11 Months as a webmaster

[Reserector]

I purchased and took over Mississippi-mud.com in January of 2010. To date, it has been about eleven months since that happened.

When I was faced with the opportunity to buy the site, I knew nothing more than how to change settings on the forum's control panel. Thanks to the patience and help of the previous owner, the transition went rather smoothly. Looking back, there are a number of things I could have done better, but I was ignorant of that fact.

The aquisition and transfer were monetarily and physically demanding on me. I had to shell out hard-earned money in good faith. Hundreds of dollars went into this endeavor. I will probably not see that money come back to me for at least three years. I consider it worth while, however. The site brings good people together. You can't put a price on what the site and community mean to me.

I spent many countless hours pulling my hair out, praying, and searching for help and answers. I simply did not know anything. All I know came from others, or from sheer determination to figure out a solution to each problem.

The worst part was the sleep deprivation. I quickly got into a pattern of only getting a few hours sleep each night. I was working on the site night and day, and sometimes at work. I was on a mission even if I could not keep my eyes open.

All of that is behind me now, but I still don't get enough sleep. It became such a habit to stay up late that I have never gone back to a healthy sleep habit.

On top of all that, I created two more sites. This site is here as my "primary domain" for hosting purposes, and it also serves as my test site. It is better to risk messing up this site than on of the others.

I created southernskater.com as a personal project. I could do it for nearly no monetary cost, and could rise to the challenge of creating a site from scratch. All I can say is that it has been humbling. Starting a site is easy. Building a web community is hard.

In the past year I have learned things that I had no idea I would need to learn, but with the increase in local forums, I feel the need to be the best, most premium off-road site in the region. I want my sites to be the sites that set the standard for what is expected. Over the I have been flattered by how much of my content and organization has been copied by other sites. Since I cannot stop them, all I can do is stay ahead of them. That has proven to be a difficult but rewarding hobby.

I am very proud of my achievements this past year. I have laid the groundwork for strong growth. Most of the work is invisible, but in time will yield great improvements and web presence.

[MarkyB]

Good for you Res!!!

Now get some sleep!!

[balage]

10/10
excellent

[tacomazach]

I love the sites. Great Job!...

Go take a nap