I Want to Start a Mainstream Site, Need Suggestions from the Professionals...
 

I've had the itch to start a solid mainstream site for a while now, and I can't resist the impulse to scratch anymore. I got a sweet dedicated server deal from Dedico.com (shoot me an email or IM if you're interested in getting one for yourself), and I can code and design, so I can pretty much create anything from scratch.

But I'm a bit short on inspiration, and I know there are a lot of very savvy webmasters on GFY here that can provide some recommendations. Does anyone have some advice on what's a good investment right now? Affiliate program recommendations?

I appreciate it guys and gals, thanks! :thumbsup

Usually people have the reverse problem, lots of pipe dreams, but no means to make them happen, heh

Ah man, tell me about it. I've spent the last three years learning to code and be a webmaster in general for the very reason of implementing some of my ideas, but now that I have the means, I have clue what to do. :disgust

pussy lips

Refcode pls?

I seem to just end up somehow with really great domains that I have these grand plans to build a great mainstream idea behind and then just don't have the resources or time to follow them through. Most of the ones I have are complete except the marketing and figuring out how to turn them into money....lol

Good Luck

Thanks man, I appreciate it. Good luck to you and your sites as well! :thumbsup

Facebook & iPhone applications.

If you want any info on the few I have put together and worked on you can email me at [email protected]

My advice would be to do something that interests you. What do you like to do? What are you really interested in? Once you can answer that build a site for it. If your work is something you enjoy you will do a lot better at it.

lol dumb idea to make money

next....

This for me too. Great domains, great general ideas for sites, no patience to create every little detail about the site, get it made, monetize it, etc. Sucks, lol.

Good luck Sands...having the knowhow and the willpower/determination to create what you want to is probably more than half the battle. I'd second what DateDoc said too - doing something that you have interest in and would enjoy working with daily (or at least enjoy working with it a lot more than most things) is a good place to start brainstorming.

Want ideas AND the whip cracked on you? You know where to find me. :)

BTW, I'll only take half of the profits.

check out www.promomickey.com

You have no idea...

I would say facebook and opensocial apps

And I'll just add.... you don't have to be first..

For your first site I would stick with something you are personally interested in. It is a lot easier to stay motivated and put in the long term commitment that is required in a quality mainstream site if it's something you know and like.

Start reading mainstream webmaster boards - check out all the sites for sale and you'll end up getting a few ideas.

Take it from the folks that are telling you to start with what interest you.

I didn't get into porn because that's what I wanted to do, it was first a hobby then I realized I had to pay for hosting among other things. I signed up with iBill hoping to make a few hundred dollars a month to cover some of the cost. After 2 weeks, my first check from iBill was $6,500.00. I thought it was an error and tried to return the check. My iBill sales rep at the time, John Denver, walked me through what happened and I realized I could make a good living off this.

I gave the same advice to a friend. He started 3 years ago working with his mainstream interest. After 6 months, he was able to quit his day job and he is now billing over $800,000.00 per month. He didn't expect this to happen and he is now trying to catch up on how to treat his hobby as a business, i.e. he is still a sole proprietor and taking on personal liabilities.

What are your interests?

Well, one of the problems is that I really don't have any hobbies outside of building sites, lol. Maybe I'll just build sites and then sell them?

Think in terms of FIRST PRINCIPLES.

One of these is "what kind of platform do I set up where the USERS THEMSELVES will promote the site and create the content/service"?

Another is: "which kind of audience will advertisers pay big money to reach?" Find out competing sites that try to address this audience. How do they fail? What is missing?

electronic consulting for local service businesses (plumbers, etc)... website, seo, adwords management, etc

most of those guys are typically old school and haven't touched the web and when they do they're just throwing 30-40 bucks a click at a very generic keyword

Sands!!!!!!!!!!! can you message me at the contact info below. I have a mainstream project that has been sitting dead cold still for a year and would like to take a partnership with someone on it. 50/50.
I'll show you it and then you can decide if you want to go ahead.

you're totally right, if you can do SEO make some local sites that get a lot of searches then contact businesses to buy traffic or lease the site. they will even contact you if you're #1 on google. you watch searches like "[city] plumbing", etc

iphone apps are incredibly profitable, you have no idea.

Time to get in touch with some of you guys :)