| Hello World~My name is Donna aka Beadseller.I | | | | hospital.I am still undergoing treatment and |
| started browsing the internet with my service | | | | under my doctor's care. I don't think that my |
| provider, Prodigy... about 10 or so years | | | | neck will ever be the same. My right shoulder |
| ago... no...not before the dinosaurs roamed | | | | still hurts. I require an operation on my |
| the earth! *geez*Back then, the internet was | | | | right knee. Fifty now feels more like |
| limited in what it had to offer. I would also | | | | seventy!The accident put a halt to website |
| like to mention that every page opened | | | | work. I couldn't sit for very long without |
| instantly. I used the internet as a venue for | | | | severe pain. My lower back and neck were |
| research. I still use it for research, but | | | | hurting all the time. I would wake up at |
| more for shopping and selling.Hey! Don't | | | | times with very little feeling in my arms or |
| laugh... I had an Adam Computer too! | | | | legs. I was not fairing well at all!In mid |
| *humpf*In mid January 2005, I found | | | | July, I once again returned to working |
| Overstock... not by chance mind you. A dear | | | | diligently on the site. I was determined to |
| friend of mine had tried for months to talk | | | | get it up and running before August 1st.NOTE: |
| me into trying Overstock. Beadwitched. Was I | | | | Determination does not necessarily mean one |
| being stubborn? Naaa...I had a store on eBay | | | | is going to accomplish what one sets out to |
| and wanted to finish out the month before I | | | | accomplish!I still needed to install a |
| took the leap... besides, eBay's fees were on | | | | shopping cart. I chose Paypal. This required |
| the rise and I was on the run.It's | | | | more reading and more research... some more |
| January.... I would love to say that I sell | | | | reading and research... some crying... and |
| more than I buy, however, that doesn't seem | | | | more reading and more crying and more |
| to be the case. So there I was, sitting on | | | | research... The word PAL in Paypal has |
| over $20,000 worth of beads and beading | | | | nothing to do with the setting up of its |
| supplies selling them at about $2 per pack on | | | | shopping cart! I was becoming more and more |
| Overstock... not taking into consideration | | | | frustrated... but again.... I forged |
| the listing fees or the paypal fees....making | | | | ahead.After much deliberation and many failed |
| about 20 cents per pack. WOW.... Talk about a | | | | attempts.... I finally weeded through the |
| get rich quick scheme!I started listing even | | | | poorly written instructions and managed to |
| more... still not adjusting my prices... that | | | | get the cart to work... on ONE item. WOW.... |
| was what people wanted to pay... so either | | | | only about 1,000 more to go! *HA* After |
| make the nickel or not.... January reaped | | | | reading and researching this phenomena, I |
| just over $500 in sales... February jumped to | | | | realized that I had used the wrong cart set |
| $1,500... March jumped even further... | | | | up and somehow managed to hook up over 100 |
| $2,400... April hit an all time $3K in | | | | items in much the same fashion. WRONG!So... |
| sales....Then I joined the buySAFE bonding | | | | after crying some more and relieving my scalp |
| service. I thought that since I had so many | | | | of a few swatches of hair, I once again |
| valued customers, I would return some of that | | | | forged ahead. I re-programmed all of the |
| value to them and bond my products. | | | | wrong items with what I hoped was the |
| Fortunately.... the service was free through | | | | corrected shopping cart programming.ALAS! Low |
| September 2005. But it did NOTHING... | | | | and behold... they were working! WOOOOO |
| absolutely NOTHING for my sales!In reality... | | | | HOOOOO! |
| my sales plummeted! By the end of May... I | | | | Halleluia...Halleluia...Halleluia...Halleluia |
| felt doomed! I picked up two new | | | | ...Hall... leeee...eeee...eeee...Luuuu...ia~ |
| customers.... and heard barely a dribble from | | | | |
| the rest.... my sales for May were a whopping | | | | Thank you... please... don't applaud... what |
| $382! Where did all my customers go?!?!? What | | | | I really need you to do is THROW MONEY!Now I |
| was I doing wrong?!?!?With all this in | | | | was cruising... hooking up each and every |
| mind... back in March of this year, I decided | | | | individual item to this shopping cart |
| to give my own ecommerce site a try. Don't | | | | contraption... MY PAL... my buddy... my GOD! |
| get me wrong... at first I thought it was | | | | I sent out my mass mailing to almost 350 of |
| merely a pipe dream. After all.... I paid for | | | | my regular customers announcing the GRAND |
| three years of webhosting back in March and | | | | OPENING OF... BEADSELLER on August 18, 2005. |
| it took until the middle of August to finally | | | | FREE SHIPPING offered to the first 10 |
| have a website up and running!In February, | | | | completed orders!I picked this particular day |
| 2005, I started out with shopping around to | | | | to open because first... it was the soonest I |
| find the least expensive hosting site. Alas, | | | | could get the site done... and second... it |
| I found Ace-host.net with 5,000 MB of Disk | | | | happened to be my son's 29th birthday and I |
| Space, 50 GB Monthly Bandwidth, (which has | | | | wanted the date to be something I would |
| been expanded to 100 GB), Unlimited MySQL | | | | remember.Here I am open for business... |
| Databases, eMail Accounts, FTP Accounts, | | | | sitting at my computer... email open... |
| Sub-Domains, and a Static IP Address | | | | sitting... watching... sitting... |
| included. All for only $139.50 for three | | | | watching.... watching... sitting... |
| years.If you asked me to explain the above, | | | | NOTHING.Three days go by.... still...NOTHING. |
| all I would say is, I haven't a clue what any | | | | I feel a distinctive sinking feeling in the |
| of that really means, but I can tell you that | | | | pit of my stomach... or maybe this feeling |
| my site never crashes. *laughing*Next came | | | | came from the fact that I had not moved from |
| the HTML HELL. The last time I actually wrote | | | | my chair in three days! Finally... on the |
| any HTML was about 8 years ago, when HTML was | | | | fourth day... a sale!!! I might add... the |
| just that.... HTML. Nothing fancy. Actually, | | | | shipping on this sale cost me almost as much |
| it was pretty easy to learn. I was self | | | | as what was purchased! Well... not making |
| taught then but the book was ohhhhhh so much | | | | money is why I do this right? *HA*Day Five... |
| thinner than the newer models!So, I read and | | | | still NOTHING... then it occurs to me... |
| researched and read and researched and read | | | | hmm... maybe I should review my html and see |
| some more. I didn't get very far when I | | | | whether I bothered to enter any keywords and |
| decided to see just what having someone else | | | | meta stuff.... NOTHING... *waaaaaa*So... I |
| create this monster would cost! Needless to | | | | start researching again... and |
| say, I proceeded again with reading and | | | | reading...researching and reading again... |
| researching and alas....learning everything I | | | | which brings me to this blog... Top Ten What? |
| could to find a way to produce my own | | | | Web Site Submission....There are very few |
| site.Well...If you haven't looked...my site | | | | places that allow you to submit your website |
| is BEADSELLER. I purchased a template for $49 | | | | for FREE! One place I did manage to find was |
| and proceeded from there. What I didn't know | | | | SUBMIT EXPRESS. Keep in mind...it is VERY |
| when I purchased the template was that it was | | | | TRUE that NOTHING is FREE! But at least their |
| not written in language compatible with my | | | | required link was not nearly as unsightly as |
| host. So, I managed to extract what I could | | | | some!One of the things I have been reading |
| from it, mainly the pretty pink bars, and | | | | about and found to be VERY TRUE.... unless |
| forged ahead with creating my store.Creating | | | | you pay for the service to submit your |
| a webstore really wasn't that bad... NOT!!! | | | | site... don't expect to have much traffic! |
| It was a NIGHTMARE! But again... I forged | | | | Which in turn means... yet another NOT RICH |
| ahead. Sometime in late March I realized that | | | | QUICK scheme!Yahoo will let you submit an url |
| I had far more products than I really wanted | | | | for free... but to be listed in their |
| considering that each product had to have its | | | | directory... if I remember correctly... a |
| own product number and be listed | | | | mere $299 a year.... WOW... only $299 a |
| individually.Needless to say, prior to this | | | | year?!?!?!? Even MSN let me submit my site |
| endeavor I had considered expanding on my | | | | for FREE! And being penny poor..... who needs |
| product line, but reconsidered. Looking at | | | | to pay for the misery of increasing one's |
| the walls of drawers of beads, I should | | | | sales!?!? If I had the money....if I won the |
| probably try to sell what I have before I | | | | lottery... if I were independently |
| drive myself out of shop/office and | | | | wealthy.... ifa.... woulda.... coulda... |
| HOME!Speaking of Late March.... Well... after | | | | *UGHHHH*Not all is lost though.One of the |
| working with the same attorney for 7 years... | | | | most interesting and fun things I happened |
| she called me into her office to say that | | | | upon were WebRings. WOW... these are |
| things were just not working out. WHAT?!? | | | | fantastic resources. You see... after all the |
| What does that mean???? How could it possibly | | | | reading and research... everyone selling the |
| take someone SEVEN YEARS to decide that | | | | website submission service tells you that the |
| THINGS ARE JUST NOT WORKING OUT?!?!? You | | | | more places you are linked to, the more you |
| would think that if things were JUST NOT | | | | move up in rank. Well.... while reviewing all |
| WORKING OUT... that would have happened | | | | of the webrings.... I forgot the rank issue |
| say... WEEK ONE!This could not have happened | | | | and became extremely interested in the fact |
| at a worse time! I had just taken out a | | | | that there are literally a gillion WebRings! |
| mortgage on my home two months before so I | | | | I was amazed with all of the RINGS that |
| could purchase beads and beading supplies! | | | | actually revolved around what I sell and what |
| The beads and beading supplies were and are | | | | I love.... BEADS and ARTISAN JEWELRY! WOOO |
| still sitting here staring at me!Back to the | | | | HOOO!So... even if I don't sell much... I |
| store... so... I worked diligently, day and | | | | have found that there are literally thousands |
| night trying to create my webstore. I would | | | | of others out there in cyberspace who have |
| complete umteen pages and then notice that I | | | | huge shoulders available to cry upon. Gotta |
| didn't correct the font color on the previous | | | | love those webring heroes and heroins!Well... |
| 10 or so pages. So... | | | | that's quite enough for now.... if you should |
| edit...edit...edit....Then while on my way to | | | | be reading this and happen to buy beads and |
| a special employment seminar, June 2, 2005, | | | | beading supplies.... give me a try. |
| some crazy driver plowed into the side of my | | | | |
| car, 2002 Hyundai Elantra. I was sitting in | | | | Beadseller... That's me!Hi~ I'm Donna aka |
| the passenger seat that fateful day and she | | | | Beadseller~ I have been working with beads |
| hit directly behind my seat and continued | | | | and jewelry making supplies for nearly 20 |
| until she managed to take out the rear | | | | years. It took me that long to finally open |
| axle.What was she thinking??? Or better | | | | my own ecommerce store. In my free time I |
| still... what was she on??? Three days later, | | | | like to write about some of the things I have |
| GEICO completed the estimate of damages | | | | learned since opening my store. Hope you |
| totaling over $4,000. I didn't even see the | | | | enjoy my schpeal on Search Engines. |
| damages as I was taken by ambulance to the | | | | |