need help…please.I think i have been more specific in that post.

Linking to the thread in question so we don’t have to look all over the place :wink:

In the future, one topic - one thread only. Else you will drive us crazy (and you will go crazy too because you will find repetitive information since it is in both places)

So how about organize this a bit?

Do you still want to follow your idea of building a website and selling for profit?

Have you ever done any programming at all or how literate are you in relation to computers? (no, I don’t want to expose you or anything, I simply need to know your level of experience towards logical thinking or if you just use e-mail and browse here and there but nothing else)

Hello molona,
First off can i apologise for causing you to have to link posts,i didnt mean to cause you any extra work.

Now to answer your questions,building a website or buying established websites is what im looking at.I suppose whatever would be the best way to start.

As for programming i have no experence at all,im slightly more advanced than just web browsing and emailing though.

Many thanks.

We’re getting closer but I’m still not clear what you’re trying to do…

“Build or buy websites” -

Do you have a background in investing and want to acquire existing teams to infuse capital to accelerate growth?

Are you hoping to take near defunct sites and turn them into something more successful?

Is there an industry you want to stick too? Would you buy a site selling flowers or one about video game releases?

What sort of sites are you looking at? Ecommerce? Content?

If you feel that you don’t know that’s ok but we need to hone in on what it is you’re trying to do and that’s either going to be very specific with suggestions for tools or very broad with suggestions for how parts of a web business work but so we’re clear, the internet isnt a small field anymore and saying “I want to make money online” is about the same as saying without the online part.

Thanks Ted,
Saying it was to make money was supposed to be a bit tongue in cheek.
As i have said (hopefully in this thread)i hadnt realised all this existed until a few weeks ago,so its all completely new to me.I think its more a case of teaching someone to ride a bike with me at the moment but im pretty sure when im balanced and the peddles keep going around i will understand it more and wont forget.

So what do i want to do,i looked at the building my own website at first but the fact i have no knowledge at all and no programming skills etc i looked at other avenues to start with,this lead me to the buying of websites to hopefully spruce up a bit and sell on.To be honest any subject i wouldnt really mind as long as it had potential,if i were to do it for myself it would probably be sport based with horse racing being top.

Im willing to learn and im not daft enough to think this will all drop into place in a week and i will be making a fortune next month.I want to give this a real go.

I have been lucky enough to have made into the teen thousands online doing something else and so i have some of this to invest im prepared to make a small loss as well but i want to learn.

So any advise, am i on the right track would some other way be better,would my time be better learning a specific subject etc etc etc.

I really do appreciate any replies because this is such a massive subject and learning curve i just feel i need a fair bit of help and perhaps confidence right now.

As a beginner, I found it vastly more difficult to try to work with somebody else’s code than to build my own site from scratch. Building my own meant I understood how it had been put together, and how the different areas were related to one another. Looking at somebody else’s code, I had to figure all that out before I could even start to work on it.

I’d say that if you don’t have the knowledge to build a simple site of your own, you’re not going to be able to “spruce up” an existing site - but that’s just my opinion.

Great stuff Technobear many thanks,can i ask,

What software/website would you recommend for a complete novice to use to start there first website.Also would you recommend doing it on a subject that appeals to yourself or on something that may be more popular if it became a good site.

Sorry if i sound a bit naive but i am at the moment with this.Thanks.

If you don’t have passion for the industry the odds that you will be able, and willing, to pull off a successful site.

The web is full of options and being an expert or at least strong enthusiast of the field helps you connect in a meaningful way which works far better than just having another profit-driven offering.

I started with HTML4 for Dummies, and then moved on to more complex stuff when I felt ready for it.

Build a couple of sites just for fun and see how you get on, before you think about doing anything for money. My first site (never on public display ;)) was a spoof business website, which was great fun to do - more so because it didn’t matter how many mistakes I made with it. :slight_smile: I could just enjoy learning with no pressure.

Agreed, if your driving factor is to make money, this is going to be a tough business because you are up against people who want to make money AND they love coding, writing, designing, etc. If you just want money, go to law school and get paid big bucks to do hard, boring work.