Do you have a Websty?

I don't know if this happens with you, but as I am a frequent typer, I will sometimes get in the habit of spelling the same word wrong over and over. This month's word is "webstie," a misspelling of "website."

Since I have been seeing this pseudo-word more often, I have come to adopt it as a real word. Every time I read it I think of my mother yelling at me when I was younger: "Your room is a mess, clean up this pig sty!" So, now every time I read "webstie" I think of all the messy websites I have seen along my travels. Thanks Mom!

There are many reasons why some websties exist. Some people want to make their own websites and end up choosing the wrong software. This results in UGLY code and poor layout and navigation.

Some people don't research enough and choose bad companies to work with. This is even more ugly. I've worked on websites that people spent thousands of dollars on and the code is beyond ugly. It get frustrating to have to work on these sites, especially when the client already feels like they have been cheated.

Some people just want a cheap website and make bad decisions. I love all of those posts on craigslist.org that want a 'student' or 'starving freelancer' to put together a cheap website. All I have to say is you get what you pay for. Either the cheap designer doesn't know what they are doing, they are beginners or they'll get frustrated working for dirt and give you a less than ideal end product.

My next series of blog posts will cover these topics, from building your own website to hiring the right company or freelancer to build the site for you. Why am I doing this? Because I'm sick of getting queasy when I see websties.